A Few Of Its Stories

Zaan's Mission for the School

Zaan's Vision for the School

Of course, the primary purpose of the school is to build the confidence of the children and prepare them to succeed at school, each according to their ability.

Zaan considers it every bit as important, and in this, she has the full support of the Board and the friends and supporters of the school, that the children are taught good manners and that there is emphasis throughout the school day on good principles like honesty and doing your best.

Enthusiasm is encouraged and creativity is praised, and the children are encouraged to laugh and enjoy the funny side. Pikkewyntjies is a happy place, and when disputes arise, the children sort themselves out with the minimum of fuss.

It speaks for the school that the principles of the two primary schools in Kleinmond to which our graduates go, are eager to accept Pikkewyntjies because they are 'dierbare kinders' (delightful children).

Not all the stories are happy ones. Sometimes there is a little child who struggles to learn and for whom reading and writing and arithmetic will always be very difficult to master. This is because the child’s mother drank excessively while she was pregnant or because the child wasn’t nourished in the early months of development. The preschool offers such a child patient coaching and love and builds confidence through mastery of other skills.

Since this is such a small community it is happily possible for the preschool to provide ongoing support and encouragement for such a child after hours and in the holidays.

PK The Aftercare

For a long time now Zaan has wanted ex-Pikkewyntjies to be able to find assistance and support at their one time preschool, when they feel challenged at school.

She has never given up on this goal knowing how much it is needed. Difficulties continue, of course, as is always the case when a new project is undertaken on a shoe string and everyone is working in their spare time.

Recently, although the computer area was set up and painted and computers installed in the clinic area belonging to the municipality, it had to be dismantled. The winter has brought heavy rain and wind and the doors of the hall are not fitted with weather boards with the result the floor has repeatedly been flooded.

While this is a setback we could well have done without, thanks to “The Lindas” the Pikkewyntjies Aftercare has nevertheless been launched

Linda Briers, a volunteer gives her time and expertise to offer a class to Grade 2s to improve their Afrikaans reading skills and comprehension. Pikkewyntjies Preschool buys the readers.

Linda Bruce, has likewise volunteered her knowledge and skill to guide a class of primary school children to speak, read and write English with confidence. She is using the Let’s Read Do & Learn reading programme, a good curriculum, she says, for teaching a First Additional language.

The children have named their class, "The Very Clever English Class"

While acquiring competence in English is the primary objective of the lessons, Linda has the children’s well-being very much at heart and is nurturing emotional intelligence, encouraging the children to tell a friend when their behaviour hurts their feelings instead of saying something hurtful in return. She is also encouraging responsibility by giving the children tasks in the classroom and rotating leadership roles and fostering good listening skills and self discipline.

Linda taught the first lesson of “The Very Clever English Class” in January 2023 and is pleased with the progress the children have made to date.