Saxonwold Primary School parents and learners got their bodies moving on 27 March during the school’s first Wellness Day.
The fundraiser attracted a good crowd who were enthusiastic to get active in aid of the local school.
Acting school principal Jadi Mgandela said the day was organised to create a fun, active environment for children while bonding with their families.
Mgandela said the school had struggled financially during the lockdown, with many parents unwilling to pay school fees when their children were learning online from home.
“We might be a school in the suburbs, but we really do depend on school fees and fundraisers to keep going,” said Mgandela.
She explained that many learners’ parents are domestic workers in the area and struggle to buy data or don’t have devices for online learning, which has impacted on learners’ progress under lockdown.
Mgandela said that learners are currently attending school on a rotational basis, but the school would like to put measures in place to allow all learners to attend school each day for optimal learning.
The fundraiser will be used to purchase Jojo tanks and Perspex shields to place between desks. The need for tanks has arisen in recent months with many water outages in the area, forcing the school to close its doors for safety.
“Lockdown has meant that we are behind in funding and has delayed our plans to do these upgrades,” said Mgandela.
Head of sport at the school Gillian Forbes explained that the school will host termly fundraising events with the aim of raising R100 000 by the end of the year.
Covid-19 safety measures were in place at the event with participants placed in a grid on the school field in order to maintain social distancing. Guests also had their temperatures checked and were sanitised before entering the venue.
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