Science Week

After three weeks of holidays, Term Three began for us with our Science Week. It was a crazy, chaotic week that ended with a very successful Science Fair and some Very Proud teachers! We gave every student a project that consisted of an experiment they had to publish and present at the end of the week. 

Not coincidentally, we were also visited by a group of students and teachers from a school in Canada. The group is connected with a Rotary Club in Canada that is hoping to invest in and support the construction of a larger and more permanent school at Refilwe (at the moment we hold classes in modified house!). They were a great help with assisting our students with their projects.

Instead of normal classes, we focussed only on science experiments all week, with our main aim to teach the students the vocabulary and process of the Scientific Method. After every one of us made the students recite "aim, hypothesis, apparatus, method, observations, conclusion" at the beginning, middle and end of every class you can be sure they learned it! We often find with our students that learning and repeating technical English vocabulary can be challenging (one student called experiments 'experiences' all week- so by Friday we were all getting mixed up and saying the wrong word!) so have to concentrate on making sure the terminology is understood before starting on complicated concepts.

As I said, our Fair on Friday was a big success! All of the students worked very hard (some were even knocking on my front door at 7.45am on Friday morning asking me to hurry up and get to school so they could work on their finishing touches!) and produced excellent work! Everyone learned something new in the process of their experiments, from how aeroplanes are able to take off to how hydroelectric power is produced to how sound waves move. We all had so much fun and it was a great way to begin the term. Next week we begin our normal time table again, hopefully with as much energy as we produced this week!.

Happy Birthday, Madiba

Today is Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday, a day of notable celebration in South Africa. Mandela, affectionately known by his nation as Madiba, will have his birthday celebrated by the entire country as well as in many places around the world. As I write this, 'Madiba's Birthday Party' is being televised live for all South Africans to watch; in fact, the children at Refilwe were invited and are attending the party here in Johannesburg.

Nelson Mandela almost singlehandedly led South Africa through one of its most tumultuous periods. Imprisoned for life because activism against the apartheid regime, he chose to dedicate his life to the reconciliation of his nation. Rather than promoting violent revolution against the apartheid government, he sought instead a path of negotiation and communication. In the early 90s, this approach enabled him to convince the president of the day, F.W. Klerk, to unban Black political organisations and release political prisoners. Mandela was released from prison in 1991, after 17 years' imprisonment.

Leading the ANC to victory in 1994, Madiba became South Africa's first black president. 15 years later, although retired from politics, he continues to play a vital role as a symbol of peaceful progress and hope for a nation plagued by ongoing social difficulty. There is genuine affection in this country for Mandela, evidenced by the way people speak of and honor him. As we learn more about the role he played in South Africa's history, it is clear to us that he is one of those men who, through persistence and commitment to his cause, actually changed the world. It is because of his leadership that we can be in SA today, working alongside and empowering those who were so destroyed by the system he fought so doggedly against.

Happy Birthday, Madiba.

The Kruger

To say the very least, our trip to Kruger National Park (known by most people here as "The Kruger") was incredible. Not only did we get to go with my wonderful parents, but we also got to spend an entire week driving around a completely wild sanctuary of almost 20,000 square kilometres. Our days were spent staring out the windows of our car at sights like this lioness stalking her prey

and this giraffe practically posing for the shoot

and this elephant being none too pleased to have us in his space 

And herds and herds of zebra, often doing funny things

and plenty of animals just chilling in the trees by the river

Not to mention these incredible sunrises every morning!

South Africa, as we are discovering, is a country blessed with a myriad natural resources. Just before the holidays I covered a unit with my Year Eights on 'South Africa's Natural Resources' and the lists we came up with were extensive: from iron, coal, gold and diamonds to fertile soil and great climate to a huge coastline to incredible scenery... not to mention the Big Five! With so many international visitors coming to SA in the next 12 months, it is exciting to think of the potential the tourism industry has for playing a vital role in economic growth that is so needed.