Sport & Extramurals Begin - Mon, 23 Jan Class 4 Parents Evening - Mon, 23 Jan - 7:00pm - 8:30pm Class 9 Sewing Group Outing - Tue, 24 Jan - 12:30pm - 2:30pm Welcome to Matric Students & Parents - Tue, 24 Jan - 6:30pm - 7:30pm Class 6 Parents Evening - Thu, 26 Jan - 7:00pm - 8:30pm Class 7 Parents Evening - Thu, 26 Jan - 7:00pm - 8:30pm Matric Geography Hike - Fri, 27 Jan - 5:00am - 8:00am KG 3 Picnic - Sat, 28 Jan - 10:00pm - 12:00pm Welcome Evening for New Parents - Wed, 8 Feb - 7:00pm - 8:00pm (info below) Open Day - Sat, 18 Feb - 9:30am - 11:30am (info below)
For the latest updates to the school calendar please click HERE
Correction: The school’s WhatsApp line listed in the Welcome letter sent out earlier this week was incorrect. The correct number is: 063 073 7042.
If your child is absent, please send the name of your child and their class to our email address (info@michaeloak.org.za) or WhatsApp line (063 073 7042) or call the school (021 797 9728) by 8:30am of the morning that they are going to be absent or if they need to leave early. Please do this every day, and not only on the first day of absence. The list of absent children will be shared with the class teacher/guardian, therapists, aftercare, tuck shop and the sports & extramural coordinator.
This term's sports & extramural programme was emailed out to all our families earlier in the week. Please don't forget to REGISTER YOUR CHILD for at least one activity by clicking one of the following links and filling in the online form for either the PRIMARY SCHOOL or HIGH SCHOOL.
Children may join as many extramurals as they wish. The first activity is INCLUDED in school fees. Each additional activity will be billed at R330 for the term. There is a discount of 10% for the 3rd and 20% for the 4th and 5th activity. Please note that Marimba will be billed at R470 per term and tennis will be billed at R430 per term. No discounts available on these activities.
Dear Michael Oak Community -
A very warm welcome to school for what promises to be a full and exciting 2023. And a special welcome to all new families joining us.
We said goodbye to many dear staff members at the end of last year, each having played an important role in the journey of the school. And now, of course, we welcome many new staff. We welcome Brent Palmer, Chloe Govender, Glenville Leedenberg, Kim Ross, Kim Snapper, Matthew Stodel, Tahaarah Little, Victoria Sigalas and Zayd Hendricks. Nicolas Merle and Matthew Dowling started with us last year but will be taking on a growing role within the High School this year. In the office we welcome Fiona Grant as school administrator and Natheema Jacobs as our new enrolment and marketing secretary. We wish them all a fulfilling and meaningful time at Michael Oak. You can look forward to a more detailed introduction to new staff in the Leaflet over the course of the year.
We welcome Tine Bohm back from her sabbatical term to resume her role as Pedagogical co-ordinator. This year, a new post will be developed by Jeannine Twine, that of Community co-ordinator. Both, as highly experienced Waldorf teachers, will also be taking on in-depth mentorship of teachers where required.
We also look forward to welcoming a music teacher into the High School during the course of the term. We are very excited about this new position and are certain it will bring a much welcome and enriching element to the High School.
We look forward to welcoming Michaël Merle for a visit later this term to continue his ongoing work and mentorship with the High School Faculty as we grow and develop this area of the school.
Our Matrics of 2022 received their results this week. We are delighted to see once again a 100% pass rate with many very excellent marks. Sincere gratitude to every teacher from Playgroup to Matric who played such important roles in the development and learning of these young adults. And of course a very big thank you and acknowledgement to our Matric teachers and to Lee Smit-Gardner and Lester Scharnick for so ably holding the Matric administration. Congratulations to the students and to the parents of this class!
Once again, a very warm welcome to all and many blessings for the year ahead together. Please keep an eye on the Leaflet and school calendar for upcoming welcome and introductory events and activities.
As teachers we hold these words from Rudolf Steiner at heart always: "Receive the children in reverence, educate them in love and send them forth into freedom."
Warm regards
Alison Tobler On behalf of the College of Teachers
The first week of school has come and gone and we are already past the halfway mark of January 2023 – how on earth did that happen? The resolutions and new beginnings that we committed to just two weeks ago are already a distant memory ….
At the end of each year, I work through a process with my senior classes (and myself personally) to step into the following year with clarity and direction, and I thought I would share this with you.
MAKE TIME – you need about two hours to complete this process.
REFLECT – close your eyes and visualize that you are paging through a photo album, where each month is represented in various snapshots. Where were you? Who was with you? How did you feel? What did you learn? What did each month of 2022 bring to you? How did the seasons impact you?
ASK YOURSELF – the following questions and answer each as honestly and thoroughly as possible:
What were my successes in 2022 (no matter how big or small)?
What worked for me in 2022?
What did not work for me in 2022?
What were the FIVE biggest ‘negatives’ that I experienced in 2022? What were the gifts in this? What did I learn from this?
What am I taking with me into 2023?
What am I leaving behind?
CREATE A SIGNIFICANT MANTRA/SENTENCE - From what you have discovered about your past year, create a mantra (a word/s or sound repeated to aid concentration) that you can take with you into the New Year. It must start with ‘I am...’ and must speak to what you wish to become. My mantra for 2023 is ‘I am a deeply rooted piece of kelp that goes with the flow’. At times when I feel overwhelmed and the hamster wheel kicks in, I use this to ground myself and to remind myself that this wave too will pass (it certainly has come to great use this first week of term ☺)! What is your mantra for 2023?
I wish you all the best as you take the learnings and gifts of last year with you into 2023.
In peace may you leave this shore,
In love may you find the next.
Greetings from Vancouver, Canada!
Saying goodbye to Michael Oak has been both bitter and sweet. I look ahead to a new chapter in Canada with great anticipation, but when I think about the children and community that I have come to cherish, it is hard to imagine not being a part of this special place.
However, in truth, I will always be a part of Michael Oak, and Michael Oak will always be a part of me. I will think of the children and their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and be delighted as their shining faces cross my memory. I will think of our parent community and be both amazed and humbled at the dedication and willingness to be involved and supportive. I will think of my colleagues and the many lessons they have taught me, and the space they have given me to explore my role in the school.
I leave behind a keepsake: a mosaic created by (last year's) Class 5 children using recycled glass and up-cycled tiles that will find its home on a wall of our school building. Something of beauty that represents my time with this class, and their budding potential for the future!
I carry with me the thousand-fold lessons that have come my way through the children, through parents and through colleagues, and know that in each new chapter coming, these lessons will serve as wisdom.
Mila and I also carry with us these hand-made treasures from children and parents: a meditation mat made using the children’s bits of old clothing and recycles fabric from fairs and crafts; a knitted beanie by Josephine for warm ears and knitted gloves for happy hands by Grace!
I leave in peace and in gratitude for being a part of Michael Oak, and look ahead in love to the next horizon!
Leigh Moore Former Class 5 teacher (2022)
Photos:
Our last class outing: to the Muizenberg slides followed by swimming in the sea. Our outings have always been such a highlight!
Our final moment in Class 5: living into the Olympian virtues of the Ancient Greeks, we explored the story of Homer’s Iliad!
The Kindergarten Faculty welcomed many new little ones into their classrooms this week. The tiniest of which started their first school days in the Playgroup.
These first days remind us how much of our physical forces go into the holding of the children and the settling into new routines. We always enjoy this time of getting to know the children, of gathering all those little clues that help us to work as best we can with each individual child as well as help to grow the community of the class and school.
The simplicity and wholesomeness of this time is such a blessing. One little three year old was so pleased to see that everyone had a lunch box of food to eat at snack time, he simply exclaimed “Isn’t it wonderful!”
We wish our youngest children of Michael Oak and their parents a happy year of enjoying the absolute wonders of childhood!
Even the very wise story gnomes
of each class were excited
to welcome the children to school
after a very quiet holiday time!
We congratulate all our 2022 students (and their parents), as well as our Matric teachers on the excellent 2022 results!
Result summary:
100% Pass rate
Out of a possible 96 subject A’s, we scored 43 subject A’s (44.7%)
Of the 16 Learners:
7 Learners achieved an A aggregate
4 Learners achieved a B aggregate
2 Learners achieved a C aggregate
3 Learners achieved a D aggregate
Well done to our top 2 learners, Ethan Williams and Amir Dollie, who each scored 7 distinctions. Ethan Williams is our top learner with an aggregate of 87.3%.
Class 8 Art Recreations
Since 2020, Class 8 has been challenged to recreate famous artworks with whatever they could find at home. The results can often be accurate, breathtaking, funny or inventive. Here are a few from Class 8 2022.
The class voted Elijah Gallant's for 'Most Accurate' and Ian Major's for 'The Funniest'.
Nicola Elliott-Wong High School teacher
Class 8: Skills for 2030
In the last week of the 2022 school year, the Class 8s had a special program entitled “Skills for 2030”. Experts joined us in the classroom to discuss topics as varied as Mindfulness, Creativity and AI, Balancing Material Wealth with Environmental Wellness, Guarding Birth, Emotional Intelligence, and Body Language and Improvisation.
We also visited the African Robotics Unit at UCT and received a special presentation on some of their latest research. The week ended with a bring-and-share brunch of food prepared by the students. The week was enriching and we are so grateful to all who shared their time and insights.
While last year was a quieter year of Ultimate at Michael Oak, we made some new friends and participated in some really cool activities. We have been able to develop a better understanding of how the game is much more than just throwing a disc between people. It has been a year of development and fun. Going into the new year, I hope to work with the school to create more engagement and host some more awesome activities like Beach Ultimate and Disc Golf days for everyone to partake in and enjoy.
Michael Oak went to the Cape Town Schools Ultimate Frisbee Tournament on the 2nd of December. Everyone played incredibly well and gave their all. Watching them play was a testament to how fun this incredible sport is! Our team did very well, beating 2 teams and drawing with 1. Everyone enjoyed themselves and played with amazing skill. We're very proud of the team!
RESULTS:
Michael Oak 5 - 5 Westerford
Michael Oak 6 - 2 International School
Michael Oak 8 - 5 Apex
Well done everyone 🔥🔥 it was epic coaching you all and I look forward to a great 2023!
The Dads, Dudes and Kids Camp has been moved forward a week so as not to clash with the Cape Town Cycle Tour. This is a highlight of the school year for the Primary School. Please save the date and look out for pre-camp meeting dates and further details. See below for an introduction.
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See details at the bottom of this section.
Accommodation Wanted
We are a new family at Michael Oak, freshly arrived from KZN. We are looking for a 3-bedroom, pet-friendly accommodation, preferably in the school area. Please contact me at the following number: Ingrid: 071 052 3755. This is also my WhatsApp number. Thank you!
Garden Cottage to Rent Lovely furnished garden cottage to rent on the doorstep of Michael Oak Waldorf School. One large bedroom en suite, lounge, study, recently renovated full, separate kitchen. Plenty of newly built-in cupboards. Under cover private braai patio with built-in braai and lots of outdoor space. Off-street parking with separate access. Suitable for a single person. R8500 per month includes electricity and water. Telephone or Whatsapp Lorraine on 083 530 8181. Optional additional 40sqm studio available to rent as well. Available from 9 January 2023.
There are currently no vacancies at Michael Oak. All our vacancies will be posted in the Leaflet, as well as on the ISASA website. If you are interested in learning more about Waldorf pedagogical training, then please contact the Centre for Creative Education.
INSTRUCTIONS
Adverts will be published a maximum of 3 times per school term.
Posters should be 560px wide with text large enough to read on a mobile device.
Please send community notices and display adverts to: leaflet@michaeloak.org.za
COST
All advertisers are expected to make a contribution to our Bursary Fund.
Minimum donation of R50 for community notices and R100 for display adverts.
Please use these bank details for EFT transfers:
Standard Bank / Branch: 02510900 / Acc. No.: 071885382
Acc Name: Michael Oak School Fundraising / Ref: ‘Leaflet-Ad’
DEADLINE for all adverts is Thursday 12 noon
DISCLAIMER: Please note that advertisements and posts do not necessarily represent the
views or opinions of the Leaflet editorial team or Michael Oak Waldorf School.
TERM 1 PS & HS: Tue, 17 January - Fri, 24 March PG & KG: Wed, 18 January/Thu, 19 January - Thu, 23 March PG & KG have a staggered start for younger and older children. Affected parents will be informed.
TERM 2 PS & HS: Wed, 12 April - Fri, 23 June PG & KG: Wed, 12 April - Wed, 21 June
TERM 3 PS & HS: Tue, 18 July - Fri, 22 September PG & KG: Tue, 18 July - Thu, 21 September
TERM 4 KG, PS & HS: Tue, 10 October - Fri, 8 December PG: Tue, 10 October - Thu, 7 December
children and parents: a meditation mat made using the children’s bits of old clothing and recycles fabric from fairs and crafts; a knitted beanie by Josephine for warm ears and knitted gloves for happy hands by Grace!
me new friends and participated in some really cool activities. We have been able to develop a better understanding of how the game is much more than just throwing a disc between people. It has been a year of development and fun. Going into the new year, I hope to work with the school to create more engagement and host some more awesome activities like Beach Ultimate and Disc Golf days for everyone to partake in and enjoy.
Lovely furnished garden cottage to rent on the doorstep of Michael Oak Waldorf School. One large bedroom en suite, lounge, study, recently renovated full, separate kitchen. Plenty of newly built-in cupboards. Under cover private braai patio with built-in braai and lots of outdoor space. Off-street parking with separate access. Suitable for a single person. R8500 per month includes electricity and water. Telephone or Whatsapp Lorraine on 083 530 8181. Optional additional 40sqm studio available to rent as well. Available from 9 January 2023.
