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Hello ,
Spring has sprung and we look forward to making the most of the last leg of lockdown learning for this year and maximizing the limited time we have left with our Grade 2 learners.
With all the schools being open again, our Grade 2 learners returned to school for the first time last week after 5 months of being at home.
We managed to squeeze in a few reading lessons and AKA "spread a little love" and provided sandwiches for the Grade 2s.

The Grade 1s, 2s and 3s will all be using the same class rooms on a rotation for the remainder of the year. This means that the Grade 2s attend school for one full week and then stay at home for 2 weeks and return on the 3rd week. This cycle will continue until the end of the year which basically means that the Grade 2s will only have 4 weeks of school between now and the end of the year.
So where do we even begin? We've chosen quality over quantity and have selected 6 children from each class (18 in total) and are turning the hub into a mini-school for the next 3 months!
We will be running a literacy programme every Tuesday and Thursday from the hub where the same 18 kids will come to the hub (even on their "at home weeks") and will have a full programme - an hour of literacy, an hour of art and an hour of other activities such as watching educational DVDs, listening to audio books etc. We may even add in some Numeracy. Several of these activities will be facilitated virtually - so please feel free to get involved and make any suggestions as the programme won't be limited to literacy!
Our Grade 4 English enrichment programme will continue every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.
Nopinki and her team will still continue to run the mini-satellite hubs in their own communities on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and/or Saturdays so that more children can be accommodated out of school times.
There are 3 documents attached which will give you insight into what we've been up to since our last newsletter, what we need assistance with and what we have planned for the rest of the year.
1) Our updated WISH LIST - listing all the items and support that we need to see this year through. We need a minimum of R12 000 over the next 3 months to be able to execute the plans that we have.
2) An updated newsletter written by Sue Huck - giving an update on what has been happening behind the scenes in terms of "feeding the minds and mouths" of our learners on and off site, Face2Face and Virtually.
3) A CALENDAR with "Dates to Diarise" for the rest of the year including our year end socially distanced Christmas Party.
Starting with this week
We will have our monthly get together in the Riversands Makro parking lot this Friday, 11 September from 10am. This is where we meet Kos Foods who deliver the 20+ fresh food parcels for the most vulnerable families at DCS.

This is a good opportunity to hand over any food, clothes and other donations that our volunteers have collected since the last delivery.
This week we also plan to meet Anthea virtually and walk and talk with her ..... she's been raising funds for Edu Fun and the baby club and is on a quest to walk 500 000 steps this month.

Friends of Anthea, Edu Fun and the Baby Club "walking the talk" to raise funds for
Edu Fun as we commence the last leg of our lockdown learning for 2020
Bring your walking shoes as we walk around the parking lot of Makro, connect with Anthea on Zoom as she does her steps and end with a socially distanced coffee from Mugg and Bean.
Join us at 10am for the walk and/or 11:00am for the coffee.
If you can't join us in person, please Zoom in at 10am (SA time 9am in the UK) to connect with Anthea and the rest of us. Follow this link ...
Time: Sep 11, 2020 10:00 AM Johannesburg
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84946789396
Meeting ID: 849 4678 9396
We have been very fortunate to have received many donations for food over this lockdown period, but we are now needing some assistance to implement the educational aspects of our programme as well as cover admin costs to manage and monitor the food programme. We need a minimum of R12 000 to cover the anticipated expenses until the end of the year. If we are able to raise more funds, we will be able to employ more students and expand the programme in order to reach more learners.
Click here to make a credit card donation on the South African PAYFAST Platform. In the section that says "leave an appreciation message", please type "Lockdown Support" as a reference. Email info@edufunsa.co.za if you require a tax certificate.
Or, alternatively, you can make a donation on the Global Giving platform here. Where people who pay tax in the Sates or in the UK can get a tax rebate.
Volunteers continue to Zoom in when they can for our Monday morning meetings which we schedule every second week. Many great ideas and support have come out of these sessions and they've personally kept me going through the various stages of lock down.
We have an amazing team of supporters both locally and abroad and it's been incredible to see how much our team has achieved virtually and online from all over the world.
Please continue to support our work - by becoming a virtual volunteer, making small donations when you can or assisting us with old items listed on the wish list such as laptops, screens, headphones, transporting of furniture to the hub .... see attached.
Please share the attached newsletter and wish list with your friends and colleagues.
Have a great week and keep safe!
Jenny
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