In our Pre-Preparatory School, we certainly have many engineers in the making. Playing with a variety of building and creative products helps children build self-confidence and encourages their independent learning too. By allowing children freedom in construction play encourages them to think independently and make decisions based on what they......
The Pre-Preparatory has many doctors, nurses, pilots, mommies and other professions in the making. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas. When children engage in pretend play, they are actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life; they learn......
To instil a love for the environment and nature, our Grade 0000 children are exposed to lessons outdoors. The outdoor environment offers a unique stimulus that captures children’s attention and interest. At the beginning of the term they planted garlic cloves and have eagerly watched......
Uplands Pre-Preparatory School hosted a family ‘Spring Day Picnic’ on Saturday 31st August. The parents brought their picnic baskets and blankets and spent a relaxing morning under the gazebos while the children played with their friends and enjoyed an array of entertainment. This event featured......
The Preparatory has announced the 2020 Sacristans. They took over from the 2019 team on Friday 1 November and are now responsible for all Chapel Services in the Preparatory School. We wish them well. The chosen 2020 Sacristans are Darell Awogu, Sonney Waspe, Minet van......
The Grade 3 families, children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed teaming up this year to organise another successful Dog Walk. The Dog Walk took place on the 1st September 2019 in aid of the White River Animal Hospital Welfare Fund. There were exciting activities and stalls......
On Sunday 8th September we had our annual Thandaza Walk (Prayer Walk). It was well supported and it was great to see some new and younger faces with lots of energy enjoying the walk and praying the thematic prayer stations. Our themes this year covered......
Honours Evening at Uplands is always such a special occasion – definitely one of the highlights on the year’s calendar. As a school we celebrate the top academic Matric pupils, as well as identifying pupils who have excelled in different facets of school life. We......
On the 19th of October, Uplands Preparatory Tennis team participated in a Tennis South Africa Rising Star Tennis Tournament. Pauline Tardan, Pippa Pappas, Thuli Khoele and Sally Gitlin played in the girls’ draw and the boys’ team was made up of Joe Gitlin, Gabriel Buchanan,......
Uplands College warmly welcomes our new exchange pupils from Australia. Noah Brinsden and Marshall Browne both join us from Hale College, Perth. Noah, who is hosted by Zandre de Kok, joins us in Founders Boarding whilst Marshall, hosted by Alex Lane, will be in Goss......
The annual College Boarder’s Leaver’s Dinner took place on Thursday 10th October. It was an opportunity for our Matrics to reflect on their 5 years in boarding, to reminisce over fond memories and to connect as friends. It was also an opportunity for the boarding......
We are extremely proud of the Uplands Preparatory 1st XI Hockey boys’ team of 2019. They are the Ehlanzeni Champs (4th year running), the Mpumalanga Champs (3rd year running) and the Bronze medallists at the CHAMP OF CHAMPS. Special mention must be made of Bruce......
The Matthew Prior Cricket Festival is a memorial festival in honour of Matthew John Prior. This cricket festival is an annual event hosted by Uplands Preparatory in memory of Matthew John Prior who sadly passed away whilst opening the batting for Uplands Prep 1st XI......
The Grade 1’s had a wonderful outing to the White River Garden Pavilion. They were able to pot their own plants and learnt about waterwise gardening, as well as how to read seedling labels to see if they need sun or shade. The next day,......
The Annual Uplands Matric Final Chapel is an event whereby the Grade 12s in Uplands attend their final chapel service for high school. The evening is generally conducted by Father Andrew in conjunction with the Grade 12s who are part of the Christian Committee. This......
The Uplands CANSA Debutantes celebrated their hard work and fundraising efforts at this year’s CANSA Ball, held at the Emnotweni Arena on Friday 25 October. Our CANSA Debutantes raised more funds than any other school. We thank Mrs. Yulandi van Zyl and the 2019 CANSA......
This year’s Matric Art Exhibition was opened by our top achieving Art student, Farrah Cruse, at our Valediction Breakfast on Friday 18th October. Our Matric Visual Art Class of 2019 has achieved an exceptionally high standard of meaningful and skilfully-executed imagery. The pupils explored a......
Our Uplands service is a rite of passage for our Matrics. This ceremony marks their last academic day at Uplands. It is moment for reflecting on the years shared together and to symbolically bring this time to a close. As each Matric pupil rings the......
Uplands Outreach is pleased to share our latest edition of Winning Ways, showcasing success stories and best practices. · Learn about professional development in schools · Hear from our program beneficiaries about the power of life-long learning · Read about our highlights during the past few......
The Grade 00s tackled the Creepy Crawly theme with enthusiasm. The following two weeks had children finding all sorts of insects in the school garden and at home, which they collected and eagerly showed their friends. To encourage scientific discovery, we posed the following question......
I huge congratulations to Craig Cameron-Mackintosh (Class of 2005) on being named overall winner for the Sanlam Portrait Award 2019! On display with some excellent artworks in the Top 40 until 23rd October at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery. ...
Our children have all participated in a number of hockey and cricket festivals and matches this term. Well done on outstanding results and behaviour! ...
On Cue Theatre’s annual performance was showcased to both the Foundation and Senior phases on Tuesday. Each performance was designed to target the two different age groups and did so brilliantly: the sounds of laughter and delight coming from the hall could be heard from......
The Uplands College CANSA Debutantes hosted a colourful Rainbow Run on Saturday the 17th of August 2019. Mandisa Singwane and Nicole Elliot were the student leaders of this initiative in the aid of CANSA. The Rainbow route consisted of 5km of fun on the Uplands......
Student leadership matters in schools. Leadership, therefore, has to be nurtured and is an Uplands goal. Through teaching leadership, Uplands aims to graduate pupils who are capable of self-starting behaviour, who are confident, organised and directed, who can lead a team of people towards a......
On the 14th of August, the Expressive Arts Department pulled out all the stops and showcased the best of Dance, Dramatic Arts, Music and Visual Arts across the College grades. Creatively hosted by Onkgopotse Aphane, Cebisa Kuboni, and Bruna Jeque, the audience was entertained around......
On Thursday morning on the 8th of August, we celebrated the ‘40 Days’ landmark with our Matric group of 2019. A positive new tradition was established with the Empact staff preparing a special breakfast that was enjoyed by Matrics and teachers alike. You will see......
The SANESA organisation promotes all Equestrian Sport within South Africa’s school community. Members of SANESA are represented by each member School. Every South African province has SANESA representation, and provincially there are four Qualifiers hosted in the first seven months of the year; the eight......
The Uplands College CANSA Debutantes hosted a colourful Rainbow Run on Saturday the 17th of August 2019. Mandisa Singwane and Nicole Elliot were the student leaders of this initiative in the aid of CANSA. The Rainbow route consisted of 5km of fun on the Uplands......
On the 6th of August, Uplands School’s top musicians performed at the annual Classical Concert, held in Uplands College hall. The talented pupils proved that they are born performers and the audience was enthralled by their musical abilities. Students from the Preparatory to the College......
The Grade 1 classes did assembly on Curiosity and are enjoying their Spring Theme. They will be going to the Plantsman for some hands-on experience. Mr Carter came to speak to the Grade 1s about poaching and relocating animals to more favourable habitats, in line......
The grade ones are learning about the digraph “ch” this week. They spent a fun-filled morning discovering words that start and end with the “ch” sound and acquiring the skill of using chopsticks while eating Chinese noodles. ...
The Grade 000s enjoyed a fun ‘Cultural Day’ morning by sharing stories about their different cultures and traditions they celebrate at home. This was followed by a picnic under the trees where they shared their tasty food. ...
The Grade 0s thoroughly enjoyed and participated with enthusiasm in the Culture and Diversity theme. The theme ended with the children dressing up and each bringing a plate of eats representing their culture. ...
Paddy Upton presented a number of workshops to the Uplands community on the 26th and 27th of July 2019. He shared his insights on training and the systematic approach in which learning takes place. He engaged with the Uplands pupils on Friday afternoon and this......
The 2019 choir tour commenced on Monday 15th July, with an early start in the darkness, to Dragon’s Peak Mountain Resort in the Drakensberg. On Tuesday morning they made their way to Clifton Prep and Cowan House who kindly hosted a performance by our choir.......
The Grade 3s are working hard to prepare for the Uplands Dog Walk where they will partner with the White River Animal Hospital to raise funds for animals in the community....
The Pre-Preparatory School started the term with a ‘Culture and Diversity’ theme. Our Grade 0000s dressed up beautifully for the ‘Cultural Day’ and enjoyed a morning of music and dancing. ...
In the spirit of Mandela Day, the Grade 00s started the third term with a Culture and Diversity theme. The children were taught about Mr. Mandela’s kindness and love of all humans and especially children. We came across Cape Town Rocks and to spread a little......
The Kgwale Le Mollo (KLM) Foundation awards young students from economically-disadvantaged, rural communities in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa with an education scholarship to attend Uplands College. Founded in 2005 in collaboration with Uplands College, the KLM Foundation identifies and nurtures young South Africans......
A morning with two special ladies I was privileged enough to spend a morning with two wonderful ladies, Doreen Allsop neé Golden, and Shirley Swanepoel, neé Lawrence, who both attended ‘Miss Fuller’s Homestead’ school on the Plaston road approximately 80 to 90 years ago. Shirley......
The Uplands Pre-Preparatory School children celebrated Father’s Day and honoured the fathers and the father figures in their lives. The AV room was full of dads excited to watch their children perform. From the tiny tots to the Grade 0s, the children warmly welcomed their......
Uplands Outreach is pleased to share Term 2’s edition of our feel-good newsletter, Winning Ways. · Learn about high-performing teams in schools · Hear from our programme beneficiaries about the power of teamwork and speaking a common team language · Read about our highlights during the......
The Grade 4 and 5 Drama classes began with a lesson on early Greek mythology and the two Greek drama muses of comedy and tragedy, Thalia and Melpomene. New concepts and vocabulary such as ‘skits’, ‘spoofs’ and ‘mimes’ were discussed, along with an old Russian......
As part of our ongoing drive to encourage children to be aware of the broader White River community, Uplands Preparatory collected blankets. These blankets will be distributed to White River Child Welfare and a local Orphanage. The generosity of the Uplands community will certainly go......
Uplands Preparatory School hosted its annual Winter Sports Festival for 2019. As in the past, this Festival is a highlight for the Netball and Soccer players, with 38 teams in attendance and nearly 500 children participating over the weekend, Netball and Soccer were played across......
Congratulations to the Uplands Old Boys Team on another great game, at this year’s Uplands Festival. This annual event saw them remain as champions due to a 3-0 win!...
Every Friday the Cubs take a ‘trip’ to the Prep oval to enjoy some outdoor fun. They get the opportunity to practice their ball skills and run around the ‘big field’. They kick, throw, and catch large soccer balls to help improve their hand-eye coordination......
During Grade 0s ‘Camping Theme’, the children brought tents from home and set up a campsite in their new playground. They spent their breaks role-playing a camping trip, and the highlight was being able to braai their own marshmallows....
Uplands hosted Penryn in the much-anticipated Derby which took place during the 2019 Uplands Festival. The Derby consisted of boys and girls’ hockey, netball, rugby, tennis, debating, and chess. It was a great success and we are all so proud of our players whose hard......
The Grade 000s are currently learning about dinosaurs. They used different types and sizes of plastic dinosaurs to create a ‘DinoFootprint College.’ The result was beautiful. They have also been enjoying playing in the sand with the various dinosaurs....
Uplands Founders, Board, staff, parents, friends, and pupils gathered in the College Hall to celebrate Founders Evening. Mr. Gary Sim, the Executive Headmaster welcomed everybody present. The evening showcased an impressive cultural extravaganza by the Uplands pupils, from the little Pre-Preparatory ballerinas to outstanding musical......
The 2019 House Captains enjoyed tea with the Preparatory Headmaster, Mr. Dave Ernstzen. The elected leaders from Fuller, Ogilvie and Webb Houses met in the Head’s office. They had a brief talk about Servant Leadership and looking out for leadership opportunities in all areas of......
The Grade 1s had Transport Day on Wednesday the 15th of May. Van Wettens sent a flat-bed truck to demonstrate how to transport a vehicle that had broken down. We would like to thank Van Wettens for their continued support. We had a lovely picnic......
As part of the Grade 6 History lessons this term, the pupils were given a project to create a political party, elect a leader and identify three issues or topics at school that they could work on and thereby help build not only Uplands but......
On Thursday Sarah Hoffman, of the Digital Law Company, spoke to our College pupils. In sharing case studies, she helped us understand how to better manage our online profiles. In the evening, she spoke to our parents and noted the dangers of web access and......
We congratulate the following for their election as a House Captain or Vice-Captain within the Preparatory. We wish them all of the very best for their year of leadership as they serve both the pupils and the School. Our House Captains are: Marley Waspe, Cassandra......
On Thursday our Pre-Preparatory School hosted a cocktail party to officially open our new Grade 0 block. Our magnificent classrooms are already providing a stimulating and inspiring learning environment for our children. Our sincere thanks to all those who helped realise our new home....
We believe in educating for the development of global leaders; those who are able to go out and lead for good and progress within a dynamic and challenging environment. One way in which we prepare our pupils for the world beyond Uplands is to engage......
In celebration of the annual Sappi Mother’s Day Concert which will be hosted at the Lowveld National Botanical Garden on the 12th May, Sappi has added its Sunshine Piano as a prelude to the festivities. The piano made its way to Uplands on Thursday and......
Our Matric Dance took place on Tuesday night. With the theme of ‘Starry Starry Night’, the College hall was transformed into a spectacular display of fairy lights with gold and navy blue finishing. The boys looked dashing in their tailored suits, whilst elegant dresses and......
The Grade 0s celebrated Earth Week by planting a tree in their new playground. Planting a tree with children helps them to feel that they have ‘given something back’ into the environment. To the Pre-Preparatory as a whole, this tree is a symbol of growth......
The first term of 2019 has been overwhelmingly positive for the Uplands Outreach team, particularly with the opening of our brand-new Japhet Outreach Centre at Uplands. Feel free to visit us for a tour. With our theme ‘Secrets of Success’ (read more on page 3),......
Seven of Uplands Outreach’s partner schools in the Insikazi School Circuit benefited from a computer donation from Sasol Energy on 11 March 2019. This donation forms part of the Sasol Energy-funded digital literacy programme that educators from the Insikazi Circuit previously attended at Uplands Outreach.......
We had fun dressing up for World Book Day. Pupils and teachers took the time to come to school dressed as characters from books they have enjoyed. The Foundation Phase teachers depicted the Little Miss characters and The Cat in the Hat featured strongly in......
The Grade 000 pupils have been learning about different Fruits and Vegetables. They each had a turn to smell and feel a variety of vegetables. They started learning about “heavy and light” by weighing the vegetables on a scale. Learning about Fruit and Vegetables made......
‘Show and Tell’ benefits young children in many ways. These early language experiences help children to build effective communication and listening skills that are vital to their learning. It also encourages their emotional development, as they share their interests, home lives, and joys with friends.......
As a teaching tool, the Grade 0 teachers have been using ‘Thinking Maps’ to help the children clarify, organise, communicate, and group ideas and information about a topic. Thinking maps are a fun way of capturing information and exploring a theme or idea. The Circle......
The staff and pupils of Uplands showed their support to CANSA and cancer patients during our recent College Shavathon. Pupils contributed by having their hair shaved or sprayed. We thank the Uplands CANSA Debutantes for their hard work in raising the funds and awareness to......
On Saturday, Kayla Schefermann competed in her first SA Open Water Championships held at Jeffrey’s Bay. Seeded 18th in her age group prior to the start of her 3km race, she ultimately finished 6th in a time of 42mins30. ...
Titans Cricket CEO (and entertaining motivational speaker) Dr Jacques Faul visited Uplands this weekend at the special invitation of his former pupil, Coach Hennie Joubert. Dr Faul conducted a variety of professional development sessions on campus. On Friday he spoke to the senior management and......
In loving memory of Mr Nigel Sloane Thank you to UPPA, Mr Gavin Sinclair and the community for the memorial bench donated in memory of Mr Nigel Sloane (04-04-1963 to 03-12-2018). The bench overlooks the Preparatory Oval, a special place for an exemplary schoolmaster, dedicated......
Our first ever Boarding Experience is underway. 47 Grade 6 and 7s have joined Goss and College House to experience our boarding environment ...
Uplands Outreach is delighted to present our Annual Impact Metrics infographic. We would like to congratulate and thank the Insikazi Circuit Manager, Mandrew Nyambi (along with our 34 partner schools) for these positive results from 2018. We have also included a snapshot collage of the recent opening......
On Friday 15th February the Pre-Preparatory children were treated to an enjoyable and educational Puppet show, ‘Rainbows of Laughter.’ The show focused on the theme of ‘stranger danger.’ The children were thoroughly entertained and also learned some valuable life skills. ...
The Grade 11 Visual Arts pupils were challenged with creating public artworks to reflect our core values. Each group had to create a life size figure which captured a specific theme: Theme 1: United in Diversity – Here a figure juggles aspects of gender, race,......
Last Friday Our Grade 0000s received a visit from Sonic the pony and his owner, Tracey Hearne. Our children were very excited to be able to enjoy a ride around the playground. ...
On Friday 8th January, Team Uplands left School to compete at Midmar. The team swam a variety of events. SATURDAY 9th Feb Family Event: Team ‘Family Fowler’ finished 41st out of the 347 teams who entered (Times: Bryce 43:46, Kye-Ann 36:02, Cayden 31:19 & Brendan......
On Saturday our team of 74 athletes competed at the annual Skukuza Preparatory Athletics Day. In hot conditions, our athletes put together a fantastic team effort. 14 new records were set amongst the five schools in attendance. Six of these were set by our own......
This past weekend saw our squash players compete in the Mpumalanga Closed Squash tournament. The following pupils received medals: U11 Boys: Gold – David Loudon U16 Girls: Silver – Ayanda Ntimane U19 Girls: Bronze – Eryn Treherne / Gold – Jessica Loudon U19 Boys: Bronze......
5 years ago, as a result of our own international networking, Uplands was invited to represent South Africa at an annual leadership symposium. The other attending schools represent 8 countries (Oman, China, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Argentina, and Canada), from which......
On Saturday the 26th of January Uplands Prep hosted its annual Inter-House Athletics meeting. After a nervous start due to the weather conditions the day ran like clockwork. Just after 08:00 it was the turn of the Foundation Phase athletes to show us what......
Our new Welcome Wall is up, and it looks amazing! A big thank you to UPPA for sponsoring the build. This is the first phase of our Memorial Development; the back of the wall will act as a space for memorial plaques, and a quiet......
Ian Weir (Class of 2010) spoke to the pupils today on the topic of Careers in Earth Science; following an amazing opportunity he had to travel to Antarctica, to conduct experiments in the field of Biogeochemistry. By happenstance; accompanying him aboard the S.A.AGULHAS II were......
Action defined our campus this weekend as the Grade 7 leadership camp took place at our dam, the 8s enjoyed a camp out on our main rugby field, the College boarders competed in their boarder games (College House winning the day) and the school showcased......
Robert Rorich (Class of 2013) and Michelle Rorich (Class of 2012) leave Cape Town for Cairo. There they will meet up with four others and spend the year cycling back home. To keep up with their tour, you can follow them on their website: https://www.ourafricapolepole.org/our-blog......
KIMREN PATHER (Interviewed by Buhle Mashabane) Mr Pather studied Human Movement Management and majored in Business. He will be teaching Grade 8 and 9 EMS, Grade 10 Business Studies and Grade 11 Life Orientation. What are you currently most excited about? – ‘The new......
We celebrate our top ten achievers in the recent Matric IEB examinations. Their performances were outstanding. We also acknowledge our many Matrics who, in raising their marks from Grade 11 to Finals, secured significant personal victories. Of our 92 Matrics: – 100% passed (97% with......
We hope you enjoy reading our positive newsletter, Winning Ways, on #GivingTuesday – showcasing specific ways we are responding to the educational challenges in South Africa. Giving Tuesday was created as a day for giving to non-profits after the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In......
Uplands Outreach is delighted to present this annual report, celebrating the 2018 achievements of the SMILE Conversational English Literacy Programme, now in its 20th year at Uplands. The SMILE programme builds bridges between two communities of learners in Mpumalanga: Uplands College pupils and Maqamela Primary......
Just as every child should experience the joy of being in the hands of a great teacher, every employee should experience the joy of being in the hands of a great leader. From our earliest days, Uplands Outreach has been passionate about leadership and management,......
It is always a pleasure to compile Winning Ways, Uplands Outreach’s newsletter highlighting feedback from our programme beneficiaries. We hope you enjoy reading their positive stories. “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” ~John Crosby......
Uplands Derby Weekend vs Penryn has once again come and gone and with it a closely contested and highly entertaining hockey match between our Old Boys and those from Penryn. The Sports Centre’s balconies were lined with both OU’s and friends and families, eager to......
Annually, our Alumni gather at the Uplands Festival for that respective year’s Reunion; this year was no different. Following a stellar performance by our Old Boys on the hockey field, the attendants all gathered in the Day Pavilion for an evening of reminiscing. The event......
“It was a real blast from the past walking around with Rob and Ray. We shared many happy memories of what life at Uplands was about as a child in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It was nostalgic and magical as we remembered which......
Uplands Outreach is delighted to present our Impact Metrics Infographic for 2017. It is gratifying to read about the ongoing, measurable, progress in the Insikazi School Circuit in Mpumalanga. We’d like to congratulate and thank the Circuit Manager, Mandrew Nyambi, for these positive results. Thank you......
Since our inception in 1994, Uplands Outreach has learned many useful lessons ineffective interventions. We pause to reflect and share what we’ve learned. Here is a list of the top ten: A consultative approach is best, ensuring that we understand and respect multiple perspectives without swooping in,......
My association with Uplands began way before I was even a blip on my mother’s radar. My mom started at Uplands Prep in 1959 and went on to serve on the Uplands Board for many years during my time at the Prep. My older brother,......
