Parent Forum Singstar Night February 9, 2010
Posted by Scott Lavery in : Parent Forum , add a commentUnfortunately due to low ticket sales, we have had to cancel our Singstar/Karaoke fundraiser which was due to be held this Thursday. Full refunds will be available from Lisa Smith, Our Chair, on Friday 12th February. We apologise if you were looking forward to attending this event.
Health Week Photos Day 2 February 9, 2010
Posted by Scott Lavery in : Celebrating Success , add a commentToday, as well as Gumboot dancing, the children have been involved in developing their understandnig of what they already do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some pictures to demonstrate what has been happening.
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One of the pictures shows our new basketball nets which are in both the infant and upper school playgrounds. The Pupil Council organised this together with new bins and goals and a variety of balls and play equipment to be used in our playgrounds. We hope this will develop how we use our playground and thank you to all the chidlren for their responses in class.
Health Week Photos Day 1 February 9, 2010
Posted by Scott Lavery in : Celebrating Success , add a commentHere are some examples of the activities the children have been involved in on Monday. The focus for learning was on children developing their understadnig of similarities and differences within our school community. This week, we are also starting our day with a breakfast.
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Health Week Day Two February 9, 2010
Posted by dbeveridge in : Uncategorized , add a commentThe mine workers were not free to move around at will and were separated from their families for long periods of time. At best, working in the mines was a long, hard, repetitive toil. At worst, the men would be taken chained into the mines and shackled at their work stations in almost total darkness.The floors of the mines were often flooded, with poor or non-existent drainage. For the miners, hours of standing up to their knees in infected waters brought on skin ulcers, foot problems and consequent lost work time. The bosses discovered that providing gumboots (Wellington boots) to the workers was cheaper than attempting to drain the mines. This created the miners uniform, consisting of heavy black Wellington boots, jeans, bare chest and bandannas to absorb eye-stinging sweat.
The workers were forbidden to speak, and as a result created a means of communication, essentially their own unique form of Morse Code. By slapping their gumboots and rattling their ankle chains, the enslaved workers sent messages to each other in the darkness. From this came an entertainment, as the miners evolved their percussive sounds and movements into a unique dance form and used it to entertain each other during their free time.
Gumboot dancing has developed into a working class, South African art form with a universal appeal. The dancers expand upon traditional steps, with the addition of contemporary movement, music and song.
