NEWS
2010 Afri Twin news - 25th January 2010
With Capetown's gorgeous summer break over and schools having to pack in an already full curriculum to accomodate the World Cup, the reality is finally hitting home. The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup is happening in just a few months. SA schools holidays start early this year on the 9th June for just over a month and airflights will be more costly both internally in the country as well as internationally. Unless one is able to book early....
Look on www.southafrica.info/2010 and you will find a delightful DVD of the Diski dance for teenagers to try out, and especially for Primary schools, a DVD on Zakumi, the 2010 fun-loving adorably positive minded World Cup Mascot. Actually he seems a hit with all ages!
Afri Twin is growing across the Cape, with a furthur Conference being planned for 2011, when we can reflect back on all the happenings of the World Cup year and our roads and airports are a little more back to normal we hope! Make sure yours is a partnership to share at our second South African Conference.
Please look at World Links funding if you are at the beginning of starting your partnership and email me for the latest details and how to prepare for this.
The British Council in South Africa are running a Workshop on "Building Effective Partnerships" in Durban on the 15th February. A number of Afri Twin teachers are attending already. We expect to know the dates for Capetown training sessions in the near future - probably just after Easter. We have a new British Council representative - Darren Clack. Please ensure that your Afri Twin triangle partnership is registered with him. His email is darren.clack@britishcouncil.org You will then be kept up to date on special events. On the UK side, it is equally important to connect with your regional British Council person - if you are unsure please contact me.
There is also an INET Specialist Schools Trust Conference in Capetown for three days from the 22nd February - contact me if you want more details please.
Most importantly is to keep the flow of communication going between local and UK partner schools. SA schools need to share with your UK partner what is happened as South Africa prepares to host the World Cup and look for opportunities to meet staff and learners from your local partner. Late last term several schools had Afri Twin events at the school which had the swimming pool! This is a real favourite - just important to ensure there are life guards for those who may not have had the opportunity to have swimming lessons beforehand.
We are looking forward to a number of UK exchanges visiting their Capetown partners over the February UK half term - Hilbre Humanities College, Wellacre College, Altrincham College of Arts, Ripleys Science College, Lancaster Central High, Wootton Basset International College, Worthington Primary. Later on in the year visits will be coming from Helsby High, Hillside Primary , Belgrave Primary, Torquay Boys Grammar, Heath Park College, Heath Technology College and Sale Grammar so far .
Golden Giraffe c.i.c. (www.goldengiraffe.co.uk), in the UK, are helping young people to achieve more with their innovative Life Coaching programme. Working with young people who are at risk of exclusion and/or entering the justice system they offer one-on-one life coaching to students and training to key members of teaching/support staff to ensure sustainability. Because of their Community Interest Company status, external funding is available. Contact Keith on keith@goldengiraffe.co.uk for further information.
Golden Giraffe are also hoping to revisit South Africa next year to share their expertise with Cape Town schools.
Please let us know any exciting Afri Twin days and events that are coming up to be able to share with other partnerships. Ideal times to plan are for the last week of term - for example a joint swimming training, sharing an art or dance lesson, sports, and joint emailing on computers to send news to your UK twin. We are looking for the most original joint events ever to show case on our website that is being re-vamped.
Warmest wishes
Jayne
Afri Twin June 2009 - 21st June 2009
Our very successful Afri Twin Capetown Conference in 2008 was attended by virtually every Afri Twin school in the Western Cape, and some travelling from the Eastern Cape and Kwa Zulu Natal. Led by Lymm High staff and students from Cheshire, fresh from their time with their SA twinned schools, a further eleven presentations to share experiences and best practice took place during the course of the day.
Subsequently many exchanges of staff both ways, have brought many more linked schools the pleasure of meeting face to face, and enabling action plans to cement furthur.
2009 has been an interesting year in South Africa with the election of a new President, Jacob Zuma, and a new Democratic Alliance government taking over from the ANC in the Western Cape. To say life is interesting in South Africa is to understate things!
With it being mid winter here, a batch of strenuous storm fronts have roughled the lives of Capetonians, but, as always, they are followed by the most stunning calm and sunny days.
South African schools have now broken up for a three week winter holiday, and will return on the 20th July for a fairly lengthy term until the 23rd September. Half terms would be much welcomed by the education sector here, if only someone somewhere would introduce them!
Some schools have set up joint websites for their partnership, one of which is using www.wetpaint.com Another way is through www.gemini.org Some schools are preparing websites for a South African twin that has not had one.
Preparing a DVD for one's partner schools, has also proved a popular way to boost the partnership and to give a realistic view to the entire schools one is linked with. In Capetown Shaun Daniels is a professional in this area, and he is well worth involving to get this done, offering exceptional prices to our SA schools. His email is digicap@telkomsa.net and mobile 084 8457281. In the UK Ramin Arbarbi, also our Web hoster and sponsor, offers many years of experience in filming and DVD production for a wide range of schools and businesses. His website is www.winningways.co.uk and is contactable on ramin@winningways.co.uk
In the UK, Peer Monitoring support is being offered by Golden Giraffe www.goldengiraffe.com Keith Blease-bourne has plenty of experience to bring in this increasingly valued aspect in schools in both countries, as he already has shared his talents with some Capetown schools this year, whilst his wife was on an exchange.
An organisation working with us closely in the UK is Peacemala - www.peacemala.org.uk A long standing Afri Twin partnership is that of Woodheys Primary, Gordon Road and Vumokuhle Primaries in Durban. Woodheys won the Peacemala Youth Award in 2008. We are working with Pam Evans, the Founder of Peacemala, and looking forward to her pending first visit to Capetown later this year to launch it in South Africa to all our Afri Twin schools. We will be advising on the date in the new SA term.
We also would welcome news from any of our schools, whether in the UK or SA to include in our Bulletin
Wishing our SA schools a most wonderful winter break, and thereafter our UK schools a correspondingly magnificent six week summer break. We will be re-connecting in the early part of September for the start of the UK academic year.....
All the very best from Jayne in Capetown and Sandy in London.......
JANUARY 2008 - 3rd February 2008
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Welcome to our January 2008 Bulletin!
South African schools are now back in school after their six week summer break, and now is THE ideal time to make the most of communicating with your twinned schools. SA teachers are still fresh from their break (mostly!) and it is a long SA term, with the next break being from the 20th March to the 14th April.
A dozen or more teachers exchanges each way are to take place over the next few months, some including students, such as Wellacre Technology College, Ripleys St Thomas in Lancaster, Holmes Chapel High and Lymm High in the UK.
If your partnership has been going for six months, it is highly recommended to prepare for the next British Council exchange deadline for submission 1st May 2008. In addition plenty of UK High schools are successfully applying to the Specialist Schools Trust for the TIPD funding, to enable four UK teachers to visit partner schools. The whole point being that this face to face contact undoubtedly brings linking to life.
An important event for South African schools is the Afri Twin Conference being hosted at Wynberg Boys High on Tuesday 5th August. Details have been emailed to each UK and South African Afri Twin school. Music and crafts on display will add colour to the first country wide meeting offering South African Heads and teachers the chance to meet each other and share best practice in linking. Meet Lymm High, Cheshire, staff and a large student group and hear about how they have grown their partnerships to become community links in both countries.
TWO KEY ISSUES TO HIGHLIGHT THIS MONTH :
-Manage the School Calendars by knowing exactly what your partner schools' annual dates are each year- when are they open and when on holiday. Have this clearly displayed on your Afri Twin Noticeboard so no misunderstandings occur.
-Communication – the quality of this and consistency is vital to a warm and growing partnership. Find compromise in how and what you want so that it is unstressful for your partner schools.
The photos above this bulletin include photos taken from the Headmaster's office in Camps Bay High in Capetown, a photo of Plumstead High's three Grade 8 pupils as their school twinned with Broomfield High in London this past week. Ottery Road Primary school's pupils are also seen being transported excitedly to spend weekly time at their local twin Wynberg Girls Junior in Capetown. And we must of course end up with a Capetown sunset....................................
Wish you were here............................................
Very best wishes
Jayne in Capetown and Sandy in London.....
November 2007 - 3rd November 2007
Welcome to the first Afri Twin Bulletin, with plenty of news eminating from a very warm Capetown !
Over the past two years, new UK twinned school links have been set up across the UK, and now work has begun since September in strengthening and encouraging the growth of these links from within the South African schools.
This past week has involved a combination of panic related activities in tying up the last bits of preparing British Council applications for Reciprocal Visits for teacher exchanges, with November 1st having been the ultimate deadline. With some by the skin of their noses, all fifteen Afri Twin partnerships made it and now the waiting begins to hear the outcomes, which is likely to be early to mid December.
Those partnerships that were too new should be still starting to prepare to submit in May 2008. Please do contact me to ensure that your partner schools understand likewise.
A definite date and venue is now available for our FIRST South African Afri Twin Conference. On the 5th August, this will take place at one of twinned schools, Wynberg Boys High, Capetown. Timing this to include Lymm High's second student visit to South Africa, plenty of good practice in developing genuine long lasting partnership will be shared by those schools who have put this into practice already.
All Afri Twin schools in South Africa and the UK are to be invited. It would help greatly if those schools intending to come from the UK and also in SA could advise me please so as to ensure a large enough venue.
In this bulletin, photos of staff and students newly involved in Afri Twin from Rustenberg Girls High in Capetown, are included. Their UK twin school is Stroud Girls High in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with their local twin being Marian High School.
We have also had a very exciting "Beading Day" at Muizenberg Junior and High schools .Two local highly skilled beaded wire workers were hired to teach the learners some of their skills. Children were in awe of the stunning life-like wire birds that these two are able to make just from photos.(Please note the photo of a girl holding an African Hoopoo made by these crafters. ) Should any wish to order and see photos of these crafts, please email me with pleasure and I can arrange with them if you wish to order as well. They normally stand at the roadside selling and we hope that more schools will be wishing to have them in for such an enjoyable and meaningful day. This day was made possible by their UK twin, Congleton High, having fundraised to cover the costs of the craftsmen and beads/beading materials for the school learners to use.
Looking forward to hearing of news from many partnerships to share in this monthly Bulletin
With warm (!) wishes from Jayne in Capetown...
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