Weekly Leaflet 26 – Michael Oak Leaflet

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WEEKLY LEAFLET 26

August 20, 2026

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Dear Michael Oak Community

In this week’s Leaflet, we say farewell to Class 11 student Tara Younge as she prepares to continue her education at Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong. In a beautiful video reflection, Tara looks back on her journey through Kindergarten, Primary and High School at Michael Oak, and the experiences that have shaped her love of learning and sense of community.

We also reflect on the Class 11 Parzival journey with a thoughtful piece from their guardian, Roy Davids; celebrate Kathy’s 70th birthday and her many years as part of the Michael Oak community; and take a peek into life in the Kindergarten.

You will also find Class 5’s Egyptian projects, Class 6’s thoughtful letter writing and a celebration of Gabrielle Brophy’s achievement as a top goal scorer, alongside important Family Fair notices and requests and information about the 2027 fee assistance process.

We hope you enjoy this week’s Leaflet.

Kyle Snapper
Marketing Assistant

Happening Next Week

Below is an overview of the meetings, events, and activities happening around the school next week.

August

Roots, Hearts, Wings Camp Parents Meeting

6:30pm to 8:30pm

A meeting with the Class 10 parents and guardians to discuss their upcoming camp.

August

KG Parents Meeting

7:30pm to 9:00pm

A meeting with the kindergarten parents and teachers taking place in the small hall.

August

Market Day

12:30pm to 3:00pm

Our weekly market takes place every Friday at the school entrance.

August

Class 7 Play

TBA

Class 7 put on a performance about Galileo in the big hall.

Reflections on the Parzival Journey

By Roy Davids

What is Parzival? Parzival is a character in a book, an epic poem written by Wolfram von Eschenbach in medieval times about a young man on a journey to become a knight. He starts out as an innocent, naïve boy with hardly any social skills and through his many adventures on the journey to knighthood becomes a responsible, loving, empathetic young man who realises the consequences of his actions and tries to make restitution to those he has wronged.

The Class 11s experience their Parzival journey as a main lesson which starts on a camp and continues at school over 4 weeks. In one of the weeks, the class goes on their Social Practical experience for 4 days where they work in a community with disadvantaged and/or disabled people, helping them and finding out how this story can move them from imagination into reality. During the camp, they are told chapters from the story, and some parts are role-played. They reflect on it through journaling and deepen their experience through creative art processes. There is also a physical component to the camp that tries to mirror the experiences Parzival goes through.

This culminates in a presentation to parents and family members, during which each young person shares their experience of the main lesson as well as sharing their reflections on what stood out for them in the story and which parts affected them whether, positively or negatively.

The questions that were raised, the students’ reactions to certain parts of the story, and the way in which the story was received in the modern age were explored. Our Class 11s shared many amazing insights and a very deep understanding of themselves and their experiences.

The class was also treated to a workshop on discovering their temperaments providing insight not only into themselves and their classmates, but also into how this understanding could help them choose a suitable future career.

The temperament workshop, the Parzival story, their social practical and the job shadow (that they did earlier in the year) all work together to answer some of the key questions that the 17-year-old is asking, namely: Who am I? Who is the other? Where do I belong? What and how can I contribute to the world?

The Class 11 curriculum takes the teenager out of the class and into the world so that they can move out of their routines and rituals and experience something completely different. This is part of our school journey to help our children become independent, critical thinkers who are self-disciplined and empathetic, and who can take responsibility for their actions.

Having walked this journey with them, I am reminded that “an interesting journey never follows a straight path.”

Marjen van den Belt

Roy Davids
Class 11 Guardian

From Michael Oak to UWC Hong Kong

Today we say farewell to Class 11 student Tara Younge as she prepares for the next chapter of her education. Tara has been awarded a place at the prestigious Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong, where she will complete the International Baccalaureate over the next two years.

In this video, Tara reflects on her journey from Kindergarten through Primary and High School at Michael Oak: the imagination and reverence of her early years, the community that surrounded her as she grew, and an education that taught her to love learning.

“High School at Michael Oak felt like growing into myself while growing into my community.”

We congratulate Tara on this remarkable opportunity and wish her every strength and happiness for the journey ahead.

The Final Stretch

Our Matrics are entering the final stretch of their school career, with today marking 35 days until they begin writing their final examinations. We wish them strength and focus as they continue preparing for this important milestone.

Keep going, Matrics – we are behind you all the way.

Celebrating Kathy's Birthday

Today we celebrate a very special birthday as Kathy, one of our beloved kindergarten teachers turns 70!

The whole kindergarten, along with many former students and parents, gathered this morning to wish her a happy birthday, share their love and appreciation, and shower her with thoughtful gifts. Having spent 30 years in the Kindergarten at Michael Oak, Kathy has been a familiar and much-loved presence in the daily lives of generations of children and families.

This year marks Kathy’s final year at Michael Oak, and while we look forward to celebrating all she has given to our community, we know that the kindergarten will not feel quite the same without her.

To mark her special day, Kathy is taking her class on an outing along the Alphen Trail in Constantia, enjoying a morning together in nature.

Happy 70th birthday, Kathy! We are so grateful for the many years, memories and care you have shared with our community.

The Fair Notice Board

The excitement is building for our upcoming Michael Oak Fair – Rise Atlantis!

As part of our preparations, we kindly ask families who live in the area close to the school to come by the School Reception and sign the Noise Exemption Register.

Your support helps us ensure that our Fair can comes alive with plenty of energy, music and celebration! ‍️

Thank you for helping us make this a magical and memorable Fair for our whole community.

Calling all Michael Oak Creative’s Past & Present

If you are an artist, photographer, ceramicist, felt artists, sewer, knitter, jewellery designer, creative of any kind, we would LOVE to showcase your work at our 2026 Family Fair on 31 October. We are looking for donations for our Art Wall which is a wildly popular raffle with tickets sold at the fair as well as online. The Art Wall generates huge interest and is a perfect space to display your creative talent on the day of the fair. It can be a small item or a large item – whatever you are happy to part with and contribute towards this amazing community project. We will feature your biography and provide publicity in the leaflet in the run-up to the fair.

Visitors come from far and wide to view our Art Wall. Please consider gifting one of your creations for the Fair – a gift that goes on giving as it generates revenue for the school and much pleasure and joy to the raffle winners.

If you are willing to participate, please get in touch with
Firdous on 071 613 6835 (WhatsApp), or Genevieve (glangenhoven@michaeloak.org.za)

We would love any donations of semi-precious stones, beads, broken necklaces or jewellery for our scratch patch and treasure hunt. Please drop off donations at Genevieve’s office.

Dear Parents,
We welcome your donations of books to our much loved book stall. Donations can be dropped off at the office. Thank you!

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
Cicero

Kindergarten – Little Gardeners at Work

One of the Kindergarten children’s favourite activities during playtime is getting their hands into the earth. With spades and pitchforks in hand, they dig holes, turn the soil and prepare the ground for growing plants.

This simple, purposeful work gives the children the opportunity to connect with nature, use their bodies and develop a sense of care and responsibility for the garden. There is great satisfaction in digging, planting and watching something grow from the earth.

Class 5 - Egypt Projects

In Class 5, the children begin their journey into the world of ancient civilisations. Through these studies, they explore how human beings found their place on the earth and encountered the great questions of life, including birth, growth and death.

This year, the children had the opportunity to research different aspects of Ancient Egypt. Working in groups of three, they used a rich collection of books from the WCED library to research, plan and create their projects, completing most of their work within the classroom.

Alongside their historical learning, the children developed important skills in collaboration. They learned to plan a task together, share responsibilities, work towards a deadline and navigate the challenges of working as a group. The process offered valuable opportunities for growth in both their learning and their ability to work together.

Class 6 - Letter Writing

As part of their work on letter writing, Class 6 recently learned how to compose thoughtful and formal letters. They put their new skills into practice by writing individual letters of thanks to each of our wonderful library volunteers.

Yesterday, the class had the opportunity to hand over their letters in person, sharing their appreciation for the time, care and enthusiasm our volunteers bring to the school library.

Our library is a special place in our school, and we are deeply grateful to the volunteers who help keep it welcoming, organised and full of life.

Thank you, dear Library Volunteers, for all that you do! We are so grateful for your care and enthusiasm for our library.

Gabrielle Named Top Goal Scorer

Congratulations to Gabrielle Brophy, Class 6, who was the girls’ top goal scorer at the Champions Sun Valley Tournament at the end of July!

Well done, Gabrielle, on this fantastic achievement!

Note From Kindergarten

A Kindergarten teacher will be in the garden from 07h30, allowing parents who need to get to work early to drop their children off in a safe and caring environment.

Fee Assistance 2027

Dear Parents

Parents who are interested in applying for fee assistance for 2027 are requested to obtain a financial assistance application form directly from the Bursar, or request an electronic version by emailing bursar@michaeloak.org.za.

The completed application form, together with all the required supporting documentation, must be submitted to the Bursar by Friday, 04 September 2026.

We aim to finalize this process by the beginning of Term 4.

The Board of Trustees expects that parents who are granted the assistance will “give back” to the school through active involvement in the Michael Oak Community. This may include participating in groups and activities such as Make a Difference Group, Library, crafting, gardening, and other school initiatives.

Active participation and willingness to contribute to the life of the school are given in and around the school is given serious consideration when evaluating applications.

From the Bursar’s office

Kindergarten Teacher Position Available

Save The Dates

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

Follow Our Socials

Follow us on social media to stay connected with life at Michael Oak. Every follow, like, share, and comment helps us reach more families and grow our community. Thank you for your support.

We wish you a wonderful week ahead!

Community Notices

A Fairy Tale Fair at Constantia Waldorf

Up For a Student Exchange?

Looking for an Exchange Berlin-Capetown

From Jan 2027 for 3 months

Hello Everyone,

My name is Luiza, I am 16 years old and I was born on January 5th. I attend a Waldorf school in Berlin, Germany and I am currently in 10th grade.

I come from Berlin and live quite centrally with my mother, my brother (15), my little sister (7) and my stepfather. I would describe my family as open-minded, loving, warm and welcoming.

My favourite subjects are Art and Spanish, and I also enjoy Sports. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are
not really my favourite subjects.

Looking For a Tutor

I am in Cape Town for a month with my 6 year old son, Jude. We have come over from Zimbabwe to have a baby here, and while we are here, I am looking for a tutor who could spend a little time with Jude a few times a week.

I would love some help with reading, handwriting and maths to keep him learning while we are away from home. I am trying my best, but I am definitely not a teacher and could use some help!

If you know of someone who might be interested, please get in touch.

Becky
073 533 3037
WhatsApp: 00263 772 234 349

High School Parent Forum

All High School parents Welcome! Be part of a dynamic group of parents who engage with the School and help shape school policies on topics such as AI use in the high school; navigating a phone-free school and issues such as bullying or vaping. Please add any items you would like to be discussed in the final meeting of the year at the High School Parent Forum by completing this quick form linked HERE. For enquiries contact the Forum Chair Cecile Blake Benadé. cecileblake@gmail.com.

The date of the final meeting is 17 November 2026

A Poetry Tea Party

Celebrating Keith Gottschalk

Join us for A Poetry Tea Party celebrating Keith Gottschalk and his many years of dedicated service to New Contrast, which has championed South African writing and visual art for 66 years.

The afternoon will feature readings by our Board and Editorial Team, alongside poetry and reflections from Keith himself. We also look ahead to Issue 214, exploring African Speculative Futures in collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Ethics Lab.

Your support helps us continue bringing new voices and creative perspectives to our readers.

For more information, visit www.newcontrast.net.