Pack for purpose hits Woodlands!

Grade 2A, Mrs Phillips receiving their packs.

After a successful demonstration from the rope skipping girls in a conference the week before, the backpacker received the largest donation from pack for a purpose yet!

Rope skippers received bays with stationary and clothing

Grade 4B, Mrs Schoeman

On Friday 23rd November boxes of stationary, school clothes and art supplies arrived in the library doorstep and GCU team quickly got to work sorting it all out. They made a stationary pack for each of the educators who were delighted to receive stationary for next year. Enough pencils for one per student, an art box, colouring pencils, pens and colouring pens. We were also fortunate enough to receive school clothing so we gave 5 sets to each class for the teachers to decide who was most in need of some new clothes. The GCU staff, educators and learners were so excited and for everything that this donation gave us. We would like to thank all those that donated to pack for a purpose, I hope these pictures give the sense of excitement and appreciation from GCU and the learners at Woodlands Primary.

Sizing up for the little ones uniform!

Codi beaming after receiving some new clothes.

By

Laaiqah Safter

Library Assistant

Fundraising success for GCU Rope SKipping

Our GCU rope skipping team had a fundraiser on Friday 2^nd November and what a day it was. After brainstorming ideas with the fundraising committee for a week, we finally settled on having a boerewors stand to raise money. It was the first time we had taken on such a task but we all took it on with determination. After some careful planning, a parent meeting, taking orders, securing the venue and getting the ok from Mario we were ready to go on Friday morning. The venue was the library at Woodlands Primary School.

GCU team lending a hand

The event was truly a team effort from the GCU team. Everyone gave a helping hand in some way, be it cutting potatoes and onions or preparing rolls and cooking, they did a fantastic job! The children, teachers, students and some of our community who joined in really enjoyed the whole day. The day was huge success raising more than R1,500. Some of the money will be going toward a holiday outing for our rope skipping girls who have been dedicated to the program this year. It is a well-deserved outing as they have all succeeded in their own way either through skipping, tutoring or maturing as individuals.

Wardah and Yolanda and I would like to thank everyone who supported us. Firstly for Mario in assisting with funds. To the principal, staff and students at Woodlands for the venue and supporting the stand and lastly to the GCU staff for helping us in doing their bit. This was the first and certainly not the last so watch this space for more fundraising action in the New Year!

Shafiek on cooking duty

By Laaiqah Safter
GCU

Grade 3's mini blogs!

Grade 3A

A few words from some of Woodlands grade 3 students:

"Hi my name is Jehaan I am 9 years old and I am in grade 3B, I would like to thanks them for giving us a cheque for the library. I had a good time playing with them, we played games and tehy told us about Scotland. Thank you for visiting our school.!"

"My name is Tamsin, I was happy to see them and they were happy to see us. They enjpyed Woodlands Primary and they were happy to see our teacher and the teachers were happy to see them."

"My name is Asive, I am 8 years old and I am in grade 3a, Larbert love to play with us and they support our school, my favorite memory was Monica because she is sweet and loves jokes, I would like to thank Larbert for coming and playing with us and supporting our school."

"I will thank them for everything they did for us. They made us happy, very happy. I loved them. When they ran and play with us all the time. I want to say thank you for what they did for us and out school" Moesfiekah, 8 years, 3A

"They came when it was home time and did the Waka Waka. I like how they dance and how they act. I miss them so much and for letting them visit us, thank you from Aneez."

Grade 3B

By Grade 3

Woodlands and Larbert make front page news!

After a truly amazing farewell to our foreign friends, This week saw the Peoples post publish a front page photo of the Larbert High students and an article and the Athlone soon followed with a big article in their paper. One teacher commented saying "its so nice to see something positive in the paper". The visit from Larbert not only boosted the school and GCU but the community and it shows how a little help really goes a long way. Here are a few comments from the grade 1 and 2 children on their experiences with the Scots.


Aden
"They made us happy. I enjoy the way they play with us"

Alkeshia
"They took photos of us, we chase them an had fun they made us happy"

Sibulele
"Their dance were funny. They gave us some lessons and I enjoyed it, we danced for them. I was sad when they went home."

Zakie
"I'm gunna miss the fun we had with them."


Rashaad
"I was excited when they came to visit us, one of the Scotland girls did cry because she wanted to stay here"

Shiloh and Simpiwe
"They gave us a donation and we appreciate their donation"

Shadian and Caleb
"They danced with us, they also played soccer"

Zaakira and Zahiera
" they danced with us, they read stories, they sing for us and they did the Waka Waka and it was funny"

Liam and Ashley
" They helped us with our school work, they played games with us, they looked funny when they did the Waka Waka and we enjoyed them very much"

BY GCU and the students of Woodlands Primary

An emotional farewell

Larbert high singing their national anthem

After and amazing week of fun, laughter, new friends and tears of joy today marked the sad departure of our Scottish friends of Larbert High School. They have without a doubt made their mark on Woodlands and in Heideveld. All 16 students left their hand print on our Library wall and after an emotional assembly with songs dancing speeches and displays they were on their way!

The best way for to express this unbelievable trip is to share some of the stories of the students starting with 2 of our students.


'I enjoyed Larbert High very much and got to know them better, and as Woodlands started knowing them they soon became part of Woodlands Primary School family and they will also now and forever more. The reason why I enjoyed them coming here is that they were just so wild and mad, crazy like us and they played soccer, skipped and even danced with us. what I remember the most about them and my favorite memory is that they didn't care who were were, what colour we were and they loved us for just the way we are. I want to say thank you very, very, very much, you guys were great Woodlands will always love you!'


Naeelah Davids, 12 years, grade 6

'I enjoyed hacing Larbert High at our school, it brought warmth to the learners and educators of Woodlands Primary. My favourite memory of them was when they first arrived and the excitement we all had. I remember that they let us read and taught us the waka waka dance. Thank you for choosing our school love Adiela.'


Adiela Safter, 11 years, grade 5

Check back later for more storied from the the students!

By 
GCU and the students of Woodlands Primary

Rope Skipping girls at the Nationals!

My name is Aasheekah Lakay and I am 13 years old. I am part of the GCU rope skipping team and I am on the highest level in our group, level 4. We had a Western Province competition where myself and some of the other girls qualified for the Nationals in Pretoria. After some last minute fund raising at our local mall we set of on the 29th September on the long bus journey to Pretoria. Some of us were a little sick from all of the travelling, the heat and from the excitement for such an amazing opportunity and a trip none of us had been on before. We arrived the next day at the Holiday Express, our home for the next few days, it was a really nice place and the breakfast was really lekker!
The first competitions was for levels 1-3, our team did well winning 3 silver and 3 bronze medals! The next competition was for my level 4-6, unfortunately I did not get a medal but the experience is something I will never forget. The competition has inspired me to push more so that next time maybe I can get a medal.

The week ended on the 5th October where we made our way back on the long trip again. This time we were all used to it and none of us got sick. We arrived early on Saturday morning all tired form the journey. I just want to thank Mario and all of the GCU group for what they have done for us. I really appreciate is and if it wasn't for GCU we wouldn't have rope skipping and we wouldn't have this opportunity to go on these amazing trips.













By Aasheeqah Lakay
GCU rope skipping team

Trip of a lifetime!

Codi on on the right with one of his fellow leaders

I just want to take this time to thank all the people of Laureus who gave me the opportunity to work with such amazing group of leaders.

We started off the second phase of the YES program with all the leaders coming together at sport science, I was completely excited to see my fellow leaders from the different parts of South Africa. When we arrived my heart was jumping with joy to be in the same room as the man who made all of this possible Mthokozisi Madondo.

The toughest part of the whole training was waking up at 7am and finishing at 18H00. Some mornings I was so tired but the smell of Gita’s eggs always got me out of bed. Most of the leaders (mostly me) were complaining about the long hours of work and short hours break but at the end off the day we pulled threw and was joking about what went wrong at night.

The training we had with all the people and organizations was great. Personally it helped me a lot and it helped all of the other leaders. From Gita, Prudence, Marvin, Rubel, CRS, sport trust, sport science, George and everyone who I didn't mention thanks for taking time out to be with us, you guys really inspired me.

On Friday 5th October  we came to GCU, it was fun being around the boys and girls again after a whole week. On Saturday we went to waves for change the surfing project and for the first time I was on a surfboard it was really cool. Getting into the wet suit was toughest part. I had a 16 year old boy teaching me how to surf I was completely bad at it kept on falling off the board but he kept on encouraging me. The Sunday we went to Table Mountain, it was really difficult going up but with the help of the leaders we all pulled threw.

 

The day everyone had to leave to there home town was the sad part of all the 10 days. Leaders were crying even me (but didn't show). I cant wait for the next time we re-unit I am counting the days already.

By Codi Damons

GCU Head Coach

Fun day with Laureus and Ryan Sands!

Ryan Sands with our GCU boys!

The morning started off on a busy note with coaches and tutors finishing off final touches and preparing for the day ahead.

When Laureus finally arrived to our training ground we started by putting up Laureus banners on the field we then got all the kids together in six lines starting from ages 7-15. We then proceeded to the field where Laureus taught the kids the importance of work together and reaching for you’re dreams as well as leadership skills.

The kids also met with one of the world’s fittest men Ryan Sands and they loved every moment with him sitting still and listening to what this man has accomplished. I think it was great having him there with the kids because he brought a sense of hope and running from Durban to cape says a lot that’s says that nothing is impossible and the kids loved that because they need positive role models in their lives.

 

Having these people here on cape flats was really great and all the kids enjoyed themselves with all the fun activities that were given to them. All these kids need is someone to motivate them because the potential is there we see it everyday as we continue to go forward in faith GOD bless.

Laureus talkng to the GCU members about working together

by

GCU coaches 

A little help goes a long way!

Avron demonstrating how to play the game, read the word on the grid and get a point!

A grade 2 student playing racing game

As you may have read before, the GCU tutoring team are now attending a training program with International House in Cape Town. Last week saw the team in their 3rd workshop to date with Kerryn, Assistant Director of Studies. It was a blast with the focus of the workshop on how to deliver a lesson, it was great fun to pretend to be a kid again. It also got us all in the mood and really having fun which is what learning                                                        should be!

2 student compete in writing words

Monday has come and what better way to put the new skills to the test than to try it out on grade 2. We used an old lesson using 'sh', 'ch' and 'th' sounds in words for all our games. The children loved it and a little bit of competition really got them motivated. The first game of run and touch was a great way to get rid of some energy, introduce the sounds and test their listening skills, running round the classroom AND learning at the same time is definitely a winner. The lesson finished off with teams running to read a list of words and writing them on the board, it was a close call but group 1 just got the winning point with 4 points to 3. A truly successful lesson that everyone got involved in and more importantly gave a whole new meaning to the words fun and learning! As the title suggest a little training goes a long way for GCU and our tutors, thank you to IHS and well done to the tutors!

Run and touch the sound!

By Jennifer Pickett
GCU

Heritage Day 2012

Juniors in action!

We started the morning off with a bang with the rope skipping girls and the juniors of G.C.U playing on the soccer field. All around the soccer field we had smiles and laughter with everyone carrying huge smiles.

Our juniors started the morning playing numerous amounts of games and mite I add doing extremely well in the process. G.C.U supported all the other juniors from the other various teams and even all the other teams supporting our juniors as well these young ones are always full of energy and always have a positive attitude when on the field right there and then we knew that this day was going to be special a day where everyone came together and united for these young boys because they are the future and we are here to give them a boost.

The rope skipping girls gave a wonderful performance and attracted a large crowd in the process the way these girls skip with a rope is something else with the various tricks that they do with the rope and the movement it’s truly amazing. Watching this kids progress day by day is something so special something that not even money can buy these kids put huge smiles on people’s faces on a daily basis and deserved the crowd that was there on Monday.

Its always great being with juniors of the club they tend to turn your frown upside down as we continue to go forward in faith GOD bless.  

 Girls Rope Skipping team!

By

GCU Coaches

'Rope Skipping changed my life': Naeelah Davids

Naeelah Davids showing some impressive moves

Hi my name is Naeelah Davids I am 12 years old and come from a small community in Cape Town called Heideveld. I do Rope Skipping for a team called GCU and some of my friends, the reason why I've joined is because I did not know what would become of me without doing something with my life that I still have.

Rope skipping girls doing a group routine

GCU had done so much for me and the rest of the skipping girls. We didn't have to worry about clothing or shoes because they gave us these things. A few months ago us skipping girls had a huge competition, and that competition would tell us whether we could go further or not. We then brought silver and gold medals home with us, and when we arrived we heard we were going to Nationals in Johannesburg. We then needed some more money and our parents decided to have a cake sale at a football even on Monday, we sold enough cake to make some money. GCU have given us girls a big opportunity to do things that we told our self we couldn't so we thank all GCU people for making all this happen THANK YOU!!!!! 

GCU girls, Wardah and parents at the cake sale fundraiser

by Naeelah Davids
GCU girls

A winning end to a winning term!

The winning students with their certificates

This week saw the end of the Grade 4 - 7 projects. For the past 3 weeks the grades have been working hard on creating a poster or leaflet in groups on a province in South Africa. the students have done really well and have produced some impressive work! To show appreciation for their efforts and to award the work that fitted the brief most, students were awarded certificates and a treat as a prize. It is the first time the library has done something like this and I think I can speak for all when I say how proud we were to award those students today. Mrs Stewart thanked the library team for all their efforts and on a personal note I am truly proud of the work we have achieved this term. As part of our monitoring it has been important to get feedback from the teachers and whilst with everything there is always room for growth and improvement 100% of our educators felt that the library has had a positive impact on the school, so there is no doubt that we are moving in the right direction. We hope that this will be an incentive for projects to come and we are now busy thinking of new ideas for the final term of school so watch this space to find out what new projects lie for our students!

Grade 6A winning team hard at work

By Jennifer Pickett
GCU

GCU tutoring growing with every child!

Wardah reading a story to 2 Grade R's

GCU tutors in their 1st session

The tutors of GCU started a new project with the grade R and the grade 1 students of Woodlands Primary we introduced them to the Wordworks activities. They are now learning and playing with games at the same time. The kids enjoy the tutoring as they get to read a story, write, draw and play games with the alphabet and simple words. Working with the young children and seeing how much fun they have when they are in tutoring makes me feel very proud of my-self to think that I am helping these children better their reading skills and help them to be more confident in their school work. Seeing how positive they are when entering the class and when we ask questions and they answer so readily you can’t help but smile. The Wordworks program is going to make the learners more excited for school and learning. In the short time we have done this program I have experienced that with a little planning, a story, a game and an activity that suits their age they always want more.

Yolanda and her grade R's having fun with letters

By Wardah White

GCU Tutor

New Garden, New Beginnings!

Monday morning bright and early we started with the woodlands garden along with our German friends.

Revamping the garden was always going to be fun and we started to remove all papers and excess weeds that was in the way, patching up areas that needed patching up such as the huge garden net.

The learners of woodlands primary stepped in and gave us a helping hand, the atmosphere in the garden was great and fresh with the wonderful smell of fresh cut grass upon us. Everyone that worked in the garden started bonding and talked freely to one another and this was our sign of new beginnings.

Seeing a learner so excited about a garden and that to the coaches was something out of this world and a feeling that not even words can describe and many of these kids are truly talented with their hands its so amazing to watch kids come together and be part of such a huge project.

A new garden comes with new beginnings for Woodlands Primary School, this garden should be a place of hope for these young ones as we continue to go forward in faith GOD bless     

By

GCU coaches