Overseas Adventure

While we welcomed back our Healesville High School community at the start of Term 3, one of our lovely Year 7 students is yet to return to us from his adventures in Jamaica.

Rhashidi went on holiday with his family approximately halfway through Term 2. While in Jamaica, Rhashidi has been generously volunteering his time to support a local school. After hearing about his plans, the HHS community got behind him before he left and provided a series of materials for him to take and donate to the local school he was supporting.

In addition to volunteering his time, Rhashidi has also been writing a blog about his experiences in Jamaica. Below you will find one of his entries and a link for those wanting to read more.

Well done, Rhashidi!

Today we volunteered at a basic school. That is what they call kindergarten in Jamaica. The school has 84 students attending it. They are aged 3-5 years. Whilst I’m in Jamaica I am going to help out the teacher there.

It was a nice surprise when I reached the school, because the teacher in the classroom where I’m helping actually taught me (when I was in basic school). But that was at a different school, so I wasn’t expecting to see her today. I completed basic school in Black River. Then when I was five years of age we moved to Australia and I enrolled in primary school there.

In the classroom there is at least 26 little kids. And only one teacher. They have so much energy and all through the period they kept on running and shouting. At their age they have trouble sitting down at their desks for long periods. The teacher sings songs to help them learn.

I helped them with their work. They practiced the alphabet and counting. Then they did activities about the letter X. I also helped set up an activity about visiting the dentist. My brother Nyah is four. He is attending the class because my parents want him to learn about his culture and understand patois.

The school provides a hot lunch. . After lunch I played football with them. They chased me around calling out” Rasta! Rasta! Rasta!” Some children played under the trees. Some played on the swings, see-saw and cubby house.

We brought donations to the school. Thank you to everyone in Australia who donated stationary and school supplies. The principal was very happy.'

https://rhashidi.wordpress.com/