December 2009 Holiday Greetings

Exams and Graduation

The week was so cool since we were busy doing our end of term exams. Children were so focused busy revising because this exam will determine whether promoted to the next class or not.

We did our marking and they’ve really showed great improvement. We are so impressed with their good work. Children also practiced some songs, dances and rhymes that they will present during the graduation ceremony. It was a wonderful week full of joy and love to our children.

Student from St. Lawrence University

The week started well with the school receiving a visitor from America.
Hannah Grimes is a student from St. Lawrence University.
She came to Kenya to learn more about the cultures of different ethnic groups and to tour Kenya as a country
She has stayed in Kenya since August and she has really enjoyed her stay.
Currently she is at Red-Rose Children Centre teaching wonderful children and enjoying interaction with the rest of people.
Since her visit in Red-Rose, she is really enjoying to work and getting to know people at Red-Rose.
Hannah is majoring in Arts and minor in Education and African studies

LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE

It’s a means of communication where people express their desires, ideas, excitements and disappointments. By using language, children are able to talk to each other and discuss their interest and surrounding. By doing so they develop their vocabulary. Children should be given opportunities to express themselves to enable them practice what they have learnt through stories, poems, songs etc.

Language also is an important tool for thinking. It helps children develop ideas and concepts (e.g.) when children are doing an activity, they talk about it and these helps them improve and express their thoughts.

Objectives (Why we learn language)

1. Develop children’s vocabulary.
2. Children are able to express themselves freely and confidently.
3. They speak fluently and clearly.
4. Improves their listening ability, concentration, understanding and memory.
5. It enables children to look at and interpret details in objects, pictures, symbols and signs.
6. Develop eye-hand co-ordination.
7. Use basic tools for writing and drawing.
8. Develop interest in books.
9. Children are able to reason and think logically.

   

Role of language

By use of language children interact with those in the environment around. Through this interaction, a lot of learning occurs. Therefore language is an important tool for learning.

Children also learn to speak or as a result of leaving in an environment where speech is past of every bodies life. It is important to realize that in pre-school, children acquire and develop very important skills in language (i.e.) Oral and writing skills

Examples of Oral skills

1. Poems and rhymes.
2. Stories.
3. Riddles.

Examples of writing skills

1. Scribbling.
2. Doodling.
3. Tracing.
4. Writing patterns, sounds and alphabets.

Posting by Tr. Judy Baby class.

Christmas Artwork by Red Rose School children

Please click here for a link to a picasa web album of more Artwork by Red Rose School Children.

THE RAINS ARE HERE

The week started with on set of rain. Rain is important to our daily lives. There is a lot of water which is also important to every creature. There isn’t a lot of dust which might cause some infections like running nose to our children because all the dust has been swept away by the rain.

Also due to more rain, the children were unable to play outside their classes. They were also advised to put on warm clothes all the time. Due to change of climate conditions, we taught the theme weather whereby we talked the sub-theme rain. It enables the children to understand the climate around them and also they become curious in nature. The process involves curiosity, discovery and experiment. We had experiments using water whereby we discussed things that float and sink in water.

The children were able to observe, communicate and record what happened. It was so enjoying when the children found out that a stone sinks in water while feathers floats in water.

This week we had a short break on Tuesday and all the students were required to stay at home and celebrate Kenyatta holiday.

Visit by CoKF Board Member

On 5^th October, 2009, Mr. Robert Ratemo who is a board member of Children of Kibera Foundation paid a visit and was shown around by Jeff. He also toured Kibra Academy where he got to see the new computer lab.

Posting by Tr. George

Surprise from England

This being the fourth week of our third term in school this year, we are lucky to have teacher Jenny from England. She is a teacher in a school known as Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries. She has been in our school, Red Rose Children’s Centre, from Monday to Thursday. She was received with a warm welcome from both the staff and the pupils.

According to her programme back in England, she said that she had planned to visit East Africa during her vacation. When she went to the internet, having chosen to visit Kenya, she found Children of kibera foundation. Through this she came to learn about Red Rose School.Teacher Jenny brought stationary, T-shirts, play items for both indoor and outdoor games and modeling dough to help the pupils in their learning. She has interacted with the pupils very much. Pupils have really found learning more interesting and enjoyable in her presence. This is because she could read, write, model, sing, play or attend computer lessons with the pupils.

Her views about our school she enjoyed her time very much. She counts the pupils very lucky to be in school. Especially that they are offered a difference by quality education with limited resources. The pupils are so happy and they do appreciate the education they receive. “They have so much energy and enthusiasm. I will miss them when I go back to England and hope to return one day to see their progress to finish the primary education”. She said.

All her efforts are appreciated so much because this is fantastic and amazing. Pupils have benefited a lot through her. They are very happy and thankful

Posting By Tr. Joyce (Grade Three)

A week full of great activities and fun at Red Rose School

The kids got a surprise treat of biscuit cookies and orange juice from Ken Okoth when he came to the Children of Kibera Drama and Music Festival in Nairobi. It was an ecstatic day for the children as most do not usually get such pleasant Red Rose surprises in their day to day lives. Some were even more happy with the way their tongues changed color when they drank the juice.

On Tuesday September 22nd, there was a three hour seminar held by Anna Barford, a graduate student from Sheffield University in the U.K. It was offered to teachers Rose, George and Christine who are in charge of the upper-primary classes. Anna is also doing her research on inequalities in Kenya.

On Thursday September 24th, we had two more visitors from America; Jackie from California and Joscelyn from Washington DC. They learnt about Red Rose School and Children of Kibera Foundation from their uncle in Washington DC who is Ken’s friend. Before coming to Red Rose, they had been working at an orphanage in Tanzania and also met Ken in Dar Es Salaam. Joscelyn and Jackie were given a brief tour of the school and they were impressed by its neatness and tidiness. They will be volunteering at Red Rose by giving some after school programs, teaching about health, leadership and life skills and also being more creative here. They are both trained social workers who graduated from New York University (NYU) in May 2009.

On Friday September 25th, we welcomed five new friends from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. They spent the afternoon interacting with the children, singing and playing. They even learnt some Swahili words from the children. Hannah, one of the visitors will be on her independent studies at Red Rose in November for four weeks. They left Red Rose a very happy and entertained lot.

Posting by Teacher Sylvia Akinyi (Nursery Class)

Red Rose Children Happy to be in School

Being the 3^rd week of the term, the children of Red Rose School are happy to be in school. They all like the school environment and like all meals brought before them.

“Its delicious”, one of the pre-Unit children like’s mentioning this whenever she taste’s her lunch time meal. She takes her time to enjoy every bite of the food she eats.

Red Rose Children have no serious problems when it comes to class work since they all know that the school is the best place for them.

“We get what we want here”. One child quoted this when he was playing with his friends. He meant they were provided by the basic needs of a child.

After school, most of them don’t like going back home. They reluctantly go home at different times. Most of them complain of too much work at home since most parents/ guardians are still out in search of their dinner and so they are assigned some duties i.e. fetch for water, clean utensils and wash clothes. These duties are too much for these children, the age of the Red Rose Children at present (2yrs – 12yrs), this is why they have never liked going back to their homes.

I highly thank the Children of Kibera Foundation and Red Rose friends who have turned Red Rose School into a small heaven for these needy children.

Thank you so much for your great support. You are their heroes!

2009 THIRD TERM SESSIONS BEGIN AT RED ROSE AT A HIGH NOTE

This term begins with a beehive of activities. Since it is the last term of the year, only the best is expected from each student to enable them secure a chance in the next grade. They all look set to work and most of them have already reported to school. Though this is the first week of the term, we have been priviledged to receive Anna Barford, a PhD student from the University of Sheffield who will be here to research on economic inequalities from 21st Sep 2009. She was told about Red Rose by Prof. Cecilia Nyamweru of St. Lawrence University.

Thank you for the August camp 2009

On behalf of Red Rose School I would like to say thank you very much to Children of Kibera Foundation for organizing this terms camp. The camp has been on for two weeks and it has kept our students busy. They have learnt a lot out of the camp and also the meals provide has gone along way in keeping them healthy. We also did get a suprise visit from Ken Okoth who passed by to check on the students, thank you Ken. Today we even had the privilege of hosting Father Andrew from Georgetown University, he is a friend of Mittie Rooney's family. Mittie is a very special friend of Red Rose and we are so happy that he recommended Father Andrew to come and share his time with us. The school closes today for a two weeks break and we will reopen on the 7th September 2009.