On The Maintenance List
Zaan posted the information about this year’s CHALLENGE on Xplorio while it was still underway.
I am so happy to be able to tell you that the challenge was not only met but exceeded and the joy at the little school on the side of the hill knows no bounds.
The vital thing now is to spend this money optimally - to pay for the maintenance of essential services and to invest in supporting new projects for the benefit of our children.
On the maintenance list is:
- The bus which is ten years old and apart from invariably needing new parts when it goes for a service, regularly needs rust removed. It also needs to be licensed and requires petrol if one wants it to fetch and carry our children to school.
- The perimeter fence, specifically, the last section of it and the replacement of its rusted wire to bring to a close, a long, slow process of replacing the fence, section by section as money became available.
- A salary for a permanent assistant in the Grade R class. There is an assistant at present but she is part-time and when she isn’t there she is SORELY missed.
- The school buildings and grounds which although they actually belong to the municipality, are maintained by the school.
- The sustainability fund which was started three years ago. It was possible in those years to save R20 000 annually to provide a small cushion against disaster but the amount to be saved this year has yet to be decided by the board.
Then there are projects which have been on the wish list for years. The difficult process of investigation and planning for the priority of priorities is underway right now. This is an AFTERCARE CENTRE.
- There is a great need for this for Mooi Uitsig primary and high school learners. At the moment there is nowhere for them to do their homework and no-one to help them so most of them don’t do it which impacts their enjoyment of school and their progress.
- Volunteers will come to the aftercare at the school in the afternoons to help ex-Pikkewyntjies with their schoolwork and give them some needed friendship and care while they do it.
Other projects on the wish list are:
Crèche
- There are many single moms in Mooi Uitsig who have to work to survive and have no-one to take care of their babies.
- Pikkewyntjies wants to register a centre for 6 babies with the Department of Social Development and grow it from there.
- Once again volunteers will take care of the babies.
Classroom Extension
- The Grade R classroom allows for 20 children because according to the Department of Health and Safety stipulation that there must be 1.5 square metres of space per child. Currently, we have 23 children and there are children on the waiting list.
- We must enlarge our Grade R classroom to abide by the law.
Kitchen Relocation
- The kitchen is adjacent to the Grade R classroom so the easiest and cheapest option is to relocate the kitchen.
- It’s an ill wind that blows no good to anyone for it is not ideal having the kitchen open to the classroom so it should be relocated anyway.
- As always the challenge is to come up with a way to provide for the kitchen without incurring major expense or disruption.
More news in the coming weeks of this year’s projects - thank you with all our hearts to the sponsors of the 2020 CHALLENGE who made it possible.
If there is anything more you would like to know, please do contact us.
