Newsletter | 2nd Term 2024

Dear Friends

Greetings from the Drakensberg!

Quality education and early learning are vital for children’s long-term prospects in life.
“The period from birth to eight years old is one of remarkable brain development for children and represents a crucial window of opportunity for education. When children are healthy, safe and learning well in their early years, they are better able to reach their full developmental potential as adults and participate effectively in economic, social, and civic life. Providing ECCE is regarded as a means of promoting equity and social justice, inclusive economic growth and advancing sustainable development.” UNESCO 2022

Our vision is to transform rural communities through quality educational initiatives, by offering a range of age appropriate educational opportunities. We strive to ensure that children benefit from the very best start in life by not only developing them but supporting their educational journey. We do this through a number of key initiatives.
The Royal Drakensberg Education Trust aims to provide the following Outcomes

• Children are better prepared for their next phase of Education
• Norms and standards in Education in rural South Africa are improved
• Beneficiaries realise the power of possibility

Term 2 has come to an end and we share a few significant happenings in this newsletter.

The Big5Hike

– Megan Bedingham

This year was our final Big5Hike for education. It’s been a decade of walking which has seen the support of so many hikers, corporates and friends and the commitment has helped ensure our sustainability. In 2006 we began supporting 5 preschools in the amaZizi village and in 2007 we built Royal Drakensberg Primary. From these very early beginnings we have grown and we now support 18 preschools and our independent school has grown from 14 to over 104 children. We are impacting more than 1000 children and over 50 women in our community. With growth, sustainability becomes vital and so our thanks extend to every person that has helped and contributed.

Some highlights from the past 10 years;

• 936 hikers have raised R9,335,445 for education.
• Olivia Bedingham has done every Big5Hike since 2014, even when we opted to be safe and hike beneath the cliff line, and the teens were adamant to continue!
• Cath Duff did every fundraising hike, since 2014, in the same pair of takkies!
• Stephen Kirker completed 5 big5hikes in 2 days and raised R50k, celebrating his 50th, in 2018
• Travis Gillespie completed the hike barefoot in 2017. He walked to raise awareness for those without shoes and then managed to secure a donation of shoes for every child at Royal Drakensberg!

These are great stories resilience and steadfastness and as this chapter draws to a close we look forward to see what new initiative might hatch…

The art of team work in achieving a bigger goal

– Cait Gordon

This year we have shifted the focus of our termly workshops and worked to fully benefit the creches by equipping their teachers and helping them create the best learning and teaching opportunities. We brainstormed and decided that workshops around the creation of resources that are affordable, using materials that are accessible to all, would be most beneficial.

We began to collect cereal boxes from the Cavern and other local resorts, this resulted in a stock pile of cardboard, ticking the first box of sustainable resources. It also met the requirements of affordability and accessibility for the ladies at a later stage to continue to replicate the resources developed.

The RDPS teachers made some of the resources prior to the workshop, putting together ideas to spark interest and enthusiasm. The ladies arrived, armed with a few of their own boxes, ready to see what this new workshop was all about. The cutting, painting and creating began and each creche was able to take home some brightly painted, ready-to-use resources along with templates to replicate them. It was so wonderful to see the creativity spark, the ideas flow and all of us coming together for the greater good of the children.

In the weeks that followed we continued to receive pictures of the resources in use. And, many of the other ideas discussed had been made, in their own time, by collecting boxes and using what they have to make durable and practical resources for learning.

In a space where the teachers have the resources required to teach, the people who benefit from the hard work done by both the RDPS teachers and the Khanyisela practitioners is the children, the reason we all do what we do!

We look forward to seeing this new chapter of sustainable resources thrive, making both the earth and the education system happier, cleaner and more successful!

The journey uniting education and yoga continues

– Thobani Ndlovu

The Little Caterpillar has crawled into AmaZizi and wormed its way into our hearts. On an orange-red leafy Saturday, the Royal Drakensberg Primary School teachers and ECD practitioners from over 18 creches gathered to hear the inspirational tale of a tiny insect that morphs into the best version of herself… by simply believing in herself. A sequel to the Little Gecko, the Caterpillar explores the journey, the journey of a self-conscious female worm who does not feel bold enough to trust in herself.

We saw this play out in real time as the attendees felt apprehensive at first to participate in the session. The moans and reluctant murmurs reverberated on the school’s front lawn, as the poses were unfamiliar to them. The scorching sun serving as punishment in what should have been a cooler autumn day, did not help either. Slowly, slowly they were urged to trust in themselves and begin to believe that they did, if anything, had the ability to try. And try they did!

The shells slowly cracked as they gave themselves to the poses that demanded so much of their bodies. You began to hear the giggles as they made fun of themselves but also found the fun in the activity. The joy of daring to try something new! As they sprawled themselves across the lawn, their personalities started to shine in the noon sun that now seemed to complement their true colours.

A moment of unadulterated happiness! In that moment, they could be children again. Without a care of their adult induced self-awareness. It is no surprise that the body movements and the words of affirmation are used as a wellness tool. Studies show that engaging children in these programs can have a transformative impact on individual and communal wellness. Though we are not currently in a position to deduce the long term impact of that session on attendees, we would like to believe that the sprinkles of joy brought by the Little Caterpillar to AmaZizi would lead the children to believe in their abilities to flutter about with confidence as they chant, “I must believe in me”.

Thank you to Rachel, Helen and all those that make this possible in our rural space as we work on developing not only the mind but the spirit and soul of all our beneficiaries.

Number Sense in action at RDPS

– A collaboration by the Interns and Teaching Assistants

This term we were fortunate to be visited by Mr Arnout Brombacher, or as the learners of RDPS have affectionately named him Mr Number Sense. Considering all the work he has done; you would be tempted to think that numbers are his first love. Well, we discovered immediately on arrival that he has a huge passion for helping children and helping them to fully understand and love maths.

Having the opportunity to see the founder of the book in the classroom teaching the learners was a wonderful experience, it gave us more insight in how to teach and monitor the number sense lessons creating a positive learning space for all. One of the most interesting parts of his lessons was making the numbers have sense by triggering the questions that requires the learners to think and explain why they applied their different solutions to solve the problem.

Mr Brombacher’s practical lesson gave an insight into how we continue to keep the children’s positive attitude towards maths. He made us realise that maths is everywhere around us, from the patterns in nature, to being fascinated by the beauty and logic of mathematical concepts. This realisation helped us to appreciate the importance of mathematics in our daily live.

As we reflect on the experience, we had with Mr Brombacher, we realise that it has been a journey of ups and downs. One aspect that struck us was the importance of practise and persistence, we learned that maths is not just about understanding formulas but also about developing problem-solving skills and practical thinking. The more our learners practiced and engaged with Mr Brombacher the more confident they became in tackling problems on their own.

Just before heading out on his long drive away from the mountains Mr Brombacher said, “If you take away anything from this visit please know that the teachers are doing amazing work”.

We would like to say a special thank you to the Edward E. Haddock Jr. Family Foundation for sponsoring our Number Sense Program and the Professional Development that supports our teachers.

Gratitude is more than a concept; it is a way of life.

– Mbali Mnyandu and Mpilo Sibiya

At Royal Drakensberg Primary School, we strive to create an environment that encourages children to grow holistically. Providing countless opportunities that instil valuable life lessons and fostering a sense of community and empathy.
With the guidance of our core values and our Kids Code; our focus this term was Kindness. We remind our little humans that:

• “We are kind to each other“
• “We share“
• “We help each other“
• “We always say please and thank you.“

On the 23rd of May we embraced the joy of giving with our annual Pyjama Day! Each child was encouraged dress up in their fun pyjamas and bring some money to school, contributing to the Reach for a Dream Foundation. It was a wonderful opportunity to teach and practise gratitude while highlighting the blessings of good health and community in our lives. With this small act of kindness our children managed to raise over R700. This event not only brought a sense of happiness and fulfilment, it also helped to cultivate a mindset of gratitude being more than a concept and rather a way of life.

Royal Drakensberg Primary School, believes in the power of generosity and the profound impact it has on our community. We encourage our learners to uses their various skills and talents to give back to those around them. Giving back through arts and craft made during our E.M.S lessons, our children have learnt creative skills. They had a busy term crafting handmade treasures in their quest to give back to their school community. These beautiful creations are sold at the Cavern to raise funds that directly benefit our school and support our educational programs. It is heart-warming to see our children’s creativity making a difference in the lives of others.

As we celebrate our blessings, we are reminded of the importance of sharing with others. Whether through donations, acts of kindness or volunteering. Each gesture, no matter how small, creates a ripple of positivity and goodwill in our community.

We strive to be more than just a school—we are a community that cares deeply for one another. Through our collective efforts and shared values of compassion and empathy, we nurture an environment where every individual feels valued and supported.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our global village who generously support the learning journey of our children. Your contributions enable us to provide enriching experiences and resources that empower our children to thrive holistically.

Parental Advisory advised

– Thobani Ndlovu

Parental involvement is an old age pursuit in schools. Usually the bread winners, guardians spend their days working hard for their children so that they may receive the best in life or in the least, better than what they have had. Each morning they ship them off to experts who will pour into them the teachings necessary for their success. They return in the evenings to be fed and tucked in. Rinse, repeat for 12 to 13 years and you have a winning formula for an upstanding citizen ready to positively impact the world!

While this may have been the belief in the past, more often than not we see the value of engaged and involved parents in the daily experiences of their children. Where children are constantly seeking validation from their parents, reassurance in their own abilities would lead to self-reliant adults who embody confidence. This is not a once off, “great job kid” type of exercise but rather a deep investment in the child’s academic and social development. This is where Parent Power enters the chat.

An initiative by the DG Murray Trust, Parent Power seeks to activate parents’ potential in supporting their children and the rest of the school community by being part of the solution to the challenges experienced by the learners. You might be wondering how exactly it does this. Well, so was teacher Phola, our assistant teacher, when he was selected to be part of the pilot of the 2024 Parent Power Champion. Flying out of the province for the first time, he also got to figuratively spread his wings as he mingled with other passionate community builders.

Generally very shy, Phola seemed to find the gentle push that he needed to step into his own power. Using his voice more and more in the workshop, online connects and at staff meetings, he began to lay the foundation for our first RDPS Parent Power Workshop that took place on the 8th of June 2024. Using his newly found knowledge of Design and Systems thinking, he created a well-articulated plan for the day which was executed seamlessly.

Fifty parents showed up and fully participated on the day having never had the opportunity to collaborate on identifying different approaches to supporting learners. They continued to engage well after the workshop was over, as they enjoyed refreshments provided by the Cavern Resort and Spa. Though there was transport provided by the school, it is pure love for one’s child that would have them brave one of the coldest Saturday mornings of early winter. Especially when they have the option of bonding and snuggling up with their children on their day off!

Teacher Phola returns for his second Parent Power Champion training this June. He looks forward to completing the program and graduating next year as he believes that working with parents is the key to scholar success.

Join the MySchool Programme

Final Word

One of our greatest needs, in order to deliver on our vision of quality education, is to create opportunities for children to grow and develop so they can be contributors to their communities when they grow up. All of these initiatives require infrastructure such as adequate buildings and educational resources (including toys and books) and while these are necessary, they are not sufficient to achieve the benefits we wish for the children. Unsurprisingly one of the most powerful ways of delivering benefits to children is through the staff we employ and train to deliver carer programmes, to support and mentor preschools in improving their practice in educational activities and to work in our primary school.

Thank you for being part of our journey.

Warm wishes

Teacher Thoba, Megan & Loretta