Even though my school days and those of my children are long gone, January remains synonymous with back-to-school.
Amidst the scrambled rush of the new school year, we decided that our first project of 2022 will be providing stationery for the Grade 1 learners of Fisantekraal Primary. Little did we know that the school was expecting no less than 150 pupils!
Following the desperate outcry of the Fisantekraal community for a school closer to home, Fisantekraal Primary opened its doors in 2021, providing learning for 325 children attending grade 1 to 4. The results and success achieved in just a year was such that the Department of Education decided to grow the school to 650 children and extend their classes all the way to grade 7.
Doubled in size in just a year!! Amazing as this is, it does mean that the teachers are running like crazy - making the best of limited resources and time - and can certainly benefit from some support.
We had quite an adventurous couple of weeks, trying to source stationery for the little ones. At one point, it looked like we would only be able to supply a limited variety of supplies for only some of the kids. But, at the last moment, PenCafe Stationers made our dream a reality! Nyreen Koen, the new owner of the much-loved Durbanville institution, leapt on board without hesitation. Literally with only a day to spare before the schools reopened, with our limited budget, Nyreen met the stationery needs of all of the 150 grade 1’s!
We also had a wonderful sponsor from the Dairy Exchange for 150 brand new 2l ice cream containers to hold the stationery (usually, the Fisantekraal Primary teachers go above and beyond to painstakingly collect these from friends and family). This useful organisation trick means that the stationery will be kept safe, neat, clean and can be stacked in a limited space.
The day before the schools opened, we spread out in the Essentially Natural warehouse, packing the stationery and labelling the ice cream containers - ready to get the pupils name on the lids and to give those eager little ones the best possible start to their academic careers!
The containers looked so beautiful, and the contents are simply superb: Each container boasts an eraser, sharpener, blunt nose scissors, crayons, white board markers, pencils, glue… Even a couple of extra thick beginner’s pencils to assist with grip while learning to write - something that the teachers raved about, as they have never been able to offer this to their charges. Of course, the kids seemed to favour the colourful clay!
We had a very warm welcome at the school! The staff and some young volunteers were hard at work with final preparations for the first day of term. Retha Bester, one of the Grade 1 teachers, organised her expert assistants to transfer the stationery to the various classes, and even gave us a quick tour of the beautifully kept school premises. We also met the lovely new principal, Mrs Loggenburg. We are sure the school will thrive under her warm, eager leadership!
Stationery is something so seemingly ordinary that we often take for granted. And yet, it is a vital part of furthering literacy. Without it, we cannot effectively learn to write, read, develop small motor skills and express our creativity (to mention but a few!). We are over the moon that this is now a reality for those children, thus making things a little less stressful for their teachers that really put heart and soul into their work.
We would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to PenCafe Stationers and the Dairy Exchange for helping to make this possible. You made 150 kids very, very happy!
Do you have second-hand stationery and art supplies?
As with all our Outreach Partners, we plan to walk a long, fruitful road with Fisantekraal Primary. This year, we'd like to offer these wonderful kids the gift of creativity! If you have any used art supplies (paint, paper and board, canvasses, brushes, crayons, paint, craft materials... you name it!) gathering dust, why not donate it to the school, where it will generate invaluable joy and learning? Find a drop-off box in the fabulous PenCafe Stationers, or contact our One Percent Movement Team directly:
Juanita Berry: 073 274 1915 | juanita@essentiallynatural.co.za
We added some basic shapes and colours to the labels for the kids to learn from.
Dream team: Corinne, Angie and Juanita.
The trusty steed... We only just fit all 150 boxes in Juanita's car!
Retha, instructing the eager young helpers outside the school.
On to a quick tour of the school.
Quite a few of these beautiful planter boxes are scattered around the grounds. The school has a feeding scheme, where the herbs and veggies grown here come in handy!
