SPARK Ferndale principal wishes the community safe holidays

Anuradha Varden, principal at SPARK Ferndale, explained that 2024 has been a productive year for their school, with most of the goals they set at the beginning of the year successfully achieved. They made significant strides in areas such as academic performance, and parent and scholar engagement.

She said that their focus on enhancing both the quality of education, and the school environment, has paid off overall, and they are proud of the progress made. “However, we recognise that there is always room for improvement. We continue to work on refining our school goals, particularly in fostering even more inclusive learning experiences and further strengthening our community partnerships. Our commitment to continuous growth remains a priority as we strive to build an even better learning environment for everyone.”

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Her standout moments in 2024 were when the school hosted the Mother’s Day and Women’s Day events. They brought moms and women into school, not only to be spoilt but also to share their experiences and wisdom with each other and the pupils. This fostered a sense of community with the school for everyone present.

“Another highlight was our Father’s Day event. Fathers had a lot of fun, and requested we have a soccer day, which was part of the afternoon programme, more often. The dads also shared some words of wisdom about how to be a good father, and the hardships that men in society experience. Their input was greatly appreciated and valued.”

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At SPARK Schools, they encourage parents and scholars to use the core values of service, persistence, achievement, responsibility, and kindness daily. She explained that many of their parents have challenges with managing scholar behaviour, but the school provided workshops for parents to reinforce these values with their children at home.

“Our child protection officer, Tshegofatso Komape, has held virtual workshops to equip parents with the tools to understand their children’s needs better, and the guidelines that define corporal punishment against children. In 2025, we will be holding these workshops on a more regular basis, so that parents are kept abreast of the changes their children experience and stay focused on their needs, thus improving their parenting skills.”

She added that their Christmas wish is that all the families and staff have a safe holiday, and that their campus is upgraded to excellence by the system support team.

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