WEEKLY LEAFLET 17
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Michael Oak gathers this week in celebration and reflection. On Saturday, 30 May, Michael Oak Waldorf School marks its 64th birthday. To honour the occasion, the Class 3 children are baking cake, and on Friday the whole school will come together in the Big Hall for a celebration.
We also extend warm wishes to all our Muslim families, students, and staff celebrating Eid al Adha. May this sacred time bring peace, blessing, and togetherness to your homes.
In this leaflet, you will find information about the Polar Bear Challenge taking place this weekend, as well as the introduction of the very first edition of Ink & Oak, our new High School Bulletin, created by high school students for the high school community.
Elsewhere around the school, the Kindergarten children recently celebrated the birthday of Romy, a visiting student from a Waldorf Kindergarten teacher training college in Seattle. The Class 7 students continue their Chemistry Main Lesson with an experiment exploring the effects of different acids, while several High School students proudly complete their latest woodwork projects.
We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the life and rhythm of the school.
Kyle Snapper
Marketing
Below is an overview of the meetings, events, and activities happening around the school next week. (click on events to learn more)
1 June
There is nothing scheduled on this day...
2 June
There is nothing scheduled on this day...
3 June
HS Federation Teacher Training
5:00pm to 6:00pm
Online presentation for all high school teachers.
Class 2 Parents Evening
7:00pm to 8:30pm
Meeting with the Class 2 parents and teacher in the class 2 classrooms.
PG Parents Evening
7:30pm to 9:00pm
Meeting with the Playgroup parents and teacher in the Playgroup classrooms.
4 June
Class 4 Play
TBA
This year’s Class 4 play brings Norse mythology to life through three dramatic stories: The Theft of Thor’s Hammer, Iduna’s Apples, and At the Foot of Yggdrasil. The performances are woven together with a feast.
5 June
Market Day
11:30am to 2:00pm
Our weekly market takes place every Friday at the school entrance.
6 June
There is nothing scheduled on this day...
7 June
There is nothing scheduled on this day...
Mark your calendars and keep an eye out for what’s coming up at Michael Oak.
Upcoming Crafting Days
See poster for dates
Family Fair
31 October
On Saturday, 30 May, Michael Oak Waldorf School celebrates another birthday, marking more than six decades of nurturing children through Waldorf education in the heart of Kenilworth. What began in 1962 as a small school in a house off Rosmead Avenue with just 15 pupils has grown into a vibrant and flourishing community of Kindergarten, Primary and High School students.
In those early days, parents laid bricks by hand, transformed rooms into classrooms, and helped shape the foundations of the school with dedication and care. Over the years, new classrooms, halls, gardens and gathering spaces were added, each carrying the imprint of community effort and a shared vision for education.
Today, Michael Oak continues to honour the spirit in which it was founded: an education that seeks to awaken the head, heart and hands of each child. From festivals and class plays to music, movement, craft and meaningful academic work, the school remains a place where imagination, reverence and human connection are deeply valued.
As we celebrate this special birthday, we give thanks to all the teachers, parents, pupils and alumni who have carried the life of the school through the years. May the roots planted in 1962 continue to grow strong for generations to come.
Polar Bear Challenge 2026
General Info
Saturday, 30 May 2026
08:30 AM – 12:00 PM
This is a COMPULSORY event for all Class 8–12 Michael Oak students (optional for Matrics).
Should your child not attend, a written letter with a valid reason must be emailed to the Guardian.
The Polar Bear Challenge is a school fundraising event in support of the Nikiwe Bursary Fund.
Each student has received a sponsorship form and is required to raise a minimum of R250. Please support your child in completing their sponsorship form. If a form is lost, the student is still required to contribute R250 towards the event.
Most importantly, this event is an opportunity for students to have fun, challenge themselves, build High School spirit, and create lasting memories together!
From: Muizenberg (car park behind the Striped Horse) To: Long Beach, Simon’s Town
Distance: 12 km walk/run along the False Bay coastline
Route preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Meeting point map:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/
Your fun and crazy “class secret outfit”!
We cannot wait to see the surprises you come up with — and we may have a few surprises for you too!
Important Times
08:30 AM at the car park behind the Striped Horse in Muizenberg to register.
(Please note: Muizenberg Surfers Corner is currently under construction.)
Walking begins promptly at 09:00 AM
Once students arrive at Long Beach, Simon’s Town, they are to remain until 12:00 PM to support all participants and enjoy beach activities together.
Students are to be collected from the Long Beach parking area, Simon’s Town at 12:00 PM.
Please come along and support us!
Great cheering spots along the route include:
You are also warmly invited to join us at the finish point at Long Beach.
If you would like to walk part of the route, we kindly ask that you follow behind the group only once the final High School student has passed. This helps preserve the student-centred spirit of the event and allows our teenagers to enjoy a sense of independence, camaraderie, and school spirit.
This year Michael Oak celebrates its 64th birthday!
Special prizes will be awarded for:
This promises to be a wonderfully wild morning out. Thank you in advance to the Class 8 parents for their enthusiastic coordination, and to all families for the many polar-bear-cold-water pep talks happening at home!
So gather your cubs, practise your growls, and we’ll see you on Saturday, 30 May!
We are SO looking forward to it!
The Polar Bear Team
gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 
The high school forum has started a monthly High School Bulletin, Ink & Oak, run by high school students for high school students and edited by Grace Molver in Class 10. The bulletin covers happenings from the high school, reflections and thoughts from students, and more.
Lindsy Carter-Bolus
I honestly can’t begin to explain how much I love teaching Geography to your children. Every Main Lesson is filled with energy, creativity, laughter, and discovery. Learning is alive, active, and constantly unfolding in new ways.
One of the greatest joys of teaching our Michael Oak teenagers is that they are willing to fully enter the experience when learning becomes real and meaningful. Even our Matrics happily find themselves back in the kindergarten sandpit as we learn about river capture. There is something wonderfully grounding and memorable about learning this way.
Our Class 8s “fly” around the school from mountain to mountain while learning about the Seven Summits, and the Class 9s take on projects connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, where they are challenged to develop viable business proposals that could support and uplift their communities. Watching their creativity, lateral thinking, and problem-solving come alive is always inspiring.
The Class 10s become Red Bull Stratos skydivers while learning about the layers of the atmosphere, while the Class 11s dive into cartography, visiting the Mapping Institute and creating GIS maps of Michael Oak Waldorf School itself — combining technology, observation, and real-world application in exciting ways.
Over the years we have also transformed geomorphology into “rock star” performances, explored climate change through 60-second live broadcasts, and even had Atlas speed-dating sessions on Valentine’s Day… and the list goes on. Geography becomes something lived, experienced, questioned, and felt — and for those doing Geography as a Matric subject, they get those super results too!
Having been in education for 30 years, I have often felt constrained in mainstream schooling and, after only a few years, have sometimes felt as though I’d reached my “sell-by” date. Yet here, the freedom to create, play, experiment, and truly engage with young people continues to inspire me year after year. The Waldorf approach allows learning to be imaginative, hands-on, and deeply human, and the students respond to that with openness and enthusiasm.
It is a tremendous privilege to teach in an environment where curiosity and creativity are so valued, and an even greater privilege to witness these teenagers grow into thoughtful, capable, and compassionate young adults, ready to meet the world in their own unique ways.
Thank you, Michael Oak!
Lindsy Carter-Bolus
Geography Teacher
We have been delighted to welcome Romy to the Kindergarten. Romy is studying at a Waldorf Kindergarten teacher training college in Seattle and is completing her practicum at Michael Oak. As Michael Oak is part of an international network of Waldorf Kindergartens, this exchange was made possible as her family prepares to relocate from Mexico to South Africa.
As part of her practicum, Romy has been observing the children, becoming familiar with our morning rhythm, and taking part in the daily life of the Kindergarten. She has also been leading ring times and storytelling as part of her practical training.
Romy has settled in beautifully, and the children have quickly grown fond of her. We are certain she will make a wonderful Waldorf teacher.
Adding to the celebrations, the Kindergarten children were delighted to celebrate Romy’s birthday with her on Monday.
In preparation for the school’s 64th birthday celebration, the Class 3 children spent time baking cakes together. After gathering all the ingredients, the children worked in pairs to mix the batter, with some groups becoming especially generous with the vanilla essence and sugar. Each cake will be decorated with a different coloured icing to represent the various classes before the whole school gathers to celebrate.
Diving deeper into their chemistry main lesson, the Class 7 students have begun exploring the pH scale and the fascinating world of acids and alkalis. They have been learning how the pH scale measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is, ranging from strongly acidic to strongly alkaline, and how different substances can be identified through their chemical properties.
As part of this exploration, an experiment was carried out using water dyed with red cabbage. Different acidic liquids were added to beakers of the cabbage water, and the students observed to see how the colour of the water in each beaker changed. By comparing these striking changes, they gained a deeper understanding of how acids react and how the pH scale helps us identify their strength.
Students across the high school have been completing a range of woodwork projects. In Class 9, Maria has crafted a beautiful wooden spoon, while Maria and Rocher have each made their own wooden boxes. In Class 11, Batandwa has completed a lovely stool.
Class 10 students Julian, Danielle, and Christian have been working on folding tables, each incorporating their own unique design elements into the final piece. The completed projects reflect the skill, care, and creativity developed through their woodwork studies.
Our school library is a small room tucked away in a magical garden. It has been loved by children and held and cared for by our much loved Derina Wille over many decades. She organised the shelves filled with stories of wonder and adventure, straightened the carpets carrying the memory of countless small feet and created a space of safety and warmth. But when the new year began, Derina was needed at another school and left the Library for a moment to sleep and dream and wait for people who would wake it from its slumber.
We would like to thank the parent volunteers who have shown up to do just that.
In February, Mary Gibbs a class 3 parent, saw what the library could become again. So she gathered a group of volunteers around her, organised a work party and bought lampshades, cushions and many great ideas. She brought library lessons to our younger children, and lovingly watched as the class 3 children squeezed excitedly around a table to learn how to choose and borrow books.
Kate Obree became the steady presence, giving three mornings a week to lead the library through a period that has asked a great deal – capturing books, navigating the Dewey decimal system, updating the Libwin system, reshelving, fixing, finding missing books, keeping things running. The library is definitely in better shape because of her consistency and care.
Nikhita Tikram has made sure that the funds raised at our Friday markets come to the library. Her practical care, which could be easy to overlook, keeps the shelves stocked and the space maintained.
Nabila Parker has been working to bring in donated furnishings, including approaching Mr Price Home for rugs and a desk, because she understands that a good reading space is about more than books.
Kendall Conlong reached out to Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Jonathan Ball, and Exclusive Books, and what came back was a donation of brand new books valued at over R30 000. She has also taken on coordinating the children’s illustrated thank-you letters to the donors, allowing a moment of creative gratitude to unfold.
And Lucy Hopkins, who has recently joined the group, is a welcome addition to this growing community of care.
These volunteers have watched our children around the long table at break time, emersed in books, and groups of primary schoolers pile in after school for Horrible Histories and chess, and seeing the library come back to life.
To all of you: the school sees what you have given. Thank you.
Big Walk 2026 Funds
Big walk funds raised this year: 60% towards the MO LIBRARY, 30% to Nikiwe Bursary Fund & 10% to Zenzeleni Waldorf School in Khayelitsha. Please complete your BIG WALK forms and bring in your funds raised towards these worthy projects.
The High School continues to implement a bell-to-bell cellphone-free policy during the school day. All student devices are handed in at the start of the day (8am) and securely stored until the end of the final lesson (13:45,15:15 or 14:30).
The intention of the policy is to support focused learning, healthy social interaction, and a calm, attentive school environment aligned with Michael Oak’s educational ethos.
We acknowledge recent parent concerns regarding visible cellphone use by High School students after the end of the school day, particularly in shared spaces near the Main Gate and Primary School areas. This can understandably create the impression of inconsistency in the school’s broader phone-free culture.
It is important to clarify that the school’s enforceable cellphone policy applies during the formal school day and within school programme time. Once the school day ends and students begin dispersing, supervision and enforcement capacity is limited, and students are effectively moving into a private, unsupervised context even while still on or near the campus.
For this reason, the school focuses its policy on clear expectations during school hours, where it is both educationally meaningful and practically enforceable.
Within this framework, High School students (and adult
visitors/parents/staff) are expected to be mindful of younger learners and to exercise discretion in their use of devices while still on campus after school, particularly in areas shared with Primary School students.
We continue to strengthen student awareness of this responsibility as part of their broader development toward maturity, self-regulation, and social responsibility.
We appreciate parents’ engagement on this matter and remain committed to maintaining a clear, consistent, and realistic approach to digital wellbeing within the school environment.
High School Faculty
The swing raffle from the fair is still underway, with entries at R50 each. You can secure your number with Zelda in Playgroup, either with cash or via SnapScan. A winner will be drawn as soon as all 100 numbers have been taken, so don’t miss your chance to be the lucky recipient of this wonderful prize!
The swing was generously donated by a family, but it’s too big to fit in the Kindergarten, so we’re raffling it off to raise funds for a smaller swing that will be just right for the children to enjoy safely.
We are constantly striving to make the Leaflet a more vibrant and meaningful way for our community to connect, share, and celebrate the life of our school. Your thoughts, stories, and contributions help us shape each edition, ensuring it reflects the creativity, warmth, and spirit of everyone involved. Whether you have feedback to share or an article to submit, your voice is an important part of making the Leaflet a true reflection of our community.
We Wish You A Wonderful Week Ahead!!
A supportive in person process group for mothers seeking greater self understanding, emotional resilience, and connection. Through mindfulness, expressive art, and somatic practices, participants explore the patterns of their nervous system, deepen their capacity for self compassion, and discover practical ways to navigate the challenges of parenting with greater awareness and confidence.
The Makery is offering a series of Winter Holiday Craft Workshops filled with creativity, and hands on making. Children can enjoy a variety of morning workshops, from biscuit decorating and origami mobiles to wooden wind spinners and string pictures, all in a warm and creative atmosphere.
Join us for our annual LIVE AUCTION fundraiser at Cape Point Vineyards on Friday, 12 June 2026 at 6:30pm. An evening of community, celebration, and fundraising in support of our school.
Step into the magic of The Fisherman and the Magic Fish, a delightful 30-minute puppet show designed for children aged 4 and up. Perfect for a family outing, this heartwarming tale comes to life with charm and wonder.
Tickets sold at the entrance on the day: R30 per adult, R20 per child
Venue: Novalis Ubuntu, 39 Rosmead Avenue, Wynberg 7800
Join Dr James Dyson for a thought provoking two part talk exploring the spiritual dimensions of human relationships through the lens of Anthroposophy. Drawing on his extensive experience in medicine, psychology, and Rudolf Steiner’s teachings, Dr Dyson offers a holistic perspective on human encounter as a path of inner development and meaningful connection. Donations at the door will support the Southern Cross Eurythmy Therapy Training.
These lectures are all open to the public.
0769047632
juliaoleary021@gmail.com
or Liz Smith (liz@quella.co.za).
Round up a team of friends and join in for an evening of fun, laughter, and friendly competition at Quiz Night on Friday, 19 June. Teams of 4 or 5 players are invited to test their knowledge while enjoying food, drinks, and a lively atmosphere.
Step into a night of glitter, throwback tunes, and 2000s nostalgia at the Class 9 party fundraiser. From iconic fashion to unforgettable hits, it promises an evening of music, dancing, and celebration, with the Football World Cup game streaming live on the big screen.
Join a day of community, connection, and family fun at the Christian Community Family Fair. Enjoy a welcoming atmosphere with activities, entertainment, food, and opportunities to gather with friends and neighbours. All are welcome.
The How to Love course developed by Dr Tessabella Lovemore is now available in Afrikaans for the first time. It is an online course of 12 lessons over 12 months. “These 12 lessons have made a significant change in the way I relate to people, loved ones, colleagues, and strangers.”
Cobie Roelvert
A series of 6 Eurythmy sessions covering the child’s development from three to thirteen as a musical journey. Understand the child (or look back on your own childhood) through dance and song and experience how children’s needs change.
What happens when a strawberry gets run over crossing the street?
Traffic jam.
