Tests and Holidays

In this post, we’ll look at the final first trimester tests I wrote about in the previous post and then mainly at the holidays. But firstly, I want to thank you for your continued support.

Tests

At the end of the last trimester, the children wrote their final tests, which were challenging for some, but they all got through them – it is kindergarten and first grade, after all. You can see some of the tests in the pictures below. It was great to see how hard the children worked and their progress during the trimester. Parents especially appreciated the improvement in English and writing.

An information sign

The other good news is that we have installed an information sign at the junction to the shops about a mile from the preschool, bringing new people into the preschool. Not everyone will sign up, but awareness of our preschool is spreading to other locations.

Children on holidays

Our teacher visited the children’s parents during the holidays to greet them and see how the children are doing. It was a great opportunity to meet the children’s families and see their home conditions.

As for the activities that the children do during the holidays, it is a variety of tasks and fun. First of all, the children help their parents in the fields, harvesting corn, then helping to clean and pound it. Of course, they mostly play near their homes. Still, they also help with household chores such as preparing the fireplace for cooking (people here mostly cook on charcoal), washing dishes, and doing laundry (washing clothes by hand is common even in the cities). Some of the children also visit relatives and go for tuition. The teacher has also given them enough homework to not forget the skills they have learned. They have homework in each of the following subjects: writing, math, social studies, and science.

Plans

The next trimester starts on May 8, and the children look forward to it. It is expected that 3-5 more children will join the classes.

However, before classes begin, we still need to fix the toilet that got clogged just before the end of the first trimester. But the main task for May is to install the water tank on the platform we built the month before last and to connect the water to the preschool.

As always, we would be very grateful for your support by spreading the word about this project among your friends and any financial contribution to our fundraiser.