Miss Fine's Grade 5 Year

School drop-off selfie: Miss Fine

This year has started much more relaxed with regards Miss Fine and being in Grade 5 this year. Last year we were anxious about Grade 4, which was a culture shock, but she aced it by doing very well in her first exams. So much so that she is getting an academic achievement award next week. We are so proud.

Grooming female scientists and engineers of the future

Parktown Girls

Stories about inspiring women and girls are always great to share! We got an email about Parktown Girls who are grooming female scientists and engineers. We have a Miss that only has a few years (3 years eeek!) before she also has to decide what direction she is going to go with regards her career and her subjects. How do we prepare girls like her to choose a career in STEM?

South Africa is in desperate need of qualified scientists and engineers. Compounding this, only 11% of engineers globally are female according to an article published by UNESCO in October 2017.  This is a worldwide phenomenon, despite a rising global demand for qualified science, technology, engineering and, maths (STEM) professionals.
Tracey Megom, Principal at Parktown High School for Girls, says the idea for a Science Centre was born 15 years ago, but the school initially struggled to come up with the money to build it, so parents started fundraising and looking for partners. Anglo American helped them with their dream by a multi-million Rand investment that is already impacting this skills gap.

Following Anglo American’s contribution, the construction of two conjoined laboratory and classroom facilities for life sciences, physics and chemistry began in 2015 and the science centre was opened in late 2016 to the school’s 1 100 pupils. Its effect was almost immediate: 30% more Grade 9 girls chose the sciences as matric subjects.

Parktown High School for Girls is a government high school in Johannesburg that serves a diverse grouping of girls across class, race, and culture, and happens to be one of Gauteng’s province top-performing schools. It boasts a consistent 100% matric pass rate and achieved a 97% Bachelor Degree entrance rate in the 2017 matric results.  The school has been acknowledged by the University of the Witwatersrand as its top feeder school.

Tracy Megom answers a few questions, about herself and how to inspire young girls.

Smartick app - the answer to sharpen math skills for children

I got an invite from Smartick Method, a mathematics programme that's run online, to try out the app for free. It's available to try out for free for everybody!

Smartick is an online math learning program that uses the latest artificial intelligence to adapt to each child’s learning style. The first session tests the individual child's math knowledge. From there, each child gets their own exercises based on their own abilities and skills as they progress! It is for children aged 4 -14. Based on a daily 15-minute session, the child progresses at his or her own pace, building self-confidence, avoiding frustration, and developing a positive attitude towards math.
The program is supported by the European Union, and it is also now available in South Africa.

The Smartick Method helps to create a study habit and routine, it avoids burnout and keep children motivated and coming back for more. The recommendation is that children do it at least 5 days a week to truly experience the benefits of the program.

I am very impressed with the scope and range of the programme. It is a great way to sharpen some of the skills and knowledge that children missed during their normal school day. The claim is that 94 out of 100 children improve their calculation skills. Also that 83 out of 100 children improve their school grades in maths. This would work fantastic for homeschooling!

Little Miss got a bit frustrated and demotivated, until I was told it was because I helped her too much. Smartick did not get a true reflection of the level of skill that the child is at, and the child is not able to do the exercises. We started again, and Little Miss is having a much better experience!  She also loves creating the virtual world with extra ticks she earns each day. She is able to create her own avatar and world on the app after she has completed her maths session.

Smartick

The parent gets a daily feedback about the content that has been covered.

The parent also gets a message when the session was missed.

Try it out for free on a 15 day trial: Smartick
The pricing deals are very good when comparing it to paying for a monthly maths tutor.

Download on iOS: Smartick - Math for children
Download on Google Play: Smartick - Learn math

Please let me know what you think of the app after your children have tried it?


Disclaimer: We got an extra three months free play, but I was not paid for the review.

Little Miss Independent - an update

Little Miss has grown so much in recent weeks! This year has been tough with changing schools and getting into the swing of a new school, with new rules and new friends. I am proud of her for the way she has handled the changes.

I am doing this update to remind us of  her specialness right now! This time and age passes too quickly as well, and I don't do enough updates!

- Little Miss seems to love maths more than languages, and the spelling is a pain. But she loves reading. One of the best things we are doing right now, is taking her regularly to the library, and letting her read in the evenings to us. She begs us to go to the library every two weeks, and starts reading in the car on our way home! She also picks her books from the Teenage Reading section, and not the beginner readers anymore!

- She still loves a few favourite outfits that she wears time-and-time again. I try to hide it in her cupboard, but she always finds it! The grey leggings and the crocodile t-shirt (size 3-4) is still the absolute bomb!

- She still struggles with making new friends, but somehow she manages to keep on telling us about a few girls at school that she plays with! For an introvert that's not too bad! She has not found a very special friend, but maybe it is a good thing if she plays in a bundle?

- She loves dancing at school. There's a free class every week, and she can't wait! I had her signed up for a dancing school in the beginning of the year, but it clashed with Voortrekkers. I need to find another dance lesson for next semester.

- She has decided not to do netball, or choir, and the drama is a pain! I told her to discontinue drama at the end of this semester. I think it is better to find her feat first and then decide what she wants to do!

- She loves doing my and her sister's hair, and doing make-up! I have batches of photos of hairstyles on my phone. (If I do a search for "dogs", the hairstyles also pops up. But it's not an indication of the classiness of the hairstyles. ;-) iOS needs to work on an upgrade in photo search!)

- She loves rollerskating right now! We have promised her an outing during the holidays!

Little Miss is becoming very independent. I see it in the mornings when she asks for an extra hug or kiss, but then running away without looking back! I feel that I should cherish her still sitting on my lap, and asking for us to lay with her in the evenings!

When it's gone, it's gone!

Thanks so much for the adventures with you, Little Miss!

We are looking forward to a weekend with the Voortrekkers and camping during the holidays! (#thingsyoudoforyourchildren) It will perhaps be our last, but we have an arsenal of Voortrekker stories already built up because of you!
Next time she says she will be ready to go on her own! Little Miss Independent!

So Mom fails the number patterns in Grade 2 Maths

Number patterns

Little Miss had a fantastic report for the previous semester! She is doing very well!
There was just one score that was glaringly obvious! The number patterns did not get a great score!

And guess whose fault is that? I thought it was super easy, we did not have to check it at home. She does her homework already at aftercare, and we just have to follow up at night...

She even has a numbers card which I thought was so glaringly obvious that we don't need to look at while going through the numbers... (No, says a Grade 2 Teacher! She still needs to look at it!)

So I failed dismally!

I was again reminded that ALL homework are important, and I can't skip the "easy" ones!

Sorry, Little Miss!
We will be doing a lot more of this for next semester!


Do you know of any great educational sites where I can download some of the number pattern sheets?

Maths for little ones: CMaths

Little Missy has been going to a Semas Maths (CMaths) class each week from the beginning of the year. It is Japanese maths, and they start them very early. It is very inspiring to see the little ones doing maths (with an abacus, but also in their heads) and doing it with a great speed as well!

Little Miss was a bit apprehensive going to the yearly championships. We had to motivate a little bit lot. We still owe her a rhyme book...

Dad with a little bit of inspiration

Little Missy did very well in the end! (According to two very relieved parents who thought she would have a melt-down or refuse to sit down and do the sums.)

They had to work through two exam papers. (TWO papers:  One of six minutes with an abacus, and one of two minutes without an abacus. There were a lot of children finishing even before the time! Totally amazing!!)

We were just impressed with the fact that Little Miss tried and did her best!

She had a bit of a melt-down later when she was expecting a trophy. We had to explain that she actually had to finish her papers, and that you really have to work hard to get that trophy.
But they all got a medal for taking part!

Hopefully it will help next year in Grade One to give her a bit of an edge...

She's got all the answers

These are some of the examples of the daily discussions in our house.

The 5-year old knows everything!

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Little Missy: No, we don't have to do this page for the maths exercises!
Yes, this page is marked for homework.
No, the teacher said we should wait until class! (ON MELTDOWN LEVEL!)

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When is the party?
In three sleeps time.
No, only two sleeps
No, it is three sleeps. Today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
No, only two sleeps. OKAY, MOM, OKAY!

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Mom, how old is the boy?
He is 5!
No, he is 6.
He is 5!
HE IS 6!

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Little Missy: This must be right!
No, it's not!
The teacher doesn't care!
Of course the teacher cares!

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While watching a movie:
Little Missy: They are busy shooting up the moon! Why?
No, they are shooting the spaceship.
No Mom, they are shooting holes in the moon,
The spaceship is in front of the moon. They are shooting at the spaceship.
No, why are they shooting holes in the moon?

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Little Missy counts to 50, but skips the 40s.
You skipped the 40s.
Little Missy: My teacher learns us to skip one.
You can't skip one.
Yes, we can!