CNR e-News Term 2

2 May 2025

Dear Parents,

The holiday is already a distant memory as we settle into the routine of the term. Autumn colours are replacing the greens of summer and while we have revelled in the clear skies and sunshine this week, the water table is still so high, that many fields remain muddy.

Learning Support

On most of my walks around the school I come across members of the Learning Support Team working closely with children: Some in small groups, at tables, on the mat or helping individual children. This team plays an essential role in supporting teachers to make learning accessible for children and Clifton is indeed fortunate to have the services of these dedicated and competent teachers and therapists.

The need for Learning Support in schools is growing and is not unique to Clifton. Developing learning strategies, coping mechanisms, self-discipline and self confidence as early as possible, sets children up for success both at school and beyond. Our key measure of success is the level of independent learning these children have developed by the time they reach high school. Guiding them to that point is a remarkable achievement, and something for which Clifton is recognised. Quite a number of our children receive some form of assistance through therapy, a facilitator, extra lessons and supervised prep.

Learning support work often goes unseen and we are fortunate enough to have a team of dedicated professionals who guide and support our teachers and children.

It is a pleasure to introduce the team and to highlight the valuable work they do. In-house therapists, Thea-Elè Viljoen, Megan Osler and Monique Langlois facilitate ongoing discussions and teacher guidance, as well as provide invaluable support to children and parents. In addition to this we benefit from the expertise of a number of private professionals who provide individual support to children where needed. Jacquie Du Toit, Kelly Pellew and Amy Ferrow provide on site Occupational Therapy. Tracy Barrett and Catherine Steiner are our Speech and Language therapists. We also have a team of facilitators and tutors who assist individual children.

Monique Langlois - Learning Support Coordinator and Therapist in the Junior Primary

Monique is a Remedial therapist who offers in-class support, as well as small-group learning support, in the Junior Primary.

Megan Osler - Learning Support Therapist in the Senior Primary and Private Educational Psychologist

Megan is an Educational Psychologist who works as an in-house Learning Support Therapist in the Senior Primary. She offers in-class as well as small-group support. Megan also runs a private practice, and is available for consultation on a private basis.

Thea-Elè Viljoen - Learning Support Therapist in the Junior and Senior Primary

Thea is an experienced remedial teacher who works as an in-house Learning Support Specialist for both our Senior and Junior Primary

Jacquie Du Toit

Occupational Therapist

Kelly Pellew

Occupational Therapist

Amy Ferrow

Occupational Therapist

Tracy Barrett

Speech & Language Therapist

Catherine Steiner

Speech & Language Therapist

We were delighted to host a group of eager preschool moms and dads at our perceptual development workshop last Friday. Here, the focus was on the role that auditory and visual perception plays in learning to read and a child's "readiness to learn". Parents' skills were put to the test as they stepped into the shoes of a child who is learning to read. Unlike spoken language, which our brains are naturally wired for, reading requires complex rewiring of neural pathways which is dependent on explicit teaching and practice.

We aim to take advantage of the golden years when it comes to brain plasticity and the window of opportunity for optimal development. Research supports early intervention and at Clifton we believe in giving children the best start possible. A young child's brain is highly adaptable and malleable, making it easier for them to form new neural pathways and connections. It has been proven that children who receive evidence based intervention in the first 3 years of formal schooling are 2 to 3 times more likely to achieve at grade level than children who do not. Another major benefit of early intervention is that it prevents negative experiences, such as frustration, anxiety and low self-esteem, which can accompany academic struggles.

The first round of the Frank Jackson Foundation Scholarship selections took place yesterday. In the next few weeks the two awardees will be announced and will then be welcomed to Clifton next year.

Music

It was a delight to watch our musicians in the Choir, Band and Marimba Band perform like real stars at the Wembley College music festival on Friday, Their enthusiasm and talent were rewarded with the warm response of the audience. A wonderful accolade for their hard work under the leadership of Mrs Moor, Mr Chapatha and Mr Singh.

Read the article here

Sport

The Chess, Rugby and Hockey captains and vice captains have been announced and we wish them well in their leadership roles for the season.

It was a pleasure to host the Highbury rugby teams at home while the girls took on their counterparts on the hockey pitches at Epworth. Both enjoyed significant successes with our children showing grit and sportsmanship on the fields.

The cross country season has seen the first training sessions on the adventure trail. Our runners will soon be familiar with the twists, turns, ups and downs of the trail as it becomes part of the life of the school.

The Chess team enjoyed an afternoon of challenging matches against Cordwalles, our gymnasts and squash players continue to perform well at local events and Rex Kotze excelled at the SA canoeing sprints during the holidays.

Captains

Congratulations to the following children who were announced Captains for the following sports teams.

Chess

Captain: Bastian Nicolson

Vice Captain: De Wet Mulder

Girls Hockey

Captain: Siphesihle Sikhosana

Vice Captain: Grace Price Moor

Rugby

Captain: Cayden Flockhart

Vice Captain: Luthando Xulu

Canoeing

Rex Kotze took part in the South African Canoe Sprints at Roodeplaat Dam in Pretoria during the holidays and achieved excellent results. Well done, Rex! We wish you all the best for the upcoming KZN Canoe Marathons later this month!

U8 Category - 4 silver medals

2000m
1000m
500m
200m

Gymnastics

Three of our Clifton gymnasts competed in a Level 3 competition at the end of last term. Well done to the following girls:

Mikaela Mitchell-Innes
Taylor Abbott
Josie Bedell-Sivright

Squash

The following boys and girls competed in the KZN Closed Squash Tournament this past weekend and walked away with some great results. Well done to our squash champs!

U11 Boys