Dear Parents

Sunday 3 May was a rather gloomy, cold and rainy day and, as it was my birthday, and that of my son-in-law, I was missing my daughter and her family even more than ever, having not seen them since 26 March. What a lovely surprise, and an immediate lift to my spirits it was, to receive a beautiful video of my class sending birthday greetings and blessings. How lovely to see their gorgeous faces and hear their sweet voices, it really made my day.

A huge thank you to my class representatives and all those involved in creating this very special birthday gift.

Mrs. Jonas also celebrated her birthday last week and a photo of her class holding up a special message to her is amongst the preschool photographs.

This week we launched phase 2 of distance learning with the introduction of daily “Google Meets” to provide contact with every learner in the Preschool.

We are so enjoying interacting with our girls and hearing all their news.

Miss Dunn has also introduced a weekly video of a Religious lesson and some well-known and well-loved hymns for the girls to sing along to.

Usually, the week before Mother’s Day is a very busy one in the preschool as we prepare for our special annual event: our “Mom’s Pamper Morning”. The teachers are just as disappointed as the moms that this has had to be cancelled this year due to the “lockdown” as a result of Covid-19.

We wish all the Springfield moms and grandmothers a very happy Mother’s Day on Sunday 10 May, keep an eye on the Springfield face book page for a special message this weekend.

The photographs this week shows the Reception girls creating wonderful art pieces and exploring the outdoors for their theme of “autumn,” while the Nursery and Pre-Reception girls enjoyed experimenting with the very exciting theme of “the secondary colours”.

My favourite photo this week is of Razia Mohamed whom we welcomed at the start of this term into Mrs. Shaw’s Reception class, I wish her and her family a long and happy association with Springfield Convent.

DIANE VILJOEN

Head of Preschool

Dear Springfield Families

Cyril Ramaphosa instilled hope and renewed national pride in many South Africans with his initial address to the nation at the start of lockdown. Six weeks later, there is a sense of hopelessness and despair amongst us, as political goal posts are moved and uncertainty and fear for our nation increases. While we each carry our own personal worries, collectively we worry about families and communities who are already in distress, which will undoubtedly increase ten-fold as time marches on.

However, in the midst of this, us who work in privileged schools or who have children, see the lotus flowers blooming. This Generation Z - who understand the digital sphere far better than us, who work hard and with passion and energy - act as beacons of hope. Their resilience, patience and creativity is being tested daily - yet they keep going with optimistic smiles on their faces, living each day in the moment. We can learn great lessons from them.

Those who are privileged to have access to online learning, watch and marvel at our children’s development and growth. Our children are learning skills in lockdown that will stand them in good stead well into the future.

Your girls are champions - every one of them who I have worked with in lockdown has been positive, polite, engaged and eager, leaving me filled with love, optimism and hope.What a joy it is to work with Springfield girls - they make me feel proud and humble indeed. Kudos to them and to you, their parents.

I have children too and know and understand the stressful juggle of parenting in lockdown. It’s so important that we remind ourselves daily of the fortunate position we are in - how incredibly lucky we are that our children are connected to skilled teachers who care deeply about their well-being and progress, and are there, holding our children's hand every step of the way through this complex time. Thank you special teachers everywhere.

With warm regards and strength to you all for our onwards journey.

GABBY CLOETE

Junior School Counsellor