Grade 4 Talent Show – Cait Gordon
As we tackled the introduction of Grade 4 this year, we decided a Talent Show would be an exciting and new challenge for the children. It was a great addition to the curriculum as we had covered our strengths and talents earlier in the year, and drawing on this as a base, we started the process of deciding what each child wanted to perform.
It was so wonderful to watch the ideas form as we explored what could be considered a talent, examining themselves in a different light. The children began to brainstorm what they were good at and how they could showcase this. They tried many different ideas, slowly figuring out which would be the best for them. Some discovered that they would prefer to work as a team.
It was a considerable learning experience for the children as they worked independently, deciding and practising until just a few weeks before the show when the final checks were done. We then practised as a class, turning their efforts into real Talent Show with a class line dance to end off the Showcase.
The Grade 4s acknowledged their fears and found coping mechanism to help them brave being centre stage, with all the eyes on them, especially those performing solo acts. It was amazing to see them acknowledge their feelings and find solutions with a great attitude and a bucket full of perseverance and gusto.
There was much excitement on the night of the show, creating a happy atmosphere for those who were feeling nervous. We took pictures of the different acts and some fun friends and class pictures to ease the nerves, then each child was ready when they saw their supporters arriving to watch them perform. It is always so inspiring to see the attendance from the parents; it really means the world to the children.
There was great enthusiasm and happiness on every child’s face as they joined their classmates on the stage for the finale dance. They invited their parents to dance along, to share in their achievements, some miss steps and others did it to their own timing but their happiness was evident. This was a good reminder about having fun and enjoying every moment instead of focusing on total perfection!
A big thank you to all the parents and friends for encouraging their children as well as The Cavern for always being willing to host our RDPS performances.
Spring Cleaning – Thobani Ndlovu
In the isiZulu culture we celebrate the New Year on the first of September. September is known as Mandulo, which translates to ancient times. During this time, we usher in the new blossoms as we say good bye to the old and dry winter vegetation. This year we took a leaf from nature, preparing for the new by chucking out the “old”.
The much-needed spring cleaning was welcomed by the schools, as Khanyisela swooped in to lend a helping hand in this task to support the creche practitioners. Joined by Liesa Albertyn, an esteemed Medical Sister who is used to summiting the most challenging peaks, yet we were unprepared for what we found in the first school!
It was disheartening to see how terribly the termites had ravaged the little babies’ class, with its traces crawling all the way up to the ceiling, leaving dried mud and collapsing structures where it had passed. Though we thought we would just be sorting through puzzles and broken crayons, this needed immediate attention. We rolled up our sleeves and set to work. We were aware that our cleaning was a band aid on the problem and we needed to find a permanent solution to this. We later contacted exterminators who came in nozzles blazing, ready to rid the creche of the rot!
This is what we found time and time again, with each creche that we went to. Novel problems that ran deeper than just the light work we thought was initially needed. After each visit, we had to put our heads together to see how we could help tackle each problem and bring new shoots of hope, from the roots up!
“We visited creches this term to help sort, clear, throw and then add things they needed in and around the creche. It was fun on my side I got to see different schools and how they operate. Seeing the impact that the organization does to the schools was heart-warming. I could see the joy from the kids when receiving all the toys the donations were very much appreciated”, Noluthando Zondo – Royal Drakensberg Primary School intern.
As we continue to celebrate the isiZulu New Year, we remain resolute in the teachings from Mandulo (ancient times) of Ubuntu, lending a helping hand wherever we can because the need runs deeper than we think!
The Power of Reading – Sine Ngobese
Reading unlocks a world not readily accessible to many children in South Africa, as so many people still live really hard lives. Through reading children build their imagination and are able to explore new and exciting adventures, learning new words as they do, helping with all areas of school. Reading can also teach us about empathy and by understanding life from the different views of those in the stories they read.
Sadly 82% of children in Grade 4 are unable to read for meaning even in their mother tongue and as a result, 50% of children who enter Grade 1 will not complete Matric. By promoting reading, we are able to introduce children to the vast world of literature and help them succeed. Stories encourage engagement and discussion amongst everyone.
Community Reading
To try and curb the burden of illiteracy, every Wednesday two teachers volunteer an hour of their afternoon to read books to children of the community. This term over 100 children gathered at Siqalakahle to listen to stories. Research also suggests that in order to promote a reading culture, children should have books at home to help them experience significant development gains.
We are so fortunate to partner with Book Dash who make it possible for us to gift books to each child to take home to further their reading journey. Book Dash’s aim is that every child should own 100 stories in their homes by the time they are 5 years old, yet this is only true for about 33% of children within this age group in South Africa.
It has been a successful term of community reading. Next term we will be sharing more stories in the Busingatha valley at Samukelokuhle Creche to continue making sure that children benefit from owning books.
Reading Club at Royal Drakensberg Primary School
Each Monday at break time the children who signed up for Reading club, sacrifice their break time to spend their break time in the library, noses in-between the pages of a book!
I joined reading club because:
I love to read and learn more about what is in books that I don’t know – Alondwe Grade 1
Books have lots of things I didn’t know. – Banele Grade 1
I like to learn new words. – Okulhe Grade 2
Reading is fun and gives my brain an adventure. – Zekhethelo Grade 4
Reading gives you knowledge and learn a lot of things. – Zesipho Grade 4 .
In a world with so many hardships it has been extremely exciting to see a nation of children beginning to develop a love for reading!
Cross-country, Athletics Day and Core Values – Phola Nkabini
Cross country started on a high note in term three as the learners were super excited to run in the beautiful nature surrounding our school. Our school places a lot of focus on our Core Value Tree where we groom our learners with principles of good citizenship. The values are Hard work, Integrity, Respect and Kindness.
Since day one of running the cross country, we’ve seen hard work in action. This is represented by the roots of our tree, giving good balance and support to all the growth they have made. They all participated and the majority managed to reach 5 laps on the first day. Starting on a positive note led to more children exceeding their capabilities as they broke their own records each week. Some even managed to do 7 laps. The teachers’ motivation at each point of their lap was “work hard, rest later“. The older children’s work has paid off in their impressive results this term and they managed to push the younger ones to work just as hard and do more laps. A definite success in teaching all the RDPS children that hard work really does pay off!
Integrity, which is the trunk of our core value tree, was also evident in our learners during sport this term. As they ran the cross country, they followed the rules of running the track. They were able to correct each other and stand up against cheating when it reared its head. This was seen with them reporting those that took short cuts. We were able remind them that doing the right thing in all areas of our lives, even when no one is watching, helps build future citizens who will have good morals and act swiftly against wrong doing. This helps us create a better place for all who live in it.
The branches of our tree represent respect. We respect ourselves and everyone around us. This was evident during our awards ceremony, when children cheered for others that received medals for their achievements. Respect is a huge lesson in good sportsmanship and there was a lot of it on display both during the prize giving and the support and encouragement the children offered each other while running and competing in sport this term. It is always so wonderful watching how the children show respect to themselves and everyone around them, reminding us of how important it is to teach children how to be the best version of themselves.
Kindness, which are the flowers blossoming on the tree, were sprinkled during the cross-country and were also in abundance during the awards ceremony. Children would stop to help those who appeared to have challenges completing their laps. They would shout words of motivation to get them to dig deep down the roots, to work even harder to make sure that they finished what they started.
The whole term has been amazing on the sports front. We have seen the beautiful work done in the school, where we are creating citizens who will apply these values and bring about change in the future!
Heritage Day – Idah Radebe
The children arrived at school on this cold, snow threatening morning, all dressed in their different cultural clothes. They were so excited to be dressed up and performed dances and sang songs as they played showing such pride in their culture.
We divided them into stations to learn more about other cultures and be reminded of some of their own. The day included these exciting stations:
1. Indigenous games
Indigenous games are recreational games that originated from a specific culture. As we are in heritage month and celebrating Heritage Day bringing indigenous games to play was a good idea. Children nowadays have lost their culture because of technology (television and cell phones). Including indigenous games gave them an idea of fun games that their grandparents used to play. Indigenous games are always fun with friendly competition, and they serve many purposes like bringing people together.
They were taught how to play Izingendo using 12 small stones and a big one. The bigger one is for the person whose turn it is to play. The player throws the big stone in the air and quickly pulls out the smaller stones out of the hole, trying to catch the bigger stone before it falls on the floor. After that must they must throw it in the air again, pushing all the small stones back in the hole quickly but making sure that they leave one smaller stone outside the hole. The game becomes more complex as it progresses. In the next level they need to leave out two of the small stones outside as they push the rest in the hole, while ensuring that the bigger stone does not land on the floor. This game is continuous and includes numeracy, fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
It was so lovely to see the fascination and enjoyment brought by something so simple that we all have access to, being reminded that learning and fun can happen in the simplest activities.
2. Dutch
At this station the children were taught how to how to decorate the plates as the Dutch people did. They were introduced to Dutch songs, having great fun trying to pronounce the Dutch words.
3. Khoisan art
Children were provided with rocks and natural plants as the Khoisan children would have had many many years ago. They were encouraged to create designs inspired by Khoisan art using the things they had been provided with. The teachers spoke with the children about their creations comparing them to the art they have seen while sharing the stories behind Khoisan art.
Khoisan art
4. Clay Craft
Clay was collected from where our children come from encouraging them to see what amazing things are around them. We spoke about moulding the clay and how to smooth it with water using their fingers to make it soft making the moulding process easier. The children created animals and other interesting sculptures. The older children showed patience and kindness helping those around them when it got difficult.
Clay Craft
Clay Craft
5. Food
The children helped to prepare for Heritage Day by collecting the wood needed for the fire to cook pap as well as braai meat. Children helped on the day to make fire, putting the three-legged pot on the stand to keep the pot stable above the fire. The mealie meal was mixed with water and put in the large pot to begin cooking. Pap is a staple in African cultures as a source of energy for the hard work done. Our grandfather used to eat pap with milk or spinach that grows in the bushes naturally, eating meat that was hunted in the surrounding areas making it the perfect choice for our Heritage Day meal.
A successful day filled with fun learning and an appreciation for all the cultures around us, both in South Africa and in the world!
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Final Word
This term has been nothing short of amazing, until the very last day! The children have shown how they tackle all aspects of their lives by using the core values as tools that help them navigate their little-big lives. We were well entertained and in awe of our Primary School display a wonderful play, The Jungle Book, a story that speaks about community. Our own school community came together to execute a Heritage Day celebration, even amidst a threat of a snowstorm. The children were dressed immaculately in their modernised traditional attire, a beautiful ode to the past and a nod to the multicultural future. In their very near future, just a few hours after they had left, the school as well as our beautiful village was transformed into a Winter Wonderland when the flakes fell gently. A true Spring Miracle!
We are thankful for many other miracles. Our children, teachers, management team as well our larger community. Your generosity keeps the warmth within our hearts, even in the unexpected cold.
From:
Teacher Thoba, Megan and Loretta,