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Rose Act

Rose Act builds bridges between learners and families

Rose-Act Saturday School knows that teaching children the basics of Mathematics and English once a week really does jack up their marks at school. But to educate the whole child involves far more than just classroom tuition. That is why the School offers learners a range of “value-added” opportunities. Principal Louise Cameron elaborates: “While the Saturday School is the core of our operation in Alexandra, we also like to engage with the child in other areas. We have outings, an annual camp and various voluntary after-school options such as clubs and a spelling bee. We also have parents’ days, which are designed specifically to involve the whole family.” Rose-Act recently held one of its regular parents’ days at the Altrec centre in Alex. Parents, care-givers and siblings were invited to join Rose-Act staff for discussions, game-playing and face-to-face talks – all with the aim of supporting and promoting the children’s education. “We offer these days regularly,” says Louise. “Sometimes we’ll have only the moms and grannies, at other times we’ll have the men in the family. This time we invited everyone. The day was structured carefully to combine serious discussions and report-backs with fun and games.” The overall theme was “communication”. Those attending were divided into small groups to discuss how best to foster communication within the family. It was agreed that two-way communication is essential for a well-functioning family. The groups also explored ways to reduce or eliminate blockages in this crucial area of family life. After the group discussions, spokesmen for the families and the children informed the others what their groups had discussed and what they were determined to do in the future. After that it was time for a food-and-drinks break. Then the fun began. Groups alternated between activities that ranged from playing pick-up-sticks to a game of tag outdoors, while a rapid-fire quiz was held in the hall. “I believe the day was a great success,” says Louise. “Although, sadly, we can never get everyone who should be there to come – we know parents are often busy on Saturdays – but those who do make the effort are invariably extremely enthusiastic and love to participate. I honestly believe that we add considerable value to the families in question as a result of these sessions. They strengthen and reinforce the vital link between the School and the parents. The parents especially can see first-hand how much we help their children. Besides, the grown-ups tend to become even more fired-up to ensure the children don’t miss a single Saturday morning class offered by Rose-Act during the School terms.”

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