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Three2Six newsletter - September 2025
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After a month of holidays, we were excited to welcome back our students for the final term of the academic year. They have returned refreshed and ready to take on the challenges term 3 will bring. We wish them all every success in this crucial term and extend a big thank you to our amazing teaching team for supporting them every single day of school.
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Of course, our teachers also need support. Before the start of the term, our partner Sophiatown Community Psychological Services facilitated a workshop for them. Building on a session from the previous term, the discussions allowed teachers to reflect on how they're feeling now. Guided by Johanna, the facilitator, they explored ways to strengthen and sustain themselves through these last few weeks of the year.
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Arbor Week
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This year, Arbor Week was celebrated in partnership with the Marist Foundation for International Solidarity (FMSI). Some of our children wrote poems and drew pictures of their favourite trees from their countries of origin, while others took part in a planting activity.
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They visited the community garden at our host school, Sacred Heart College, where – led by our coordinator Justine – they removed weeds and helped her prepare the soil. The students planted vegetable seeds both in the garden beds and in the containers they each received to take home, where they’ll look after what they planted and hopefully successfully grow some vegetables to have with their families.
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Some lovely content was created around these activities. Thanks to FMSI for the great collaboration! You can access it here and here.
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Workshops
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On 10 September, our Grade 7s participated in the StudyFit study skills programme. Its overarching goal is to equip pupils with the essential skills required to become confident, effective, and independent learners by the time they transition to high school. It is designed to move beyond rote learning, focusing instead on helping students deeply understand, retain, and practically apply information in a motivating manner.
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The programme was conducted by experienced facilitators, Margie Greve and Jackie Nofal. Leveraging their vast expertise in education and learning methodologies, they have developed and tailored the StudyFit programme to meet the specific developmental and curricular needs of senior primary school pupils.
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Each Grade 7 class engaged in an intensive, approximately four-hour session, ensuring focused and personal instruction. The curriculum was comprehensive and age appropriate, and the skills covered were directly relevant to the pupils' current academic workload and essential for their future success. The core modules included mindset and motivation, visualisation techniques, and visual mapping.
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The StudyFit programme represented an investment in our Grade 7 pupils' academic development and future readiness. By providing them with a toolkit of advanced learning strategies, we are fostering a culture of independent, confident, and effective learners who are well-prepared for the challenges of high school.
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To empower our young girls, the Mina Foundation conducted menstrual health workshops for our learners from Grade 4 to Grade 7. The sessions were interactive, providing a safe space for our girls to ask questions and break down taboos around menstruation.
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The facilitator tested their knowledge through quizzes, rewarding correct answers with small gifts. As part of the effort to end period poverty and ensure that all girls can attend school every day of the month, female hygiene products were also distributed.
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Thank you to the Mina Foundation for sharing your knowledge and helping to dismantle the stigma around female health, and to our partner the Turquoise Harmony Institute for facilitating this.
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Three2Six is beaming with pride as one of our students stood tall in the Spelling Bee semi-finals, held at the iconic Market Theatre in Newtown, showcasing talent and determination while representing us with excellence. A huge congratulations to him!
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This achievement follows weeks of dedicated practice, twice a week, with the wonderful Orifha Tshisikule who was assigned by the Spelling BeeHive team to support our children.
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Skills training for our parents
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This month, we launched a 10-week computer course for 20 of our parents. Yolanda and Valentin, our dedicated teachers, have designed a beginner-friendly programme tailored to their needs. From using a keyboard to creating files and folders, working with Word, browsing the internet, and writing emails — they’ll be covering all the basics!
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Our parents attend every Saturday for four hours, and with the dedication they’re showing, they’re sure to learn and improve quickly!
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Advocacy update
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Our advocacy officer recently took part in a two-day conference organised by the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA), bringing together over 50 participants from across the SADC region. The conference focused on sharing information about migration policies in the region, highlighting good practices, and promoting joint responses to migration-related challenges. On the second day, participants joined breakaway sessions on key topics such as building effective networks and coalitions for regional migration advocacy. These group discussions culminated in presentations during a final plenary session.
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Xenophobia remains a pervasive issue in South Africa, often spreading quickly through social media and mainstream news. We’re grateful to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and ALT Advisory for organising a much-needed workshop on countering xenophobia. The event brought together civil society organisations, representatives from government departments, members of refugee communities, and United Nations agencies.
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The workshop began with presentations exploring public attitudes toward refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa. This was followed by group discussions focused on what participants wished South African nationals better understood about refugees and migrants. Participants then identified key audiences and worked in smaller groups to develop tailored messaging and strategies for each.
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News article
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Marists of Champagnat published an article on our updated child safeguarding policy which is also in use at our host school, Sacred Heart College. Click here to read about it. Our dedicated staff implements the policy every day to ensure a safe and caring environment for all our students.
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Alumni Day
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This Alumni Day, our past pupils put their creativity to the test by designing imaginative adverts for nonsensical and hypothetical products. Using digital and technological skills developed throughout the year, they made use of AI tools and design apps like Canva to bring their ideas to life.
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The activity encouraged creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while also teaching important lessons about marketing strategies and the influence of media. Our past pupils confidently presented their adverts, explaining the concepts and inspirations behind the designs. The day concluded with a relaxing yoga and meditation session, followed by a delicious lunch generously provided by Dineo.
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A special highlight was the farewell to Nyasha Bowora, who will soon be relocating to Germany. This was her last Alumni Day with us, and she was warmly wished well by her peers. Nyasha will be truly missed, and we look forward to seeing the opportunities and fulfilment her new journey will bring.
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Each donation counts and helps us make a valuable change in the lives of our learners.
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