21st December 2008.

To Our Partners and Stakeholders

Dear Partners,

On behalf of the school, we wish to sincerely thank you for your continued support between August and December. We also take this opportunity to apologise for not having kept you informed of our developments on a month by month basis. This newsletter covers the months between August and December. It is not, however, a replacement of our usual Termly Reports. Our Term Report will come to you within the first 2 weeks of January to be followed by opur Annual Report in March.

News in August 2008

MEETINGS

There were management meetings held on 12th and 20th August, 2008.

EVENTS
a) TEAM TRADE MANIA

• Messrs Pat Kearney and Richard McCarthy led 16 volunteers from Team Trade Mania from Ireland to work on a voluntary basis in the school for a period of two weeks. They refurbished our existing infrastructure, put up a washing area and a meeting room in addition to helping regular teachers with work in the classrooms. As we indicated in our last term report, the team was here to “cover” for the usual volunteer programme that engages in the Teacher Assistant Programme.
  
  This was because the Suas Programme could not take off due to the disturbances experienced in the country following the disputed presidential election of December 29th. We wish to thank Suas once again for facilitating this programme and look forward to the TAP next summer.
  
  
  Photos: 1) Washing area 2) meeting room

b) MUSIC

• Once again, the Gatoto School choir represented the school up to the National level during the National Music Festival held at Kisumu City in Nyanza Province of Kenya on 7th and 8th August 2008. Gatoto presented eight classes where four of them took the first position. They included a song for peace in the country which was significant given the violence that engulfed the country early in the year.
  
  
  Photos 1) Gatoto school choir 2) trophies won by the choir

c) GATOTO – GOVERNMENT OF KENYA CO-OPERATION

The manager, Ms. Betty Nyagoha and Mr. Bryan Patten of Suas initiated dialogue with the Ministry of Education with a view to getting the GoK to support teachers’ salaries in the school. A proposal to fund the salaries of 13 teachers was presented to the government through the Teachers’ Service Commission. Already the PS agreed in principle to the school’s request and asked the TSC to look into its implementation. If this is agreed to, the school will have made a giant leap in the direction of sustainability and leave the management team with a lighter task of sourcing funds for infrastructure building, post primary sponsorship, social services and health issues.

d) DONATION OF SCHOOL UNFORMS

Gatoto school received school uniforms from TRADEMANIA.

e) ATTENDANCE RATES FOR TERM TWO

f) OTHERS

The school lost the services of our long serving senior teacher, later Deputy Head Teacher, Mr. Wilson Luseno in August. Wilson has battled with a diabetes that later rendered him almost fully blind and a doctor recommended his retirement. During his stay, Wilson built a strong music culture in the school through which the disadvantaged of Mukuru met children from other areas of Kenya and instilled in them a winning mentality that went a long way to not only believe in their singing strengths but also a belief that they can compete with the rest of Kenya in other disciplines including academic work. In deed he was a part of the areas transformation from not having children go beyond basic education to finding ways into colleges. The school and by extension the residents of Mukuru will miss Wilson’s invaluable services.

FEBRUARY 2008

MEETINGS

• Construction
  On 12th February 2008, the Contractors, Consultant, Engineer School management team and the P.T.A Chairman met to inspect and discuss the progress of the on going construction of new permanent classrooms.
  
• Management
  - Financial management meeting with the school Accountant was held on 6th February 2008.
  - Due to the country’s political situation, this year’s Suas Volunteer Programme to Kenya may have to be reviewed. It is likely that the programme may not take place this year. In its place, a team of older Irish professionals may visit the school together with Messrs Richard McCarthy and Pat Kearney in July for a few weeks. During the visit a number of rehabilitation works to the school’s existing buildings will likely be undertaken.

EVENTS

• Drama
  Preparation for the zonal Drama festival is on. Competition will be held next month. The outcome will be communicated in the next month newsletter.
  
• Parent support
  -Parents from displaced families and children from families affected by the village fire outbreak were given food support.
  - On 15 February, 2008, Zinduka Africa (a program under The International Christian Church) brought nets to be distributed to parents with children under 5years and expectant mothers. The distribution was done on 19th February, 2008.

ACADEMIC

• -Learning went on well throughout the month. The pupils sat for their mid-term Exams.

MARCH 2008

Dear Partners.
On behalf of the School we wish to sincerely thank you for your continued support. We invite you to read our MARCH 2008 Newsletter.

EVENTS

Construction
-Construction of the new permanent classrooms is still on. The progress is as per enclosed pictures.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Drama
- Divisional Drama festival was held on 5th march where they presented a dance and choral verses.
-The dance managed position 4 out of 8 while the choral verses took position 3 out of 15.
- They didn’t manage to a higher level.
Ball- games
1) Cluster level -07/03/2008
The school was represented in the following
a) Football for boys and also girls where the boys won
b) Handball for boys and also for girls where the girls won
c) Volleyball for boys and also for girls where the boys won
d) Netball for boys and also for girls where both won
2) Divisional level 14/03/2008
31 Pupils represented the school at this level as follows:
a) Volleyball- 3girls and 3 boys
b) Netball - 5girls and 3boys
c) Football -6girls and 6boys
d) Handball -2girls and 3boys
3) Provincial level-19/03/2008
11 players represented the school as follows:
a) Football -3boys and 1girl
b) Volleyball -2boys and 2 girls
c) Handball- 1boy and 1girl
-National level will be held on 8th – 10th April 2008.
One girl, Dorcus Kemunto, pictured above, will be representing the school in girls’ football.

ACADEMIC
-Learning went on well throughout the month. 81 class eight candidates were registered for this year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations to be held in November this year.

GUESTS DURING THE MONTH

DATE NAME ORGANIZATION
07/03/2008
-Mary Killen
-SR Maria Angela Mossenti
-Asigogo Malongo
-Adego Tom -Mater Hospital Convent

- International teacher Training Centre
12/03/2008 -Wangari Mathenge -Feed The Children Kenya
13/03/2008 -Jane Kierie
-Mary Nyamai - Ministry of Education
-Embakasi
19/03/2008 -Richard Njoroge Ngugi

-Beth Wainaina
-Evans Ngamau -Ministry of Education- Makadara, Senior Advisor to Schools
-Ministry of Education –Embakasi Divisional Advisor
28/03/2008 -Rachael Thoita
-Wilson Bandi

-Angelaus Kamande
-Leonard Mburu
-Maina James -Feed The Children Kenya
-CAMARA

-SIFE Kenyatta University

31/03/2008 -Liz Donnel
-Kim Berttey -Amino TV Far and Away Programmes –Dublin Ireland

We sincerely thank all those who found time to pay us a visit and look forward to continue working with all of you in our service to the Mukuru community.

GUESTS

January 2008 Newsletter

Dear Partners,

On behalf of the entire Gatoto school community we take this opportunity to convey our greetings and to wish you all a Happy New Year. We also wish to sincerely thank you for your continued support. We invite you to read our January 2008 Newsletter

SCHOOL OPENING

• The school was scheduled to open on 7th January 2008 for the beginning of the first term. However, this was not to be due to political instability in the country following the disputed presidential elections last December. Some members of staff reported but there were no pupils. The opening was therefore rescheduled to 14th January 2008.The school opened on 14th January 2008 with a low turn up of pupils. By the end of the month the school was yet to register normal attendance from pupils with the rate yet to hit 85%.

GUESTS

We are happy to report the visit by Ms. Judy Ndegwa and her colleagues from Tetra Pak on the 21st of January. Their visit and the delivery of milk and Weetabix for the first term underlined the continued commitment of both Tetra Pak and Weetabix to support the children here. Another guest during the month was Mr. J.M Asigogo of International Teachers’ Training Centre who came on a routine inspection visit of the teachers attending training at the said ITTC.

MEETINGS

a) Management

• On 12th January 2008, the management team met the Suas CEO Mr. Colman Farrell to discuss issues facing the school and plans for the year. We wish to thank Mr. Farrell and Suas for advice in this regard. We are also grateful to Ms. Vanessa Liston for taking time to review our Development Plan and offering invaluable input.
  Management held a series of meetings to review the plan especially in light of the socio-political mood in the country and its possible impact on the development of the school.
  
  

b) Staff

• A meeting was held on the first week of opening where teachers discussed among other things awareness creation in school on discouragement of tribalism among staff members and pupils. The briefing of pupils from class four to eight has already started.
  In other staff meetings held during the month, staff members showed their concern with the insecurity in the country and transport problems to and from school. They, therefore, requested for assistance from the school with regard to the transport problem. It was agreed that the school would try to help where possible.
  

EVENTS

• On 14th January 2008, the school admitted 45 Nursery pupils who had earlier registered with the school late 2007
• On 21st January 2008, the school held interviews for new admissions for classes one to seven. Of the new admissions, 28 were from families displaced from their former homes during the month.
  

INFRASTRUCTURE

The construction of the new classrooms is going on.

ACADEMIC

• Harambee Sponsorship is going to assist two pupils who sat and passed their K.C.P.E exams last year to go through their secondary education. The selection of the two is based on a number of criteria including family background, academic ability and pupil discipline.
• Learning was disrupted a few times during the month due to panic gripping some families and on one occasion parents picked their children from school during school hours fearing for their security. However, calm has returned to most parts of the city and the situation is getting back to normal.
  

NEXT MONTH – FEBRUARY

• The school will register 85 pupils for K.C.P.E Exams this year. A school based exam will be administered to give the children Registration Numbers for the final Exam.
• February is normally a busy co-curricular activities month. We are hopeful that normalcy will completely return to the city, so that we embark on training in ball games, gymnastics, drama and music in preparation for the start of competitions during the month.
  

Once again we wish to thank you for your continued engagement with the school.