HABARI NEWS: JUNE 2018
The month of June finds students and teachers settled in for the second trimester. Both learning and extracurricular have been going on well in the school. The Head Teacher writes, “This month and July are usually cold for us here in Narok and other parts of Kenya”. While Father Ntaiyia tells us that where he lives is very warm this time of the year, our geography can make us understand that the sun moves north to give USA summer while we are left with cool weather. The cold weather however, affects our outdoor activities because the students must remain indoors most of the day due to weather.
The highlight to the trimester’s events was the parents visiting day which was June 16th. as I have described this day a few times in the past, it is a day open to all the parents to come and visit their children and have some time with them in the school. We normally do not have any program for this visit. Parents come and meet class teachers for reports on the progress of their child; they may meet the Head Teacher when necessary and then they spend the rest of the day visiting with their child and have food together. The parents may be accompanied by their other children, especially the little ones and other family members of their family or friends. It is good to imagine and picture a sea of people in the school compound from all parts of the county and country. Many do not know each other but are coming together because they have a common place, Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School where their children are learning together.
EXTRACURRICULAR: School especially boarding schools may have internal supplementary activities for students out of the classroom to keep them busy each day. They may have games after classes in late afternoon when they may practice and learn ball game, athletics, music and drama. The students may be grouped in grades or boys and girls of different grades for entertainment of others. There are occasions when they may have to watch TV or videos. We are further informed that, after-school activities give students a useful venue to socialize outside of the classroom, as participants must learn to work together and communicate with others sharing stories and experiences that may only be known to them from their families and villages. Extracurricular activities also give kids a chance to learn and practice new skills, many of which are useful later in life.
In Kenya system of education, like many parts of the world Scholars have taught that extracurricular activities include the opportunity for students to explore their own interests outside of school, the ability to learn responsibility and build character. Extracurricular sports also give kids a chance to learn teamwork, commitment and leadership. Other benefits of extracurricular activities include improving children’s socialization, keeping kids and instilling them with more skills and confidence care must be there to advocate a balance between school and extracurricular activities.
This second trimester in Kenya our students participated in music festivals that started with over 60 of our students competing at sub-country level with another school, then at county level where 36 of them qualified to go to inter county, forming teams with 14 other counties but did not get beyond this level to National competitions. Three teachers who accompanied the students for four days to a town over 300 Km (190) miles from the School, reported it was an educational trip and successful. Along the way the students enjoyed many sceneries such as rivers, hills, plateaus as well and agricultural developments with plantations and vegetations not familiar to all. Our students did not continue with competition beyond this trip. All students and teachers returned to school safely and got back to learning.
EDUCATIONAL TRIP: As I have shared in the past blog letters we recommend a break in the routine for our final year students or eighth graders in which they take an educational trip with a purpose to essentially educate them. The trip is aimed at supporting what teachers have been teaching about some subjects and this may help the students understand the topic better. Taking students into a new environment gives them the experience of traveling in a group and teaches them to be respectful of the locations they visit. The students get the opportunity to see new places and this is advantageous to those who are less fortunate, and do not have the opportunity to make such a trip unless organized by the school. In Kenya like in many other countries students may have an opportunity in such a trip to observe many things they have been hearing or learning about such as geographical landmarks, wildlife, plants, birds and many others. A week before the trips a teacher went to visit various places where they intended to take the students and make sure that it will be possible to visit and be shown around if necessary. Such a trip has to be approved by the Education Office in the county.
This year our school trip was to the surrounding of Nakuru the fourth-largest city in Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County and former capital of the Rift Valley Province. It is on the floor of the great Rift valley. The School’s primary aim was for them to view Menengai Crater located on the northern side of Nakuru. It is an extinct volcano and is said to be the single largest surviving volcanic crater in the world. As they travelled on the floor of the Rift valley, the students were able to see other geographical sites mentioned in their geography books and classes about the valley. This trip had sixty-six students, three teachers, school matron and a school driver who drove my van that had some students while a rented mini bus had the rest.
TRIMESTER: The second trimester has about four weeks to go before August break. After the music festival trip and the Educational trip described above, the students and teachers now will focus on class work and aim at covering the remaining part of syllabus and preparation for end of trimester examinations before August break. I have called the Head Teacher and his Deputy and discussed this important time left for students’ academic input so that they may work with the teachers making sure that everyone takes it seriously. I particularly mention attention that is needed for our final class who will have two months only before their final examinations after resuming studies during the third trimester that starts in September. During the third trimester there will be on parents’ visiting day, parents’/student’s prayer day as it has been in the past. The ministry of education in Kenya discouraged such events in order to have students focus on examinations and end of the school year in preparation for those who will be going to their next grade next year.
DEVELOPMENT: Friends of Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School – Charity BOD members had the second meeting of the year on June 15 in which after reviewing the minutes of January meeting, reviewed the donations that usually come at the end of the year around Christmas and after. There was also deliberation on financial report with respect to the approved projects and close out of receipts from during the year. The BOD also approved funds for the school to buy a water pump which will be used mainly for pumping water from ground level tanks to overhead tanks that will supply water to the buildings and an electric planer / saw for the School workshop to make work easier for our maintenance and repairs. The funds for purchasing these two items were sent to Kenya last month after our BOD meeting. The electric planer has been bought, tested and is working very well. We are waiting to buy the pump when it will be available in the local stores.
School website: https://mhl.hxi.mybluehost.me/website_e30e867a or google Father Ntaiyia Jubilee School
Fr. Symon Peter Ntaiyia
1-585-613-8187