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15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE GYM (WS)

In this year of 2020, we celebrate the 15 year anniversary of the building and completion of our Wantirna South Campus Gymnasium. What a wonderful blessing it has been! It is not only a great venue for sports education and training, but also for fun, camaraderie and entertainment.

Our gym has seen many PE lessons, Beep Tests, Basketball, Netball and Volleyball games. We have even run Self Defence, Zumba, and Tennis practice. In addition, we hold inter-school Basketball, Netball and Volleyball games, and have had many exciting Finals and Grand Finals which have been supported greatly by students who are able to watch the games played on our campus. It is also wonderful for our teams to be able to play true home games.

In addition, the annual “Wavo Cup” has been run for well over 10 years now during Term 3. This is a 5-a-side soccer competition, that is highly anticipated each year. Over time, it has developed from a smaller competition only involving a handful of teams to, in 2019, having three divisions with both boys' and girls' teams. 

All students in Years 7-12 (as well as staff) are welcome to submit a “team”, and then the year 10 Leadership in Sport group organise the fixtures and umpire the matches. It is run during lunchtimes in the gym. It’s a very popular competition which usually finds the gym packed full of students, with music playing, loud cheering and roars creating an awesome environment.

The battle between Year 11 and 12 students and teachers is always a crowd favourite and of course, there are mixed results! The teachers never have a fan base and students love to see them lose, which happens more often than not. It’s a fun time of the year which really helps to build community and fun competition!

The facility also has a Classroom, Weights Room and Mezzanine.   We are able to open the Weights Room up for supervised fitness and strength training before school and at lunchtimes on designated days.   The Mezzanine is used for PE classes, Table Tennis, Sports Activities and After School Care.

The Gym is also a great place where students will come to just hang out during recess and lunch, burn up some energy, socialise, and engage in some banter with the sports teachers.

Timber lining was added to the gym walls earlier this year with very pleasing results.

Finally, it provides a great space for larger school events. From the GAT, general assemblies, special presentations of awards from local and federal members of government and also for remembering special whole school assemblies such as those held for Remembrance Day.

The return on investment is far greater than any monetary value that could be placed on it.  We are truly thankful for the provision of this facility and look forward to creating many more memories in the years ahead.

Mr Tim Hodge (Head of Outdoor Education, Health & Physical Education)

INDIA PRESCHOOLS UPDATE

This global pandemic is like a bad dream that we are still to wake up from. 

For many countries, it has been a catastrophe beyond comprehension. For India - who can forget the scenes of the mass exodus of the labourers, jobless, hungry, walking with their families and belongings to their homes, hundreds of kilometers away? These images have disappeared from our feeds and TV screens, now that the ‘migrants’ are home. With lockdown easing, some interstate workers (aka migrants) have returned to bigger cities as there is no work in their villages. However, they still face hunger, unemployment and despair. Many of our preschool children’s parents fall into this category of daily wage labourers. 

For our preschool communities, Pastor Sam Thomas distributes food and rations to 15 – 18 families at a time, in rotation, until all the families receive support. Each family is provided a month’s rations at a time. They also distribute food to caretakers and families of the orphans and ex-students who continue to study at government schools. Sam visits those who are struggling with mental health, financial and domestic issues. He was able to lead a young man to Christ.

Although the Indian Government has done little to help the poor, many ordinary people have shown extraordinary kindness to them. There are stories of Sikhs who set up a canteen on a highway for a month, feeding thousands by day and night; of an auto rickshaw driver who used his savings of INR 2500 ($50) to feed people; a group of young professionals crowdfunded to purchase charter flights to get migrants to their homes and countless other less well-off people, who have been unable to see others go hungry. Their generosity has been outstanding.

All educational institutions were closed for almost four months. The lockdown brought all education to a complete halt, except for a few private schools with digital infrastructure and e-learning facilities. 

35% of India’s 1.3 billion population are below 15 years of age.

A UNICEF April 2020 report states that “In India, school closures have impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary education, as well as 28 million children attending pre-schools. This is in addition to more than six million girls and boys who were already out of school prior to the COVID-19 crisis.”

Even before the pandemic, the Indian school system had several challenges including a shortage of teachers, especially in rural India; large student teacher ratios, poor infrastructure and lack of quality training amongst teachers. 

The government is proposing online classes as a viable alternative, but unequal and patchy access to the internet has meant the experience is vastly different depending on location and household income. Approximately only a quarter of households in India have access to the internet, mostly in urban areas. It is a critical time for the Indian school calendar for final assessments, exams and entrance tests. 

What does this mean for our preschools?

How can our preschool children continue to learn as school becomes a digital space?

For our students, with few phones and no computers at home, the lockdown is a major roadblock to continued learning. Younger children below the age of 8 require parent or teacher support to learn and this is definitely not possible for the children at our preschools at present.

For their illiterate parents who are without work and an income, schooling is the last thing on their mind. In normal circumstances, poverty demands that children work to support their parents. It makes many parents reluctant supporters of schooling at the best of times. With the pandemic, economic insecurity among families will certainly increase child labour, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, abuse and mental health issues. Calls to Indian helplines have seen a 50% increase (460,000 calls in 21 days, India wide). Many of these were in relation to an escalation in violence, child sexual abuse, child marriage and child labour.

There is great uncertainty as to when people will be allowed to move around freely. Keren Thomas, who oversees the management of the schools is in touch with the teachers during the week. They also have a weekly Zoom meeting. The teachers are in contact with some parents and students via WhatsApp.

Keren and her mother, Margaret Thomas have not left their home for 4 months. Margaret is at high risk as she has a lung disease. But they have never been busier. They are on the phone – counselling and meeting the needs of the church and community every day of the week. Margaret led 2 young women to Christ over the phone in the last month. As a church, they have adapted and transitioned really well to weekly Sunday meetings, ladies meeting, bible studies and mentoring on Zoom & WhatsApp.

Photocopy shops are still closed, and even if printouts were to be handed out to families, their illiterate parents would be unable to help them. Keren is looking at schooling options when restrictions ease. They are considering alternate days and staggering classes, especially required for children who are too young to understand social distancing.  Please pray that she will be given inspiration and divine solutions.

For now, all we all can do is pray and wait. 

Please pray for the children and their families to be kept safe, healthy, find work and protected from abuse and violence.  For all those struggling with problems that that have been amplified by the pandemic. Mental health, addictions, domestic violence and sexual abuse. 

Aruna, a teacher at Raipur, urgently requires an ear operation but no surgeries are being done. Her inner ear is badly infected and she is already hard of hearing in the other ear. Kusum, a teacher at Jakhan, is struggling with her teenage son, Ashish, who is not coping. Sam has diabetes and high blood pressure. 

Operational costs for the preschools are partially covered through the WCC student donations that go through Bethany Trust. This is for teacher salaries, rent/property costs, school fee subsidies, school stationery supplies and uniforms. In 2019, WCC’s contribution to the preschools project was around $19, 000.

Post Covid pandemic, the teachers continue to be paid their monthly salaries. Rent & utilities are still being paid for the Raipur Preschool. For now, some operational costs goes towards food rations and help for the preschool community. All this is possible thanks to the generous donations of the WCC community! 

"God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor" Acts10:31.

We are so very grateful.  We will not forget your kindness.

May “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6: 24 – 26

Thanks and Love, 

Ravi and Chris Stocks