Drama and education, and exciting International House session!

Peer pressure was the feeling we had to act, can you guess what the choice is? 

Our team who consisted of four individuals attended the training at International House this week. The lesson planned for the day was  unexpected but very exciting for us! We got together with a few of the other teachers in the house. 
Then Suzan started by putting a list of existing topics on the board. We were then divided into three groups and had to choose a topic for discussion.
It was really great and up building to see how everybody got together and exchange ideas and suggestions for the discussion. The fun part was when each group had to act out a scene that we wanted to present , and the rest of the teams had to identify the scenario. Afterwards we then had to identify and find solutions to the existing problem.

Everybody participated and such a lot of ideas were just flowing around. It was really an amazing lesson planned for us. We found that the lesson was something that we can definitely take back and use in our lesson planning.  All of us can use this encouraging information with the bigger grades as it is something that they are familiar with and are experiencing in the community!    

By Adelaide Jafter

GCU tutor

Libwin is here!

Big news and developments have been happening here at Woodlands. The Library has a computer (which I am writing this blog from now) and the new Library system has been installed, trained and we are hard at work to get all the beautiful books onto the system, ready to start borrowing them to our students.

Lyn giving GCU staff Libwin training

Lyn Pollock, the lady responsible for installing the program in the area, came to us a couple of weeks ago to show us how to use it and how to add books. Since then, at every opportunity we have been updating the system.

To date 200 books are on, with about 4300 still to go! We are starting a section at a time so that we can begin the borrowing system as soon as possible (starting with the older grades). We are currently busy with our fiction section for grades 4 – 7.

The first of many books to be labeled 

This is a huge development for us and an exciting one. For some, using a computer is second nature but for others this is also an experience, building up skills in using computers. But we are getting there and are very excited about getting these books into the hands of our learners as soon as we can! Happy days :)

The Woodlands Library Team

Japanese Lanterns and Monster creations with the girls

It has been a long time since we have posted a blog, and apologies to all our followers! We have been busy little (big) bees with all our programs with lots of stories to tell which we will hopefully catch you up on over the next few weeks.

To  get the GCU girls creative juices going, we always try to have one or two lessons a month which are purely practical and allow the girls to use their imagination or learn some new artistic skills.

This past month the girls have been taught how to make the traditional Japanese lanterns with not so traditional sellotape and staples. I thought this was a great idea, simple and easy to make. Well it was a great a idea and the girls loved every minute but making the lanterns was a little trickier than I had anticipated. The older girls did a great job assisting others and I think you can see from the pictures everyone came up with their own unique design! They are now proudly decorating the library adding a more color to the space. 

Combining practical and reading is always fun and this lesson was no different. One might think that this was a simple and normal dice and counters game but with a difference! As players move round the board you must follow the instructions and create your own unique monster with 100 eyes or 20 legs, blue arms or red, every monster is different. The lesson was a blast with some crazy designs coming through. The girls also wrote some impressive sentences to describe what their monster looks like!

By Jennifer Pickett
GCU

Woodlands Sports day fundraiser 2013!

The sun was beaming and the excitement has been growing for several weeks now about the sports day which was due to be held on 20th March 2013. Children were put into houses, red, green, yellow and blue with teachers assigned to each house. 

The morning saw the GCU boys give the field a spring clean with freshly cut grass, marking the field with chalk, getting sounds systems ready to go and the gazebo ready for action. All we needed was the children and boy did they come. 1pm soon caught up and on marched each team in their team colours chanting and clapping ready for the afternoons events. The usual athletic events were the order of the day starting with 800m girls in the U10. Of course no sports day would be complete without novelty races from grade R and 1, sack race with pillow cases, 'egg and spoon' with potatoes rather than eggs and the entertaining 3 legged race, mums of course got the chance to compete with a very eager Mrs Lee who put in an appearance in every parent race. The day rounded off with the ever exciting relay races with nail biting finishes.

 The day was a true success and it was wonderful to see parents coming to join in the fun and support their children and the school. This has been the second fundraiser the school has hosted for the year and whilst we must wait to see what the final figures were there is no denying that no matter what was raised everyone took part and enjoyed the moment. There are some things in life that we all share in common not matter from what part of the world you are from. Sports days are always and forever will be something we all share in common weather we were sporty or not, they are days which we cherish and remember the uniting of schools and of communities and Woodlands sports certainly did that.









All that is left to reveal is that blue house came 1st with over 130 points, followed by yellow and red in joint 2nd with last but by no means least the greens. Well done to all those who took part!






By Jennifer Pickett
GCU

GCU Wolves growing!

Basketball girls

The basketball training are up and running we have three girls teams (12, 14, 16) and two boys teams (12, 16) which is new to the club, this year are growing bigger than last year and we hope the teams do well in the league and as we will be working together and help seek great talents amongst these young girls and boys.

The Western Province School Basketball team trails took place at Settlers High school on the 9 March 2013, we send four girls for under 13 Nina Rhoda, Aden Fancensie, Chante skipper, Esme De-Kock, you could see these girls gave there all on trails and they made me as a coach proud and to prove the coach they got what it takes to be on the team ……and they made it through so all for G.C.U Wolves girls made it for the Western Province School team.

Lucretia Goliath

On the 18 March 2013 our basketball girls went to Sea Point Beach front where we had the girls had a team building and physical fitness programme at Green Point Park open air gym.

By

Lucretia Goliath 

Girl’s basketball coach

Who can fit in a big big box?

Acting out a story really brings it to life!

The past two weeks I have been reading the story of the big big box with my 1^st group of grade 2’s. I and the class was excited because I used two boxes to demonstrate my story. I had a big and a small box. When the kids came in I read the story to them and then explained that we were going to act out the story by using the boxes! As I read, children one by one piled into the box to illustrate the story, they were so excited. It was very funny to see how they got in the box, some feet first some head first and then got stuck turning around. Eventually the box broke because of all the excitement but one thing for sure it bought the story alive.

Rearranging sentences using students!

I could see that they understood the story better using props, so I’ve learnt if you let the kids ‘do’ the story they will understand much more so I am definitely going to try and implement this more into my lessons in the future.

This has been my first time tutoring in this way and whilst it has been a challenge the improvement in the children and the fun I’ve had has been great. I have learnt so much that I can apply to other areas of my work and im excited to see how the second term develops.

Bean bag game - student throw a bean bag to the word I say

By Laaiqah Safter

Grade 2 tutor

GCU school sports update

Our sports codes are up and running both basketball and soccer team’s leagues will be starting on the 6 April 2013. We hope our children will be successful in the league…

The G.C.U coaches are volunteering at different school in the Heideveld community,

Vanguard Primary, Woodlands Primary, Welcome Primary, St Theresa Primary. At the moment the coaches are helping out with the athletics and inter-house athletics, after the school holidays the physical education will be launch as a subject where the teachers will be assenting the children in each session.

G.C.U are sure growing in each schools we as the coaches are proud to be part of G.C.U and for having such a huge impact in each child’s lives. 

By Lucrecia Goliath

GCU Basketball coach

Meet Sylvia

Paired reading and games with my Grade 3's

My name is Sylvia and I am working in Library and with tutoring. We started this year in good spirit and we welcome new staff on board our team. The environment is actually blossoming among us with good relationships and communication among all. Out lesson planning has grown from strength to strength, there is a lot of improvement working in smaller groups. the behavior is much better this year and they are paying more attention to the lessons at hand. Our training at International house is helping us all tremendously with our skills and enabling us to grow as individuals and as a team.

Book club Mondays using the Nalibali supplements (found in the Times on Wednesday)

I have also started doing the Wordworks program this year which has been great fun for me. We have had the pleasure of meeting two adorable ladies to the team as volunteers on a Thursday, Val mai and Betty they are a great help and are doing an amazing job with the grade ones. It is amazing to see how fast they can learn and it makes us feel proud and happy. We also recently started the book club again on a Monday afternoon and its fantastic to see how many children want to stay so they can read a bit more. the book club is filled with fun and games and lots of reading!

To me this job is a blessing and an honor working with such lovely staff, educators and learners at Woodlands Primary and I enjoy every minute of it!

Practicing our Wordworks games with Val mai, volunteer

By Sylvia Van Nikerk
Library assistant

A volunteer story

Hi my name is Carole Reqoena, 28 from France. I found GCU thanks to a backpacker they gave me Mario's contact for being a volunteer.  It wasn't easy to find a volunteering project and GCU was really the kind of project i was looking for. I was looking forward being with kids, playing with them, helping in educational projects and training them with sports and games.

I think GCU is a great organisation where i feel very involved and integrated. The work team is very kind and helped me to feel welcome. There are lots of projects. Tutoring lessons, soccer, rope skipping and basketball which you can be involved with. In GCU i help the coaches in sport lessons and during the basketball training. My favorite moment was playing with the kids and discussions with them. 

By Carole Roqoena, France

 

Tutoring a hit with staff and students!

Interacting with pupils during grade 2 lessons

One on ones 

Hi. hope all is well with you !!!!!

I'm Laaiqah Safter. Im a librarian assistant and tutor at GCU.

What we do in tutoring ? 

In tutoring we work with kids that is a bit slow. We have grade 2 classes with 8 kids in a class. I plan my lessons 2 weeks ahead. This is that first time im doing tutoring. My first lesson WOW! I was extremely nervous, but the smiles and cuteness of the kids, seeing their faces made my nerves disappear  I enjoyed myself with the kids. They made my lesson fun and easy. Its great working with kids that keeps you on your toes LOL!!!

Planning a lesson is not easy, you must think and be creative all the time. But in time planning a lesson will get easier. Im always up for a challenge which I love.

By Laaiqah Safter

Wordworks

A tribute to a great legand

From right: Lucas Radebe, Marvin Newman, Baby Jake

On Saturday the 26 January 2013. Great Commission United coaches came together with all the different sport codes in the academy and hosted an open day and a farewell of a great role model and a legend Marvin Newman in memory of him

.

The open day took place at chain food land store in the parking are in Heideveld, we had about 150 girls and boys attending the open day, what a huge turn out! Our coaches taught the children how to play basketball and soccer. The rope skipping girls gave a demonstration to show off their talents!

In memory of late Marvin Newman, a son, father, brother, fiancé and a dear friend we bid farewell to him on the open day, we asked Marvin’s Friend Ryan Dowie, a well known basketball coach in Durban, to do a tribute behalf of G.C.U academy to thank him for all his hard work trying to make sure each child had a successful year with G.C.U. Marvin has been part of the Laureus sport for good foundation for at least 8 years working with different projects especially G.C.U. We asked Mr. and Mrs. Newman Marvin’s parents to receive a token of appreciation. 5 balloons were release and 200 people made a circle around his parents to applaud a great legend and a role model…

WE THE GREAT COMMISSION UNITED ACADEMY SALUTE YOU MARVIN NEWMAN!!! R.I.P

By Lucretia Goliath

GCU basketball couch

GCU welcomes in 2013!

Mr Meyer, the new Principal of Woodlands Primary

Firstly we would like to wish all our followers supporters and members a very Happy New Year. We hope you have enjoyed the festive season and are ready to face the challenges of the new year. As ever the beginning of the year is full of optimism and excitement and this year is no different, the team are pumped to take GCU into a new and successful year stronger than ever.

GCU has been back just one week but what a week it has been. Already the team have started school sports, Librarians have been busy organizing, covering and labeling books and we have had our first training session for the year welcoming in some new staff into the WordWorks team :) We have also completed our first round of assessments for our Woodlands students selected for additional reading and tutoring help.

Woodlands has also welcomed the new principal Mr Meyer which is very exciting for everyone, it is clear he is a very hands on individual which is great and we are looking forward to building our relationship with him in the months to come. 

We also received some great news about results from the government exams taken by our grade 3's last year. In 2011, Woodlands attained 0% in both maths and literacy, in 2012 the grade 3's in Literacy scored an amazing 19.4% and in maths 33.33%. This truly is a testament to the handwork of all the teachers and GCU's assistance in the library and in tutoring. A great way to start the year!


As ever we will be updating you on our blog throughout the year of our latest stories and achievements, if you haven't already sign up to our blog by simply putting in your email and you will get all the stories straight to your inbox!

The GCU Team