The School Corridor Tatler

This year the Centre for Conservation designed their Heritage celebrations around the twenty eight "Heath" schools. The Heath region covers schools in the Diep River, Plumstead, Southfield, Heathfield and Retreat area. The youngest school is the Cafda School of Skills in Retreat while the oldest school is St. Anne's Primary School in Plumstead. The term "Heath Schools" was chosen as a tribute to the erica verticillata, commonly known as heath. That is where Heathfield got its name. The erica verticillata, a beautiful plant that belongs to the Fynbos family is now extinct in the wild. The Heathfield and Retreat schools are situated in areas that were once covered with vleis and wetlands where these ericas with their tubular flowers grew prolifically. Lourier Primary School. Daniel Jansen, a veteran teacher at Lourier, read an extract from Adam Small's poem. Adam Small's father was a former principal at Lourier Primary School. Sigi Howes, th...

Walk in the shoes of school principals and their staff. I often wish folk could have the opportunity to see what schools are doing against great odds. Perhaps then, we will have greater community applause for what principals and their staffs are doing to make school an excellent learning space. People need to walk in the shoes of principals and staffs before they crack down on them on a whim. Not everybody is blessed to visit schools as I do. But social media like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are also used to share good news. There are school newsletters and community newspapers that can help school celebrations reach the masses. There are text facilities like mass SMS texting. I don't get all my school news from visits only. I visit school Facebook pages, their websites and many schools share their highlights with me. I thrive on good news! Here are a few amazing transformational highlights that took place in the past week or so at just a few schools in our circuit...

Angelica sitting alone, waiting for her athletes. I met Angelica Ohrn, a Swedish volunteer at Sullivan Primary School.  Angelica is one of the Dreams to Reality volunteers. Like her peers, she has travelled to South Africa at her own expense, to do voluntary community work.  She works as a sports coach at the school, the area that she had chosen to offer her skills. It was Friday afternoon and she was waiting for her cross-country runners. "I will be spending five weeks volunteering. I really love the place, the children and the new friends I am meeting at Dreams for Reality. When I go back home, I will go and study,''said a bubbly Angelica. Soon after one of Angelica's runners arrived, ready for the race in his school colours. Angelica and one of her cross-country athletes. When volunteers like Angelica come along, they imbue the schools with youthful freshness and help to strengthen the sports and arts programmes at the schools. The volunteers the...

Last night, the Cape Town City Hall became an electrifying space when our Circuit 1 Schools Arts Festival erupted on the stage for almost two hours. This historic occasion for the circuit, in collaboration with the Safe Schools unit at our district, was phenomenal. Why the City Hall became the pivot The City Hall was chosen as our venue because of its inspirational impact and historic importance. Twenty three years ago, our Madiba, on his release from prison, made his first public reconciliation speech from the balcony of the City Hall. Then last night, our 400+ strong cast of young creative arts performers made their debut appearance on the City Hall stage. Also, last night was the eve of World Teachers’ Day and the beginning of the last term of this school year. No doubt the conspiring powers of the universe were at work here to participate in the celebration of our young ones' gifts and to affirm the profound role of their teachers! A peek into the flow of the Arts Festival For ...

Schools must seriously consider designing and implementing a systems-wide creative arts curriculum at their schools, especially those schools serving poor communities . A structured, sustainable creative arts curriculum must complement our rigid academic curriculum if we are serious about excellent learner performance. Creative arts are a critical lever to fast track learning and learner performance. The reality of our schools serving the poor   I know we do have extra and co-curricular programmes at our schools and our learners are getting exposure to sport codes and a smattering of creative arts at our schools.   I also know how difficult it is on our poorer schools to keep extra-mural programmes alive at the schools. The very teachers who are teaching non-stop and who are battling to mediate a new, challenging curriculum with are already struggling to feed our learners and doing their utmost to retain the learners at the schools. There is no broad-based parent structur...

Two of the youth leaders proudly showcasing one of the huge collages made during the holiday programme New World Foundation hosts a School holiday programme at Crestway Let’s face it: the June 3-week school holidays can be a nightmare for parents and school children on the Cape Flats. Once the euphoria is over that there is finally a break from the classrooms, reality sets in. There is far too much free time and way too few wholesome recreational facilities and activities to keep our children occupied. This is what makes bridge builders like Zain and his volunteer Youth leader team from the Lavender Hill-based NGO, New World Foundation, such a critical social lever. Zain, a youth worker is dynamite. I met Zain when he organized the first art exhibition in Lavender Hill last year.   Here at Crestway High school, Zain and his 25-strong youth leaders from Crestway, Sibelius and Lavender Hill High school and German Student volunteers, hosted a 2-week holiday programme for learners in t...

Schools in the Retreat-Lavender Hill-Steenberg Belt are working tirelessly to stem the tide of social collapse. The key drivers of safety, security and care and support are the Principal and his(her) Safer Schools Head/coordinator. The so-called soft issues are the ones that are difficult to fast track. One needs all the role players - government and non-governmental agencies to work in sync.  There is no short cut and one has to take literally one step at a time.  Retreat Safer Schools Cluster Today we had our safer schools cluster meeting at one of my favourite venues, Blouvlei LSEN school. As usual, there is always such warmth and camaraderie at these gatherings.  Steenberg Safer Schools Cluster The Arts and Culture Festival planned for 4 October  There is quite a bit of excitement because the Arts and Culture Festival of the circuit is taking shape. There are already 15 schools that have committed. Chief concerns are raised about the transport logistics and the fact t...

Jazz with style and charm Marlene Le Roux with the Seven Jazz Musicians The 2012 Youth Jazz Festival was an electrifying sound mix of melody, rhythm and harmony. We were taken on a Jazz journey for more than two hours, willingly being transported by the four-piece ensemble and seven young musicians. Ian Smith and the musicians There wasn't a single 'yawn' moment. The guitarists and saxophonist teased and coaxed our bodies in rapturous moves, the pianist dazzled and the vocalists seduced all our senses. And then there was Ian Smith - master trumpeter and the epitome of showmanship with quips that flowed just as effortlessly. Whitney Olivier singing Feeling Good. Vocalist Whitney Olivier got my biggest vote; she was brilliant with her rendition of "Feeling Good".  The Mondale High Student from Mitchell's Plain, is destined for greatness. The show was one glorious experience of soulful, smooth jazz. We salute Artscape, especially Marlene Le Roux, for creating suc...