ACTIVITIES
Educating for life – Ad vitam educatio
MUSIC
Music Education
At Gracehill, we would like our learners to experience the gift of music and the benefits of this universal language. School music programs are especially relevant to the development of each and every child. These programs promote self-expression, responsibility and creativity. They develop self-discipline and thinking skills such as problem solving, evaluation and analysis.
Gracehill’s Music Vision
to provide music education to learners of all ages
Gracehill’s Music Mission
to give every learner the opportunity to experience music and what it has to offer
Gracehill’s Music Objective
to be passionate and create a love and appreciation for music from a very young age
Weekly Music Lessons
All learners attend one music lesson a week. Learners learn the basics about music through games, interactive activities, and instrumental play. Learners will be exposed to a variety of instruments during group lessons, including smaller percussion instruments, boom whackers, and bucket drumming, as well as the ukulele. Different instruments will apply to certain age groups, and by the time a learner has completed the Foundation Phase, all these instruments would have been part of his/her musical exposure. Ensemble work is encouraged from as early as the third week from starting a new instrument.
Individual/Extramural music lessons
Individual lessons are offered in piano, drums, acoustic, electric, and bass guitar, as well as voice training.
Choir
Gracehill Primary started with a Foundation Phase Choir (Grade 1-3’s) in 2022, and will commit to an Intermediate Phase (Grade 4-7′s) and High School Choir in the future. Members of these choirs will have to attend a weekly rehearsal of an hour long and study a suitable repertoire to perform on a variety of occasions, including the George Eisteddfod.
DANCE
Dance Education
All children love to move to music and dancing gives children a chance to express emotions (such as joy and exuberance), enjoy being imaginative and creative. Dancing is a wonderful way for children to gain self-confidence and build self-esteem, while at the same time come out of dance class is a better mood than when he/she entered it. At Gracehill College all children get to be part of a dance class once a week.
Gracehill’s Dance Vision
to provide dance education to learners of all ages
Gracehill’s Dance Mission
to give every learner the opportunity to take part and experience different dance forms
Gracehill’s Dance Objective
to be passionate and create a love and appreciation for dance from a very young age
Modern Dancing
Modern and Contemporary Dancing form part of the weekly dance lessons. They also have the option to take Modern Dancing as an extra mural activity after school hours.
Hip-hop
Hip-hop and also forms part of the weekly dance lessons, which is alternated with ballet, modern dance, and cultural dancing.
BALLET
Ballet is presented as part of the cultural activities during school hours. Extra ballet lessons, which would include external RAD examinations, will become an extramural activity offered from 2023.
DRAMA
Drama Education
At Gracehill, we would like our learners to experience the gift of drama and the benefits of this expressive artform. The Drama programs are there to promote social interaction skills, self-expression, and creativity. The children develop language and communication skills while relieving emotional tension and stress during a drama session. These classes also help the children take control of their emotions and feel empowered.
Gracehill’s Drama Vision
to provide drama education to learners of all ages
Gracehill’s Drama Mission
to give every learner the opportunity to take part in different dramas / plays and perform before different audiences
Gracehill’s Drama Objective
to be passionate and create a love and appreciation for drama from a very young age. All the children of Gracehill College have a weekly Drama class, lead by a professional Drama teacher and work towards a performance (which changes shape and form) every term.
ART
Art Education
All artistic activities foster intellectual development and stimulates both sides of the brain. Our children are exposed to many different artists from various times in history every week. This exposure to good art, help the children develop good interpretation and observational skills. It also strengthens their visual-spatial skills to understand the relationship between parts of a whole, as well as pattern recognition. Here they also learn other important concepts like symbolism and abstraction.
Gracehill’s Art Vision
to provide weekly art education as well as art appreciation to learners of all ages
Gracehill’s Art Mission
to give every learner the opportunity to produce different art works and in many various forms
Gracehill’s Art Objective
to be passionate and create a love and appreciation for art from a very young age. All the children of Gracehill College have a weekly Art class, led by a professional Art teacher. The children get to experiment with different art mediums and create regular masterpieces of their own.
ANNUAL CONCERT
The benefits of becoming involved in the performing arts at a young age, extends beyond entertainment. A huge amount of life skills are imparted during the process of concert training and performing, as well as a growth in confidence and elocution.
Gracehill aims to have all learners on stage at least once a year, during the annual concert. All classes will select and perform an appropriate variety of items, linked to a general theme.
SPORT
Sport is an essential part of the holistic curriculum at Gracehill and it is crucial for each student’s emotional and physical development.
Supported by our dedicated coaches, every participant is spurred on to achieve their best in the sport of their choice. A qualified School Sports Administrator facilitates and oversees the training in a number of sports skills, like hockey, tennis, cricket, and gymnastics. Our children also enjoy playing basketball and volleyball on a regular basis.
Athletics
Our children all train and take part in the annual Southern Cape Christian Schools athletics competition. Those who qualify, then continue to enter the Western Cape competition and have the opportunity to qualify for nationals. This includes long and short distance, long and high jump, and javelin.
Netball
One of our teachers is a qualified South-African Netball referee and is passionate about teaching boys and girls how to play netball. Our children all enjoy a friendly game, while getting to know the finer skills of playing this game, twice a week.
Chess
Gracehill College encourages all learners to take part in chess.
Cross Country
Cross country pupils and coach train on a weekly basis, at the Botanical Gardens.
Soccer
We have a professional soccer coach who trains our Junior Primary, Senior Primary and High School teams separately once a week. They also plan to start participating in matches in the near future.
VolleyBall and basketBall
Our Physical Education teacher uses the times she is with the children to teach Volleyball and Basketball skills to the children. They have the privilege to enjoy social games whenever they get the opportunity during their Physed periods, three times a week.
hockey
Our children will start with hockey training with one of our parents, who is a formidable hockey coach in George, mid-2022. We are always looking for ways to grow the sport that we offer, as and when the opportunity arrives.
Outreach Programs
The aim of the Primary School outreach programme is to be a blessing to our local community and to give our pupils an opportunity to give of themselves for the benefit of others. Scripture commands us to care for the poor, the destitute, the widows and orphans. We are also called to care for God’s creation in the environment and for animals. Gracehill aims to instil, in the heart of each pupil, a desire to be a blessing and to help make this world a better place. This is done through each class serving a selected community project or organization:
Grades 1-3: Animal Welfare
Gracehill pupils will visit the SPCA and will bless them with pet food and money collected from their civvies days. We would like to get involved in other programs that would blow wind in the SPCA’s sails.
Through this experience they will learn compassion and the need to care for God’s creatures.
Grades 4-7: Watsons Old Age Home
Gracehill pupils will visit Watson’s Retirement village as a community project once a term. The pupils knit knee blankets during wintertime and take it to the residents. They also write an encouraging letter and buy a chocolate each for the retired grannies and grandpas as a blessing. Once a year, the children present a medley of songs and scripture, hand out toiletries, or just spend quality time with the residents.
Grades 8-9: Bethesda
Once a term, the children bring joy to the children who live in underprivileged circumstances. We plan to donate much needed goods such as nappies, clothes, bedding, and toys. In the second term, we plan to hold a sports day for the little children at Bethesda.
Outdoor Education
Once a week, the children go to the Botanical Gardens to observe a certain part of the garden through all four seasons and do nature studies.
Each class embarks on at least one outing per term, which may vary in nature and purpose.
All learners attend development camps, which address environmental and leadership issues, and interactive social skills are fostered. While the emphasis may rest on fun, greater educational values serve as a foundation.
In the classroom
Our smaller classes lend themselves to a better-quality learning environment, stronger relationships between peers and teachers, and also provide a better platform for instilling confidence and support within, and for, each and every child.
Children are born with all the curiosity they will ever need. It will last a lifetime if they are fed on a daily diet of ideas.
Charlotte Mason
British Educationalist, 1842 – 1923
Aftercare
It is in the interest of providing good support to current and prospective families, that Gracehill College provides afternoon care (until 17:00) for its primary school pupils. We also provide care which is supervised and any homework assistance that there might be, for its primary school pupils. Please refer to the fee structure for aftercare fees.
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. We, at Gracehill College, believe that “every good gift of knowledge and insight come from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17.
We trust in our Heavenly Father to nurture and equip our children, through a thoroughly researched curriculum and feast of ideas. We strive for an education that is far deeper than mere exams and tests – an education that impacts lives and echoes into eternity
Get in Touch
Office: 044 093 0994 / 083 556 7993
Carla Pretorius (Finances): 044 873 5583
Address:
88 Hope Street, George Central
School Hours:
Pre-Primary: 07:30 to 12:00
Grade R: 07:30 to 12:30
Grade 1-2: 07:30 to 13:00
Grade 3: 07:30 to 13:15
Grade 4-7: 07:30 to 14:00
Grade 8-9: 07:30 to 14:15
School Terms 2024
First term:
17 January – 20 March 2024
Second term:
9 April – 14 June 2024
Third term:
9 July – 20 September 2024
Fourth term:
7 October – 4 December 2024