Pre-Primary School

Q: How old must my child be for Grade RR?

Children that wish to be enrolled into our Grade RR group need to be 4 turning 5 - that is 4 as of 1 January of the year they start Grade RR.

Q: How old must my child be for Grade R?

Grade R children need to be 5 turning 6 - that is 5 as of 1 January of the year they start Grade R.

Q: Does my child need to be potty trained?

Children need to be potty trained and able to use the toilet independently (we do, however, understand that little mishaps may happen from time to time)

Q: What time does the school day start and end for the Pre-Primary?

08h00 - 12h30. Although the academic day starts at 8:00 am, children need time to settle and connect with teachers and friends. We request that children be dropped off by 07h45.

Q: Do we need to provide a snack?

Yes, a healthy morning snack is needed from home, and an Aftercare lunch is required should they stay longer than the official school day.

Q: Are there extramurals on offer?

We have a variety of activities available - ChatterBugs, Orff, Sports Hub, Tennis, Drama Club, Fine Motor Fun, and Art Club. However, please limit the number of extra activities as children are already very busy with full schedules – they need time to play and unwind.

With more than 50 years of collective experience and expertise, our Cannons Creek Preschool Team is dedicated and passionate about protecting and safeguarding this magical time of a child’s life... Childhood.

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Life at Cannons Creek begins here in our Pre-Primary School.

We have one Grade RR class, and two Grade R classes. Our classes are small, with a maximum of 16 children per group, allowing our teachers to gain a thorough knowledge of each child, thereby providing the necessary support in a calm, loving and caring environment.

We believe that children learn best through play, and this takes place both indoors and outdoors daily.

A variety of activities is presented in a fun-filled and stimulating way so that Maths, Language, and Motor Skills are integrated in small groups and in large groups throughout the day. Social and emotional skills are foundational in our preschool. Children are encouraged to make choices, to solve problems, find solutions, and to grow in empathy towards others.

Our Preschool follows a two-year programme where the Grade R class builds on and extends what was taught and learnt in Grade RR.

Our balanced, structured programme includes Class Music and Class Drama, as well as Physical Education which is taught by specialist teachers and coaches.

We follow a thematic approach, and children are encouraged to contribute to these themes daily. The Grade R children also begin with Robotics, and an Introduction to Conversational isiXhosa. We stress the importance of the parent-teacher-child relationship, and we all strive together for our children to fulfil their true potential. As our children in the Preschool are familiar with the greater Primary School community, there is a seamless transition from Pre-Primary to Grade 1.

Click here for some readiness tips.

A day in the life of Cannons Creek Pre-Primary

Arrival and greeting

Indoor free play

Morning ring (calendar, weather, theme discussion, news, show-and-tell)

Sport

Micro group activities (Literacy or Numeracy small group activity)

Creative art activities

Snack

Outdoor free play

Story time

Farewell greeting and home time

Play Video

In this phase the focus is on:

learning through structured, creative play in a calm, caring and loving environment.
concrete learning - this takes place in all spheres.
the development of gross and fine motor skills.
introduction to Letterland and emergent literacy.
introduction to six bricks and emergent mathematics.

Want to see our pre-schoolers learning through playing outside? Watch this video to see!

Weekly Curricular Activities:
Music
Drama
Library
Computers and Coding (Grade R)
Introduction to isiXhosa

Extra Mural Activities:
Chattertots
Sports Hub
Orff
Tennis
Drama
Art Club
Social Skills
Fine Motor Fun

Some of the outings we look forward to during the year are:
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Blue Train and Park
Iziko Museum and Planetarium
Gan Eden Farm
Acrobranch
Giraffe House
Rosen Castle Activity Centre

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Special Events:

At the beginning of the year we welcome our class parents by enjoying a family picnic together. Moms and Dads are invited to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day with us and enjoy a fun-filled morning with their little ones. A preschool highlight is our annual ‘Things That Go’ event which takes place in March. It is a morning spent with family and friends as they cheer the children on when the children notch up laps on their various “wheeled” toys. Spring day is celebrated with a Spring hat parade. At the end of the year, sounds of joyful Christmas singing fill the air as our preschool gets ready for the end-of-year Christmas play.

Technology:

In the Pre-Primary Phase, developmentally appropriate use of technology is used to engage little minds with big world ideas. Our pupils are taught about the technology that surrounds them in their daily lives, and use technology tools in collaborative play to solve problems and enhance understanding of topics and themes.

Weekly computer lessons begin in Grade R, in which basic computer skills are taught. These include mouse control, visual tracking, keyboard layout and device functions. Skills are embedded through a variety of fun-filled activities that reinforce curriculum learning.

The pre-primary classroom sees the beginning of the coding curriculum. Through programming floor robots, our youngest pupils experience in a concrete, practical manner how computers respond to basic commands.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old must my child be for Grade RR?

How old must my child be for Grade R?

Does my child need to be potty trained?

What time does the school day start and end for the Pre-Primary?

Do we need to provide a snack?

Are there extramurals on offer?

What is the benefit of a two-year Pre-Primary programme?

Cannons Creek has a very specific curriculum which begins with the introduction of foundational skills in Grade RR. These skills are expanded upon during Grade R so that when our preschool children are ready to leave the Pre-Primary, they are very well prepared for the new challenges that they will face in Grade 1. We have the added benefit of specialist Sports, Music, and Drama teachers who provide a skills rich programme that again begins in the Grade RR year. While many daycare and playschool facilities focus on the care of children from as young as a few months old, Cannons Creek specialises in providing a play-based and fun learning environment that is specifically created to meet the social, emotional, physical and academic needs of our four to six year olds.

Can we help our child prepare for Pre-Primary?

Language is one of the most important tools for learning - children need to be able to express their needs and thoughts. Read, read, read and expose them to a rich and diverse vocabulary. We recommend that children attend a playgroup or playschool before starting at Cannons Creek so that they are familiar with a school routine. Provide plenty of opportunity for your child to climb, swing, jump, balance and move - these skills will be foundational for the motor skills programme that will be introduced to them in Grade RR. While it is not necessary for your child to write and hold a pencil correctly, plenty of drawing (and scribbling), cutting and playing with manipulative toys will help to strengthen the fingers and hands.