Children's Report - July 2007
Lisakhanya, Aged 3yrs Weight 14kg. No weight gain marked. Lisa is still improving remarkably with his interaction with others. He is doing well with pre-school activities that was devised by Dolly for them. His motor skills are good. He still follows Luphelo around and will do everything he does. He is healthy and mentally developing according his age. His mother has not come to see him for the whole month. It was reported by Jackson that the mother had a new-born baby.
Luphelo, Aged 3yrs Weight 14.4kg. Increase of weight by 200g.nLuphelo is improving with leaps and bounds. He is a clever boy and the leader in his group. His caregiver, Monea, is very happy with this child’s progress. He is healthy and loves to play with the others. He has become a little boy in his own right. He will fight back if he feels he is being bullied. Nombasa teases him a lot and then this boys will display a temper.
Anele, Aged 6yrs Weight 16.4kg. Increase of weight by 200g. His schoolwork is much improved. His caregiver, Monea, is still working with him and it shows in his work. He is well-behaved and interacts well with the other children. One of the bigger boys put some Vicks in his eyes last week, which caused some irritation, but he is fine now.
Donovan, Aged 6yrs. Weight 15.2kg. Increase in weight noted: 400g. Donovan is well-balanced and is doing well at school now. He is playing well with others. Monea, is happy with his progress. There was an incident where one of the bigger girls told him that the volunteer, Jean-Luc, was his father and that he will be going overseas with him. I had a talk with her as this will make Donovan to have expectations that can’t be realized. Donovan is very fond of Jean-Luc and will follow him around. Jean realized the implications and is trying to prevent this child from getting too attached.
Siyabulela, Aged 6yrs. Weight 15.2kg. Decrease in weight 500g. Siya is not doing too well at school at present. I had a talk with his teacher and we will work on a program to help him. His caregiver,Monea, as been asked to give more attention to him. He is healthy and does not present with any problems.
Mary, Aged 7yrs Weight 19kg. Increase of 1kg. Mary is well-behaved and her table manners has improved quite a lot. She is doing well in school and will always come home with some of her work. She is still the little diva in the house and take advantage of that. Mentally and physically well-balanced.
Zimkitha, Aged 7yrs. Weight 19kg. No change in weight. Zimkitha tends to be naughty at times. She will throw her weight around, especially with the smaller boys. This is only because she wants to have attention. Dolly has been asked to keep an eye on her and monitor this behaviour. Mentally and physically she is well.
Thanduxolo, Aged 6yrs. Weight 19.4kg. No changes in weight. Thanduxolo had 2 x episodes at school where has wet his pants. When asked about this, he said it was too cold to go outside and the other episode he was too scared to ask the teacher. I have spoken to the teacher and she said she will keep an eye on this. He then asked to use the loo afterwards. He is also one of the children that struggles with his school work. He will be part of the group that will receive extra turoring from the caregivers.
Sam, Aged 7yrs. Weight 17.4kg. Increase in weight of 200g. Sam did not have any episodes of wetting the bed this month. It seems that it helps to wake him up frequently. Mentally and physically he is doing well. His caregiver, Dolly, is happy with his progress.
Ntlantla, Aged 7yrs. Weight 20kg. Increase of 600g. Ntlantla is doing well and his caregiver, Dolly, is happy with his progress. He is well-behaved and loves helping around the house. His schoolwork is up to standard.
Xolani, Aged 10yrs. Weight 31.2kg. Increase of 1.8kg. Xolani is also experiencing problems at school. He is slow in understanding simple sums and needs a lot of attention in this department. He will be part of the group for extra classes. He is well-behaved and is very energetic. His caregiver, Katy, is happy with him and says he is a good boy.
Stuart, Aged 11yrs. Weight 30kg. Increase of 800g. Stuart is doing well. He works hard at school and is doing his homework on time. He is well-behaved and very helpful. His caregiver, Ann, is happy with his progress. He is a healthy child.
Vuyani, Aged 14yrs. Weight 40.3kg. Increase of 300g. His mother passed away earlier in the month and he was allowed to go to the funeral with Jackson. He seems to be handling it well and his caregiver, Jackson, is very supportive. He is a well-behaved child and does not give any problems. He loves tending the garden that was started by the volunteers. His schoolwork is up to standard and is progressing well.
Daniel, Aged 12yrs. Weight 30kg. Lost 200g. He is a active child and enjoys playing outside. He needs to give more attention to his schoolwork as he tends to neglect this. Mentally and physically well. His caregiver, Katy, is very concerned about his social behaviour. He tends to be moody and aggressive at times. All the staff were put on the alert as this child had a history of glue-sniffing. So far no evidence could be found of this.
American, Aged 8yrs. Weight 22kg. Weight gain of 200g. American is blossoming. He is more outgoing and communicates well with others. His school work is improving and his caregiver, Lungiswa is happy with his progress. He is healthy and a well-mannered child.
Michael, Aged 12yrs. Weight 37.1kg. Weight gain of 100g. Michael is still the quite boy and very respectful to others. He is very helpful with the smaller boys and enjoys playing with them. His school work needs more attention. His caregiver, Lungiswa, was asked to help him as much as possible.
Amandiswa, Aged 11yrs. Weight 35kg. Weight loss of 500g. She is healthy and a hard worker. Still enjoying doing chores around the house. Her school work is good and Lungiswa, the caregiver is still happy with her progress.
Lindelwa, Aged 14yrs. Weight 42kg. Weight gain of 600g. Lindelwa is going through her “growing-up” stages. She has been very moody and has been caught talking to boys over the back fence. She is becoming very secretive and the other girls said she has a boyfriend. I had a talk with her and all the other girls about boys. The caregiver, Jackson , and Dolly has been asked to keep an eye on her. I found her outside one night at 19:00 talking to boys at the gate. The staff member, Zoleka , was in the kitchen and did not notice her going out the back door. Zoleka was reprimanded and asked to be alert to these things. Her schoolwork is good and always neat.
Berenice, Aged 14yrs. Weight 28kg. Weight gain of 1kg. Berenice is still the spunky child. She is very assertive which sometimes borders on being rude to others. She still needs to be reminded to mind her manners around adults. She is healthy and doing will at school.
Jane, Aged 14yrs. Weight 32.8kg. No weight gain marked. Jane is well-adjusted and very respectful to others. Her schoolwork is up to standard and she is very hard working. Jackson is very happy with the progress of this child.
Nomhle, Aged 12yrs. Weight 34kg. Weight gain of 200g. She is still the avid reader. She is enjoying the books that are being given to her. She is a hard worker and is getting on well at school. Her behaviour is excellent and is one of the few that is really working hard. Ann, the caregiver has only praise for this child.
Shanna, Aged 13yrs. Weight 39kg. Weight gain of 200g. Shanna is also experiencing problems at school. Her teacher feels that more attention should be given to her schoolwork. She is a slow learner and needs to be continuously monitored. The caregiver Jackson has been asked to help her as much as possible. Shanna was out on holiday with her mother and was very tearful when she was brought back. She has a strong bond with her mother and her mother came to see her regularly. She always brings something for her and will buy clothes and other essentials for her child. I suggest that re-unification should be looked into for this child and her sibling, Thabisa.
Thabisa, Aged 15yrs. Weight 50.6kg. No weight gained noted. Thabisa is well-adjusted and a hardworker. She is progressing well at school. She enjoys her mother's visits and, as suggested with the sister, Shanna, reunification of this family should be looked into. The mother has stable domestic work and has said that she would like to have the children living with her full-time. She is at present able to look after the children well.
Joyce, Aged 11yrs. Weight 33.2kg. Weight gain of 400g. Joyce is a healthy child and loves working with the smaller children. She loves playing “teacher “ to Luphelo and Lisakhanye. She is very helpful and her caregiver,Jackson is happy with her progress. Her schoolwork is up to standard.
Tandi, Aged 11yrs. Weight 30kg. Weight gain of 400g. Tandi is blossoming around the house, but her schoolwork is a major concern. She still struggles to read and write. As she is Afrikaans, she struggles in the Xhosa school. Jackson, Senior Childcare Worker, said they could not find a placement for Tandi in an Afrikaans school. Also, not having been to school prior to her coming to the Home, she is at a great disadvantage. I will look into the possibility of having her transferred to an Afrikaans school. She is healthy and is adjusting well to her surroundings.
Nombasa, Aged 19yrs. Weight 60kg. No weight gain. She is working hard to try and catch up on lost schoolwork. They are having study groups in the afternoon after school. She very worried about studies for next year. Jean-Luc is also working with her to help her cope with the work. She is still the respectful and obedient child that we know.
Xolelwa, Aged 17yrs. Weight 47kg. Weight gain of 1.2kg. Xolelwa is doing well in school and is working hard to catch up. She also helps with the smaller children. She is well-mannered and reliable. She will always look out for the smaller ones. She had a bout of flu during the month, but that has cleared now.
Betty, Aged 15yrs. Weight 56.4kg . Weight gain of 800g. Betty is a healthy child and very helpful around the house. She enjoys playing with the smaller children and is very protective of them. Her schoolwork is good and she works hard with Jean-Luc to catch up on lost work. She is an example to all when it comes to studies. Her caregiver, Zoleka , is happy with her progress.
Kholiwe, Aged 18yrs. Weight 60.6kg. No weight changes. Kholiwe is a well-mannered child and loves to help others. She is handling things a bit better now. Kholiwe is struggling with Maths. Jean-Luc is working with her and she needs a lot of help. She is to work every day to get her grades up. Her caregiver, Zoleka, was asked to remind her to do extra maths exercises.
Ayandiswa, Aged 14yrs Weight 54.4kg.Weight gain of 800g. Aya is a well-balanced and physically healthy child. She is helpful and respects her elders. Her schoolwork is good, but she will have to give more attention to her Maths. Her caregiver, Zoleka, is happy with her progress.
Clayton, Aged 15yrs. Weight 50.4kg. Weight gain of 3.4 kg. Clayton is working very hard on his school work as Janine has promised him a cellphone if his grades improve. He is doing odd jobs for me around the office to earn some money for a cellphone. With the money he has earned so far, he intends to open a bank account. This child is very responsible and can be relied on when given a task to do.
Nkosinathi, Aged 16yrs. Weight 50.4kg. No weight gain noted. He needs to pay more attention to his school work. He is very playful and tends to tease the girls a lot and then arguments will happen. The visit to his sister has done wonders for him. He has spoken a lot about the time he had. I also had a chat with his sister and she was very happy to have him. She commented on his good behaviour and said that her brother is in really good hands, and appreciates what we are doing for her family.
Luke, Aged 14yrs. Weight 50.4kg. Weight gain of 3,6kg. Luke does not give any problems in the House. He is well-balanced and easy to work with. His school work needs some attention. Zoleka, his caregiver, has been asked to work with him.
Sinethemba, Aged 14yrs. Weight 46.5kg. Weight gained 1,6kg. Sinethemba is a healty child and well-adjusted. Dolly, his caregiver, is happy with his progress. His school work is also much improved.
Ben, Aged 10yrs. Weight 32.4kg Weight gained 1.2kg. Ben is working hard at his school work, but still needs assistance. Jackson spent a lot of time with him on this. He is helpful and respects the staff and his elders.
Sylvia, Aged 15yrs. Weight 55.3kg. Weight gain of 700g. Sylvia has improved a lot with her interaction with others. She is more helpful around the smaller children. Her school work needs a lot of attention and she is applying herself. Zoleka, the caregiver is happy with her progress.
Beverley, Aged 13yrs. Weight 34.4kg. Weight gain of 1,4kg. Beverly has improved a lot. She is helping others now without being ask to do so. She helps Tandi with school work and is very protective of her. Mentally and physically a well-balanced child.
Vuyokasi, aged 11yrs. Weight 32kg. No weight gain. Vuyokasi needs a lot of attention in her school work. She seems to be unable to read simple sentences. Her eyesight might also be a problem and needs to be checked out. She will be taken to the local clinic for an eye test. Ann, the caregiver is giving attention to this child.
Compiled by Diana Jagers, Children’s Home Supervisor