June News

We have now finished week six of the second term at school, and the hostel children have settled back into routine and enjoying the company of their friends. Some are very pleased to get back and others are not so keen on leaving their families for so many weeks. Our hostel staff are usually happy to get back to Suva as some of them say this is now their home.

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Eminoni, an eight-year-old boy who had never been to school is now living in the main hostel and enjoying learning. He is an outgoing boy with a big personality and he hasn’t taken long to find his place in the “family”. We welcome Eminoni to GSD and hope that he will be happy with us.

Early in the term, half of the school enjoyed a trip to Kula Wildlife Adventure Park which is about a two-hour bus ride from Suva. The children saw bats, peacocks, ducks, parrots, and various other birds. They also saw turtle and octopus, two kinds of iguana and a snake. They found this all very exciting and after another two-hour bus trip home they were feeling rather tired when they arrived back at the hostel at about 4pm.

Sarote, (hostel staff) recently found a tiny abandoned puppy. She rescued it, and much to the children’s delight, the main hostel now has its own thriving little puppy called Lexi. Lexi was very small and not very healthy, but after a visit by a local vet, at no charge, she has been declared fit and healthy. A kennel and food have been supplied by a local business and they have said they will continue to supply food as Lexi gets bigger and eats more. The children are very gentle and have learned that she has to be left alone to sleep.

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Last weekend, Losana, who is our Kindy Teacher and has been involved in Scouting for fifteen years, along with Seru and Christine, took a group of seven boys to Scout Camp, attended by 115 boys. The boys thoroughly enjoyed their time and one of the aims was for them to have interaction with other children. While there, they learned to pitch tents, tie knots, gadgeting (all you Boy Scouts out there will know what this is), and how to use time wisely. They also enjoyed an hour and a half hike around Suva. The GSD has now been registered with Fiji Scouts and there should be many more camps to come. Losana is hopeful that a group will be able to attend Scout Camp in Hamilton, NZ, next year.

This term on Thursday afternoons, the children have a choice of joining in on one of four different electives. There is Scouting, First Aid, Art and Craft and Gardening. Last Thursday I saw some of our boys climbing a coconut tree to remove dead branches and generally tidying the yard at the main hostel as part of the gardening elective. All useful skills for the children to learn and hopefully they will remember them for years to come.