SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN GRADE 1
Spring has certainly SPRUNG in Grade 1. Our boys have started this new and VERY BUSY term with enthusiasm and joy. The first few weeks were dedicated to the ‘Spring Theme’, warmer climate and the joy of ‘ditching’ all the layers of clothing.
It has been so much fun watching them apply their knowledge in all our learning areas. From learning about symmetry in butterflies and painting their butterfly cookies (YUM) and using various mediums to create beautiful art for the classroom displays. There was so much excitement with the Spring celebrations and the Grade 1 hats were a hit across the Junior Prep. With all the fun and excitement, the Grade 1 team is so proud of all our boys. They work hard and give of their best every day. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the term brings.
READING BREAKFAST
Our reading breakfast was a great success and our new Headmaster, aka Prof Dumbledore, popped down to share in the reading magic!
SALT
The theme for SALT was linked to Heritage Day and the boys had a discussion in their groups about the structure of a tree. Just like a tree gets what it needs from its roots, each boy had to decide what he gets from his heritage that is part of who he is.
The boys then used what their family has instilled in them to grow and develop their own interests and build on skills, culture, language and how they use what their family has taught them.
GRADE 4 AND 7 SCIENCE EXPO
The long awaited Grade 4 and 7 Science Expo was a great success. The weather played its part and the boys loved show casing their projects. Our SP parents also had an opportunity to view the projects, mingle with other parents and enjoy some snacks.
EARLY MORNING TEA
The Grade 0 parents enjoyed a morning together with teachers and our new Headmaster. The meet and great was received with great success and our parents were excited to be back on the property.
DEBATING CLUB
The Grade 5’s prepared and presented a class debate. They passionately argued for or against being taught by robot teachers. Their convincing arguments were based on both fact and opinion. I am relieved to report that the teacher’s jobs look secure, for now!
GRADE 0’s LEARNT ABOUT LIFE CYCLES
The Grade 0’s spent the morning looking for tadpoles around the Ridge grounds, getting their hands dirty and just being boys. They have caught some tadpoles and are going to watch them grow into frogs over the next few months.
GRADE 0’s LEARNING ABOUT NATURE
For this term the Grade 0’s are looking after the silkworms they collected, by collecting leaves every morning and feeding them daily.
GRADE 1’s LEARNT ABOUT DRESS CODES
The Grade 1’s learnt about spring dress codes and made beautiful paper flowers.
GRADE 0’s CELEBRATING SPRING
The Grade 0’s celebrated Spring by creating magnificent flower arrangements. The boys arrived with a single bunch of flowers, and left school with gorgeous creations made from a collaboration of shared flowers among the class.
GRADE 0’s SENSORY PATHWAY
We have recently added a sensory pathway in the Grade 0 garden. The boys are delighted with the new addition in their garden. Exploring the different textures through their bare feet has resulted in many squeals of excitement!
GRADE 6’s LEARNT ABOUT RATIOS
During their maths lesson, the Grade 6’s were challenged to make the perfect Strawberry Milkshake. They were provided with the recipe and then had to calculate the ingredients using ratios and proportions. The boys worked exceptionally hard to strive for accuracy and developed their mathematical understanding. The maths group had a real buzz for learning, and this made their teacher really proud!
HERITAGE DAY
SPORT
Congratulation to the U9 Ridge Rebels team who recently participated in and then claimed victory in their winter league T20 cricket tournament last weekend. A win over Wanderers Gold saw them raise the trophy. An excellent achievement, well done boys!
OLD BOYS NEWS
Congratulations to Matthew Maccelari who is an Old boy, Class of 2016.
Congratulations to Luthando Masinda (LIV, Clarke) who has been selected to represent the U15 Central Gauteng Lions High Schools Cricket East Area team. #SJCCricket #LuxVitaCaritas
Congratulations to Kago Masote (LIV, Nash) who has been selected to represent the U15 Central Gauteng Lions High Schools Cricket East Area team. #SJCCricket #LuxVitaCaritas
Michael Van Heerden (Remove, Fleming) competed in the 2021 Swim South Africa (SSA) Regional Northern Junior Champs which took place 26 to 28 March 2021, where he collected a gold medal in the 50m butterfly, silver in the 50-metre backstroke and bronze medals in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.
Michael’s times placed him in the top 5 in the country for his respective age group. Michael is currently the second-fastest butterfly and backstroke swimmer in South Africa for his age group, just behind the current South African Junior record holder.
Michael also competed in the U14 / U15 age group of the EGA Senior Winter Champs which took place 14 to 15 August 2021 where he won silver medals in the 50m butterfly, backstroke and freestyle, and a bronze in the 100m butterfly. He has secured his spot as the number one ranked swimmer in Gauteng for his age group in the sprint butterfly, backstroke and freestyle. A fantastic achievement, Michael. #LuxVitaCaritas
