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Term 1, Done and Dusted
March 2022
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Dear Families, Friends and Supporters of The Butterfly Centre,
What a successful start to 2022 we have had. The Butterfly Centre is growing in leaps and bounds, and so much learning and progress has been seen in all our special children.
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Sports
We have once again been extremely lucky to have the unconditional support of the Grootbos Foundation sports coaches, who visit us twice a week to engage the children in a variety of physical activities.
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Physical activity is important for both the physical and mental development of children and helps in the development of better motor skills, concentration, and thinking skills.
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Term 1 has seen the children take to the water with the support of the coaches, and weekly swimming and water safety lessons in the newly completed swimming pool at the Kastner’s house at Stanford Hills has seen the children grow in confidence as they realize that they are actually able to swim, and have nothing to fear.
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School
So much has happened during the first few months of 2022.
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Chrysalis Early Learning Centre opened its doors to children aged between 3 and 7. As early intervention is key, we are excited to be able to offer the appropriate support to our youngest.
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The Junior class, under the guidance of Ros and Robyn, has also grown with the addition of two new students, and the possibility of more joining in Term 2. The children have focused on China as their topic this term and have learned a great deal about the culture, food, and people of China through hands-on activities, such as cooking and eating noodles, and various arts and crafts activities.
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Two new students joined the Senior class early in Term 1, with another boy joining us for the beginning of Term 2. The big kids have started doing spelling tests and maths tests. They are doing well, with the necessary support in reading and analyzing the questions.
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Sarah has joined our team three times a week when she helps out in the classes and supports the children on their learning journey.
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New Library
A library would not be a library without books and shelves.
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A very special thanks to Brian from READ for donating so many fantastic books, and giving our kids the opportunity to read books that are relevant and appropriate to them.
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We would also like to say a big thank you to the Stanford Rotary Club, who helped make the library possible by donating the shelving.
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If you have any books lying around that need to be rehomed, do let me know.
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This term alone the children:
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- helped with the Grape Harvest.
- learned Joga.
- planted new seeds for our vegetable garden. (Special Thanks to Pontsho and his team from Grootbos Foundation).
- learned swimming (Special Thanks to Natasha and her team from Grootbos Foundation).
- went on hikes.
- did Horse-riding (Special Thanks to The African Horse Company).
- experimented with various food preparations.
- arts and crafts.
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Learning should be fun
There’s nothing better than getting a varied and interesting education.
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As children learn in different ways, tailoring their education to different learning methods helps to bring the best out of them. Mixing up education to incorporate various attributes hones into a child's way of thinking and gives him/her a chance to explore his/her strengths in a happy environment.
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At The Butterfly Centre we try and incorporate as much hands-on, concrete learning as possible.
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One of the many great hands-on learning benefits is that it helps to stimulate growth on both sides of the brain.
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Experiences also don’t have to be just studied in the classroom as outside learning also has huge benefits to a student’s awareness of the environment around them.
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How to support The Butterfly Centre
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Fundraising remains a reality for us, as many of the children who most need our services come from families who are unable to pay full fees for tuition and therapies. It also requires funds to have children accessed professionally diagnosed, which then helps us to tailor-make suitable individualized education plans.
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Please consider becoming a regular sponsor of one such child. If unable to sponsor the full R2 200 monthly, please consider sponsoring 50% of a precious child’s fees to allow them to fulfill their personal potential in a loving and supportive environment. Should you be willing to do this, we will send personal thanks and updates on the progress of your specific student.
If you are able to assist with any of our wish list items below we would be MOST grateful:
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- Readers (from Level 5 upwards).
- Playground equipment for the younger children.
- Strawberry plants, potting soil, and flowers.
- Desks and suitable chairs for new students.
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Thanks also to our regular sponsors and donors, too many to mention but you know who you are...may you all be richly blessed in return.
Thank you to the Butterfly Centre Board, who work hard behind the scenes to make sure our NPO complies with all the many requirements to ensure legal, ethical, and transparent management.
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We would like to thank each and every one of our supporters.
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We are ready and excited to keep growing and improving, and allowing each child to shine their beautiful and individual light into the world.
With so much love from all of us at The Butterfly Centre, most of all from our very special Butterfly children.
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