The Year in Review
2023 has certainly been a year of change and growth for Ocean View. This quote from Amelia Earhart, pioneering aviator, strikes a chord:
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers.You can do anything you decide to do.”
I took a decision to add value to our school with the building project. But the middle ground, the tenacity, came from the unwavering support of the teaching team, pupils and our beautiful OceanView families. You have all given me the courage to ignore the ‘paper tigers’ and push ahead. Words cannot express the gratitude that I feel for this. I truly believe that 2024 will be our best year ever and i sincerely look forward to all that we have to share.
The changes enable us to use our environments optimally, furthering a sense of calm and flow for all ages and at each stage of the day. The physical environment and structure of the space has a huge impact on the teaching process, curriculum delivery, and social and emotional tone of the setting.
#smallschoolbigheart
It was a great year for community outreach at Ocean View.
We held our first ‘Party for the Planet’ to celebrate Earth Day in April and launched our ‘Pledges for the Planet.’ Our Spring Walk is always a fun family event and we used it raised money for Enviro Fixers Durban Northand Adopt a River SA, two NPO’s who do amazing work in our area.
We celebrated World Rhino Day with our bake sale and raised money for Project Rhino, KZN to add to funds raised by Adam Fitzsimons, ex OceanView pupil. Adam was part of a team of Hilton pupils running a relay of100km in Babanango Game Reserve. Our pupils were most inspired by Adam’s efforts.
At Ocean View we like to mark the Festive Season with the Spirit of Giving and yet again thank you all for your contribution to the Isibonelo Christmas Gift Fund. With your generosity and the children’s creation of beautiful cards and gift bags the 74 children at the Creche had a Christmas party to remember.
Moving to Grade Four
We had a very sad farewell to our year three primary class, all ready for Grade four.
Benjamin goes to Northlands, Kira and Zaydin are going to Virginia Prep, Amah is going to Glen ashely Prep and Thingo to DPHS.
My how these children have grown,since their days with Umia in Toddler Group,
and now flourishing in the Primary class with Mrs C and Mrs B.
We love watching the children
mature, becoming leaders in the school.
To say that we are proud of them is an understatement. Sad farewells but no final goodbyes!
Ocean View Has (lots of) Talent
One thing is clear, that Ocean View Children grow to love the stage!!
Our shows are energetic and fun, and the benefit of participation goes far beyond the performance on the day. Our weekly music and drama lessons with Nkosi and Cara build confidence and self-expression through which the children develop a love of being centre stage. We involve children in all aspects of the production with the making of props and backdrops, all part of the process. The Bridge Theatre at Northlands School turned out to be a great venue!
The message of our show was that every child has their own individual talents and should have a chance to shine. Shine they did, be it by reciting poems, singing, break dance, ballroom dancing, telling jokes, playing instruments, doing magic tricks, Acro, Karate, Jiujitsu, headstands,cartwheels, tying knots and sharing dazzling space facts. It was wonderful to have Yusuf Asmal, ex OV pupil as our MC!, inspiring confidence in all.
Competition Time
Educating our pupils about sustainability is at the core of our planning and teaching. We held our tops and Tags competition in July and then went on to collect over 60kg of tops to win the Adopt a River school challenge.
The prize of a three month street pole ad campaign is really exciting for Ocean View and will start running from February 2024.
Recycling Updates
Bottle Tops: Keep collecting them and pick them up when out and about.. Bring to school in January!
Polystyrene Trays: Please wash and save these, and bring to school in January.
Remember your pledge to reduce use of single use plastic? If you go on a beach clean up you will find limitless lids and crumbled polystyrene. By keeping these things out of the Ocean you will make a huge difference to the planet.
E Waste, Light Bulbs and Batteries:
We collect all of the seat school too.
Keep them safe and bring to school when you can.
Peace Education
We used the finale of the show to share a Montessori message about peace. Montessori lived through very turbulent time sand the promotion of peace is central to the method.
She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times in1949, 1950 and 195. As we can see from the conflicts currently raging across the globe, the message of peace is as urgent today as it was over 100 years ago. At the start of the twentieth century Montessori wrote:
Preventing conflicts is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of education.” MM
Twinkling Candles as we sang ‘Candle for Peace.’
We hope you enjoy the ‘Candle for Peace.’ plaques that wesent home with the children forChristmas
Our Garden
We have made huge progress in our community garden on the verge in the last two weeks of the term. We commissioned two final yearhorticulture students from DUT to draw up a permaculture garden plan for Ocean View.
They have now implemented the layout, under the mentorship of Permaculture Guru,Gabriel Mngoma and with the help of Siya, Bonga’s son. It has been lovely to see young people working together with expertise and purpose. The heavy,clearing and digging work is now complete and the beds have been setout and mulched, ready for planting in the new year.
We are immensely grateful to Silverglen Nursery and the Durban Botanic Gardens who have donated indigenous hedging plants to us. These have been planted and will created an attractive border to the area as they grow.
The children will start to get fully involved, as from term one in 2024. The garden will certainly add another dimension to our campus and teaching. As you all know the long term plan is to buy the wedge of land and fence it.
We had great feedback from eThekwini City Estates to say that our application to purchase is now in the final stages of signing off. This has been a waiting game, but one with a clear vision. Once the land has been purchased and fenced we will re-organise and upgrade the play areas..
“If there is no struggle, there is noprogress.” – Frederick Douglass
Festive Season Planning
We all long for holiday periods and time to relax with family and friends, particularly in the turbulent times that we currently find ourselves. However, sometimes, once the holidays are upon us, work stress can replaced by home stress. This can often be the case when caring for young children with the added pressure of visiting family over the Festive Season. We hope you find some of these ideas helpful in navigating the Festive Season.
Routine and Ground Rules
Without the routine of school in place children will be looking for a little structure, and I am sure you will too. Even with young children you can have a family chat about the rules that you would all like to follow:
Talk Softly.
Be Kind.
Put away your toys.
Do your chores (even the smallest person in the house can have a simple chore.)
Eat at the table.
TV and screen time limits to be set.
Snuggle and story at bedtime.
Model the behaviour that you want to see
Children will quickly become disenchanted if you are not clear and consistent. Remember the rules and follow them too. Be present: When talking, walking, or playing with your little person, engage and have quality time together, put your phone away and enjoy the moment. A short period of quality timesharing a game is productive and validating for you both.
Limiting screen time
This is central to your plan. Limits on devices need to be realistically set and enforced. There are many educational YouTube channels. TV programmes can even include cooking and travel programmes along with the wildlife favourites. It could be fun to make a list of classic family films to watch and have some movie nights.
Choose a book to read as a family
Chores
These can be adapted to all ages and can be done daily. Older children love the idea of earning money,so an extra chore can be great to encourage too, such as washing cars and windows, show them the skill and provide suitable tools.
Fun activities at home
Spend some time setting up activity areas at home.
A craft table, a relaxing book area, a gardening patch or a mud kitchen could probably all be created using what you already have at home.
Indoor soft play
This is great for a rainy day, pile up cushions and blankets and make some dens and forts. Setting up a tent indoors or in the garden can also be a fun game.
Sort through toys, books and clothes
The festive season is a time of giving, so it may well be the time to sort through outgrown things with your children and take them along to a local charity collection.
Entertaining
Involve the children when you are having guests. They could help with a simple recipe, set the table or make decorations and help to serve snacks. Great for the development of social skills.
Recycling
Set up a recycling station at home if you do not have one already and start some eco-bricking or creating an aluminium foil ball for recycling.See what crafts you can make by re-purposing.
Tackle a project together
Children love a challenge, so involve them in a project over the holidays. Maybe you want to plant a herb or veggie garden, re-organise your garage, make Xmas decorations or cards, complete a photo album, the list is endless.
Learn a new skill
With a little more time at home this maybe the opportunity to help your little person to ride theirtrike of bike, learn to swim, maybe there is something that you could learn together?
Take regular walks
In your neighbourhood parks: or the beachfront. Outings can be simple and cheap just enjoy strolling, observing, chatting or having a simple picnic together.
Plan some bigger outings
Make a list of more involved trips and plan ahead for suitable opportunities to go to the theatre and see Aladdin at the Elizabeth Sneddon, The Trail of Lights at the Botanic Gardens, Ushaka, Tala Game Reserve, Burnedale Village, Sugar Rush, Flag Farm. More ideas can be found at:
https://www.ilovedurban/kids-activities/
https://www.instagram.com/whats_on_durban/
Handling change
Get ready for the trip, but check the weather and make the final announcement once you are sure that you can make it happen to avoid disappointment. Sometimes there are just too many moving parts to coordinate at this busy time of year. Handling change effectively is a developing skill for little people and whilst good to give practice in this skill, choose your moments!
Have your own time
These are just ideas that will make all or your time together more meaningful and help your little person feel more contented. With this, you will also be able to have your own time to re-chargeand rest. Call in the visiting relatives for some babysitting duty! Parents have rights too after all!
