Heart of a Champion Africa

Hey Friends!

It's almost Christmas! Help Us Raise Christmas🎄 Gifts 🎁 for Our Kids at Witkoppen Primary!

Many of you know that Heart of a Champion Africa runs a remedial literacy program at Witkoppen Primary. As we approach the final term, we're calling on our friends to help us put together an amazing Christmas Gift for our wonderful group of kids. Every year they work so hard looking forward to this part of the year. So this time we're making a wider public appeal. With your help, we'd love to make it happen again.

Our goal is to put together 120 backpacks filled with school supplies and festive treats!

We need your help to get this done.

Each backpack and its contents will cost approximately R250.

If you'd like to contribute specific items, here is what we're aiming for:

120 x Backpacks
120 x Pencil Cases
120 x Sets of Colours/Pencils/Stationery
120 x Early Readers
120 x Puzzles
120 x Educational Toys
120 x Workbooks
120 x Snacks and Treats
120 x Lunchboxes
120 x Water Bottles

We are looking for individuals, corporations, and churches to partner with us. If you or your organization can help, please reach out to Cliff (at) heartofachampionafrica.org.za or Julia (at) heartofachampionafrica.org.za.

You can also learn more about Heart of a Champion Africa and how to get involved here: https://heartofachampionafrica.org.za/

Spread the word, and let's make this Christmas special together!

School holiday is here 14 June - 9 July. But the love of learning doesn't stop.

Looking to fulfill your mid-year resolution and help children? Consider volunteering with Heart of a Champion Africa's Literacy Programme at Witkoppen Primary!

While classes are on break until July 9th, you can make a difference by helping students improve their reading skills. Weekdays, from 11:30 - 1:30, your time can create a lasting impact.

Get in touch below to join our amazing team and make a positive difference in a child's life! 🇿🇦

Schools Reopened Today! Literacy Journey Needs YOU!

Excited for students back in classrooms! Our Literacy Programme at Witkoppen Primary needs passionate volunteers (2 hrs/week, 11:30AM-1:30PM) to inspire young readers. Be a champion for change!


Contact us for more information.

P.S. Let's make this year's literacy journey the best one yet! Share this post and help us spread the word.

As we close Term 1, let's give a huge shoutout to our incredible Teacher Assistants! They work tirelessly to empower our young champions every single day. From cheerleaders and learning guides to snack distributors :) , they wear many hats to help these young minds become superheroes of reading. Thank you for all you do!

Looking for volunteers in the Fourways area!

The 2024 Witkoppen Literacy Journey Begins! ️

Today was another special day at Heart of a Champion! Our amazing Grade 1 group embarked on their literacy journey with vibrant colors! Today we spent the day personalising their homework files, getting excited about the adventures in learning ahead.

One of our incredible Teacher's Assistants, Promise, was therepatiently guiding and encouraging our young champions.

Want to be part of their story? We're looking for volunteers to help the children learn the basics. Mondays - Fridays 11:30-13:30. Send a WhatsApp to 27 71 911 3640 and learn how you can contribute your valuable time and skills.

Together, let's unlock the potential of every child and empower them to become champions of their own future!

New Year, New Friendships!
Back to school means fresh starts, and this month, our kids are exploring the wonderful world of friendship! To spark some meaningful conversations at home, try asking these questions: What do you look for in a Friend? How can you be a good friend to your classmates at school?

Bonus tip: Share your own childhood friendship stories! Show them how these bonds have shaped you into who you are today.

P.S. Tag your teacher friends and fellow parents!

Preschool lays the foundation for everything! Let's support mentorship programs connecting experienced teachers with new educators to give every child the best start.

Welcome back to school, Valbonne College - Lonehill Parents! The first Big Idea of 2024 is all about Friendship. Friendship is one of life's greatest treasures. It's about making connections, having fun, and supporting each other. Throughout the next month, our children will be exploring what it means to be a good friend, how to make new friends, using your words and actions to show others you care, and how to nurture and keep the friendships they already have.

Here are some ways you can join the fun at home:
- Work on this week's Heart of a Champion worksheet together (Sent on Friday).
- Play games that require teamwork and cooperation.
- Talk about your own friendships and what makes them special.

We love our first Big Idea. We can’t wait to hear about all of the conversations this will inspire at home!

Thank you for helping us build these inward attitudes into outward behaviours!

Our programmes, from Teacher Assistants, Character & Citizenship Curriculum to Remedial Literacy Support, are tailored to tackle South Africa's educational challenges. Learn more about how we're making a difference. Contact on Cliff .org.za

Sponsor a Teacher's Assistant and directly impact the quality of education in overcrowded classrooms. Your support makes a real difference.

Want to be part of something bigger? Support Heart of a Champion Africa's Teacher Assistants Programme and help us shape the future of education!

This is a great read from Naomi Holdt - Psychologist and Speaker

𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑

As you prepare to begin another school year, just a few reminders: 🤓 📚

1. You’re teaching a WHOLE child. Understanding what’s happening in their brain is SUPER important. 🧠

Although the human brain is incredibly complex and beautifully designed, there are a few simple essentials that really matter in the context of your classroom:

Despite much education solely targeting the ‘top’ section, the brain works bottom up.

Can’t change that.

It’s for very important reasons that it works in that order so there’s VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION coming up right here: 👇🏽

Bottom- Brainstem-Survival brain
Mid- Limbic System-Emotional brain
Top- Frontal Cortex- Thinking brain

Reframing that another way (which I think is pretty awesome), here’s the ladder: 🪜

Safety (Survival)
Love (Emotional)
Learning (Thinking)

This means: (Pay attention here- it’s always a WOW for me) 😱

Until a child feels SAFE (I’m not talking security guard at a door - I mean emotionally), they cannot feel LOVED.

And until they feel safe AND loved, they cannot learn…

Hmmm… Lots to think about… 🤔
but in a nutshell, you will NEVER get the best out of your children academically or on the sports field until you prioritize building a connected RELATIONSHIP with them. 🫶🏽

So instead of charging into this year and slamming curriculum from day one, 📖 take time to get to REALLY know the kids in your class.

YES THERE IS TIME. (You’ll get through your curriculum faster if a relationship is in place!) ⏰

Children work their butts off for educators, not subjects. 🫶🏽

They play their hearts out on the sports field for coaches, not the sport itself. ⚽️ 🏈

Focus on what matters and you’ll see results you never expected.

2. Although it’s important for you to love the subjects you teach, what’s so much more important is for you to love the children you teach.

Children thrive in classrooms where they feel truly seen, heard and loved by their teachers. 🤍

3. If you don’t love anything about a child (I know some children may initially seem impossible to love), you don’t know them well enough. 😬

Spend five minutes a day trying to get to know them- not the information on their academic records- THEM.

The actual human beings they are. What sparks their souls, 🔥 what ignites the light in their eyes, who they really ARE and what’s going on in their lives that you can’t see.

The ‘unlovables’ are really just children carrying heavy invisible backpacks, loaded with burdens you know nothing about. 🎒

4. How you talk matters. 🗣️

Not just your words.
Your body language and facial expressions too.

You can’t expect respect unless you’re willing to give it. Yip. Truth.

Children are not there to be controlled.
They’re there to learn.

Learning, growing and succeeding happens best in the context of that healthy relationship in which they feel respected and safe. 🙌🏽

No one does better or behaves better by being made to feel worse. 🤨

Sarcasm, belittling, public shaming, criticism. These just break children down.

They’re also usually only dished out by adults who feel broken themselves.

Important reminder: We rise by lifting others.

That child in your class who you dislike, needs lifting. We lift by showing interest and showing care.

You’ll see amazing things when you focus on that. 🫶🏽

5. When a child hasn’t done their homework, isn’t listening, is disruptive, distracted or in anyway not behaving how you think they should, there’s “stuff” going on…

Remember that backpack 🎒 and remember that behaviour is a message. 💌

There’s a need in there. Your role is to decipher the message AND meet the need.

If you don’t have a healthy relationship with a child, you’ll have a hard time meeting that need. 👥

6. Trying to control children through punitive punishment measures and threats thereof really isn’t going to help learning AT ALL.

A reminder that the word discipline means to teach, to lead, to guide, to mentor- NOT to punish. 😳

Finding out the real reason a child is behaving in a certain way, speaking to them with respect and role modeling empathy is how we grow brains and change behaviour. 🧠

7. We are human beings. We raise our voices from time to time.

But if you are frequently a “shouty” teacher, know that shouting creates an environment of fear. 😧

Learning CANNOT happen in fear. Back to that brain bit above- the brain in fear is in survival mode.

Ziltch, zero, nada, nil learning can take place here.

None. 🙅‍♀️

If you find you are often “losing it” in your classroom, get the help and support you need so that you don’t feel so overwhelmed.

Teaching is TOUGH, but shouting is a sign of feeling out of control and it really won’t help your relationship with the kids or your own state of regulation.

Speak to colleagues, hit the self care ⛽️, get professional help.

Do it for the kids in your care, and do it for YOU.

8. On that note, you absolutely have to look after yourself in whatever way you can.

You are not a mechanic that can go buy a new tool when one breaks. 🔧

You ARE the tool, and broken tools do more damage.

Burnout among educators is REAL.

Do what you need to fill your soul. You can’t dish out from an empty bucket. 🪣

You matter.
What you do matters.

For many children, you are THE most important and stable adult figure in their lives.

In this extremely challenging calling (because that’s what teaching is- a calling) LOOK AFTER YOURSELF! 🫶🏽

9. A final reminder:

“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” (James Comer)

Make THAT your focus. 👆🏻

Within relationships we feel safe.
Within relationships we learn.
Within relationships lives are changed.

Thank you for all you are doing to change so many little and bigger lives. You are appreciated. You are seen. You matter.

With love
Naomi ♥️

PS. Heart-led teaching is an area of real passion for me. I have SO much more to share on this. If you are keen for more posts and videos on this topic including how to ensure that classrooms are a safe place in which optimal learning can occur, pop it in a comment below. Xx

Volunteers are the backbone of our mission! As the school year approaches, we invite you to help with our remedial reading programme. Get in touch for more info. Your time can change lives.

Dear Heart of a Champion® Africa Family, 🌍

We've been silent for a while, but that doesn't mean our hearts have stopped beating for the incredible journey we've been on together! ❤️ As we reflect on the achievements of 2023, we are overwhelmed with gratitude, especially our G1 Fourways family, for every milestone, every life touched, and every positive change made possible by your support.

🙏 Thank you for being the driving force behind our mission: "Heart of a Champion® Africa: Dedicated to making a positive impact in South Africa by enhancing education through inspiring minds and fostering hearts." Your unwavering commitment has made all the difference.

🚀 As we step into 2024, our hearts are filled with hope and excitement. We're gearing up for a big year. A year of impact, growth, and transformation. Together, let's continue to be the champions of positive change!

Here's to a new chapter, new opportunities, and a shared journey towards a better tomorrow. Stay tuned for the amazing things in store, and let's make this new chapter one to remember! 💙 "

Regards
Cliff

This, from TheJCCV, summarises our mission well; "The ultimate aim of character education is not only to make individuals better persons but to create the social and institutional conditions within which all human beings can flourish" - TheJCCV for a flourishing Africa

With lockdown upon us, We've had to figure out new ways to deliver our Heart of a Champion Africa lessons. Introducing HOCA's 'Class in a Jar' - inspired by our friends �Samantha Golding� Golding at box_ofhope

So excited to have delivered our first 'Class in a Jar' to the amazing kids at Valbonne College - Lonehill who are busy with online school.

The kids are learning about the RESPONSIBILITY this month. We are saying to them Responsibility means: Proving you can be trusted with what is expected of you.