Back in the Classroom – Meeting Our Hoofie Leaders and starting Homework

2014-01-31 | puppy1952

On Tuesday the Grade Ones met their Hoofie Leaders. At SVPS all the children are divided into families of seven, consisting of a child from each grade. These families meet once a fortnight and are headed up by a Grade Seven learner. Before these gatherings occur the Grade Ones are introduced to their Head of Family (Hoofie Leader) who explains how the whole system works. We find that having these families reduces the occurrence of bullying because the children learn to get on with the other kids no matter what grade they’re in and families stick together and help each other out in times of need.

I feel special with my Hoofie Leader

Getting to know what it is all about

I think I’m going to like this

This week was yet another busy one full of new learning experiences. We continued with shapes, colours and reading. What fun it was to create pictures out of our diamond shapes. We had to remember to use our shapes in size order too! That was tricky when you were concentrating on the creative side.

Kites are flying. Have I got the sizes right?

Do you like my colours and patterns?

This week we focussed on the colour Orange. What fun we had honing our cutting out skills and strengthening the small muscles in our fingers and hands by colouring Ollie as brightly as we could. We then mounted him on black paper all by ourselves. Getting him to stand out was quite tricky but we managed!

I must cut very carefully

Tongue out helps me concentrate

So How am I doing?

It’s a piece of cake!

Don’t rush me – I’m nearly done!

Aren’t we clever!

Homework for Grade Ones began at the beginning of this week. We do not require you as the parent to teach your child. Everything that comes home has already been taught and just needs to be practiced. Any new skill that is taught must be practised in order to perfect it and this is the reason we give simple homework exercises daily. Make sure your child does the required homework as specified in the homework diary, remove notices from it and sign. It should take no longer than 20 minutes per day. Then watch your child thrive!

Funny Story of the week:- One little lass had a tummy ache. “Tell me exactly how it feels.” I said. “It feels like my tummy is biting me.” She replied. I sent her home!

Smart answer of the week:- Question: “What is a widow?” Answer: “A black spider!”

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and parents, please cover the THRASS Book sent home with your child today. This book will travel back and forth from school to home every day – it needs to last the whole year so a good quality plastic cover is required.

Quote

The thing I love most about teaching Grade 1 is watching children learn to read. Research has shown that children aged 6 turning 7 are at the perfect learning stage to start reading. In some countries children start earlier than this but by the time they are 10 our children will be at the same level as the 5 year-old starters. Our programme is geared to the 6/7 year-old whereas other countries gear theirs to younger learners.

Six and seven year-olds seem to just catch reading like one catches a cold, only its so much better! The only thing I do is expose them to the written word, provide them with some tools to work out new words and then watch it happen all by itself. Parents too, should be exposing their children to stories and books. More important than getting your child to read to you is for you to read to her. Remember when your baby was learning to talk? You didn’t teach her. You spoke to her – constantly. Well mostly it’s the same with Reading. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to read to your child. Then leave the rest to the teacher and follow the homework procedure vigilantly.

The girls have already started their journey into Reading. They are rapping the alphabet and the THRASS chart. They have been introduced to their first Reading words. It’s happening already!

I can read this!

I love this bird story!

It’s so easy

Concentration is required

This week we have introduced the beginnings of writing and the girls are working hard at getting their patterns right. Imagine having to hold your crayon correctly, remember to start in the right place and touch the top and bottom line. Lots of effort and concentration is required but once those neural pathways are set we will be ready to start on letter formation.

We are also working hard on our mathematical concepts. We know our shapes and are counting beautifully. Now we are working on recognising numerals and spotting how many dots make five no matter how they’re arranged! Some of us still need to count them all but soon we will get to see the number instantly. The teacher has some funny requirements too. We focus on one colour and have to do a page of things just that colour. Then we focus on a shape and have to make a picture of just that shape too! Oh well – we love her so we just do it!

Cutting and pasting a yellow scene

Getting to grips with rectangles

I’m making a rectangle cake

Do you like my robot?

It has to be just right and mine has his own style!

Our school encourages healthy eating habits. We know this is sometimes difficult because of all the tempting treats out there and busy parents find it easy to just pop in a packet of chips or some yummy biscuits into the lunch box. Treats are great but should be just that – treats. They should not substitute nourishing food. Research has shown that children who eat healthily perform better at school. We are a brain-based school and believe that correct eating feeds the brain and reduces hyperactivity and lethargy in children. And surprisingly children like healthy food. It is not difficult to pop something nourishing into a lunch box and if you do your child will be more alert and able to focus better in class. Let’s work together to make the learning process easier in every way possible.

Some healthy options

Funny story of the week —– Each morning we greet each other with a show of fingers 1 for very sad and want to cry, 2 for I am grumpy – 3 for I’m just fine thank you and 4 – I am excited, very happy and just fabulous. One morning a sweet little lass asks – “What’s the number for bored?” And this was Day 2 before we’d even started the day! At the end of the morning she assured me she wasn’t bored anymore!

Back in the Classroom – Welcome

2014-01-17 | puppy1952

To all my new parents – a very warm welcome to Grade 1 Fn! So often the reply to your “What did you do at school today?” is – “Nothing!” This is the place you can log into at the end of each week to see the what the answer should have been!

Two and half years ago I returned to teaching after a 10 year break during which I only did relief work – then the call came again. It was supposed to be for four months —- but still I’m “Back in the Classroom!”

The first day of school is always exciting but for Grade 1 it is a giant leap to the next phase of their lives. Even though the first few days have been short, I am sure you have found your girls to be quite exhausted by the time they got to bed! There is so much newness, so much to get used to and so much excitement. Be patient with them until they get used to their new lives. A good routine, healthy diet and early bedtime will make all the difference in getting them to settle.

There was a fabulous welcome to all the new little ones in the hall on Wednesday morning and then we all trooped to our classrooms and started working straight away! The girls were introduced to The Gruffalow, learnt about RED, made a picture from circles and are getting to grips with writing their names. They have had their minds filled with new expectations and routines and I have to say they’re coping beautifully.

Red is an exciting colour

I made balloons for my clown out of circles

There is just too so much to do!

At last – time to play on the mat!

Back in the Classroom – Awards Ceremony and Last Day of Term

2013-12-05 | puppy1952

Monday dawned and the count down to the end of term began. I was to spend less than an hour with my girls before an intermediate phase colleague took over while I went to the hall to attend the Foundation Phase Awards Ceremony. My angels would be called in at the appropriate time to receive their awards. It is an emotional time. As the children file up onto the stage the pre-recorded voices of their teachers plays over the system. She/he tells of the years events and experiences and it can be quite tear jerking. This year I had a sentence or two to say about each child in the class. It is quite weird to hear your own voice as you present your learners with their pack of certificates. We are all dressed in our best bib and tucker, exposed to the scrutiny of the entire Foundation Phase Parent Body! Hopefully they like what the hear and see!

Presenting the awards to one of the angels

The proud angels

Here is a copy of my voice over.

My precious girls – can you remember that first exciting day of Big School? Some of you came in with great confidence and enthusiasm – school was irresistible from the start.

A few were a little more suspecting – I could see in your little eyes that you were wondering what you were letting yourselves in for but you were going to give it a go.

One or two were just terrified and didn’t want to let go of Mom or Dad’s hand. We even had a few tears and a couple of rather loud screams. But look at you now. All grown up and ready for Grade 2.

What a diverse class of characters you have been. You have all crept into my heart and it is with great difficulty that I am letting you go to your Grade 2 teacher.

Zayaan my quietly confident angel, who presents such beautiful work. You go girl

Kendra who seems to be dreaming but always has the right answer. I will miss you.

Sienna full of impatient curiosity making sure I don’t forget anything. What will I do without you.

Meaka your indomitable spirit is an inspiration to me. I am proud of you.

Rachel I will miss you bouncing into the classroom and keeping me on my toes.

Martha my precious, gentle girl who has worked so very hard, you are irresistible,

Iris my articulate and creative girl I will miss those beautifully intricate drawings of yours.

Pippa your sparkle and determination to succeed is awesome.

Delightful Lia articulate in two languages, you make me proud.

Gabriella my Nature Girl – we are kindred spirits.

Phillipa your determination and perseverance have helped you overcome so much – well done my girl.

Maya breezing in daily with your incredible ideas – you amaze me.

Hayley, fit and fast and full of potential I will miss you.

Leah with your infectious laugh and zest for fun – you always make me smile.

Caroline, my deep thinking, philanthropic girl, thank you for being a kind friend to the others girls.

Gentle Kiana as good as gold, you have worked so beautifully; go well my girl.

Beautiful Terima, so thoughtful and creative, with your own special approach to life, you have delighted me.

Feisty Kayla – you may be small but you have a mighty spirit and I am so proud of the strides you have made in your personal growth this year.

Gentle Jade with the sparkling eyes, your calmness inspires sanity in me.

Fedeilis, you are a special girl. Your determination to succeed has made me proud.

Dynamic Desire – you have a strong character which will take you far – I am super proud of you.

Charley – everybody’s friend – hardly a day went by without you greeting me with a four. You are truly inspirational.

Gentle Jocelyn you have crept right out of your shell and I will miss those special moments with you.

Tarryn my special girl – Thank you for helping me teach the girls their Afrikaans gediggies – you are a treasure.

Madison my clever girl, I will miss your beautiful work, your quiet smile and gentle spirit. You make me proud.

Isabella – wow – so full of energy and lightening on the race track – but controlled and determined in the classroom – you’you’ve come so far my girl.

Gina your batteries are constantly charged, you are full of good ideas and you have are always ready for action. Keep it up my angel.

Morgan you do not miss a beat and if I do, I have to contend with that awesome stare – You are a loyal friend and determined worker. Keep it up my girl.

Dynamite comes in small packages, Gemma your energy is infectious, you have all the answers and I would not even try to keep you down. I am super proud of you.

And last but by no means least – Precious Emma – you are tiny and still but full of inner strength. What strides you have made this year. You blasted off slowly but have raced to the target. Well done beautiful girl.

And so you have come to the end of your very first year in Big School. You have bonded and blended in. You have added your mark to the SVPS family and I know you will continue to find school irresistible.

Remember you are fabulous. Girl Power to you all.

The girls had a day off on Tuesday when the Intermediate Phase has their awards ceremony and the Foundation Phase teachers took care of the older children – Quite a different experience. I had Grade 4 and they were great, if a little impatient to get up on that stage. They were the last to be called and were super excited when they came out and then it was time to go home.

On Tuesday evening we had our Grade 7 valedictory. How beautiful all our young leaders looked as they were allowed to come in smart clothes instead of uniform. It was an emotionally charged ceremony as we watched a pre-recorded interview with a past pupil who had risen up from dire circumstances, come to our school from a war torn African country, worked hard and excelled and finally emigrated to the USA with his adopted family and is now highly successful in the Military. His message was heart-warming and inspiring.

On Wednesday it was the last day and the final farewell to our classes. My girls are all going up to the same Grade 2 teacher and they are thrilled about that. Once again the teacher was spoilt when the girls presented her with the most charming end of year gifts. But what touched me the most were the messages both from the girls and the parents. Those little accolades of appreciation mean so much. Parents it has been a privilege and pleasure teaching your girls. Thank you for your support throughout the year.

Cup cakes for the picnic

Just love this message

They know I like pretty things!

To pamper and spoil

Thanks Gina for the party packs!

And for spoiling the teacher

My girls really know what I like!

mmm Chocolate is an essential food group for teachers

Our final excitement was a teddy bear’s picnic. I brought paddington bear to school and showed them the story on Youtube. We played the music of The Teddy Bear’s Picnic and we feasted, danced and shared stories about our own bears.

A bear as big as me

I love my bears

An armful to cuddle

There was long story to this one

See them gaily gad about

As the picnic on their holiday

Room assistant Carol brough her bear too!

Mine hangs out with me

Birthday girl enjoys two bears

They’re my friends

Enjoying a story with our cuddly friends

So many bears so much fun

Woofles

Bush Baby

I couldn’t leave one behind

I had to choose just one

And when the sugar high kicked in the parents arrived to collect the girls. Not my favourite day of the year – but we must all move on. I shall miss you my precious girls. Go well in Grade 2.

Thanks to my wonderful Grade 1 colleagues for a fabulous year. You all keep me inspired – I love you guys!

My Fabulous Colleagues Bridgette, Lisa, Monique and Me

Back in the Classroom – A Creative Christmas Week

2013-11-29 | puppy1952

All this week I have been striving to keep the routine as normal as possible – difficult when you have to take in the reading books and start sending home exercise books and artwork – a clear indication to the little ones that the year is fast drawing to a close. To soften the blow we have stopped working in exercise books and instead concentrated on Educational and Creative Christmas activities. The girls have enjoyed the cutting and sticking, dot to dots,fun sums, word searches, crosswords and creative writing that we have done in various forms.

Of course the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas has continued to be our focus.

The Grinch Pops out of the page

A very good interpretation

Stunning Santas

I really don’t like this time of the year. It’s not that it’s the silly season – it’s the approaching parting of ways that is so hard. Of course the children must move on and there is another class waiting to be welcomed but somehow that doesn’t make it easier. The emotions are just there! The children are excited about next year but at the same time anxious about leaving what they know and it is my job to reassure them that all will be well when what I really want to say is – Don’t leave me Angels – and some dark part inside me says – the new teacher won’t love you as much as I do. But of course that’s not true – she will and my angels will continue to grow and I will start again with a new lot!

When I look at this photograph I felt so enormously proud – look at them engrossed in their books. That is what teaching Grade One is all about – they come illiterate and leave reading and loving books. They have learned the most important skill necessary for further learning. They have learned to READ!

A class full of readers

Enjoying the process

Deep into the stories

On Wednesday I will do my last Back in the Classroom Blog of the year. I look forward to seeing all my parents at the Awards Ceremony on Monday. Your little ones will make your proud!

Back in the Classroom – Celebrating my Birthday

2013-11-24 | puppy1952

Birthdays for a 7 year-old are very important be it your own or that of your friends. Of course when it’s your teacher that is a biggie! My little girls were thrilled to find out when my special day was and some started bringing little presents weeks in advance!

On Friday morning there was extra excitement as the girls poured into the classroom. My shoulder length, greying hair was now short and youthfully coloured. The little mouths were agape and the complements poured out. – You look pretty. You look young. I like your hair. You look like a queen. (not a princess – too old to be a princess!)

They could not wait for me to open their offerings so we gathered on the mat and I was blown away with all the spoiling. There was so much effort put into the cards and the pretty jewellery just had to be donned immediately. Thank you girls for your drawings, hearts, sums and messages. I will treasure your lovely earrings, necklaces and bracelets. The bunches and bunches of beautiful flowers are now in vases in my house and everybody has commented on how stunning they are. Thank you parents, too, for allowing your children to buy me gifts. My girls are so thoughtful – they chose and made their gifts knowing my colour preferences, love of birds as well as expressing how they felt about me. I feel so very, very spoilt!

After that excitement we practised for our awards ceremony and then did some normal work before playtime. I made the girls eat their healthy snack before celebrating with chocolate and vanilla cup cakes!

I was so impressed at the thought that went into the choices the girls made

Sweet treats and flowers and useful notebooks

Flowers, notes, pretty jewellery and bird pictures.

Thank you precious girls

More flowers and chocolates and a special coffee kit!

Next week is our last week together, girls. It’s going to be a busy one! We have one or two special surprises planned but we will also be putting in that last spurt of work to get you ready for Grade 2. So keep up with your homework and bring your energy and good attitude to school. We’ve blasted off and orbited and are now ready for the final Splashdown! Lets make the final week totally irresistible!

Back in the Classroom – Civvies Day

2013-11-17 | puppy1952

The term is winding down and we are trying to keep as closely to a normal routine as possible. The girls know that the pressure is off, they will all be progressing to the next grade and they’re wondering whether is is necessary to work so hard now. They are also a bit nervous about next year. They think they’ll miss their teacher and wonder how they’ll cope with a new one. Will they be with their best friend and what if they don’t like the girls they’re going to be with in Grade 2! Of course they will cope but they don’t know that yet. Moving on is good and we are doing everything we can to prepare them for the great move up. In the mean time, parents, keep up the diligence with homework. We want to consolidate those Maths and Reading skills. Some of the girls who made a slow start in Reading are now shooting ahead and I am proudly moving them up to higher levels. The better their grasp of the written word the better they will cope in Grade 2. Mathematical concepts are also falling into place as the children ‘get it’ with great glee. Many are begging for more difficult work cards.

As a reward for excellent behaviour in Assembly they were allowed to come to school in civvies on Friday. Although this usually brings out a slip in good behaviour I love seeing them in Mufti. Once the initial excitement of seeing each other in their lovely apparel wore off and the girls were warned that uniform behaviour was still the order of the day they settled down to a reasonably normal day of school work!

Such lovely Spring colours

Each in her own unique style

According to M on the right – Yellow is my favourite colour and that’s why she wore it!

A very pretty pose

Pretty in Pink

Enjoying the swings

Aren’t we cute

For the final two weeks of school we will be working less in our books and more in a special booklet of fun, educational activities – BUT the teaching will continue. Parents please continue to read to your children and encourage the girls to read, read, read on their own too. Keep counting in ones, twos, fives and tens and try to get into the higher number ranges. Challenge your girls with doubling and halving problems at least to 20 and help them to work with money – a wonderful way to get mathematical concepts across!

Back in the Classroom – Grade One on Show

2013-11-09 | puppy1952

Teaching very young children has both its challenges and rewards. They arrive on the first day of school, brand new, excited, full of enthusiasm and raring to learn. Each child wants the teacher’s attention immediately, as she is still egocentric and the centre of her own world. Teaching thirty little girls to follow a classroom routine, sit still, wait their turn and consider their peers has to be done along with the 3 RS. It is at this time of year that we see the results, and it always amazes us.

Learning to Read

Each grade at our school has a turn to demonstrate what they have been doing in class, at an Assembly. As our turn came around each term, we chose the more confident children to take the leading parts, making sure as many as possible got a turn. This term we were blown away as many of the less confident children got their chance to shine. Just a few months ago they would not have managed it, but all our children have grown so much in maturity and confidence, that even the shyest were able to learn a few lines, stand up confidently, and say them.

We, the teachers, breathed a sigh of relief when at the performance went off without a hitch. But when the principal complemented our little ones with the words, “You were beyond phenomenal,” we could have burst with pride.

Back in the Classroom – Excursion to Rondevlei

2013-10-25 | puppy1952

My girls are very much into Nature and Wild Life. I can’t imagine why. Could it possibly have something to do with a bird-mad teacher frequently asking them to be still and listen – Isn’t that the Klaas’s cuckoo calling? Or when on our way to the Walk-it circuit she gets them to stop and look – the chaffinch is They all know the distinctive – “Marietjie” sound of the cuckoo now and they are the ones to tell me what birds are foraging in the school garden. We don’t do birds specifically as a topic in Grade One – but water and its importance is something we do learn and of course water birds come into that!. So an excursion to Rondevlei was on our Agenda this wee

After researching “Rondevlei” on the Ipads my little Nature Freaks were keen to find all the creatures they’d seen in the images but high on their wish list was – Hippo! Rondevlei has a population of about eight but they are seldom seen during the day – However, a skull of a dead one caused great excitement and our brother class were particularly thrilled to hear about their strong teeth and fighting ability!

Some might big teeth in there

After listening to all the exciting things you could find in the sanctuary from mongoose to Egyptian goose the children were divided into three groups. I went along with 20 of my girls and we started in the museum. Here they learned all about the creatures that lived in the area and then they were sent on a “treasure hunt” to find ‘something soft’ , a leaf that smelled nice, something that began with s, etc. etc. There was hippo poo everywhere and the boys weren’t shire to pop a handful in their packets while the girls were totally grossed out!

On our route to find our treasures we stopped to learn important eco facts, climbed a tower to get a panoramic view of the vlei, and popped into the hides to see the water birds.

Walking on the path and learning lots of things

View from the tower

Winterbottom Hide

Pelicans and Cormorants

Oh my a stunning Yellow Bishop

Karoo Prinia

We found something beginning with S – but didn’t put in the packet!

A grey heron tryng to catch a fish

Yellow-billed duck

The darter preened and preened

Picnicking at Rondevlei

After our exploring the hides we returned to have a snack in the picnic site – a highlight for some of the children! Then we went back indoors for a fabulous puppet show about how a baby spoonbill found his mother by checking to see if his bill and feet looked the same as hers!

Some amusing things from the mouths of babes!

Why do you think the spoonbill is so named? Because his ‘nose’ is shaped like a spoon.

What is a river horse? A horse that swims in a river! Actually it’s a hippo!

Finally it was time to go home. How amazing lucky are we to have a place like Rondevlei right on our doorstep – just half an hour’s drive from school. The children returned with new knowledge of how water is purified by the reeds, now creatures depend on a healthy ecosystem and what our duty is to protect all wildlife. It was a stunning excursion enjoyed by both children and teachers. Let’s hope we are raising a generation of eco friendly children who will look after the planet when we are gone!

Back in the Classroom – Time waits for no child

2013-10-12 | puppy1952

Time seems to be a tricky concept for most young children. Now with digital watches and clocks, reading time is a simple matter – but understanding how it all works is still quite complicated. So the best way to get this across is with an old fashioned clock – with an hour and minute hand. We have been learning to count in fives and this has helped the girls work their way around the minutes to 60. All year I have drawn their attention to the clock on the wall to show them how much time they have to complete a task. “When the big hand reaches this number you need to be done.” “Five minutes from number to number – how many minutes it that?” Now at last we are learning to actually tell the time. They know how many minutes make an hour, how long it takes the big hand to move from 12 to 12 and how long it takes the small hand to go from number to number. All of them now know how to read o’clock and some have already grasped the half and quarter hour!

I think it’s four o’clock?

To help the girls become familiar with the workings of time they got down to making their very own clocks. Not only did this task show them the way to measure time, it honed their fine motor skills for cutting and getting a split pin to do its job! They all thoroughly enjoyed decorating their clocks to be the smartest in the class!

Do you like my clock?

Taking time to decorate

Concentrating on the details

These clocks are now being used for time activities at school and are going home with the children daily. Parents, help your child to practise counting the minutes in fives, setting the hands to different times – mainly o’clock at this stage – and asking questions like, “how long will it take the big hand to get from 2 to 6” etc. Remember – always make it fun – this is just an introduction to a difficult concept.

The term is racing by and while I am delighted at the progress the girls have made it is not yet time to rest on our laurels. Now that the girls are confident in the basic Grade 1 skills, we are building on them in preparation for Grade 2. We are working at a faster pace and missing even a day of school means a lot of catching up when she returns. The girls are keen too, and are working hard to get to the next level in their Reading – so parents – don’t neglect the homework. Encourage the girls to be thorough in their word revision, let them read the group reader daily and help them with their supplementary ‘box’ book. Keep counting to the higher numbers and don’t neglect counting in twos, fives and tens. Let’s be sure that they go to Grade 2 thoroughly prepared!

Back in the Classroom – A Good Start to Term Four

2013-10-05 | puppy1952

I can hardly take in that the final term is already upon us. And it is such a short and busy one too. All too soon I will be bidding my little princesses farewell as they shoot up to Grade Two!

They have come such a long way since that first exciting day and what a pleasure to see how ready they are for more advanced work. The plan is to have lots of fun with the Dr Seus stories and one of their first activities was to draw their favourite scene from The Grinch.

Drawing scenes from The Grinch

Starting new Maths Cards was a challenge that they rose to with enthusiasm. Some of those tasks were pretty tricky!

You can’t catch me out – I know all the answers

The girls could tell me all about email and the internet but some of them were not too sure what postage stamp was or how ‘snail mail’ actually worked. So we designed our own stamps and created post cards with street addresses on them which they thoroughly enjoyed!

Creating a beautiful post card

Of course their favourite subject is Information Technology and up until now they have been having lots of fun learning core skills while playing fun games. This week for the first time they learned how to browse the internet! Our upcoming outing will be to Rondevlei and the girls got to find the nature reserve’s webpage and researched what they were likely to see there!

I’m not too sure what to do right now

This is how to scroll through the images

Just a second – I’ll show you what to do

Birthdays are such huge events in a young lady’s life. At our school the children wear ‘civvies’ on their special day so that everyone knows to wish them. On Friday there was great excitement when one of the moms (who is also a teacher at the school) came in bearing a tray of cupcakes, lit up with candles.

The girls all broke into the birthday song

Just look at the delight on that face

After all that excitement the girls settled down to their tasks before we took a break to eat the delicious treats.

We are all looking forward to a happy, hard-working last term. It promises to be filled with plenty of new and fun experiences.

Back in the Classroom – ANAs and the End of a Busy Term

2013-09-14 | puppy1952

This is my last “Back in the Classroom” post for this term and I will make it brief. As usual it has been a busy week but the big event was the ANAs – Annual National Assessments. Every child in the country sits this assessment at the same time on the same day. Literacy was on Tuesday and Numeracy on Thursday. There are strict rules governing how the test is administered. In Grade 1 the class teacher is allowed to invigilate and read the paper to her own children. This is a relief as the little ones feel quite insecure in this type of situation. This is because we never assess our children in this way. It is very formal and our way of teaching and testing is far more relaxed in the Foundation Phase.

The children are used to sitting in cooperative groups but for the ANAs they had to sit alphabetically in rows. Of course anything new is very exciting and the new arrangement got the girls completely hyped up. Fortunately we practised a few times before sitting the real thing!

Back to the dark ages in neat straight rows

Back to the ‘olden days’ in neat, straight rows

The two tests were in fact not difficult and most of the girls did well. But the results really make no difference to their overall marks – they are merely an indication to the Powers That Be that the children are reaching a basic standard for their grade. Are the schools achieving what they are meant to achieve? So the girls should do well. Sometimes children who get good results when assessed by their teacher do poorly in an ANA – these are the children who don’t function well in formal test situations although they are perfectly capable. The wording of the questions can be confusing, they’re used to working cooperatively but now they’re expected to act like Matric Students. They’re not allowed to talk and they have to wait until everyone has finished a question before moving on which causes a break in concentration.

But it is a good experience and I am proud of my girls. They performed well but at the end of it they said they were jolly glad it was over!

Next week we will wind down with some fun activities and preparations for the final term. Covers will be made and books sent home for covering in plastic. Parents please be prompt in returning them to school. I look forward to chatting to you all at Parentline on Tuesday.