Snow Day!

The group was treated to a weekend in Tahoe, thanks to the family of fourth grade teacher Donna Young. They lucked out with beautiful, sunny weather and loved the change of pace from their busy days at school--and who doesn't have fun sledding and throwing snowballs?

Sugar is Sweet

Last week the visiting eSibonisweni learners and their Saint Mark's buddies learned how to use XO laptops to draft reflections on their first week together. The Saint Mark's students were fascinated by the tiny, lime green XOs with their innovative operating system, Sugar. The eSibonisweni learners bravely expressed themselves in English, using "best guess" spelling. The photos captured using the XOs' built-in cameras say it all!

Hi. Our names are N. and D. During the first week we went to many clases including P.E.

N. and D. are 12 years old. I visted grade 6 with D.

N. and D. like to play football (soccer). I like Esibonisweni and Saint Marks. I have many friends at Saint Marks. N. and D. like to draw cars. We like apples.

Hello are names are T., L., and J.! We have had a fun time this week! On Monday, we had sembile. in pe we danced, ran. drew. played with friends. played basketball.we went on the spinny thing.me and Ashley sat in Ashley's house

HI MY NAME IS S. AND J . SO.LAST WEEK WE START WITH MATHS HISTROY ;ENGLISH SPINISH.SO WE AJOY TO LEARNING ABOUT ENGLISH AND HISTORY I AJOY TO SEE THE BIG BRIDGE.I LIKE THE FOOD IN SAINT MARK SCHOOL AND TO SOCCER.IM WEL TO BE HOUS OF AIR. SO THE THINGS I AJOY FROM JOHANIBARG TO ATLANTA STATET TO MOVE EROPLAIN.I LIKE ALLMOST EVERYTHING.

Hi our names L. and K. My favorite part was waka waka dance. i had fun with Ms. scott. i enjoyed drawing and meeting all the people.








S. and A. We had lots of fun this week. We like ice cream and basketball. We ate vanilla ice cream and played basketball at recess and we went to the 7th grade boys basketball game. We like puzzle. The easy. We played football(soccer) We danse in PE.

S.: My fraind T. and Daisy. I lake Music. I Miss Esibonisweni Primary School.

T.: I am having fun with S. She is really kind and fun to be around. She is a fast runner. She can make friends fast.

We Are Together!

My best day in America

Ngikuthokozele kakhulu ukuyovolontiya esontweni lase Glide. (I liked our volunteer visit to Glide to serve lunch) bekuyiphupho lami elikhulu kwamaningi enginawo(it has been my biggest dream among many)

I also had my time with top music producers in america

WHO NEEDS P.E.?!

Volunteering at Glide

Today members of the Saint Mark's community and the teachers and learners from eSibonisweni volunteered to serve lunch at Glide in San Francisco.  It was a great way for them to learn more about the various communities in the Bay Area, and it was a fabulous opportunity to create friendships based upon helping others together.  The photos and captions, courtesy of parent organizer Kelley Warner, document a little of the experience.  Thank you to everyone who helped make this wonderful day possible!

I think the kids are much like the kids here - they don't get the full impact of what they are seeing/doing, but they got what they could.  It's just amazing how some of the playfulness is just pure human nature.  Three of the boys were next to me - we were moving the food trays along the runners and two of the boys were putting salt and pepper packets on the trays.  They turned it into a game - zooming the tray past as fast as possible, so the salt & pepper guys were trying to "hit their mark".  So very funny.  Nomusa  has that infectious smile - the fellow in charge, David, immediately told her that she would be his greeter.  She greeted each lunch goer (client) and gave them their trays with that amazing smile.  I saw her get very wide-eyed when she saw some of the clients that were coming through.  She noticed that one fellow went through the line 5 times.

I think the teachers really enjoyed it. I had a great conversation with Zodwa on the ride home, and she really loved Glide.  She is Methodist at home, and she made this connection that she gives money donations at her church for work that the Methodist church does to feed people, and she said, "I helped feed those people today." 

We drove down to the wharf via Lombard street - so fun.  Then we got down to Fisherman's wharf, and they saw live crabs, and some of the teachers tasted cooked crab and liked it, but commented on how much work it was to get out of the shell.  Then the kids had a blast at the Musee Mechanique.  Carol's friend that owns it greeted us at the door and introduced the museum to them.  Then he took them to his favorite exhibits, and Carol had pockets full of quarters for them to try everything.  It's so funky and fun.  The kids favorite, hands-down, was the driving video games where you feel like you are in a race car, and the grab-it machine where they tried to scoop gum balls.  Some senior citizens were there (I think part of a tour group) and a couple of the women were so taken by the kids they gave them a bunch of money for the machines so they could watch them have fun playing!

As we were driving home two big container ships were passing under the Golden Gate!  So we had a discussion about what is a ship and what is a boat.

 

 

 

Massage Time!

Mel is a trained massage therapist. Simangele and Zodwa were happy to let Mel "practice"!

Khaya Using Chopsticks

We had Chinese food at Donna Young's house and everyone learned to use chopsticks. Khaya is now an expert!

John and Nomusa 5th grade music.MOV

Technology can reduce paper work

Today we had a meeting with Saint Marks's technology experts. 4 computers are donated for all teachrs of eSibonisweni, with the aim of strengtening friendship between these schools. The most important thing for this setup is to connect learners and teachers for both schools. Now teachers are learning to use these computers. As a group from eSibonisweni we are out of words to show our appreciation, I think the most important part is to make use of this wonderful opportunity, this would be our biggest word of showing our appreciation.

Thank you guys
Khaya

Words of Welcome

A Student Recalls An Early Meeting Opportunity

On Friday, January 7, I went to dinner with my mom, Kendal and Kendal’s mom at Applebees at North Gate Mall.While we were there we saw Mrs. Becker, her husband and four of the South African students and three of their teachers. We introduced ourselves and spoke to them for a while. They had just gotten off the plane and were hungry. Their flight was over 14 hours ,and they told us how only one of the teachers had ever been in an airplane before. They looked exhausted, but excited. When I asked one of the students what he thought about San Rafael, he said, “It is very nice, but cold." - Wally

Are We There Yet?

Lower School Welcomes eSibonisweni

My Day with Samke

Today was the day Samke came to Saint Mark's school, and I enjoyed having her around.  When she arrived in my classroom after her school tour, everyone greeted her and some people hugged her.  We had fun talking at recess with a group of girls from Saint Mark's.  She is quite fast at running and energetic. During our 5th-1st buddy activity, she was enthusiastic, and she spoke some English.  She practiced a lot.  When she used a red marker, she wrote the word "red."  When she used gray, she wrote "grey."  I learned that gray is spelled differently in South Africa.

Samke and I are the two girls in the center of the photo (from Saturday night).  Samke loves the Izzy drinks that we have in our hands. - Talia

A Day of Fun Without End....

Sanele and Sbusiso have been staying with us and the fun never seems to stop--it's like Groundhog Day. After a big experimental breakfast where we continued to learn what they like to eat (no, it's not chocolate ice cream), Sanele and Sbuiso tried their hand at jumping on a pogo stick.

 
We then had enjoyed a lovely mass before heading off to Muir Woods where the sun shone long enough for the boys to hug a redwood and see the tops of some pretty tall trees. We also saw a few coho salmon swimming up stream to spawn.

We were then off to San Francisco headlands for a beautiful view of the city before meeting up with the rest of the group at the Exploratorium.

I enjoyed watching Khaya try to make some big bubbles at the Exploratorium. He was having so much fun, he went into a hall of mirrors to try and clone himself so he could stay a little longer--or maybe it was so the clone could go in the Tactile Dome.

Let's just say, the journey through the Tactile Dome is no longer down my alley, but that's ok since I had a lot of other adults to spend time with while the young and/or more daring ventured in. Hats off to Simangele, Nomusa and Zodwa, you were all braver than me!!!!  The children (and John) really seemed to like the Dome.  

 After the Exploraturium, we indulged in some great Chicago style pizza and then headed to House of Air--a room full of trampolines where the boys jumped around and had a great time perfecting a flip. They did it!!

 Not surprising, the boys fell fast asleep last night dreaming of their first day of school. They were up early the next morning in anticipation of a great day at Saint Mark's. Based on the welcoming parade and the assembly in the gym, I bet they have a great day.

eSibonisweni Visitors Explore San Francisco

What a day for our visitors!  We started with an incredible and uplifting experience at Glide Memorial, then off to the Exploratorium for an afternoon of discovery (including the daunting Tactile Dome).  We ended our long day in San Francisco with a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge and a drive to the top of Marin Headlands for awesome views.  Our day was filled with excitement and laughter!- Lisa Becker

San Francisco Incredible Day!

Khaya is having his first ever "popovers" - for Mel and I, our parents taught us to make this breakfast, and they learned from their parents. We spent the morning in the hot tub (jacuzzi) talking about politics, then talked about learning english at school.

The experience at Glide was amazing; maybe someone else will post pictures. There was music, singing, hugging and an incredible sermon. The pastor welcomed the South Africans and everyone in the congregation cheered. The sermon was about moving past just "helping" others; it was about seeing yourself in all others. It was about love, relationships and true connection. The pastor finished by making a reference to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. It was, in a word, perfect. Our guests loved the experience and it generated a lot of conversation.

Next we went to the Exploratorium and the Tactile Dome. The Tactile Dome is a special building. You go inside and there is complete darkness. You have to feel your way along tunnels, up ramps, down slides and around corners until you come out without seeing anything! You can't get lost because there is only one way to go, but it is still scary the first time you try. The staff let our entire group stay together, and every one of our guests went through at least once! We traveled through the dark in small group and cheered each time a group came out on the other side!

One of our first groups made it through to the sound of loud cheers.

Doing something new together always brings a smile!

After the Tactile Dome, we toured around the science activities. In this one, a camera takes a picture of you while a balloon inflates to startle you. You can see your face right while you are being surprised!

Another experiment with light and color.

Our guests are running in circles to make a tornado from the steam!

While the children stayed with some of the parents inside, the teachers came out to go walking on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was getting near sunset, and the day was gorgeous. We planned to take many pictures!

On the Marin side, the cameras were snapping.

If you look closely, you can see the rays of the sun passing through the bridge. 

We walked out to the first tower (behind us). We saw seals in the water and kayakers coming back from the ocean. We almost never stopped laughing and talking together.

 After the bridge, we drove up to the top of the Marin Headlands to look down on the bridge and see the sunset on the Pacific Ocean. 

The end of an incredible day! Khaya was in bed at 7:30 PM. 

Two Peas in a Pod...

It is inspiring to me that two women from two different continents can meet for the first time and be instant friends.  I was excited to meet our guests because I've been anticipating their arrival for so long. I met Zodwa Sithole, Third Grade teacher from eSibonisweni, Saturday morning and formed an instant bond.  We chatted as if we were old friends catching up after being apart for a while.  Last night, I sat with her for quite some time.  We shared family stories and ways of life.  I was amazed at how different our lives are, but at the same time we are so very similar.  We are teachers and mothers.  We love life, even its challenges.  We are full of energy and aren't afraid to show it!  It is very clear to me that we will learn so much from each other as she joins my classroom for the next couple of weeks.  We ARE two peas in a pod!

Saint Mark's School is fortunate to have such energetic, lovely guests from South Africa.  I am beaming because I am part of such a wonderful community.  I can't wait to see what the next couple of weeks holds in store for all of us!

-Julie Fritz