Bitou 10 Foundation

The trilingual Interschool Magazine istruly unique being the only initiative of its kind in the country – an intercultural, interschool, interracial magazine written, edited, produced and designed for children by children.

The specific objective of this programme, which benefits more than 4000 learners,is to develop learners’ Literacy skills in three languages by encouraging them to write and read their own material from as early as Grade 1.Issue 10 was distributed in the schools when they reopened for the third term, Issue 11 will be available before the end of the school year.

When one pauses to consider that the children involved in this magazine – from the contributors who submit their drawings, poems and stories, to the teams who are responsible for the editing, production and design – predominantly originate from a traditional background where they are not read to from an early age and where the inherent culture is one of an oratory nature, the level of content achieved in each issue of the Interschool Magazine continues to astound – a glowing tribute indeed to the growing culture of reading and Literacy in Bitou’s local communities.

In the B10F schools the Interschool Magazine has become a fundamental tool which has empowered both learners and educators with not only important life skills but also with the ability of effective communication – regardless of school, education level or cultural background. And in countless Bitou homes – for families who have never owned a newspaper or magazine or book – it has reached beyond the child and become a learning tool for the entire family.

The trilingual Interschool Magazine istruly unique being the only initiative of its kind in the country – an intercultural, interschool, interracial magazine written, edited, produced and designed for children by children.

The specific objective of this programme, which benefits more than 4000 learners,is to develop learners’ Literacy skills in three languages by encouraging them to write and read their own material from as early as Grade 1.Issue 10 was distributed in the schools when they reopened for the third term, Issue 11 will be available before the end of the school year.

When one pauses to consider that the children involved in this magazine – from the contributors who submit their drawings, poems and stories, to the teams who are responsible for the editing, production and design – predominantly originate from a traditional background where they are not read to from an early age and where the inherent culture is one of an oratory nature, the level of content achieved in each issue of the Interschool Magazine continues to astound – a glowing tribute indeed to the growing culture of reading and Literacy in Bitou’s local communities.

In the B10F schools the Interschool Magazine has become a fundamental tool which has empowered both learners and educators with not only important life skills but also with the ability of effective communication – regardless of school, education level or cultural background. And in countless Bitou homes – for families who have never owned a newspaper or magazine or book – it has reached beyond the child and become a learning tool for the entire family.

Too many of our learners from deeply deprived backgrounds find it difficult to cope with the educational curriculum in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1-3) and on average students in B10F schools obtain poor Literacy and Numeracy scores.

The specific objective of this programme, which benefits more than 400 children in our community, is to prepare them adequately for formal schooling.

Education specialists attribute the poor Literacy and Numeracy scores in B10F schools largely to the fact that children from disadvantaged rural backgrounds are not adequately prepared for school. The Learning Skills Readiness Programme develops ECD teachers and the children simultaneously by providing a set of activities against which both the teacher and the children can measure their own progress and development over a 10-month period. Occupational Therapists assist with the development of activities and offer the ECD facilitators and teachers advice and support in dealing with specific issues and children’s specific issues.

Grade 9 Maths educators and Heads of Departments from the five B10F schools offering Grade 9 participated in a brainstorming session with representatives of the WCED to get their input on interventions which would make the greatest impact on Maths development in their schools and to get their buy-in to a Maths development programme which they helped design.

The specific objective of this programme, which benefits approximately 400 learners and 12 Maths teachers, is to help improve Grade 9 Mathematics learners’ results.

B10F and the WCED Circuit 4 manager and Mathematics curriculum advisors are in the process of prioritising the list of interventions requestedby the Grade 9 educators and Heads of Departments; together we will then select the interventions which we believe will have the biggest impact on the teaching and learning of Mathematics in Grade 9 in B10F schools.

Through quarterly workshops offered by accredited Education and Training Specialist Bev Booker 66 SMT members from our 11 schools are receiving on-going training in school leadership and management.

The specific objective of this programme is to enable School Management Teams to manage their schools more effectively and efficiently.

SMTs and the Principals’ Forum will be consulted on which additional interventionswould best address their leadership and management training and development needs. B10F together with the WCED will then determine how best we can meet these needs within the remaining programme budget.

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The specific objective of this programme, which benefits B10F, the Principals’ Forum and the WCED Circuit 4 Team, is to build and strengthen partnerships in education development in Bitou.

Once we have secured sufficient budget for this programme we will embark on relationship building events as well as strategic planning and evaluation sessions with the WCED, Principals’ Forum, School Management Teams and the B10F Board of Directors.

During the Easter break a 3-day Motivation and Study Camp was held to assist the MHS learners in need of academic support. The Camp was a result of the drop in Murray High Grade 12 results from a 71% pass in 2009 to 54% in 2010. Here motivational speakers shared information on career, study and financial aid options while tutors partnered with Grade 12 teachers to provide daily extra tuition.

The specific objective of this programme, which benefits 115 Grade 12 MHS learners, is to assist them in achieving acceptable results in their year-end exams.

Teachers report that since attending the Camp learners have shown initiative by starting their own study groups and are submitting their work in time; absenteeism is also less prevalent and students have been able to identify their future career and study options. Their June exam results also showed marked improvement in almost all subjects and the pass rate for the end of the year is expected to be much higher than that of 2010.

B10F continues to monitor the results of MHS learners and to evaluate the interventions organised by the Project Task Team who will soon be consolidatinga Spring School for all Grade 12 learners to be held at MHS during the October holidays.

Following a needs analysis and selection process involving the WCED, Foundation Phase teachers and two local Occupational Therapists, 30 Grade 1-3 learners at two B10F schools were selected as candidates for the pilot Occupational Therapy programme.

The specific objective of this programme, which currently benefits 30 learners with developmental delays or barriers to learning, focuses on improving the learners’ fine motor, gross motor and visual perceptual skills – critical skills for Literacy and Numeracy development.

During the screening process at the two B10F schools it became apparent that many more learners were candidates for learner support interventions than could be accommodated in this pilot programme.

Following their screening of 70 learners at Wittedrift Primary and Kranshoek Primary, the OTs presented their full report and recommendations on their findings to B10F, the WCED and the Principals in July and August 2011. OTs Michelle Luyt and Nicole MacDonald continue to provide weekly occupational therapy to 30 Foundation Phase learners at Wittedrift Primary and Kranshoek Primary in groups of 3 to 4 learners.

Following presentations to the WCED by several local therapists and counsellors, the WCED identified approximately 75 learners at three B10F schools – Kranshoek, Murray High and Plett Secondary – that urgently require psychological or social support. The first intervention requested by WCED for these learners was the ‘Conscious Classroom’, a group counselling process based on the ‘Journey Process’ facilitated by local counsellor Carol Surya.

The specific objective of this programme, which currently benefits approximately 100 learners, provides professional support to learners with severe emotional, social or behavioural problems.

Approximately 100 learners identified at the three schools are to be referred for play-, art- and group therapy or counselling. Once they have completed four sessions with the counsellor and Journey practitioner B10F will gather feedback from the participants, teachers and the WCED to evaluate the impact of this intervention.

This programme was prompted by the gap in provision made for 5 and 6 year old children in Bitou’s ECD sector who cannot secure places in WCED subsidised classes.

The specific objective of this programme, which benefits teachers of 4-5 year olds, is to enable help them to identify developmental delays. Read more…

Currently the programme capacitates 14 teachers of 4-5 year olds to identify developmental delays and gain an understanding of how to enable children to develop the appropriate learning readiness skills for their developmental stage. This programme is reaching 358 children aged 4-5 at 14 ECD centres.

Our children’s formal schooling needs to be augmented by experiences that teach them the life skills that can only be acquired by participation in activities that engage their imaginations and energies, their enthusiasm and creativity; activities that teach them the value of self-discipline, teamwork and commitment, of perseverance; and above all the value of interdependence and sharing.

The specific objectives of this programme, currently benefitting close on 300 learners in Grades 4 to 12, are to develop learners' visual and performing art skills, creativity, emotional, social and physical well-being and to keep them constructively occupied in the afternoons.

The After-School Activities Programme has been implemented at four schools. At Wittedrift High ballroom dance is being offered by Alex and Yvette Eloff from Footprint Dance Studio while at Greenwood Independent students are benefitting from workshops in both African and contemporary dance presented by Amanda Valela from Lunchbox Theatre.

Drama classes are happening at Plett Secondary – 70 kids! – thanks to Lunchbox Theatre’s Stuart Palmer with Alex Eloff responsible for the ballroom dance classes while at Phakamisami Primary Amanda Valela is offering drama and dance.

Art nKosi'sJonicaGabula now offers a class in artistic design at Plett Secondary. Drama, dance and art classes continue at Phakamasani Primary and traditional dance and drama classes have commenced at Murray High School. An innovative programme that combines puppetry, drama, movement and art and craft has also commenced for three groups at Wittedrift Primary.

The ASAP is soon to be extended to Formosa Primary as well as Harkerville Primary at their request.