Grade 5: Leading The Way, Celi Harper

GRADE 5, LEADING THE WAY

Grade 5’s Unit of Inquiry last term was, ‘Motivated people can add meaning to a shared future through purposeful and sustainable action.’

Through this unit the students explored the meaning of direct and indirect service, advocacy and research.

At the ‘tuning in’ stage of the inquiry the students interviewed Nancy Bailey (a member of the ISF community who has dedicated years to Service Learning) and the founders of the Bandari Project in Tanzania. From these sessions the students set about ways that they could positively impact the lives of others. The students learnt that by collaborating we can achieve so much more. The students connected with charities overseas, small and large companies and other international schools. They worked tirelessly throughout this unit.

STUDENT RELFECTIONS

What was your most favourite moment?

When we helped the Bandari school the thing I most enjoyed was the smiles on their faces (Theiz)

How will this learning make a difference to you?

This learning made a difference in my mind that you don’t need to do everything for money and that there are people willing to help others for free. (Emma) What skills did you learn in this unit?

How to sustain a charity (Giancarlo)

Reveal an important thing you learned and explain why?

I learned that it’s really important not to just think about yourself and to be grateful for all the things I have because there are kids in Africa wishing they had a meal to eat and that’s also why it’s important to go and volunteer. (James)

An important thing I learned is that everyone needs other people and other people need you and you need someone else… I think it’s important because in a way we are all connected. (Viola)

What has this unit got to do with your life?

It has to do with how much I care more about the world now. (Lily)

What did this help you to understand?

That we can help many people, to do good for them, directly, indirectly, send messages to people, speak out for people (Jacopo)

By giving, everyone’s happiness will grow. (Alexey)

If you help others you help yourself (Margherita)

Spread love everywhere you go (Aurora)

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

- AFRICAN PROVERB

SHOE DRIVES

Aim: To provide school shoes for the students at Bandari School in Tanzania

How: Grade 5 students connected with international schools in Tanzania asking their students to hold shoe drives

Result: Over 200 pairs of shoes collected and distributed to Bandari students. Grade 5 are continuing this work by collaborating with Braeburn School in Tanzania to do another shoe drive in April.

TOOTHBRUSHES

Aim: To provide toothbrushes and toothpaste for Bandari students

How: Contacted companies asking for donations which never eventuated.

Result: Purchased toothbrushes and toothpaste in Arusha, Tanzania with Christmas raffle money. Continuing to contact more toothbrush companies.

BOOK DRIVE

Aim: To provide reading books for students at the Kerr Sanyang Basic School in Gambia. The school lost the very little that they had in a flood last year.

How: With the ISF school librarian, sort through ISF books which are no longer needed to donate to the school in Gambia.

Result: Books are all boxed up and we are trying to figure the most cost effective way to get them to Gambia.

PEN PALS

Aim: To communicate with students from different culture backgrounds and build empathy and mutual concern.

How: All Grade 5 students wrote letters to students at Kerr Sanyang Basic School in Gambia.

Result: A pen pal system set up betweenboth schools. We are waiting to receive letters back from Gambia. CHILD SPONSOR

Aim: To sponsor a child through their entire school life.

How: Christmas raffle funds and home made christmas gift sale.

Result: We have paid for the Rhama’s* school fees, uniform and meals for a year at the Bandari Project School.

*Rahma is a 5 year old Muslim girl and is the eldest of three. She lives with her mother as the father left the family to fend for themselves. They had no house to live in so a lady is allowing them all to sleep in a storage room that has a dirt floor and no furniture. Rahma’s mother also cares for her eldery mother who had a stroke a year ago and she cleans the house storage shed owner in return for allowing her to stay.

MATHS TEACHER SPONSOR

Aim: To provide the salary for a local Tanzania teacher to work alongside Gecko on the Move educational maths charity.

How: ISF Junior School whole school maths day run by Grade 5 students. Games and activities planned and run by students. Students paid to dress up, play maths games and guess the number of objects in a jar.

Result: 3 months salary for a local teacher who will not only support in the Bandari School but also train teachers in other local schools using maths manipulatives. Gecko on the Move and ISF connected with two international schools in Arusha, Tanzania who have agreed for the local teacher to have training every Friday in their school.

UNDIES

Aim: To provide underwear to the students at Bandari School who have none as they cannot afford it.

How: Contacted various underwear charities in different countries.

Result: Smalls for All agreed to provide the underwear if we paid the shipping. We also bought extra underwear with some of our Christmas raffle money.

EARLY YEARS RESOURCES

Aim: To provide Early Years resources and manipulatives to students at the Bandari School

How: Contacted Edx Education to ask for materials at cost. ISF Students selected materials from Edx Education catalogue and placed an order. Money raised through Go Fund Me

Result: Materials sent to Bandari School and storage shelves were made locally to store equipment in. EdxEducation covered DHL shipping costs and we paid net price for the materials. Many happy children now have materials to play with. MINDFULNESS MATERIALS

Aim: To provide Bandari School with mindfulness resources

How: Students created eye pillows and essential oil dream sprays to sell at ISF as Grade 5 discovered many students were having nightmares.

Result: Using the money from the pillows and sprays sales, students purchased breathing balls and tone bars for Bandari School. ISF students also created gratitude rocks for each class.

MATHS RESOURCES

Aim: To provide Grade 4 atbanadri with resources to teach ‘Time’

How: Using Christmas raffle money we purchased time materials

Result: Wall clocks and batteries purchased for each class. Bought locally in Tanzania. ‘Time’ flip chat resource chart purchased through Edx Education.

Gecko on the Move is a small charity founded by ISF’s Grade 5 teacher, Celi Harper. The charity’s vision is for students and teachers to connect, discover and create through mathematics. They achieve this by improving the quality of maths learning of young children in resource constrained schools and communities through teacher training and the use of manipulatives. If you are interested in volunteering, connect with Celi at the Junior school or email Gecko on the Move at info@ geckoonthemove.org