Peterbridge College

Peterbridge College starts off the 2026 year with a determined effort to control the invasive Port Jackson trees which have proliferated on the plot below Stonehurst. Students from grade 8, 9, 10 and 11 spent Friday programme period sawing down the older trees and pulling out the seedlings which have sprung up since November 2025. This plot has been identified as a top conservation priority as it is a transitional zone between the Zandvlei wetlands and the mountain fynbos. The College is determined to reduce the Port Jacksons to manageable levels by the end of the year.

Well done to the 2025 Grade 12's! You have maintained the Peterbridge College tradition of 100% pass rate with 4 out of 6 Batchelor passes and 3 distinctions. You have done yourselves and Peterbridge proud. The College staff wishes you every success in your pursuit of your dreams.

Matric Farewell 2025. Wonderful evening at the Utopia Restaurant.

School is almost starting and I want to ask you a favor… Sit with your child for 5 minutes and explain that there’s never a reason to make fun of someone for their height, their weight, their skin tone, their home life or the things they enjoy.

Explain there’s nothing wrong with wearing the same shoes every day.
Explain to them that a used backpack carries the same dreams as a new one.
Teach them not to exclude anyone for "being different"
Explain to them that teasing hurts and that school is for going to LEARN, NOT to compete or spread negativity.

Remind them some kids don’t go home to loving families so it’s important to be kind. It all starts at home!

Dr. Ovide, pediatric neurologist, warns about a silent tragedy unfolding in our homes today. There is a silent tragedy unfolding in our homes today, and it concerns our most beautiful jewels: our children. Our children are in a devastating emotional state ! Over the last 15 years, researchers have given us more and more alarming statistics about a sharp and steady increase in childhood mental illness that is now reaching epidemic proportions: The statistics don't lie: • 1 in 5 children have mental illnesses mental health. • 43% increase in ADHD. • 37% increase in adolescent depression. • 200% increase in su***de rates among children aged 10 to 14 was seen. What is going on and what are we doing wrong? Today’s children are over-stimulated and over-given with material objects, but they are deprived of the foundations of a healthy childhood, such as: • Emotionally available parents • Clearly defined boundaries • Responsibility • Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep • Movement in general but especially outdoors • Creative play, social interaction, informal play opportunities and spaces for boredom Instead, the last few years have been filled with children with: • digitally distracted parents • indulgent, permissive parents who let kids ‘rule the world’ and be the ones who make the rules • A sense of entitlement, deserving everything without earning it or being responsible for getting it • Inappropriate sleep and unbalanced nutrition • A sedentary lifestyle • Endless stimulation, technological nannies, instant gratification and no boring moments What to do? If we want our children to be happy and healthy individuals, we need to wake up and get back to basics. It's still possible! Many families see immediate improvement after weeks of implementing the following recommendations: • Set boundaries and remember, you're the captain of the boat. Your children will feel safer knowing you have government control. • Give children a balanced lifestyle filled with what children need, not just what they want. Don't be afraid to say "no" to your children if what they want isn't what they need. • Provide nutritious food and limit junk food. • Spend at least one hour a day outdoors doing activities such as: cycling, hiking, fishing, bird/insect watching • Enjoy a daily family dinner without smartphones or technology distracting them. • Play board games as a family or if the children are too young for board games, get carried away by your interests and let them be the ones who send in the game • Involve your children in a task or household task depending on their age (folding clothes, ordering toys, hanging clothes, unwrapping groceries, setting the table, feeding the dog, etc.) Worldwide • Establish a consistent sleep routine to ensure your child is getting enough sleep. Schedules will be even more important for school-age kids. • Teach responsibility and independence. Don't be too protective of them against frustration or mistakes. Making mistakes will help them develop resilience and learn how to overcome life’s challenges. • Don’t load your kids’ backpacks, don’t carry their backpacks, do not take them away from them, do not peel their bananas nor peel their oranges if they can do it themselves (4-5 years old). Instead of giving them the fish, teach them how to fish. • Teach them to wait and delay gratification. • Provide opportunities for "boredom", because boredom is the moment when creativity awakens. Don’t feel responsible for always keeping the kids entertained. • Do not use technology as a cure for boredom, nor offer it at the first second of inactivity. • Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, malls. Use these moments as opportunities to socialize by training the brains to function when they are in the mood: "Boredom" • Help them create a "Boredom Bottle" with activity ideas for when they are bored. • Be emotionally available to connect with children and teach them self-regulation and social skills: • Turn off phones at night when children need to go to bed to avoid digital distraction. • Become an emotional regulator or coach for your children. Teach them to recognize and deal with their own frustrations and anger. • Show them to greet, to take turns, to share without staying without anything, to say thank you and please, to admit the mistake and apologize (don't force them), be a model of all these values he instills. • Connect emotionally - smile, hug, kiss, tickle, read, dance, jump, play or spoil with them. Article written by Dr. Luis Rojas Marcos, Psychiatrist. http://palermonline.com.ar/wordpress/?p=65783

We had fun today celebrating Valentine's Day by getting to know each other a little better with the "love" quiz. Students were paired up and a week ago they were given questionnaires to complete with each other, getting to know their peers a little better. Today they had to answer those questions without looking at their answers to see how well they remembered certain things about their partners. Alonzo from Grade 8 opened the morning with a beautiful song, and then the games began with balloon popping and the quiz. Thanks, Mrs Vosloo, for the great ideas and organising this event.

Dear Parents
School is about to start so please sit down with your child for 5 minutes and explain that being very tall, short, chubby, skinny, black or white is no joke.

That there is nothing wrong with wearing the same shoes every day. Explain to them that a used school bag carries the same dreams as a new one.

Teach them not to exclude someone because they are "different" or do not have the same opportunities as others.

Explain that teasing hurts...and that they go to school to LEARN, NOT to compete.

YOU AND I HAVE THE SAME VALUE! EDUCATION STARTS AT HOME...

It's *AT HOME* that children should learn to say:
01 - Good morning
02 - Good afternoon
03 - Good evening
04 - Please
05 - With your permission
06 - Sorry
07 - Forgive me
08 - Thank you very much
09 - Thank you
10 - I was wrong

It's *AT HOME* that we also learn to:
01 - Be honest
02 - Be punctual
03 - Do not insult
04 - Be polite
05 - Respect everyone: friends, colleagues, elders, teachers, authorities

Still *at home* we learn to: 01 - Eat everything
02 - Do not talk with your mouth full
03 - Have personal hygiene 04 - Don't throw litter on the ground
05 - Help parents with their daily chores
06 - Don't take what doesn't belong to you
07 - Be content with what you have
08 - Work honestly to earn a living
09 - Dress with modesty

At home* we still learn to:
01 - Get organized
02 - Take care of your belongings
03 - Do not touch other people's belongings
0 4 - Respect the rules,
05 - Speak your mother tongue(s), master your culture and spirituality

Because *AT SCHOOL* teachers should teach: ■ English, Mathematics ■ Sesotho ■ History ■ Geography ■ Life skills/Life Orientation ■ Natural Science and Technology■ Creative Arts ■ EMS ■ Physical education And Sports and Culture activities

We only reinforce what the Learner has learned *AT HOME*!!! Because it is from what we have learned *AT HOME* that the individual will be respected, that he will respect life.

Welcome to Academic Year 2024😃👏👏👏👏

Today we all broke away from the classroom to attend an educational art tour at Norval Foundation. After a fun warm up session, students were shown the Maggie Laubser exhibition of paintings, then a walk through the beautiful sculpture garden. We ended with a fun art activity in the education centre. Big thank you to Zane and Janine for welcoming us to this amazing museum and art centre.

The Peterbridge College Gr 10 students embarked on their first alien eradication exercise today, 25 April 2023. After an introductory session by Karin Hart of the Boyes Drive hacking group, the students selected to work on the vacant area of land opposite the Westlake Golf Course. The eradication of the Port Jackson trees growing in this area is the students' goal for 2023. It was interesting finding the odd lavender in amongst the fynbos.

When you have a neurotypical child, you feel reasonably assured that class participation and decent study habits will result in good grades. These kids have close friends. They get invited to participate in social things like dances and weekend gatherings. They make the teams, auditions, organizations and clubs.

But when you have a child with certain differences, this is often not the case. Learning may take longer, both academically and socially. Despite their tremendous efforts, results are often a fraction of their peers and social acceptance is fleeting, setting them up for painful comparisons and bitter frustration. Instead of a fun and fulfilling experience, school can become a breeding ground for depression and anxiety, and assignments a battle ground at home. It is exhausting for parent and child alike.

This is the week of SPED (Special Education), Autism, Dyslexia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) awareness. For all the children who struggle every day to succeed in a world that does not recognize their gifts and talents, and for those who are walking beside them, please let this be a gentle reminder to be kind and accepting of ALL people.

Recognize that the "playing field" is not always a level surface. Children who learn differently are not weird. They are merely gifted in ways that our society does not value enough. Yet they want what everyone else wants: To be accepted!!

If you choose, please "copy and paste" (by touching and holding the text) onto your profile in honor of all children who are deemed "different".
Our world would be far less beautiful without them.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤