NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL - Usutu Forest School

19 March 2021
To the Usutu Forest School Community,

                    NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL

I am delighted to report that as per the Rt. Hon Acting Prime Minister’s Statement issued yesterday,
schools will re-open on Monday the 29th of March. There is some finer detail that we await such as
that around class rotations etc. and as soon as we have received and discussed the implications of
this, we shall communicate accordingly.
We are so excited to welcome back our students to campus and cannot wait for this special day to
arrive, and are ready to welcome all permitted year groups on Monday the 29 th.
The following information is pertinent and of importance:

   1. Uniforms
      To ease pressure on parents, we will allow students to come to school in civvies for the
      remainder of this term. However, from the start of the 2nd term, it will be compulsory for all
      students to be in full school uniform. Students who do wish to wear their school uniform to
      school for this term are most welcome. Please note the following:

           a. Students should be neatly dressed with no make-up or jewellery permitted at all.
           b. Children wearing civvies are to wear plain sports sneakers (No bling or excessive
              heels, platforms etc.).
           c. Pre-Primary students: Round-necked, yellow UFS branded T-shirt.
           d. Grade 1 – 6 students: As per the Uniform Dress Code.
           e. Grade 7: As the Grade 7s only have two terms left in Primary School, a special
              exemption is being made for them. They may wear their school shirt, blue jeans and
              winter bomber jacket, which can be used next year in High School.
           f. Form 1 – 4: As per Uniform Dress Code.
           g. Form 5: White shirt, school bomber jacket, blue jeans – no holes / tears, no bling.
   2. School day operational times, Monday to Thursday are as follows:
         a. Pre-Primary:          07h50 – 13h00
         b. Grade 1 – Grade 7: 07h50 – 13h40
         c. Forms 1, 2 & 3:       07h45 – 13h40
         d. Forms 4 & 5:          07h45 – 15h30
   3. School day operational times on Fridays are 07h40 – 13h00 for all students.

4. School Bus / Transport Service: Detailed communication will follow next week.
   5. Access to school arrangements:
         a. Exact drop off points and location of screening stations will be communicated next
             week.
         b. Parents who wish to drop students off at classrooms and meet class teachers before
             the start of the school day will be permitted to do this during the week of Monday
             29 March. Thereafter, appointments will need to be scheduled and presence on
             campus will be limited.
         c. Pre-Primary: In order to ensure that our little ones have a smooth start to their day
             and separate easily, parents may for the remainder of the school year, escort their
             children to the "Hug and Go" zone in the Pre-Primary entrance.
   6. Sport and extra-curricular activities: These will commence at the start of Term Two, pending
      government regulations.
   7. What to bring? All students need to bring the following;
        a. Branded Usutu Forest School hat / cap.
        b. Drinking water.
        c. Snack and lunch (The tuckshop will be operational from Term Two).
        d. 2 masks per day.

           Should students wish to do so, they may bring their own hand sanitiser. Please note
           though that all venues and facilities have sanitisers for student use.

On a completely different, yet equally exciting note, we are initiating a big drive to connect with UFS
alumni.

If you attended UFS, we would love for you to join our Usutu Forest School Alumni Facebook Group.
This can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/475221523661378.

If you are not an alumnus, but know of someone who is, please do share this newsletter with them
and kindly point out the invitation to join our alumni group.
We intend to host an annual, regional, social event for our ex-students to connect with fellow
alumni, and where members of our Executive Team will endeavour to be present and share exciting
developments about our school.

Yours in Education
Gareth Allman

JOLLY NEWS FROM THE PRE-PRIMARY & FOUNDATION PHASE

Dear Parents and Guardians

This week I attended an online workshop hosted by ISASA, and a particular phrase resonated with
me as it completely sums up the effects of COVID on our current situation, “shaken and stirred”. As
we continually strive as a school to rise above adversity, factors which remain uppermost are those
surrounding our responsibility to provide the highest quality teaching and learning.

So how have we as a school adapted to changing circumstances? We are particularly privileged to
present an internationally accredited Cambridge curriculum with its wealth of resources, to have
dedicated and experienced teachers who are flexible in approach and constantly seek to remain
abreast with current educational trends through online courses and training. Although not ideal,
remote learning has provided increased opportunities for us to connect and interact more closely
with our parent body, and to work as partners to support our children.

Today we celebrated World Water Day, and classes reflected in
their live sessions and activities on the importance of conserving
this precious natural resource. Virtual classrooms had learners and
teachers donned appropriately, some dressed in shades of blue,
others in beachwear, or other theme related dress. How very lucky
we are to live in a region where we enjoy an abundance of rainfall!
Some of our teachers enjoyed a poolside photo opportunity in
celebration of the day…

Curriculum Matters:
Jolly Phonics and Grammar is an integral programme recommended by Cambridge International to
support the English curriculum framework, and promotes a solid foundation for reading and writing.
It is a child-centred, multi-sensory approach which is particularly suitable for young children.

In the Pre-Primary and Grade One, our children are introduced to the Jolly Phonics characters and
their related sounds through stories, songs, actions, and grade appropriate literacy activities.
Teaching focuses on five basic skills:

   1. Learning the letter sounds: The main sounds in English are taught, not just the alphabet
      sounds and for each sound there is an action. As letter sounds are introduced at school,
      practise these with your child at home.

2. Learning letter formation: Assist your child to hold their pencil correctly and to follow the
      correct letter formation as taught by their teacher.
   3. Blending of sounds for reading: Listen to your child blending sounds to read words from
      their word list.
   4. Identifying the sounds in words: When your child is able to hear the sounds in words, call
      these out for them to practise writing the letters for the sounds e.g. p a t = pat
   5. Tricky words: These common words cannot be read simply by sounding out or blending. As
      your child becomes more fluent in reading and writing, they will be taught how to cope
      with tricky words.

In Grade Two and Grade Three, the programme is extended to introduce the basic elements of
grammar and accepted conventions, improve vocabulary and comprehension, develop dictionary
skills, reinforce and extend phonic knowledge.
We encourage parents to download the Jolly Phonics free app,
which provides structured lessons for reinforcing your child’s phonemic awareness.

The Jolliest News of All…
On Monday we shall be commemorating International Day of Happiness, and never has this
celebration been more special, following the statement by The RT. Hon. Acting Prime Minister that
schools will be reopening on 29 March. We look forward to welcoming back our families for the
continuation of our learning adventure.

During the course of next week, we shall spend time during lessons preparing children for their first
day back, including classroom routines and COVID protocols. With such an extended absence from
school, many of our young students may have some initial fears or concerns, and this will also be an
opportunity for them to engage with their teachers.

Here is a glimpse of the newly painted mural
in progress, just one of the surprises
awaiting our children’s return!

Wishing you all a jolly weekend ahead
as we celebrate this news together!

Yours in Education

Tanya Allman

NEWS FROM THE INTERMEDIATE & SENIOR PHASE

Dear Parents and Guardians

Cycle Tests:
Our week has been a quiet week indeed as the children are hard at work writing their Cycle Tests.
The Cycle Tests will end on Thursday, 25 March. During this hectic week we encourage the children
to have a good balance of study time and rest. It is important that they write these tests feeling
rested and well prepared. In order to help your child achieve this, encourage them to get to bed
early for a good night's rest and to start their studies a few days ahead of test day. During this week
we have also included in our Cycle Test timetable, live sessions where the children get the
opportunity to revise concepts that have been covered this term. Please encourage the children to
join these live sessions.

Re-opening of schools:
We are so excited with the prospect of having our children return to school in the near future. The
teachers are eager and well prepared to welcome our students back onto the campus. We have
been waiting for nearly a year to hear the pitter patter of their feet on the corridors, to see their
smiling faces, hear their laughter in the classrooms, listen to their debates during lessons as they
participate in discussions; which to us is the life of the school.
 After a year of online schooling, we are aware that coming back to face-to-face in the new “normal”
may seem daunting for some. The class teachers will set aside time in the coming week to talk about
the “new normal procedures and protocols” for when they come back to campus. We want to create
a safe place for your children to share their thoughts and concerns, where we hope to provide
information and reassurance. It is important that your children feel safe and secure and to enjoy
the school day fully.

We will keep you updated with more details on what is expected with reopening of school.

We wish you all the happiness on International Day of Happiness
on Monday 20th.

Thank you for your continued support and wishing you a
wonderful weekend.

Yours in Education

Thobekile Magagula.

GREETINGS FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL

Dear Parents and Guardians,

With our High School blossoming into AS-Level’s for the
first time in the history of the school, we pause,
take a breath and reflect how far we have come in just five years.
We have spent time this week with the seniors asking them about the future career plans and
tertiary studies. The question commonly asked by parents is, “Where do Cambridge International
students go to university and what do they study?”
Success in Cambridge qualifications often gives students admission to the world’s best universities
worldwide. Cambridge qualifications are accepted and valued by universities around the world,
including MIT, Harvard and Cambridge as can be seen in this video Where do Cambridge
qualifications take you?
They are recognised as qualifications that prepare and equip students with the skills they need to
succeed both at university and beyond. Universities value the independent research and critical
thinking skills, as well as the deep subject knowledge that Cambridge qualifications bring.
Every year, Cambridge International sends out a survey to over 2,500 schools in over 130 countries
asking this exact question. Data from the recent surveys show that over 93% of Cambridge
International AS & A Level students go on to study at university.
In 2019/2020, the top ten destinations for Cambridge students going abroad to study were:
(Top 5) United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Malaysia,
Netherlands, China (Mainland) and Hong Kong (SAR), China.
When asked what the reasons are for choosing the top four destinations, Cambridge schools
reported that future career opportunities attract students to the USA, Canada and Australia, while
university reputation is the most important factor attracting students to the UK.
In terms of which universities students go to, in 2019, around 68% of Cambridge students went on
to attend a top-500 ranked university, compared to 53% in 2018.
How many students stay in their home country? Of those going to university, roughly three in five
students stay in their own countries, with the rest going abroad to study. One of the factors given
for staying at home is the cost of going to study abroad.

What are the most popular subjects among Cambridge International students and have they
changed?
The trends in the most popular subjects among Cambridge International students at university (in-
country and abroad) have remained stable over recent years. The only noticeable change is that
computer science/ICT programmes are steadily rising up the list in terms of popularity. The ten most
popular subjects in 2019/2020 were:
1.     Business & Management
2.     Engineering
3.     Medicine
4.     Computer Science / ICT
5.     Accounting & Finance
6.     Economics
7.     Biological Sciences
8.     Psychology
9.     Law
10.    Creative Arts & Design

Recognition of your Cambridge certificate around the world:
If you would like to find out more about study destinations for Cambridge students, please click here
for more information on how to apply to universities in these countries using Cambridge
qualifications. The Recognition page will help you to find a searchable database of university
recognition, advice for students applying to universities in specific countries and recognition details
for each type of Cambridge qualification.
Students can be confident that their Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level
qualifications are accepted as equivalent to UK GCSE and AS & A Levels by leading universities
worldwide. An independent study by UK NARIC, the national agency in the UK for the recognition
and comparison of international qualifications and skills, has found the qualifications to be
comparable to UK GCSE and AS & A Level.
Yours in Education
Dawn Naylor