Newsletters

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: NOVEMBER 2012


Directors Welcome

Dear Parent(s),

It’s hard to believe that our first school year is soon to draw to a close.  The time has flown by! We have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and your children. Being Directors of a school is more than just a job – it is a blessing as we have been entrusted with the care of your wonderful children. Thank you!
Term finishes on Friday 30th November but before then we still have a busy schedule at ZIGS. On Monday, 5th November we will be having our PTA AGM. This meeting is of vital importance as it is an opportunity for YOU our parents to share your ideas about our school. We will also be electing a new PTA executive so it would be great to see as many parents as possible on this evening. The meeting will commence at 1800.
On Monday, 19th November all parents will be invited into school for our Parents Consultation Evening. This is an opportunity for all parents to discuss their child’s progress with their teachers. It is vital that parents attend so please make a note in your diaries. Meetings will commence at 1700.

We would once again like to thank all our parents for their support during the past school year. All your feedback is appreciated and we are aware that for our school to be the best in Livingstone and beyond we need strong links between our school and our parents. All education is a partnership between the school and the parents. As parents you are the first educators of your children and we are honoured and privileged that you have chosen ZIGS as your partner in this process. We are sure that you will agree that the greatest gift we can give our children is that of education!

Adrian & Betty Scarlett (Directors)

Holiday Club
What to do with the children during this long holiday is a perennial problem for all parents. During closure times the children’s learning is interrupted, they often regress academically and they become bored! Fortunately help is at hand as we at ZIGS will be running a Holiday Club during the long Christmas Holiday. ZIGS Holiday Club will open on Monday 3rd December and will run on a Monday to Friday until Friday 21st December and then reopen for the week 7th to 11th January. The Holiday Club will be focused upon improving children’s literacy and numeracy skills; spiritual development with a particular focus on Christmas; art, drama, dance, music and games and sports. The Holiday Club is open to all children up to 10 years of age. Please let your friends and neighbours know about this provision at ZIGS.

The cost of the Holiday Club will be:
Children learning at ZIGS
K250,000 for three weeks
K100,000 per week
K25,000 per day
Children learning elsewhere
K300,000 for three weeks
K100,000 per week
K30,000 per day
 
All costs are inclusive of lunch. Please book early to avoid disappointment. 

Give a little to save a soul 
On Saturday 27th October ZIGS hosted a party for local orphans. The party was organised by Kimberley Musonda and her charity Give a little to save a soul in conjunction with us at ZIGS and students from the Victoria Falls University Community Outreach Group (VFUCOG). The party was a tremendous success and it was amazing to see the children having such a wonderful time. We are hoping to host more such events in the future as we feel that it is our duty to support the most vulnerable people in our community. 

Educational Tour
On Wednesday 7th November we will be taking all our children to the Railway Museum and the Airport in order to enhance their learning about transport. Of course there is a cost to the school in providing transport and the charges for the tours and we will be asking all parents to contribute K20,000 per child. Please ensure that your child is in school by 0800 on this day as we aim to be at the airport for 0830 and thus need to leave school promptly. 

Dinner Money
Dinner money must be paid on time or unfortunately we will have to ask parents to collect their child from school at lunchtime in order to ensure that they are fed. Dinner money must be submitted within the first week of every month in order for children to be fed in school. 

Christmas
The joyful season of Christmas is almost upon us. During the month of November our teachers will be working with our children in order to put on a Nativity Play on the last day of term. We hope that during the rehearsals for the play our children will deepen their understanding of the importance of Christmas in the Christian tradition. More details about our end of term celebrations will be communicated shortly but ensure that you keep the 30th November free!

Universal Children's Day
On 20th November we celebrate Universal Children’s Day. On this day we at ZIGS will celebrate the diversity of culture that we have within our school. Please send your child to school on this day wearing clothing that reflects their heritage and culture. This may be associated with their country of origin or their tribe. 
Diwali 
We would like to take this opportunity to wish the Hindu community a Happy Diwali. Diwali is commonly known as the ‘festival of lights’ and is a week long festival celebrated by Hindu’s across the world.




SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: OCTOBER 2012

Directors Welcome
Dear Parent(s),
Warm greetings to our wonderful parents! It’s hard to believe that we are already more than one month into the 3rd term. The time really flies!
Thank you to all those parents who have paid their fees for this term. Fees are the only way that we are able to meet our operating costs. Fees are our only income and go to pay our teachers and staff, the rent for our building and all the bills so they are vital to our survival and growth. When fees are late it affects our ability to pay our staff so it is vital that all parents either pay on time or liaise with us if fees are likely to be delayed. If you have any outstanding fees for this year it is imperative that they are paid by this Friday (12th October) otherwise we will have ask parents to keep their children at home until the situation is rectified. Our door is always open and we are always willing to listen to any parents who would like to discuss any issues relating to the payment of fees.
Furthermore, we are always grateful to receive feedback from parents. Of course we love to hear the positive things about our school but we also welcome constructive criticism.
ZIGS is YOUR school and we are educating YOUR children so all your comments are warmly received.

Adrian and Betty Scarlett (Directors)

Midterm Break 
On Friday 12th October we will be closing for a one week midterm break. The school will reopen on Monday 22nd October. Enjoy the break!

Independence 
Independence Day is fast approaching and we are preparing our children for the celebration. Children are used to celebrating ‘special days’ such as their birthdays, Christmas, Eid or Diwali and we believe that it is important that they have an understanding of the importance of Independence Day as one of the most important days in the calendar for all Zambians.

Give a little to save a soul
ZIGS will be hosting a party on behalf of the charity Give a little to save a soul. The party will be for children from local orphanages and will be hosted by former Big Brother Africa contestant Kimberley Musonda. We at ZIGS are happy to offer our facilities for this wonderful event as part of our commitment to the wider community. In order to make this event a resounding success the charity are asking for donations of rice, mealie meal, meat, vegetables, drinks and bails of clothing to be donated to the children. Any donations from our parents would be received gratefully.

Curriculum
We are aware that many of our parents are disappointed that we have not been able to offer French as part of our curriculum this term. We are actively seeking a French teacher to replace Mrs Zimba who left us at the end of last term and hope to recommence this subject in January.
Furthermore, we are exploring avenues of opportunities that will allow us to offer more lessons in Computers. We have the skills to deliver Computer lessons among our teachers but are in need of more computers in order to deliver this part of the curriculum in a way that will be beneficial to our children. Any second hand PC’s or laptops would be a useful addition to our school!

Staffing
We would like to extend our best wishes to Teacher Caroline as she leaves us to further her studies. Caroline has taught our multi-grade class for the past year and we are very grateful for all her hard work and commitment to our children.
We welcome Teacher Kaome to our teaching staff at ZIGS. Kaome will be teaching the multi-grade class. Kaome comes to ZIGS having spent five years at Acacia International School and is a well qualified and experienced teacher. Please make her welcome as part of the ZIGS family.

Educational Tours
Soon after our midterm break we will be taking all our children to the Railway Museum and the Airport in order to enhance their learning about transport. Of course there is a cost to the school in providing transport and the charges for the tours and we will be asking all parents to contribute K50,000 per child. All parents will have to sign a letter of consent though in order for their child to participate in the tour. The provisional date for the educational tour is Wednesday 7th November.

Electronic Communications
We have been working hard to improve our communication with our parents and the wider community. Our website is now launched and can be found at www.zigszambia.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook operating understand the name ZIGS Livingstone. Please add us and interact on our page. Furthermore, we can also be contacted by e mail at greenschoolafrica@gmail.com Stay in touch!

Holiday Clubs
ZIGS will close for the Christmas Holidays on Friday 30th November and reopen in the New Year. What to do with the children during this long holiday is a perennial problem for all parents. During closure times the children’s learning is interrupted, they often regress academically and they become bored! Fortunately help is at hand as we at ZIGS will be running a Holiday Club during the long Christmas Holiday. ZIGS Holiday Club will open on Monday 3rd December and will run on a Monday to Friday until Friday 21st December and then reopen for the week 7th to 11th January. The Holiday Club will be focused upon improving children’s literacy and numeracy skills; spiritual development with a particular focus on Christmas; art, drama, dance, music and games and sports.

Birthday Parties
Parents should not forget that ZIGS is available for Birthday Parties! Please let us know in advance if you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday on the school campus and we can ensure that they have the best party ever in our safe, fun and child-friendly environment. Even if it rains we can ensure that spirits are not dampened by moving the party indoors! Parties can be fully catered for by our excellent Kitchen staff. Should your child wish to have the use of a Jumping Castle at their party please let us know and it can be arranged. We can tailor your party to your desires!

PTA AGM
Here at ZIGS we really want our parents to be involved in their child’s education. We want to invite parents to offer as much feedback as possible to our teachers and managers to ensure that your school continues to improve. We elected a PTA last December but unfortunately the association has never had an opportunity to meet. We therefore invite parents to volunteer themselves to a revived PTA. This body will be an advisor body for our leadership team and will play a vital part in moulding the future of ZIGS. Please come forward and work with us! Our PTA AGM will be held on Monday 5th November at 1800.

Parents Consultation Evening
On Monday 19th November we will be hosting a Parent’s Consultation Evening at ZIGS. At this meeting parents will have a chance to discuss their child’s academic progress with their teacher.

Dinner Money
Dinner money must be paid on time or unfortunately we will have to ask parents to collect their child from school at lunchtime in order to ensure that they are fed. Dinner money must be submitted within the first week of every month in order for children to be fed in school.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER 2012

Directors Welcome 

Dear Parent(s), 

Welcome back to the new term at Zambezi International Green School. We hope that all our children had a happy and blessed holiday and are returning to school with an invigorated desire for learning. May we take this opportunity to wish all our Muslim children and parents a belated Eid Mubarak! 

Adrian and Betty Scarlett (Directors)



Christmas

The highlight of this term is of course the fact that we celebrate the joyful season of Christmas in December. Christmas is of course of the biggest festivals in the Church year and as such much of our RE programme will be focused on preparing the children to celebrate this wonderful time when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ! During the latter part of the term we will be preparing our children for a special end of term liturgy which will include a Nativity Play that will include every child at our school! 

Independence

Another great focal point for all of us this term is the 48th celebration of Zambia’s Independence. Children will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of ‘independence’ in the run up to Independence Day and during the week of 22nd to 26th October we will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the birth of our nation. 

Educational Tours

This term is certainly an action packed and exciting one! Besides the excitement of Christmas and Independence we will also be taking our children on a couple of educational tours. Part of the focus for learning this term is on the theme of ‘Transport’ and in order for the children to experience and visualise some of the ways we utilise transport in the modern world we shall be taking them to the Railway Museum and the Airport. Furthermore, we will also be inviting a representative from Zambikes to come into school to talk about the work they do in providing much needed transport to the poor and vulnerable in Zambian society. We at ZIGS love Zambikes as they are very much focused upon making the world a greener place. There bamboo bikes are simply amazing! 

Electronic Communications

In order to improve our communication with parents we have spent time and energy during the holidays building a website and a Facebook page. The website is hosted ‘Blogspot’ and although simple on design it should prove an excellent tool for our parents who wish to access information about our school. We hope that parents will take advantage of the Facebook page as an interactive tool. It is a superb medium by which parents may interact with the school administration and management. We are also exploring ways of using Social Media as a tool for learning. If you are not on Facebook yet then you had better sign up! Furthermore, you can now contact the school directly through e mail greenschoolafrica@gmail.com

Performing Arts

We will soon be launching a School for Performing Arts to be based at our school campus. The Zambezi International Green School for Performing Arts will run after school hours from 1630 – 1830 every weekday and on Saturday between 1000 and 1400. If you have older children between the ages of 8 and 19 years then please encourage then to get involved. We are also looking for people who are passionate about Drama, Dance and Music to join us in promoting the arts in Livingstone. We see the Arts as not only of intrinsic value but also as a tremendous way of boosting literacy, self-confidence and teamwork. ZIGSPA should be fun as well as helping young people develop in mind and body! 

Holiday Clubs

The new term may only just be beginning but already the next Holiday Season is looming. ZIGS will close for the Christmas Holidays on Friday 30th November and reopen in the New Year. What to do with the children during this long holiday is a perennial problem for all parents. During closure times the children’s learning is interrupted, they often regress academically and they become bored! Fortunately help is at hand as we at ZIGS will be running a Holiday Club during the long Christmas Holiday. ZIGS Holiday Club will open on Monday 3rd December and will run on a Monday to Friday until Friday 21st December and then reopen for the week 7th to 11th January. The Holiday Club will be focused upon improving children’s literacy and numeracy skills; spiritual development with a particular focus on Christmas; art, drama, dance, music and games and sports. 

Birthday Parties

Parents should not forget that ZIGS is available for Birthday Parties! Please let us know in advance if you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday on the school campus and we can ensure that they have the best party ever in our safe, fun and child-friendly environment. Even if it rains we can ensure that spirits are not dampened by moving the party indoors! Parties can be fully catered for by our excellent Kitchen staff. Should your child wish to have the use of a Jumping Castle at their party please let us know and it can be arranged. We can tailor your party to your desires! 

PTA

Here at ZIGS we really want our parents to be involved in their child’s education. We want to invite parents to offer as much feedback as possible to our teachers and managers to ensure that your school continues to improve. We elected a PTA last December but unfortunately the association has never had an opportunity to meet. We therefore invite parents to volunteer themselves to a revived PTA. This body will be an advisor body for our leadership team and will play a vital part in moulding the future of ZIGS. Please come forward and work with us. 


Fees

Thank you to all our parents who have consistently paid all school fees on time. It is imperative that fees are paid in full and on time. Without fees we cannot afford to meet our outgoings and thus function as a school. The fees for Term 3 are due NOW and must be paid by Monday 17th September. Unfortunately if school fees are not paid by this date then we may have to withdraw your child from the school until the balance has been paid. Our doors are always open to our parents should there be issues of finance to be discussed and we will always do our best to be patient but please do communicate with us if there are any issues. 

Dinner Money

All dinner money must be paid on time or unfortunately we will have to ask parents to collect their child from school at lunchtime in order to ensure that they are fed. Dinner money must be submitted within the first week of every month in order for children to be fed in school.

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