St Agnes Parent Workshop, June 2012

Nosipho and her charges for the day!

I received a lovely email from Themba Tshabalala, our Shine Community Projects Developer, who was reflecting on the last parent workshop:

'With all the workshops we've had it feels like the seeds have been planted. We have helped parents and care-givers see their role to their children's learning in a meaningful way. The St Agnes workshop gave us the opportunity to realise the importance of home language and how we accommodate it within the context of education in our country.
One parent, a French speaking parent whose son is a learner at St Agnes is confronted with the dilemma of how useful is speaking french at home while the environment and education system does not require it? I felt that his question was valid, and as a team, we could all relate to his frustration. We have all realised that French is important to his son, as it carries with it his sense of family and culture and a part of his education will be to preserve that.

Other parents threw in different elements of how they should and can help realise their children's potential. Games were played and chuckles shared, the reminder of childhood and that children's play is children's learning. 

Whether by sharing scary facts about the crisis of education in our country, or by sharing personal stories of our own reading journeys and imparting skills that can help them start this journey with their children and families, (we feel we are making a difference.) The parents were the champions of day, and now we need to strategise and put into effect a way that we will support them going forward.'

St Agnes parents

Tea and Cake at St Agnes this week

The volunteers and staff at St Agnes got together for their monthly tea yesterday. It is a wonderful way for the Shine Centre volunteers and the staff of St Agnes school to share stories, and a great way to catch up with some fun and laughter. Thank you to all the St Agnes volunteers who brought in goodies to eat.

Judy and Themba, our newest team member

Enjoying a monthly  catch-up

Thank you Lions Head Rotary!

Maurita Glynn, Founder Director

Ralph Rosemann, Norman levy and Maurita

We had a great visit at St Agnes on the 15th of May from Ralph Roseman and Norman Levy from Lions Head Rotary. Ralph and Norman handed over a cheque for the sum of R5000. They had approached Thornbury Rotary Club in the UK to support the library at St Agnes, and we are so appreciative of both clubs' support.  We met up with the St Agnes library team, including Inshaaf, Lynette and Merle. The staff at the St Agnes school are a wonderful team, driven by Mr Louw, and the library has grown from strength to strength since it was opened just over a year ago.

Maurita spoke about the importance of collaboration, and thanked both Thornbury and Lions Head for their partnership: she emphasised the point that it is not enough to just open and provide books for a library: enthusiasm and dedication is needed to ensure a library becomes a central hub of learning within a school. In a country where only 8% of schools have a functioning library, St Agnes are part of a privileged group with thanks to a team of people who really care about literacy rates. 

Lou Burger, one of our donor volunteers, Daniswa, our centre manager, Maurita, founder director, Lynette, a St Agnes staff member, Ralph from Lion's Head Rotary, Inshaaf, a volunteer librarian, Norman, Lions Head Rotary, and Merle, a grade Three teacher and head of the foundation phase 

A R5000 cheque handover

Karen Taylor, London Shine board member, visits St Agnes

Karen and Mr Louw

Mr Louw and the children

We had a visit from Karen Taylor last week. Shine London supports St Agnes, and we had a very productive day with her. Karen spent time with Daniswa at the centre, met Mr Louw the wonderful principal, and spent time with everyone at the office, getting her head around communications and finances. Thank you Karen for your support, and for a very fruitful visit.

Daniswa and her team

St Agnes got off to a lovely start this year, with 24 volunteers and over 50 children attending the programme. Daniswa has now joined us full time at St Agnes, running the centre three days a week, and for the rest of the week she will be assisting with parent workshops and office admin. We thank our funders for making her full- time employment possible: she is a very valuable member of our team, and we are delighted to be able to absorb her as a full-time member of the Shine Team.

'An Exciting First Day.....'

'Getting to Know You....'

Nomawethu received a lovely card at the end of last year from Grade 2R...

So thoughtful....

A snapshot of St Agnes, Woodstock

I popped into St Agnes twice this week, once of Valentine's day for a lovely tea being hosted by the school for all the Shine volunteers, and once this morning to observe the Wordswork parent workshop which was being conducted by several members of staff. This school is a jewel. Mr Louw leads his team with confidence and direction, and the love of learning and enthusiasm from the staff, children and parents is palpable. 

The workshop that is being run over seven weeks is in the very capable and loving hands of Merle Rolleston, one of my favourite teachers ever. I wish I had gone to school with her! She brings such wisdom, warmth and enthusiasm into everything she does, and her sense of humour is contagious. She had the 25 odd parents and me rolling with laughter this morning. She told of the story of a little boy she taught last year who, when she asked him what he wanted to be wen he grew up, said he wanted to be a Gaartjie, one of the guys who hangs out of the taxis, looking for fares. When she asked him why he wanted to do that, and commenting that she thought he could be a little more ambitious that this, he replied that he had always wanted a job where he could shout out the window of a cab, yelling "Mowbray, Claremont, Wynnnnbeeerg!' This story has a very particular Cape Town flavour, and tickled us all. The more serious point of this story, when I reflect, is that it is schools like St Agnes, with the help of dedicated staff like Merle, Mr Louw, Lynette and Inshaaf in the library, who will ensure the children of St Agnes will go on to lead successful and fulfilled lives, with more choices in life than they realise. The key to learning is unlocked at the school, and it is a beacon of good practice for all to see.  

lynette, school librarian, and Mr Louw, the principal

Merle Rolleston, HOD 

Wordworks Parent workshop, Feb 2012 

Arnold, the caretaker of the school

Inshaaf Eyssen( Library assistant) & Merle Rolleston, Head of Foundation Phase 

St Agnes Shine Centre End of Year Party

The St Agnes Shine Centre held a 'games morning' on their last Shine day. By reinventing traditional games with the help of tinfoil balls, cotton wool, dice and straws, the children and the volunteers were able to play the games indoors.

The games included dice duels, basket ball, javelin, shot put, tin-plate spinning and
tiddly-wink long jump. The children had a great time learning new skills while they played the games. They talked about comparative distances, time and speed, the concept of higher and lower, faster and longer, and further and furthest.  They also spent time learning to use a tape measure.

Daniswa, the St Agnes Shine Centre coordinator, ensured that the whole day went smoothly. The celebration ended with certificates and lollipops! 


Thank you to Carolynne and all the St Agnes volunteers who helped make it happen. It was a fun and innovative end to the term.

Dice throw duel

Basket ball

straw javelin

Prize giving 

An update on the library at St Agnes school

When I popped into St Agnes Convent Primary the other day, I was so happy to see a teacher reading to a class of Grade Three children, and to see the fantastic progress the school has made in ensuring that the library is a welcoming and friendly place to visit.  I particularly liked the 'Comfort Corner' with its soft cushions and welcoming rugs. 

This is a wonderful example of a fantastic team and community effort. Thank you so much to Equal Education and the Bookery for helping to make the library possible by donating and cataloging nearly 1600 books.  We also want to thank Jacqui Ahrends, of St Cyprians school, for inviting Lynette, the new St Agnes librarian, to spend a day sharing ideas last month.