During the July school holidays Mrs Etsebeth will be going to Zambia to spend ten days teaching in Mwembezhi School, exchanging ideas with the Zambian teachers. What's even more exciting, is that the Zambian teachers will visit New Zealand in August where they will spend time in participating schools, teaching lessons and sharing stories about their lives with students here.
To raise funds to support our partner school, the Southwell School students participated in a very exciting 'Bob-a-Job' challenge where children have been involved in direct hands-on activities to provide practical educational support to children in Zambia. Funds raised will be used for a variety of things, ranging from textbooks to teacher aids to vital training for the Zambian teachers.
Students hear about poverty, suffering and human needs; they hear the words 'under-privileged and educationally deprived', but do they understand? They learn that we live in a global world, that we are global citizens. Again, do they understand?
The ethos of our school is to 'love others as we love ourselves, to be loving, caring, kind and generous to all people'. We say that we are committed to making this world a better place for everybody and believe that every child is a star. Do we understand the implications of these beliefs?
We believe that, in going to Zambia, with the contribution and support of the school commujnity, we will be taking some very real steps in 'walking the talk'. We believe that we can connect these fellow citizens (albeit worlds apart) with each other. We believe that by sending someone from our school to Zambia, we'll gain knowledge, and through knowledge we'll gain understanding. Not only will we understand,but we will connect. Not only will we connect, but we will also touch lives.
The knowledge gained will be shared during Chapel time and School Assemblies, through stories and pictures, but also through the Social Studies curriculum by doing research and projects relating to themes like illiteracy, poverty, health and safety, and by looking for answers and solutions to these problems.
We need to know. We need to understand. We need to act. Because...
"TO THE WORLD I MAY ONLY BE ONE PERSON,
BUT TO ONE PERSON I MIGHT BE THE WORLD."
Our aim is to raise $15 000. Students washed cars, raked leaves, swept floors, cleaned rooms, emptied bins, fed pets, set tables, did dishes and many more jobs while parents, family and friends paid, paid paid. Thanks to the hard work of our teachers, the enthusiasm of our students and the generosity of the Southwell community we have raised $9000 and we are well on our way to reaching our goal. Watch this space for more exciting news on our project!
