Graceland serves the poorer farming community in the outskirts of Stellenbosh by providing a preschool to stimulate over 60 children who might otherwise be left at home alone or on the streets.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

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.