Primary School - Satellite
Grade 1 Information
On enrolment you have entrusted your child to us. We are aware of our united responsibility and will strive to optimally account for and support your child, and to educate him/her to become socially responsible, as the mission statement of the primary school demands.
Your child spends only a small portion of the day with us, so we are dependent on intensive cooperation with the parental home in our endeavour to achieve this goal. If you support the work of the school, we will be able to attain the desired result together. We hope that you will be prepared to work with us as this is the only way for us to fulfil your expectations.
There are approximately 275 students (roughly an equal number of boys and girls) in the primary school. Currently there are four classes per grade, one of these classes in each grade is at our Tygerberg campus. School starts at 07:55h and generally ends after the sixth lesson at 12:30h.
According to the syllabus the following periods are envisaged
| In the first school year | 28 periods (incl. 2 discretionary periods) |
| In the second school year | 30 periods (incl. 2 discretionary periods) |
| In the third school year | 30 periods (incl. 2 discretionary periods) |
| In the fourth school year | 30 periods (incl. 1 discretionary periods) |
Instruction and break times
The children have lessons from Monday to Friday which are divided into a maximum of 6 periods in the morning. From Monday to Thursday the instruction is from 07:55h to 12:30h; on Friday it is from 07:55h to 10:55h. In the afternoons there are various extramurals.
There is supervision from 07:30h. Please do not send your children to school earlier as there is no playground supervision before that time. In the breaks on the playground there is always one teacher on duty. While having breakfast the children stay in their classrooms and are supervised by the relevant teacher.
Lessons in the primary school will be divided as follows:
| SubjectsGrade | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Teaching in split classes German or English | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| German | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| English | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||||||
| Mathematics | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||
| Sachunterricht | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||
| Music | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Kunst/Arts | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Religion | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Sports | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Verfügungsstunde | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Spiel/Games | 1 | ||||||||
| Total | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Time Table
| Period 1 | 07:55h – 08:35h |
| Period 2 | 08:35h – 09:15h |
| Break | 09:15h – 09:30h |
| Period 3 | 09:30h – 10:10h |
| Period 4 | 10:10h – 10:50h |
| Break | 10:50h – 11:05h |
| Period 5 | 11:05h – 11:45h |
| Period 6 | 11:45h – 12:25h |
Grade 1: On Fridays school ends at 10.50h for grade 1.
First Break Snack
It is our request that, for the benefit of your child, you send along a healthy morning snack in a lunchbox (to avoid the strewing of rubbish) ie. fruit, whole wheat bread, yoghurt etc. and only sugar free drinks without caffeine eg. no colas, no fruit juice with sugar, no ice tea. Grade 1 children are not allowed to go to the Tuckshop.
Sportswear
Children in primary school usually wear the sports uniform to school when they have sports ie.
• long or short pants
• either red or blue tshirt depending on which team they belong to (determined at the start of schooling).
• tracksuit top
• sturdy sports shoes
In summer always pack a bathing suit, cap (DSK Logo) and towel.
Please mark all your child’s property with their name!
Collection of Money
If there is money must be collected from time to time, please give your child the exact amount in a well-sealed envelope stating the grade, name of the child, reason and amount.
Expectations for a first Grader
If you would like to enrol your child in Grade 1 at our school, he/she should be able to master these school-ready basics:
A solid knowledge of German, especially in speaking and understanding (the child must be able to converse adequately in German, be able to respond to questions and speak in complete sentences; non-German speaking children must have attended the German Kindergarten for at least 2 years).
- Open-mindedness towards new concepts, willingness to address a task, and be able to focus for a certain period of time (motivated to learn and concentrate)
- Social adaptability, self-assertiveness and perseverance in a larger group
For your child this means that he/she should be able to:
- wash him/herself alone, brush teeth and dress (eg. for sports, class camps)
- climb
- use knives, forks, spoons and scissors
- build, draw, knead, shape on his/her own and play with others
- follow rules
- eager to read, write, use numbers, count, write letters
- be eager to start school
- be able to write his/her own name
- listen to the teacher and to others and retell stories
- know and distinguish the important colours
- say his/her own name, age, birthday
- be polite and friendly, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
- recognise his/her own possessions marked with his/her name and look after them
- blow his/her own nose
- use the toilet independently and know how to ask for permission to go to the toilet
- tidy away games and materials used and use loaned articles carefully
- understand and execute simple instructions
- tie shoelaces
- pack/unpack his/her suitcase
Reports and parents’ evenings
In the first and second grades the children receive a report in the middle and at the end of the year. The report comes in the form of a written assessment with conclusions about the learning development in work and social conduct as well as the individual learning areas. At the end of Grade 2 the children receive a report which includes marks for German and Mathematics. In Grades 3 and 4 the children receive a report containing marks.
Parents’ evenings are generally held twice a year (1st and 3rd term). The first parents’ evening for Grade 1 takes place in the first school week. A parents’ evening will be called by the class teacher in the first term, while a parents’ evening in the third term will be organised, if necessary, by the parents’ representative.
Leave of absence directly before or after the holidays
According to our school regulations students may not be given leave of absence directly before or after the holidays. Exceptions may only be granted in urgent cases. The principal decides each case on merit. Application for leave of absence.
Illness
If your child is ill and cannot attend school, the parent/guardian should inform the school on the same day before 09:00h. This can be done verbally or in written form. You can contact reception on +27 (0) 21 480 3830/1. For Tygerberg +27 (0) 21 930 6302. A written reason must reach the school by at least he third day, or as soon as your child returns to school. It is especially important to inform the school if your child has had a communicable disease, also lice. A certificate from a doctor indicating that your child is no longer contagious, must accompany him/her on his/her return.
Important forms and information
Along with a copy of your child’s birth certificate/passport/valid study permit, the following forms (also available in Grade 1 downloads) need to be filled in, signed and handed back to the class teachers at the beginning of the school year:
