Junior School
The Foundation Phase (Grades 1 to 3)
The Foundation Phase at St Mary’s DSG is a time of great development and change. At the end of this stage, the girls will emerge like butterflies from their cocoons.
In Grade 1, our girls are hungry to learn and we start to equip them with new tools for their academic toolbox. This is a year of making it happen, in a more formal learning environment where repetition is key.
We work on solidifying the girls’ pre-reading skills, and there is much excitement as they take their first readers home. Their mathematical vocabulary is extended, and by now they’re able to use their number concept knowledge in different subject areas. We work on letter formation, and the girls start to write.
Drawing on the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Grade 2 is a year of launching into discovery, with learning accompanied by much wonder and fascination. The girls’ reading and writing skills are solidified, and the building of understanding of numbers is key. At this stage, two first additional languages are introduced.
In Grade 3, the developing butterfly emerges from her cocoon, but she still needs the guidance of her parents and teachers to assist her towards her full potential. This year, it’s a matter of let the adventure begin, as the girls build the skills needed to discover the big world outside the cocoon.
This is a brave year of social-emotional development as the students start to develop their own identities. With the foundational skills put into place, they’re ready to explore as they fly into their Grade 4 year.
Here’s a closer look of the elements of the Foundation Phase at St Mary’s DSG, in an acrostic format:
The Foundation Phase
T: The heart of our school – our chapel. We’re an Anglican Christian school and all girls are expected to attend weekly chapel and assembly services, as well as participate in weekly divinity lessons.
H: Hands-on learning. We know that girls learn best through concrete learning, so we start with play-based learning that later develops into more abstract learning.
E: Energetic. To keep up with the energy levels of six- to nine-year-olds, the Foundation Phase teachers, too, are filled with boundless energy.
F: Firm foundations. The Bible teaches the wisdom of building your house on solid rock, rather than sand, and St Mary’s DSG takes this lesson to heart – this is the best school for building a firm foundation.
O: Open communication. It is important that good relationships are forged between parents and teachers. Parents have termly opportunities to meet with teachers to discuss their daughters’ progress. At the same time, it is important that the girls feel they can come to their parents with any issues, and that you’re able to have the “hard conversations”. The girls need to know that their parents are their safe space, no matter the situation or circumstances.
U: Unique offering. In Grades 0 and 1, the girls have the benefit of whole-class speech and occupational therapy sessions offered by qualified therapists. The Junior School’s co-curricular programme offers many opportunities for the girls to take part in cultural and sporting activities.
N:Not everything will always go according to plan, but we will learn from past mistakes as we endeavour to teach your daughter resilience and problem-solving skills.
D: Dedicate time to your daughter and her schooling. Without a parent’s support, girls are at a disadvantage. We encourage parents to assist their daughters with homework and to read with them daily. This supports literacy and an emotional connection to books and reading.
A: A strong recommendation to monitor girls’ access to digital platforms. We urge our parents to help their daughters digest what they see or hear online to avoid any potential trauma response. Note that platforms and apps such as TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat have age limits.
T: Teachers who are passionate about girls’ education. Our teachers are dedicated to developing the future generation of leaders and helping every girl to build her self-confidence.
I: Individuals. Every girl is celebrated in the Foundation Phase! Girls blossom at different times and in different ways, so parents should never compare their daughters to others in her grade. Celebrate and grow what she is good at.
O: Opportunity. While the girls should be encouraged to try new things, it’s important that they still have time to play outdoors, so it’s best that their afternoons are not overscheduled with activities.
N: Nurturing. The teachers in the Foundation Phase love their students. We nurture and care for your daughters as if they were our own – they are in safe hands.
P: Parental partnership. It is vital that every girl knows that her family and teachers are on one team – her team. Speaking negatively about teachers or the school in front of your daughter can undermine the crucial relationship between her and her educators, which is essential to her growth and development.
H: Help. We’re a family and we have a support team of class teachers, learning support teachers, an educational psychologist, a speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist, as well as our Junior School chaplain and two qualified nurses to support our parents.
A: Affirm your daughter. The words you speak to her, will become her inner voice. Choose your words wisely!
S: Student-led conferences. All the girls have opportunities to reflect on their learning during the Foundation Phase. Our student-led conferences are a special time for girls and their parents, as she takes you through the ups and downs of her learning journey.
E: Emotions. Social-emotional learning means we follow a “conscious discipline” approach, teaching the girls to self-regulate through co-regulation with adults. We allow them to identify their emotions, calm themselves down, solve problems and seek safety. We have a strong focus on giving them the skills to keep themselves safe, in partnership with the Protective Behaviours Southern Africa programme.
Mrs Tarryn Molver
