First Position Third Term 2011

The third and final term for the 2011 school year has ended! We're really proud of all the students, but especially proud of the following students. They worked hard throughout the term to come out as number one in their class!

Wind Mary

Kevin

Judith (still needs a sponsor)

Rayan

Jonathan

Abdul

Mary (still needs a sponsor)

Gift (still needs a sponsor)

Speech Day 2011

Every end of year, schools here in Uganda have a Speech Day. This is a time at the end of the year where classes get to present songs, dances, rhymes, etc. to their family and friends. I personally always enjoy Speech Day. I love seeing how much the children have grown over the year and all that they have learned!

Please enjoy the photos!

A Trip to the Zoo 2011 Part 2

No trip to the zoo is complete without playing on the playground!

A Trip to the Zoo 2011

This last term of the year the teachers and I decided that the children of Vision of Destiny needed incentive for good behavior.
We developed a stop light system where each child started out on green each Monday. The goal was to stay on green for the entire week. At the end of the week those children got to put a tick by their name on a separate name chart. At the end of the term, those children that had 8 out of 12.
We had 16 children that earned their way to the trip! We are really proud of them and hope they will keep it up next year!
You would think 8 out of 12 would be pretty simple to achieve. However, we have quite a number of behavior challenges at Vision of Destiny. I believe this is largely due to the environment from which the children come. However, I also believe that the school can play a part in creating a change in the behavior of the children attending the school.
Plus it gave us a change to reward the children who are consistent in exhibiting good behavior. So many times in most schools these children seem to get less attention than those that are always misbehaving. It was a great way for the teachers to get to spend some extra time praising these children!
Here are some photos of the children as they walked through the zoo. Sorry not many photos of the animals, but it's all about the kids anyway.

Football

I think a sport that is loved by children all over the world is football (soccer)!!!!!

This year Vision of Destiny had an after school program where children can choose a club to participate in one day a week after school. Their choices this year were music/dance or football. It was pretty much divided equally in half as to what the children chose.

They have learned much in each of the activities. The children in football have learned football skills as well as sportsmanship, sharing, encouraging each other, and having a positive attitude.

The month of November was a month of rewards for these children. We were invited to two different schools to play matches against their students. And we were invited by one of the international schools for a day camp on their football pitch.

I think this was the most exciting thing for the students of Vision of Destiny. It was the first time they had played on a real football pitch and even though it had rained the day and night before they had a blast! Actually, playing in the water was an added bonus! That day they were able to interact with the high school students who helped run the camp, learn new drills and skills, as well as scrimmage on a real football pitch!

So, the school year is about to end and with it, the end of after school football for this year.

However, I'm sure the kids will be playing football with their friends and neighbors over the break and be back next year ready for some more fun!

Baby Jurnee

Meet Baby Jurnee!

She made her way into the world at midnight, Friday, November 18.

After months of waiting, we were blessed with a short labor and delivery and got to finally see the blessing we've been waiting on! She weighed 3.5 kilos and was 46 cm long.

She is truly a blessing from God and we're extremely thankful for her life, enjoying every precious minute we get to spend with her, and are looking forward to what her future holds!

Thanks to the many that have been praying for us! You are appreciated.

First Position Second Term 2011

Here are the top performers for second term!!!!!! We have quite a number of children competing for first place each term. So many, that most classes have two children tied for first position. From top to bottom: Wind Mary, Joseph, Kevin, Kato, Yosam, Jonathan, Peace, Abdul, Gift, Mary. (Gift and Mary are not yet sponsored.......)