Wednesday, October 30, 2013

2013: Year 8 Fundraising So Far

Again, thus year, our Year 8 students have been throwing themselves into their annual Pathways(homeroom) fundraiser. Who wold have thought when we did an emergency fundraising and packing goods for tsunami relief four years ago that it would expand into this? Really, it is only able to happen now because two of us work very well together to make it happen and the principal supports us, knowing what the kids learn from this is far and away more important than sitting in the classroom using textbooks(though we had to do that too this year, when the senior careers teacher decided it would help to make them ready for his area). We haven't been able to spend the time doing research on various charities before the vote, it had to be cut down to three weeks on the three charities we have already done, because time was taken from a number of subjects, including ours, and given to maths.

But the magic is still there. And three weeks in, the kids have raised about half of last year's amount and are likely to top it.

Yesterday a group of boys led by one who is frighteningly well organised sold iced pop cakes. They also had icy poles, but agreed to put them away for a much warmer day. Even so, they made over $100 in profit! I shut my mouth and let them get on with it, only arranging for them to take tables from my classroom and suggesting the frozen treats be put away for a warmer day. They had it all under control otherwise.

Last week a group ran two events - iced coffee and chocolate and a dodgeball game. There just weren't enough of them to do both and so two girls volunteered to help with the iced coffees. They were needed! There were crowds outside the Foods room awaiting their preordered drinks and others keen to order. It was rush-around-like-headless-chooks time, but suddenly all the preorders were done and we'd accommodated the new orders and the students had made $100 profit and had a pile of leftover ingredients they were happy to donate to whoever needed them because they had done what we told them and spent preorder money on them. There's a group soon doing milkshakes....

This task teaches them to use their imaginations, work in a team, budget and plan(oh, and some maths too)and makes them aware of other people's troubles. And it gives them something to add to their resumes.

As always, I'm so proud of them!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Western Chances Triumph!

My girls, Haley and Karyn, have achieved their scholarships. Yay! I was finally able to tell them last Friday. The official notification hasn't come in, but the lady who has been in contact said we could tell the four girls(two of mine and two in the other Year 8, nominated by my colleague Janis, the other Year 8 teacher). She had been emailing me to ask if we wanted to request anything else.

Janis and I wanted to make a little ceremony of it, calling them into her office to make the announcement, but one of them was absent and in the end, we just told them. It was such a pleasure to watch their faces light up!

It will be a couple of years of work for us all. You can't just assume they will get some more next year. You have to apply each year. They have to write each time about what this scholarship would mean to them in their pursuit of their dreams, and you have to fill in more paperwork, and then you send it off and cross your fingers.

But it's a wonderful scholarship. It's only a few hundred a year towards their study needs, but it can make such a difference. That's one thing they don't have to worry about as they study. Bless you, Terry Bracks! And bless all the folk who work there, making it happen, and all the sponsors.

As for my students, I'm so very proud of them. They deserve it.