Constantia Kloof Primary school welcomed their Grade 7 learners back to school on Monday, 8 June, after they have spent three months at home due to the national lockdown.
JP Fourie, the school’s principal was very excited to welcome back the Grade 7s, and explained some of the safety measures they have put in place, “Cleaning and sanitizing the school was our first and top priority. We have received training from the Health Department regarding how to approach and deal with the disease, as well as training in Standard Operating Procedures. There will be daily cleaning and sanitizing, as well as continuous sensitising of learners – they’re young and fearless and forget so quickly! We will also be sending a daily report to the Department of Education.”
According to JP the pandemic’s impact was emotionally devastating more than anything else, and he said, “The children missed their friends, teachers and school activities (tours, sports days, etc) and the teachers missed their learners, colleagues and school activities. I must commend my staff as all learners should be up to date with their school work if they did everything the teachers sent them via various platforms (WhatsApp, email, online, D6 communicator, etc.)”.
He added that the pandemic also had a huge impact on the school’s finances, which could be far-reaching. Some of the changes he noticed are that it takes much longer to get into the school grounds in the mornings due to the screening process, that includes scanning the learners’ temperatures, answering the questionnaires, and other safety protocols having to be followed.
“We have also halved the numbers in our classrooms and utilised more teachers towards teaching the Grade 7s. In two weeks’ time we’re launching our own e-learning platform and will be placing repeated emphasis on and provide additional training in health protocols, to name a few,” JP said.
His message to the Grade 7s and their parents is one of encouragement, and he said, “Grade 7s we’re so happy to have you back; remember, our blood is Red!
We don’t give up, we will make a success of the 2020 academic year! Parents, please continue supporting us as you have! In the days, weeks and months ahead, the face of education will change. You can either fight it or decide to join hands with the school and its staff and embrace the changes.”
JP assured the learners who are still to return to school, and their parents, that they were very excited to welcome them back and were anxiously awaiting their return.
He said, “We miss you so much and can?t wait to welcome you back to school! Parents, stop pulling out your hair, it?s almost over! Honestly, thank you for supporting the school and ensuring that your children are on track.”
He described the last day of normality being 16 March, saying, “When the President announced the lockdown, it was an abrupt end to schooling as we knew it. We can only hope and trust that we will make the ‘new normal’ an exciting one.
When the senior management team, ground staff and finance department returned on 1 June, it felt as if I could breathe again, and when the rest of the staff returned on 8 June, it was like a re-awakening. My staff and their unreserved commitment, dedication and passion are what makes the school great.
I believe that when I retire next year, after 42 years in teaching of which the last 28 were at CKPS, I?ll look back at this period with wonder at our resilience as humans, but especially that of our children.”
One of the Grade 7 teachers, Joanita Beeslaar who teaches Natural Sciences (NS), also shared her experience and plans to tackle the challenges that come with the new way of schooling. “During lockdown I worked on material for online teaching, getting files and books sorted out for Term 2, enjoyed family time, baking, and reading.
It was also a very stressful time for me, as I worried about the learners and whether they were doing the work provided through online platforms. It is difficult to provide an online curriculum when you are not sure what must be taught and what can be left out.
I worked much harder during this time than I ever did during a normal teaching day. Parents and learners needed constant reassurance that everything will be fine, even when I did not know whether that was true.”
It took a lot of mental preparation to ensure that she was ready to return to school. “I had to tell myself that it would be fine, it is just the flu; that I would be careful and everyone would be fine. I made sure that all the work I had before the lockdown was done. I ensured that I had masks and gloves, and there were sanitizers in every room of the house,”she explained.
In terms of the impact on the academic aspect and what she will be focusing on during the first weeks of schooling, she said, “Although the mental health of the learners is important, and every teacher will be trying to support the learners in this regard, it will be business as usual, seeing that only two very short sections were removed from the Term 2 NS curriculum”.
She concluded with the following message to the learners: “We are here to support each other. At some stage, everyone is going to hit a low, but that is fine.
Speak up when you are struggling, feeling lonely or unsure because you do not have to do this on your own.
Just remember, you are stronger than you think! This too shall pass!”
