Preparatory Academics

Academically, the Preparatory School has worked to incorporate our slogan – grow, flourish and thrive – in all that we do. We are so proud to see our school grow, and witness our pupils learn and develop to their full potential.

“Through education, we plant the seeds of curiosity that grow into the trees of knowledge.” – Unknown

As a staff, we take great pride in our efforts to move from good to great, and our teachers are passionate and innovative. This year, our Modular Learning Programme was adapted into ‘Integrated Learning in the Intermediate Phase’. Each grade selected a movie which formed a base which they could use to explore a variety of topics. The pupils enjoyed their time – sharing ideas, making models and posters, completing research, solving problems and delivering presentations of their work. Along with this, incidental learning took place and memories were made.

With help from our active Parents Association, we were able to build a new STEAM room – STEAM being the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. This facility is a meaningful addition to the school’s resources. All the pupils from Grades 1 to 6 began to use the new ‘Resolute Education Programme,’ which introduced the concepts of coding and robotics to our pupils.

Currently, the platforms of learning are constantly evolving and creating new difficulties for staff and pupils alike. We, as teachers, are responsible for equipping our pupils with the range of skills that they will need to cope with the challenges they will face as they progress through school. The introduction of AI is having a profound impact on the manner in which we teach and our staff members have been encouraged to participate in courses to help prepare themselves for the advance of this phenomenon.

The Time2Read programme, introduced in January across Grades 1 to 3, is a new initiative in the Foundation Phase focused on the coding and decoding of words.

We continued to promote reading wherever possible. As Dr Seuss said, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Our early morning reading picnics proved to be a favourite amongst our Foundation Phase pupils and teachers. The Hooked on Books and Lus vir Lees performances, which incorporated the whole school, were also a hit. The introduction of a termly Book Exchange as well as the Book Character Day reflected the pupils’ joy of reading, and the creativity of all our children was refreshing to see. During a special time on Book Character Day the Grade 7s read to the Grade 1s – a tradition on the calendar which always creates everlasting memories.

The introduction of a Cultural Hour on Fridays enabled pupils to learn a variety of new skills from car washing and crocheting, to baking and scrap booking. These programmes have widened our pupil’s skill base and we hope it will inspire them to become interested in new hobbies.

Biffy Symons