their sports kit or school uniform. The Red
Connect usually runs a tuckshop for the
parents, with coffee and food on sale.
Athletics: Quadrangular
This event takes place at The Pinelands
Primary School, usually sometime in
February. The three Pinelands’ Primary
Schools and Thornton Primary School
participate in this annual event. Don your
supporters T-shirt and join us at the Blue
school.
Awards
We acknowledge all aspects of our pupils’ development at our Foundation Phase awards ceremony.
Each child receives a certificate that acknowledges who they are, their strengths and what they have
achieved. Our policy is to reward all our Foundation Phase children with a certificate at their Awards
ceremony each year. At the Senior Awards the child who comes first in the class academically receives a
certificate and book voucher, and grade 6 and 7 children receive subject and sports awards. Later in
November, Grade 4 to 7 pupils have special morning assemblies to celebrate every child’s success in that
year.
Our children are ‘caught doing the right thing’ several times during every year, through our merit award
system, through ‘Caught in the Acts’, through the merit trophies which are awarded twice a term, in
newsletters and the year book, and in class competitions generally.
Please prepare yourselves and your children for the Senior Awards – We have been approached by
parents after the ceremony, who complain that their child was so disappointed that they cried all night.
At some point in our lives we need to learn that even though we do our best, others might be more
skilled in certain fields than we are. We are all ‘gifted’ at some things, but those things might not be
sports or academics. If your family has positive conversations about this topic, it really makes a
difference to the response of the children on the night. After every awards ceremony, the staff have
long discussions re-evaluating our position on this policy, and we always come to the same conclusion –
that at some point children have to understand that someone is the best, and that ‘someone’ might not
be them!
Best Speakers’ Competition
We hold this annual competition in our school hall. Grade 7 pupils compete in their classes initially, and
then the finalists address the school publically. If you have the morning free, do yourself a fa ٽ