Dear Friends
The first term is done and dusted. It has been packed with a host of activities and happenings. Our teachers have expanded on a few of these activities below…
Valentine’s Day Tea – Nikita Peters
On Friday, 13th February 2015, Royal Drakensberg children hosted their Valentine’s Day tea. On the Wednesday afternoon prior to our tea our amazing group of committed teachers got together to bake some yummy biscuits which the children, even Pre-schoolers, got involved and were lucky enough to ice the following day.
My class, the Grade R Zebras, presented a poem with BIG words which impressed the crowd. Other performances included songs and dances all relating to the Valentine’s Day theme. After the presentations were over all our guests joined us for a lovely tea with all sorts of yummy cakes and sandwiches but the highlight at Royal Drak Bakery on Valentine’s Day were our biscuits iced with joy by our Royal Drak chefs. Our day ended on such a positive note and everyone went home with such adoration in their hearts. It was a Valentine’s Day tea to remember and the finest Royal Drakensberg Primary School had ever hosted.
Maths Workshop – Kevin Mackenzie
The Teachers would like to thank Inez Sim for coming all the way up to the berg to give us a maths workshop at the beginning of term. The workshop covered times tables, fractions, money and time. Most of these concepts are very abstract but the way in which Inez teaches these concepts has shown us very tactile and fun ways in which to engage the children. We continue to use Inez’s ideas in the classroom and use many of the resources she has created. The workshop was a great way for everyone to discuss new ideas and make sure staff are all using the same terminology to teach the children maths concepts throughout their schooling at RDP.
Splish Splash – Stacey Buchanan
This term all the children from Grades 1 – 5 were taken up to The Cavern each week to learn about water safety and how to swim. The children were separated into groups according to how they felt about being in the water. The children all loved this time, many becoming more confident in the water. Those children who were confident were taken to the deep-end and were taught how to dive. By the end of the term some of these children were able to swim a width of the pool with ease.
Outdoor challenge – Judy Evans
We had a fantastic day outdoors exploring and learning new skills out in the mountains. Children were put into small groups of mixed ages allowing older children to mentor younger ones. They had to face various challenges such as building a shelter, identifying several of our beautiful birds and walking through the forest. They loved splashing in the rivers and learnt to work together as a team and look out for each other. This was a great day outdoors and fun was had by all!
An Easter Treat – Melanie Roux
On Monday morning the children at RDP were told that the Easter Bunny has contacted Marianne, our Gr2 teacher, to say that he wanted to come collect the beautifully decorated Easter bags to fill with treats. Excitement was buzzing in the air while awaiting the big day.
Friday morning the children arrived wearing bunny ears and comfortable walking shoes to climb the hill where the Easter Bunny said he would hide the eggs. We walked up the hill – some of us huffing and puffing – but it was all worth it. The bunny hid them high and low. But eventually everyone found their bags filled with goodies. They also got spoilt with presents from Abby, a student who spent five weeks at our school. Thank you Abby for the spoils and spending time at our school. And thank you to the teachers who made Easter at our school extra special.
Ride4Education – The Royal Drakensberg MTB Challenge – Megan Bedingham
We are in the process of finalising the arrangements for the Royal Drakensberg MTB Challenge which happens over the weekend of the 18th & 19th April. The men in the valley are all lending a hand and Chris has once again created brilliant new trails to keep it all interesting & the ride awesome! We thank all our sponsors who help make the weekend full of festivities and fun. Our Platinum Sponsor, N3TC, is an organisation that continues to work hard at helping uplift communities along the N3 route. Their continued commitment has assisted our school enormously. We are also indebted to Alpine Heath, Montusi Mountain Lodge and The Cavern for their unwavering support in being our Race Sponsors. For more information visit www.royaldrakmtb.co.za
Walking4Education 2015 – Megan Bedingham
We honestly had the most super 40 days in 2014 that we couldn’t sit back in 2015. This time round it has gathered its own momentum thanks to a few special folk who have brought out the whip! We have one hike on the 6th June – the Big 5 Hike. 57 committed hikers have signed up and their goal is to raise R5000 for Education. They will spend the weekend on the house at The Cavern and all funds raised will help us keep our promise to the children. If you’d like to join us email Megan or make a donation through our secure credit card portal (click the donate button below).
Read Natanya Mulholland’s Big Five article…
A final word
South Africa is certainly the land of sunshine, promise and plenty of challenge. It is the amazing people that support this school that ensure we can do what we set out to do in 2007 – provide a quality education to the children. Thank you to each and every one of you. The giving of time and resources, the helping hands, the money to sustain the project, the parents for their unending support and our valuable teachers who make things happen on a daily basis…. It is held up by your amazing commitment. A big thank you.
Our very best wishes to all our friends and our Royal Drak family this Easter.
Megan & Loretta