JUNE 2023
The last quarter has been a really busy one. We enjoyed
celebrating Holi and Easter and lots of specially themed
craft activities, but there was no escaping the fact that
end of year exams were looming and they are important. They
marked the end of the first full year in school post
pandemic. Though the overall outcome was better in many
cases, once again, some children really struggled and we are
currently working on how best to help individual children in
the next academic year.
Once exams were out of the way it was time for outings for
all children before they broke up for the long Summer
holidays, leaving our Mango House team working hard to plan
the move to Mango Tree House for most activities before they
too headed off for their Summer break. It's certainly been a
busy time and we are looking forward to everything the new
academic year will bring - not least the gradual move to our
new premises.
THE MANGO TREE HOUSE
EXTENSION IS READY
We are absolutely thrilled to show off the Mango Tree House
extension and to announce that the long-awaited Occupancy
Certificate has been granted at last. We have a little way
to go to obtain various approvals which are necessary to
move in completely, but we expect these any day. To have our
own premises was a prime objective when we founded Mango
Tree Goa almost 11 years ago. It has been a long, hard and
eventful journey and we almost can't believe that we are
almost there. To pinch a quote from Nelson Mandela, "It
always seems impossible until it's done". But it is done.
It's a very proud moment for all who have had a hand in
making this momentous achievement possible and we thank
absolutely everyone who has helped to make our dream a
reality. It's a very exciting time and we look forward to
sharing news about our move to Mango Tree House in the
coming weeks.
OUR BACK TO SCHOOL APPEAL
As we prepared for children to
return to school in June, and inevitably face quite a spike
in costs, we launched our Annual Back To School Appeal. We
know that a decent uniform, school bag, rainwear and
stationery can make all the difference as to whether a child
attends and remains in school. These things also boost
confidence and self esteem. Ultimately, investment in such
basic things is a simple but powerful way to break the cycle
of poverty. Our Appeal closes at the end of June so there is
still time to donate if you would like to support us. You
can read how to do so by clicking here.
Unfortunately, we have had a
problem with our laptop this month and once again cannot
access our Just Giving reports. These things have been
frustrating and we are currently catching up with things,
but rest assured, as ever, each and every donation really
matters and we thank those who have supported our latest
Appeal.
AN END OF YEAR OUTING WITH A DIFFERENCE
Once exams are out of the way at the end of the academic
year, all children are treated to an outing. As there are so
many and they cover a wide age range, this year we had three
separate outings. The oldest children were thrilled to have
lunch at a local restaurant and then to visit the Snow Park
where everyone had their first encounter with snow and ice.
Children had a fabulous time on the various slides, dancing,
throwing snowballs and posing for photos. You can see some
of them here, all kitted up in the provided winter gear. It
was a pleasure to be able to give children such a different
experience after all their hard work this year.
OUR NATIONAL CADET CORPS STUDENTS
In addition to the main subjects taken at school, there are
also optional subjects such as drawing, yoga, PE, Junior Red
Cross and Scouts. Once children reach 8th Standard around
the age of 14, they can also opt to join the National Cadet
Corps. In order to be selected, students have to undertake
physical, written and oral examinations. Once selected, they
attend classes every week and undertake things like Drill,
Weapon Training, Obstacle Training, Social Awareness,
Leadership, Community Development, Environmental Awareness
and Conservation. Certificates are awarded after completing
Secondary School, Higher Secondary and College. We are
extremely proud that Mango House continues to have a batch
of NCC students in every academic year.
OUR GRAND EASTER EGG HUNT
As a result of the pandemic and the timing of Easter, it's
been quite a few years since we were able to have our
traditional Easter Egg Hunt in the Mango House garden. It
was therefore a great pleasure to be able to celebrate this
year and, as most children had finished their exams, we were
able to devote the whole afternoon to fun. In the morning,
pre-primary children painted all the eggs which were later
hidden in the garden. There were prizes given for the most
numbers of eggs found and for finding the gold and silver
eggs. Afterwards, all children had a lot of fun taking part
in various party games. Here you can see children with some
of the decorated eggs.
PREPARING FOR HOLI
In the build up to any celebration, all children take
part in specially themed craft activities which adorn the
Mango House walls and get us in the mood for the day. We see
some marvellous artwork, all very different but all
reflecting the theme. Here you can see just some of the
things that the various classes created in readiness for
Holi.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
It's fair to say that many children have struggled to
catch up after being out of school for almost two years due
to Covid, so it has been especially nice to see children
from various schools arriving clutching the various
certificates which they had been given for their academic
achievements in the year. Awards don't only recognise
academic success but are given for children's sporting
achievements and their contributions to and success at
various other extra curriculum activities. Here you can see
children from one school who were very happy to show off
their certificates.
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GILL & ROBBIE'S PHOENIX
FUNDRAISER
We were delighted when our friends Gill and
Robbie said they were picking up where they left
off two years ago and were planning a fundraiser
at the Phoenix restaurant in Candolim, in Goa.
As always it was a night of fun, fundraising and
music. We were treated to wonderful music
courtesy of Kern Dalton, HD and Tom Lee. People
were incredibly generous and just over £500 was
raised on the night which, when added to the
sums collected in advance brought the total to
just over £900. We say a huge thank you to
everyone who made the evening such a wonderful
success with a special shout out to Gill and
Robbie and the amazing musicians.
OUR OLDER CHILDREN MAKE A TIE DYE T'SHIRT
Our older children go directly home from school and attend
tuition classes with a local tutor later in the afternoon.
They are busy with schoolwork, tuition class and extra
curriculum activities so we only see them when they come in
to pick up supplies and fees, to use the internet for their
projects, to celebrate and to attend their monthly meeting
with our social worker. Every month our Social Worker
arranges a craft activity or leads a session on things like
safe use of the internet, bullying etc. Children were very
impressed when they got the chance to make a tie dye t-shirt
recently. Here you can see some of them proudly showing off
their designs.
A FLOWER PETAL HOLI
We had a really fun
time celebrating Holi this year. Before letting
the afternoon children go wild with colours, we
had quite a different Holi celebration with our
pre-primary children. Our teachers arranged
piles of Marigold petals in the Hall, we had a
bit of a dance and then it was time to let
children loose to colour their friends with
handfuls of petals. As you can see, it was
fabulous fun.
PRIMARY CHILDREN ENJOY A 3D MOVIE
Our primary children also had a completely
new experience when they went for their post
exam outing. They arrived at Mango House for
early morning snacks before boarding the bus to
a local cinema where they watched the movie
"Bholaa". The film tells the story of one man's
journey to get to his daughter after ten years
of imprisonment. His journey turns out to be not
so simple and requires a lot of death defying
stunts along the way. It was full of action and
perfect for children to watch in 3D. They found
their 3D experience amazing and were full of
chatter as we headed back to Mango House for a
special Biryani lunch.
GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING
We were very impressed to see the little girl
in the centre of this photo turn up wearing
a t'shirt which boldly stated "Girls Can Do
Anything". We absolutely agree and are very
pleased to say that girls continue to make up
52% of our students.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR CHIMBEL
Many of you will already know that Mango Tree
has supported a second project close to the
capital city of Panjim, for around 10 years.
Originally funding the whole Chimbel project, we
had reduced support over the years to cover the
cost of rent and a teacher for the pre-primary
classes, as our finances permitted. On our last
visit to the project, we asked what the Managing
Trustee of the project what she would like to do
if she could and she said she would love to
restart afternoon tuition classes as the
children in the locality so desperately needed
after school help. Our trustees discussed the
proposal and we were delighted to offer a
further commitment in order that this could
happen in the new academic year. We look forward
to sharing more news about the Chimbel project
in future newsletters. Meanwhile, here's a photo
of a pre-primary class learning all about fruit.
END OF YEAR REPORTS
The last activity of the pre-primary year is
for our teachers to meet with parents to talk
about children's progress. Mum or Dad come along
with their child and learn about how they fared
in their little tests and how things have gone
throughout the last term. As you can see,
children are also quite keen to see how they are
doing!
OUR MONTHLY THEMED ACTIVITIES
During the last quarter we have changed our
pre-primary timetable a little. Alongside the
existing work on numeracy and literacy we have
added in a theme for the month and lots of our
play and art and craft is based around the
theme. When it comes to afternoon classes, the
older children too join in the theme when they
have art and craft sessions too. The idea has
been a great success with some very clever and
innovative sessions revolving around each theme.
The first theme was shapes and every child of
every age got involved in the activities. Their
creations included the Garden of Shapes you can
see in our header from by Lower Kindergarten
Class and the above mobile by members of 4th
Standard. As the second month featured Holi we
decided that colour should be the theme for the
month. We already have a timetable for the
coming 12 months and look forward to our Nature
theme when children return to school.
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