November News

The best gift a teacher can receive for Christmas!

In 1999, two little girls, Abigail Adams and Bernadine Van Wyk, started school at Graceland together in the 3 – 4 year old class. They were at Graceland for 2 years together before separating and continuing their schooling at different primary and high schools. Thirteen years later they reconnected at Bergzicht Training where they are both currently completing a course in Early Childhood Development.   

Abigail Adams (19)

“I dropped out of school when I was in Grade 10 but I didn’t give up. It is a privilege for me to be able to do my practical at Graceland because I had the best preschool teacher (Elizabeth) ever! And now I can say I am preschool teacher too.”

 
 
 
Bernadine Van Wyk (19)
 

“I finished high school last year, 2012. I am currently studying Early Childhood Development and am loving it. I never thought I’d find myself at Graceland again but here I am. It’s a great honour to be able to do my practical with teacher Elizabeth. She has inspired me to be the person I am today. Graceland may have changed a lot but the love for each child still remains.”

Both of them can’t stop speaking of how being at Graceland created a love for learning and how it was and is the best preschool with the best teachers ever! They also say that Graceland was the only option for a preschool if you want to learn from the best.

As this year comes to a close we thank each and everyone who have given in time, in kind and in funds to Graceland. Meeting the 2 beautiful young ladies have not only been a gift to us as teachers at Graceland but also to you who have supported and believed in Graceland. This is what we hope for every child at Graceland. Their circumstances may not have changed but who they are and the decisions they make has.
 

Let us continue to work together in the hope that we will be able to celebrate more children like Abigail and Bernadine. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

October News!

Market  Day 2013!

Meet Rosaline Fortuin (33), a teacher at Graceland Pre-primary. She started working for our preschool in 2006 as a volunteer, helping out by preparing lunch for our little ones. When another teacher was needed at Graceland we didn’t have to look very far. Her good attitude, hard work, faithfulness to Graceland and her love for children made her a good candidate. Rosaline has since completed a Level 4 course in Early Childhood Development (ECD) to qualify her as a preschool practitioner. She loves her work now more than ever. She enjoyed Market Day and wrote the following:

Our Market Day on the 3^rd of October 2013 was held at Graceland. What a successful and fun-filled day it was. The event started at 3 o’clock but we had parents queuing to buy coupons from Samantha (our administrator) long before. Excitement was in the air as the bustling began.

 

This year we sold second- hand clothes, jewellery and vegetables, played dominoes, sang karaoke, took scooter rides, played a fishing game and a bowling game and entertained the children on a jumping castle. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the karaoke. Elizabeth and two volunteers (Fatimah and Nicole) sold chips, sweets, cool drinks, delicious curry and cupcakes. Our principal Simone was able to go around and make sure everything was going well, which it was because everything was well organised.

Elizabeth made her special homemade ginger beer and it was sold out within minutes. My job on the day was selling jewellery and I was assisted by volunteers made up of parents and friends.  The lamb stew and chicken curry, made by Mrs. Ruest (farm owner) and Mrs. Swart (Devon Valley Farm Owners Administration) was fantastic.

If there had to be a highlight for the day, the children would probably choose the scooter ride. They enjoyed every moment of it and were willing to stand in a long queue to wait their turn. It was very a busy day and everyone who volunteered was amazing.  

Graceland raised R6280, 100% profit!  With this said, we would like to thank every farm owner who donated to us, especially Mrs Ruest and Gillian Swart. We would also like to thank Scoot Café for generously giving of their time and the use of a scooter at no cost and Nedbank for donating cupcakes and hosting the fishing game. Finally, thank you to the parents, staff and all the volunteers who supported and assisted us on the day.  

 

Each and every one who gave in kind or of their time or came to enjoy a day with their children or friends made the event a success. Our Market Day created an opportunity for unity within the Devon Valley community. We found ourselves all working towards one goal. A goal that is focused on ensuring that Graceland Pre-primary School continues to bring hope to the vulnerable child of the Devon Valley through education.

 

The World Race comes to Graceland

Graceland's exposure is growing exponentially. This week we hosted 7 girls from The World Race as potential ambassadors and partners with the Thembalitsha Foundation. Excited to see what this connection will bring.

September News

A full child is a happy child

“School feeding not only fills stomachs, but has a proven track record of boosting enrolment, attendance and academic performance. For just pennies (coins) a day per child, this program changes lives – and ultimately can impact the futures of poor countries around the world in a profound way.”

Drew Barrymore

One of our little ones (let’s call him Emile) seems to forget his bag at home most of the month. When it is snack time and everyone run towards their bags. Emile would run towards his teacher and say, ’I forgot my bag at home.’ The teacher would then say to him, ‘No worries, I’ll sort you out right away’ and proceed to the kitchen to get him a snack. Other times of the month Emile would bring his bag to school but at snack time he would hide behind his friends with his bag but still no snack. His teacher later discovered that Emile preferred to say he forgot his bag at home instead of having to say he has no snack. The teacher now speaks to him before snack time to avoid his embarrassment.

We understand that a fed child is a happy child and a happy child is excited and physically able to learn. This month the Gracelanders would thank Distell for their continuous generosity they have shown Graceland Pre-primary. Distell diligently provides our little ones with a delicious and nutritious meal once weekly.  Through this partnership we are able to make sure our children are fed something nutritious every day.

Check out the link for the beautiful pictures:
http://imagesolutionsphotography.co.za/graceland-school-community-outreach-photographer/

August News

Mandela Day celebration!

On the 18^th of July, Graceland Pre-school had three different sets of visitors, with the same goal in-mind. The goal was to make sure that all the little Gracelanders were spoilt in honour of Grandpa Nelson Mandela’s birthday. 

Diane, Isabel, Grant with Gracelanders.

Our first group of visitors, were 3 colleagues from Nedbank who have committed to giving milk and oats to Graceland monthly. They came with 60 cupcakes for the children and staff to decorate. The children loved it! Once each one of us had decorated our cupcakes with different coloured icing and toppings, we sang happy birthday to Madiba and gobbled up every last drop.



Local Stellenboschers with Gracelanders.

Our second group of visitors, were Rayner Van Wyk (from Stellenbosch360), Abigail (from Abuzz Marketing), Tiaan Langenegger (a local celebrity chef), Hilmari (Tiaan’s friend), Mathilda Venter (from Chef & Broomstix), Janine (from ColdGold Ice Cream) and Lea, Justine and Tobie (from Brenaissance). These are all local Stellenboschers wanting to up-lift the community. They treated our children and staff with hotdogs, juice, sweets, chips and most importantly, they spent some time with us. 

Our third and final group of visitors, were from IMPERIAL Managed Logistics. They donate second-hand clothes, toys, none-perishable food products, sweets for the children (that were kept for the next dayJ) and they also spend some time with our little Gracelanders. We were able to send every child home that day with a none-perishable food item of their choice.

It was a day filled with fun and indulgence. Our little ones probably wish it is Grandpa Madiba’s birthday EVERY DAY, after the day we had at Graceland.

We are so privileged to have the support and adoration of the local Stellenbosch community. Thank you to each person who gave in kind and took the time to come to Graceland and spend the day with us. Our hope is that one day our children would be the ones coming back to Graceland to do what you have done, to give and spend time with the most vulnerable human beings of all, our little Gracelanders.

 

 

July News

The children waiting for the show to start!

This month Graceland was blessed an opportunity to go see Disney On Ice at Cape Town International Convention Centre and it was all sponsored by Travelstart South Africa.

This was an amazing outing. The staff, the children and some of the children’s parents who chaperoned couldn't talk about it enough. For most of the parents and children who went, it was the first time they were in Cape Town. One of our teacher's responsed: "It was fantastic because it was so real and professional.  All the characters remind us of our childhood days and for the children it was something new. They knew some Disney characters but some was really new to them. The lights, the ice, everything amazed us all."

The parents were overwhelmed with appreciatiton of what Travel Start did for their children. It was something that they feel they could never afford to send their children to. Being able to experience something like this with our children is a privilege. The children were so amazed by everything they saw. They wanted to touch and go and see everything. It was like watching a little bug follow the light!

We are so grateful to Travelstart for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Our children will forever remember their adventures to Cape Town and if the forget, I'm sure the parents will remind them.

We hope that this outing will be one of many more like them that will show our children that anything is possible and you can go anywhere you want to. Our desire for them is that they dream big and this outing has shown them that there is a bigger world out there. Thank you Travelstart for partnering with us in helping our children dream BIG!

June News

In April 2013, Graceland was evaluated by an international team of students from IMA International, lead by Mick Howes from the UK. IMA International is an international development organisation specialising in capacity building worldwide. The team consisted of business men and women from Rwanda, Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan, England, Congo, South Africa, and they conducted themselves in a very professional manner.  

The team based their evaluation on data about Graceland found online (newsletter, blog, facebook page), data collected by the school (weekly, monthly, yearly), financials, reports written regularly by Graceland, face to face interviews with local farmers, past and present parents, students and staff. 

They presented their findings to the Thembalitsha Director of Education and Graceland Staff on the 25th of April 2013. Their findings concluded that Graceland is a well run school, the parents are very happy and grateful that Graceland exists and that past parents saw significant changes in their children’s behaviour at home and development at school. 

Graceland pre-school exists to make an impact in the greater society by ensuring that the Devon Valley children are cared for and well prepared for primary school. We hope to instil a love for education and a hope for the future within every child. We may be teaching little ones but they won’t be little forever. 

It would have been a major expense for Graceland to have evaluators come in and assess our progress, so we are truly thankful to IMA International for choosing Graceland Pre-school as their project. This opportunity has given us a chance to look at the wider impact Graceland is making and it is encouraging to see that the hard work of every staff member at Graceland, and the support we receive from donors, is not in vain. 

Someone once said, “The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement”. At Graceland we strive for excellence so we are constantly improving to ensure that our children receive the best education. Thank you IMA Intentional for making good recommendations that will help add value to the excellent service provided by Graceland.

May News

The Changing Seasons at Graceland:

Summer at Graceland was hot and filled with children who see nothing wrong with running around in the sun. With this knowledge we decided to take full advantage of the weather and we had a water day at school. This gave us an opportunity to make use of all our water equipment that had been donated to Graceland by various people. It was amazing to see how the children responded to the water. Some children couldn’t wait to get into the water and it was difficult to get them out of the water, while other children would cry at the touch of a drop.

Well, now summer is gone and autumn is here! One of the privileges of staying in Stellenbosch is being able to experience every season to its fullest. The vineyards changed from green to yellow, red, orange and brown. As the children are learning about autumn as a theme, the teachers feel like they are experiencing it for the first time. Graceland is blessed to be situated in one of God most natural displays of beauty!

Check out the great work Graceland it doing in Devon Valley by clicking on the link: http://youtu.be/FLBtsNyTIS0

Meet Sannie

Photo courtesy Krissy Clark

This is Sannie.  She is a very active and loving 5-year-old who attends our preschool.  I love how Graceland offers education to children like her that would otherwise be left alone at home or on the street.

Sannie’s great grandfather cares for her because her mother left her after her father was murdered.  If it weren’t for Graceland, she would spend most of her days on the streets with other children of the vineyard workers.

The teachers at Graceland represent the type of mother figure Sannie needs at this time in her life.  And although they cannot replace her mother, they can dote on her, give her some of the affection that she so desperately craves, and teach her that she is valued and valuable, in addition to many life skills that will be necessary in the years to come.

Many of the children at Graceland are affected by fetal alcohol syndrome because of parents that are slave to alcoholism.  Although it is an illegal practice here in the Cape Winelands, many of the workers’ wages are still paid in wine.  As you can imagine, this just feeds the cycle of alcoholism, unemployment, and lack of education.  Graceland offers many of these children a safe place to learn, be fed, get a head start on an education, and adopt good habits, positive self-image, and important life skills.

I was able to spend a few hours at Graceland the other day and Sannie made my day!  She was so affectionate, sweet, and joyful and I thoroughly enjoyed those few hours.  Although I don’t fully understand what her home situation is, I do know that she is cared for, fed, and loved by the teachers at her school.  And I know that she will remember her time at Graceland with fondness, and as a result of her time here, she will have a better chance at success in her life.

April News

Strike-a-Pose!

On 15 March 2013, Thembalitsha Education held its annual High Tea at the Devon Valley Hotel to raise awareness for the important work done by Graceland Preschool. The theme was fashion so everyone came dressed to impress, each woman displaying unique style, creativity and elegance.

We were blessed with light rain which forced the event inside one of the hotel’s conference rooms. This did not take away from the fun we had and in fact created a very cozy and intimate atmosphere that complemented the soothing music performed by Jenny Ah Chong, classically trained musician who had us captivated by the sound of her angelic voice.

The food was beautifully presented, almost too good-looking to eat. We are so grateful to the Devon Valley Hotel for their generosity as all the proceeds from the event went to Graceland. Graceland and the Devon Valley Hotel have a remarkable relationship. Some of the hotel staff actually send their children to Graceland Preschool so the hotel, in turn, are very supportive.

Our children will have breakfast for two months thanks to everyone who brought milk and oats to the Tea as a donation to Graceland Preschool. We also received clothes from designer Jaques Nhau for the children who modeled side by side with supermodels, Charné King and three of her fellow Miss SA finalists.

Everyone left inspired by what Graceland Preschool is doing in the community. If we work alone, we work in vain but if we work together we can make a difference as a community by ensuring that children are being taken care of and developed when they are in the most vulnerable stage of their lives.

A big ‘THANK YOU’ to all who supported the event!

March News

Getting to know Graceland’s new Principal

Graceland’s new principal, Simoné Van Der Berg, is an alumni of the School of Hope; another project of the Thembalitsha Foundation. She was one of their first matriculants and was valedictorian of her class. Simoné’s journey to success started when she enrolled at the School of Hope. She was 18 years old at the time, very insecure and didn’t even say a word to anyone unless asked a question. In her young life she had experienced her parents’ divorce, dropping out of school, failing a grade, moving schools 7 times and she grow up with her Grandmother who then passed away the year she enrolled at the School of Hope.

Up until the time she got to School of Hope she didn’t think she’d finish her schooling as everyone in her family only reached Grade 10, it was as if that was as high up the schooling ladder her family could go. She was told by family to give up and get a job but she knew that God had a bigger and better plan for her life. At the School of Hope she experienced something her had never experienced before, a love for school and hope and dreams for the future.

In 2008, Simone finished high school at the age of 21. She completed a sport internship with Ambassadors in Sport for a year but in the process she discovered that she loves teaching children. In 2010, she worked at a Daycare Centre as an assistant teacher to 1-2 year olds. Then in the beginning of 2011 Simone had an opportunity to go to New York with a Mentorship Program that is run for the learners of the School of Hope. After 3 month she returned from New York and started pursuing her studies in education. She then enrolled at the College of Cape Town to study Early Childhood Development.
In June 2012, she finished her year at College of Cape Town which qualified her to work as a pre-school teacher and manager. When the opportunity to work as acting principal opened up at Graceland, Simone grabbed it with both hands as she was very familiar with Graceland and its staff. Since January 2013 Simone has been the Principal of Graceland Preschool.

Simone will continue her studies part-time as she aspires to one day be a primary school principal. Her love for children has motivated her to inspire teachers to be the best they can be. Through inspiring teachers the lives of the children

they are teaching will be impacted in a positive way. So, a big welcome to Simone! She has shown herself to be a good leader and manager of Graceland during her time as acting principal. Let us stand with her in her pursuit to ensure that Graceland continues to be an outstanding school.

February News

Connecting with Stellenbosch University

On the end of the First Years MATIES launch, about 60 students did community service within the Devon Valley area and Graceland was fortunate enough to be a part of the community service project. 20 students came to assist Graceland with any maintenance that needed to be done. We had students attending to our vegetable garden, assisting with the daily routine, doing touch-up with paint to the school building, they started putting up our chicken-wired fence that had been donated by Mr and Mrs Ruest (local farm owners) and they painted our jungle gym with paint that had been donated by Stellenbosch University. The Graceland family is filled with gratitude and astonished at the attitude and diligence with which the students carried out their tasks.

One of the students who participated in the community service is wheel chaired bound. Her life story and ability to serve despite her physical disabilities inspired and enlightened a new way of thinking within the school. This allowed the learners and staff to realise that all things are possible and that there is always a good reason to serve others. We wish every student who came to serve at Graceland all the best and success for their academic years to come. May God bless you.

January News

Ending 2012 with love…
Thank you, Operation Shoebox, for ensuring that all the little ones Graceland received a gift for Christmas. We used this opportunity to share with our children as well as their parents what Christmas is really about and also about the heart from which the gift is given. As the children received their gifts, you could see each child’s eyes lighting up. Thank you for this heart-warming experience.

…And a new start for our little ones!
2013 is here! The first week of school was very exciting; a lot of new faces have been added to our school. We started with an Orientation Day to introduce the parents to Graceland’s staff, values, passion, policies and learning programme. All the new parents (25 children) attended the Orientation Day and were pleased with what Graceland is doing. Their hearts are very hopeful for their children. Our desire is to work with the parent to ensure that the hope they feel for their children’s lives will not fade but grow stronger through continuously making them aware of the value of education.

The challenge now is to get the children into routine and used to the way things are done at Graceland. For example, some of our new children use foul language and are used to people laughing at them when they do so! We want to teach them the appropriate way of speaking to one another.

We are taking full advantage of Summer with a water week. This has helped the children get used to their new school and their new teachers. Imagine twenty  2 - 3 year olds separated from their mothers for the first time! The first three days of school was a very tearful experience but it’s also amazing how quickly the children adapted when the teachers showed them extra care and won their trust.
Thank you for your support of Graceland’s precious children.