Things have been busy since school began. Our class sizes have grown and they are over 100 pupils each. The government says that we should allow in children since many schools have closed in the area. We are the only school in the area that doesn’t turn people away because they don’t have money. It is also difficult to decide how you would pick which children to send away. A large portion of the school are orphans so they don’t have money to go to other schools. When you hear the stories of these children you know that they need a place like our school where they feel safe and where the teachers consider the pupils as their own children.
HM David (principal of the secondary school), his wife had a baby on the 17th February. HM Rogers, Abby and I had gone to town to buy some things so we stopped to check on them. She had the baby about 30 minutes before we came and then she went home with us when we finished in town about 4 hours later. The people here are so strong! She walked back into her room after having the baby and then walked about ½ mile to the car when we left. I got to hold the son within an hour of the birth and then I also carried him out to the car. People kept saying things to me thinking that the baby was mine. Both headmasters are telling me that it is prophecy because they want me to stay here forever. Unfortunately, the baby died on the 28th March. It is difficult for the family and people here. Please keep this family in your prayers along with the community as we struggle with this death.
We had the Athletic Day on the 27th February. The children cheered on their houses and it was a wonderful day. Overall, we had very few problems and it helped us to see how we should do things for Open Day this year. Because of the talent we saw on the Athletic Day, HM Rogers asked me to take our children to Inter-School Athletic Competitions. The district failed us and we never were able to compete against other school.
During our Athletic Day, the secondary students said they wanted to challenge us to a competition. When I found out at 8 AM on that Friday that we were not going for the Inter-School Competition, I suggested that we have the competition with the secondary school that afternoon. We bought a goat as the prize for the winning school. The primary school stomped the secondary school as it was 92 pts (secondary) to 131 pts (primary). The competition was heated and we had some disagreements because the secondary students did not want to lose to primary. I bought rice and soda for our participants and we shared the goat with the teachers the next weekend. The children enjoyed as they each got about 10 pieces of meat instead of just one or none like they would at home.
We’ve had some different football competitions since that day. We’ve had boarders vs. day schoolers, primary vs. senior 1 & 2, and also primary teachers vs. secondary teachers. I was the only female who played in the teachers game. It’s good to see our children playing and I’m looking forward to encouraging other events in the future. Next term we will be having football and netball competitions.
Ash Wednesday was the 25th February and since a large number of our children are Catholic we took a break from classes for them to go to church. The teachers who go to the Protestant church also had a small service at the school. I attended and learned that they go to a different church than the Pentecostal church. I began going to the Protestant church the following Sunday. It is very refreshing to my soul and has been what I need. It is also forcing me to learn more Luganda as they do not translate the service. The teachers who I go with give me the basic overview of what is happening but they don’t translate everything.
I now have 8 children. I am paying for a P7 boy, Lubowa Fred, to be in the boarding section so I am considered his mom and HM Rogers is glad to have me as a parent. I also have “twin” girls who are in P6, Jascent & Racheal, so I am now being called Nalongo (the mother of twins). I also have another girl in P6, Robbinah, a girl in P5, Nakayima Rose, a boy in P2, Ddembe John, a boy in P1, Julius, and a boy in Baby class, Raymond. They all call me their mom and sometimes I give them things (food and supplies), along with other children at the school, but Lubowa is the only one whom I‘m paying school fees. I have many other children who are beginning to call me mom also. For many of these children in boarding they need someone whom they can look at as their mother and father and the teachers here often take that place. We spend 9 months of the year with these children and their parents only spend about 3 months with their children so we become more parents to them than their parents or guardians.
After end of February exams I helped with making the mock lists for P3-P6. It is much easier for me to put it into Excel and have it total and sort over 100 children per class with four to seven subjects than having the teachers do it by hand. We just finished end of term exams. I will be busy compiling the exams and helping where teachers need it. We have sent the children for Easter and the end of term is supposed to be next Friday, 17th April, so the teachers are busy making their mock lists and report cards. I currently help teachers mark their bo
oks and whatever else needs to be done when I’m not teaching.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent greetings or small gifts with my father and brother! I was excited to open the suitcases and see what was inside. I was saying it was Christmas for me but just one week late. I had a wonderful time with them and was glad to share with them my life here. I looking forward to having my mom and Andrew here, probably the beginning of August. Thank you for your prayers and love for the children. God’s blessing until I write again!
HM David (principal of the secondary school), his wife had a baby on the 17th February. HM Rogers, Abby and I had gone to town to buy some things so we stopped to check on them. She had the baby about 30 minutes before we came and then she went home with us when we finished in town about 4 hours later. The people here are so strong! She walked back into her room after having the baby and then walked about ½ mile to the car when we left. I got to hold the son within an hour of the birth and then I also carried him out to the car. People kept saying things to me thinking that the baby was mine. Both headmasters are telling me that it is prophecy because they want me to stay here forever. Unfortunately, the baby died on the 28th March. It is difficult for the family and people here. Please keep this family in your prayers along with the community as we struggle with this death.
We had the Athletic Day on the 27th February. The children cheered on their houses and it was a wonderful day. Overall, we had very few problems and it helped us to see how we should do things for Open Day this year. Because of the talent we saw on the Athletic Day, HM Rogers asked me to take our children to Inter-School Athletic Competitions. The district failed us and we never were able to compete against other school.
During our Athletic Day, the secondary students said they wanted to challenge us to a competition. When I found out at 8 AM on that Friday that we were not going for the Inter-School Competition, I suggested that we have the competition with the secondary school that afternoon. We bought a goat as the prize for the winning school. The primary school stomped the secondary school as it was 92 pts (secondary) to 131 pts (primary). The competition was heated and we had some disagreements because the secondary students did not want to lose to primary. I bought rice and soda for our participants and we shared the goat with the teachers the next weekend. The children enjoyed as they each got about 10 pieces of meat instead of just one or none like they would at home.
We’ve had some different football competitions since that day. We’ve had boarders vs. day schoolers, primary vs. senior 1 & 2, and also primary teachers vs. secondary teachers. I was the only female who played in the teachers game. It’s good to see our children playing and I’m looking forward to encouraging other events in the future. Next term we will be having football and netball competitions.
Ash Wednesday was the 25th February and since a large number of our children are Catholic we took a break from classes for them to go to church. The teachers who go to the Protestant church also had a small service at the school. I attended and learned that they go to a different church than the Pentecostal church. I began going to the Protestant church the following Sunday. It is very refreshing to my soul and has been what I need. It is also forcing me to learn more Luganda as they do not translate the service. The teachers who I go with give me the basic overview of what is happening but they don’t translate everything.
I now have 8 children. I am paying for a P7 boy, Lubowa Fred, to be in the boarding section so I am considered his mom and HM Rogers is glad to have me as a parent. I also have “twin” girls who are in P6, Jascent & Racheal, so I am now being called Nalongo (the mother of twins). I also have another girl in P6, Robbinah, a girl in P5, Nakayima Rose, a boy in P2, Ddembe John, a boy in P1, Julius, and a boy in Baby class, Raymond. They all call me their mom and sometimes I give them things (food and supplies), along with other children at the school, but Lubowa is the only one whom I‘m paying school fees. I have many other children who are beginning to call me mom also. For many of these children in boarding they need someone whom they can look at as their mother and father and the teachers here often take that place. We spend 9 months of the year with these children and their parents only spend about 3 months with their children so we become more parents to them than their parents or guardians.
After end of February exams I helped with making the mock lists for P3-P6. It is much easier for me to put it into Excel and have it total and sort over 100 children per class with four to seven subjects than having the teachers do it by hand. We just finished end of term exams. I will be busy compiling the exams and helping where teachers need it. We have sent the children for Easter and the end of term is supposed to be next Friday, 17th April, so the teachers are busy making their mock lists and report cards. I currently help teachers mark their bo
oks and whatever else needs to be done when I’m not teaching.Thank you so much to everyone who sent greetings or small gifts with my father and brother! I was excited to open the suitcases and see what was inside. I was saying it was Christmas for me but just one week late. I had a wonderful time with them and was glad to share with them my life here. I looking forward to having my mom and Andrew here, probably the beginning of August. Thank you for your prayers and love for the children. God’s blessing until I write again!
