Holy Cross Anglican School



  

Getting ready to march to the stage



Singing a song



Receiving certificates from Vice Principal Mrs Tasher

Just too cute

You wouldn't have thought it as our softball team headed for the district playoffs, but this was the first year that many of them had played softball. But here they were, two confident teams with wins already under their belt.



Coach Mr Brandon Bood, Manager Mr Carlos Coba with the Holy Cross Boy's Softball Team


This is the first year Holy Cross has had a softball team and we owe our successful start to St Thomas Episcopal Church in Massachusetts, who generously donated us several large bags of uniforms, bats, balls and catchers gear last summer when they came as a volunteer team to the school. Also this year one of our new teachers - Mr Brandon Bood - is a very experienced softball coach and had previously coached a team who won the national finals.

So for many reasons we were very confident. Mr Bood and our sports teacher Mr Carlos Coba together did a great job of coaching the teams. It wasn't long before the local competitions started.

Both our teams did well.

Our girl's team played San Pedro Roman Catholic School, winning the match.



Girls team, ready for that fast ball


The boys had two teams to complete against. First up was Isla Bonita, winning 14-6. Next they faced San Pedro Roman Catholic School, winning 8-4.

Boy's team, waiting their turn

As often is the case, beating one obstacle just brings the next. Our team was eligible to play at the district level, facing all the other schools from the various areas in the Belize district. But if, and only if, we could raise $300 US in 5 days. Well, trusting in miracles and the generosity of the many who support us, I put out the appeal. And God had gone before us. I had asked St Thomas church, who had donated the equipment, and not only did they get my email which was sent to and address they almost never check anymore, but the Senior Youth Group at the church had already arranged a fundraiser for that weekend and were happy to support the team as part of it - WOW!

Our teams were thrilled to head off to the district level playoffs. For some, this was the first time they'd been of the island. For many, it was the first time they'd even seen a real softball field. But they didn't let the big city overwhelm them.

The boys started strong- winning against St Martin De Porres R.C. School 4-2.  The next game was tougher as they faced the previous district champions from Crooked Tree Government School. They started well and were leading 4-1 until a couple of simple mistakes lost our team the lead and their confidence. The game finished in a loss, but everyone agreed out team had done well.

The boys team took home two trophies - 2nd place in the Belize District Rural, and 2nd place in the Belize District.

The Girls had a tougher time, playing Buttonwood Bay Nazarene School, loosing 5-0 but still picking up the 2nd place trophy for the Belize District Rural Schools. Well done!

We'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who made this day possible - coaches, teachers, parents, volunteers, donors and staff. We now hold our heads up high thanks to your hard work.

We'd also like to ask for future support for our teams - especially for donations to help our teams go to the mainland for games.  Either send us a check, or email volunteerbelize@gmail.com indicating you're available to ask when sporting needs come up. We also need donations of trophies to host inter-school tournaments at our school, as well as sporting equipment - especially shoes.



Holy Cross Girl's Softball Team



Holy Cross Boys Softball Team

Nurse Jamilyn - what a cutie!

The Holy Cross preschool has gotten off to a wonderful start, with 15 bright-eyed 4 year olds attending every morning, while a few less three year olds come every afternoon. Although I could happily spend all my time in the preschool and blogging cute stories, I'll keep it short.


Our preschool children are learning many of the same things as their counterparts from around the world - simple numbers, letters, learning through play, how to get along with others and the rules of being in a classroom.

In Belize, few children attend preschool. Often this is because the local preschools are very expensive - one local preschool is charging $25 Belize ($12.50 US) a week per child at preschool - a huge burden when you consider the average wage is $40 BZ per day and families commonly have 5 children.  Also, particularly at our school where we focus on providing education for the most disadvantaged children, few have had parents who have had the skill, resources or time to teach their children any of the basic skills and knowledge many western schools take for granted.

Mrs Jamira, the preschool teacher, who previously taught our Infant 1 class (equivalent to K in the US system), had a lot to say about the advantages our preschool is giving our children.  In previous years she says it's been common to have many children who arrive at school very unprepared. Many don't have the simple skills you might expect - how to hold a pencil, count to 5, spell their name or know their age, write any letters or even know the names of shapes. With 1 teacher to 25 or more children, it's really tough to fill these gaps in learning while also keeping up with the curriculum. But now, with our preschool, we have a whole class of children who are already learning these skills, who can be role models and helpers to their peers.

Now for the cute pictures!  March was child stimulation month and all the preschools had a chance to break out and learn beyond the classroom. Our kids had a ball. Here's a few highlights:

Culture Day, where all the children came dressed as one of the cultures found in Belize.

Community day: All the kids came dressed as a community worker, then spent the day meeting real community workers and learning about their jobs.

Three legged races in the park

Family Craft day was a hit

Santa distributes presents

Ask any child what the highlight of the year is and most likely they will tell you "CHRISTMAS!!" And this year was no exception, as thanks to the hard work of several very generous locals there were presets from Santa for each and every child at the school (and a few more curious visitors too).

Santa drove into the school at the head of a convoy of golf carts, accompanied by his army of elves. Tantalizing sacks of presents were unloaded, then one by one each class came to receive their presents from Santa. They were thrilled to each receive a present with their own name on it, individually wrapped and different in size and shape to the presents of everyone else.

Santa, who moonlights as an owner of a local bar (where else would Santa holiday but San Pedro??), did an amazing job of making each and every child feel special - big smiles, high fives, a quick hug and a big present. The children had so much fun. Santa was still holding strong after 420 kids - just desperate for a coffee!

Wandering through the classrooms was great fun after Santa had visited - the kids had unwrapped their dolls, trucks, activity books, balls and a myriad of other gifts. They also shared Christmas food together and enjoyed music and games. So much fun.

Christmas almost didn't happen, until an angel, in the form of the amazing Krista who owns a condo at Reef Village visited the school and started an amazing sequence of events. She heard of our need for Christmas gifts and was inspired. She started a toy drive within the local community and within a few short weeks had gathered together a present for each child - incredible. And, she had so much fun, she wants to do it a gain next year!

Krista is also does fundraising and has promised to support Holy Cross School as a beneficiary of the Nathan Yip Foundation - how exciting!

We'd also like to thank the many individuals who brought down Christmas gifts - your generosity is wonderful.

Santa talks to the class

Ms Krista enjoys a moment with Santa

Receiving gifts

San Pedro has many celebrations and parades with one of the most colorful being the annual lighted boat parade. This has been running for 6 years now and Holy Cross, through the enthusiasm of Vernon Wilson, has a history of doing well.

This year was no exception. Mr Freddy put all his creative talent into place, putting together a magnificent creation. The snowman even seemed to wave as the boat bobbed in the still waters.

The hard work paid off, and the school took the special award for the Religious category, winning the school $800BZ - well done!

Here's Mr Freddy as Santa and Mr Carlos Coba, our Std 6 teacher claiming the well earned award from the beautiful Mrs San Pedro.

Well done everyone!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!On Sunday, June 20, thirty-five students graduated from Holy Cross Anglican Primary School. Mrs. Carol Babb, former General Manager of the Anglican Schools and currently the Deputy Chief Education Officer, was the guest speaker. Mrs. Babb told the graduates that there were great possibilities for their future, but they must remember to be self-disciplined and determined, and they would have to make sacrifices in order to excel. Mrs. Grace Williams, Principal, and Mrs. Francis Wilson, Local Manager, also had praise for the graduates and words of wisdom. Rosa Lopez (Valedictorian), Zoila Canek and Ethel Villatoro were the top students in the 2009-2010 Standard VI class.

Twenty-five students received scholarships that will allow them to attend high school. The majority of the scholarships were funded through a very generous donation from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Kingwood, Texas. Representatives from the church were on hand to meet the graduates and to present the scholarships.

Dear Friends, Holy Cross Anglican School was honored by a visit from the Rt. Rev. Philip Wright on Sunday, May 30th. Bishop Wright was here to administer the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Eleven children were Baptized, nine students were Confirmed (our FIRST Confirmation class!!) and participated in their first Eucharist. Please see photos.

The entire Holy Cross family rejoices with the eleven children who were Baptized. We are also extremely proud of the students in our first Confirmation class. The Confirmands were prepared to receive the Sacrament by School Principal, Mrs. Grace Williams and Deacon Jan Lamb from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, NC who has been volunteering as school Chaplain since January.

Bishop Wright presented copies of the New Testament (donated by friends like you) to each family who had a child Baptized. In addition he gave Study Bibles ( thanks again to our friends!) and wooden Crosses to each student who was Confirmed. What an incredibly special day!!!

UPDATE ON THE SUMMER 2010 CORPORATE DONATION MATCHING PROGRAM..........

Great news...we received a commitment of an additional $5,000 to be used as part of the corporate matching funds. Many thanks to our good friend in California!!! That brings our Corporate Match total to $20,000.00 USD!!!!!! PLEASE take this opportunity to make a donation to Holy Cross Anglican School knowing that your contribution will be DOUBLED!!! We are hoping and praying to raise $40,000 in desperately needed funds to help support our Feeding Program and building program.

All donations sent to the Holy Cross Education Foundation by credit card or check receive an equal amount from the Corporate Matching Program. All money will be given to Holy Cross to cover the school’s Feeding Program, operational and construction expenses.

The children of Holy Cross really need your help! We are committed to continue the Feeding Program which provides a healthy breakfast, mid-morning fresh fruit snack, nourishing lunch, purified water and daily vitamins to over 500 children every day who might otherwise be malnourished. The kitchen staff does a wonderful job keeping costs low but we still spend $1US per child per day. That adds up to a lot of money!!! Holy Cross needs every penny of that potential $40,000 (and tons more!) to remain the state-of-the art educational facility you helped to create. Without your contributions, we cannot be supportive of our children who are hungry, in need of uniforms, shoes, school supplies or sick. Please don't let us down. Tax deductible contributions can be sent to:

Holy Cross Education Foundation
7550 Corporate Way
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

OR, made via credit card on the Foundation's web site: www.hcefoundation.org For additional information, please feel free to contact the Chair of the Foundation Board: Brian Ostenso at bostenso@aol[dot]com

MORE GOOD NEWS: The results of the National Exam for Standard VI students (PSE) are in. I'm thrilled to report that 30 of our 37 Standard VI students passed the exam and several came within a point or two of passing. We are overjoyed with our passing rate of 81% - a great average!! Of course we always aim for 100% but several of these children came to Holy Cross with no knowledge of English - quite a hurtle to overcome in an English speaking country. Congratulations to teacher, Mrs. Joy Elliott and the many volunteers who helped tutor these young folks.

STATE-OF-THE-ART BATHROOM FACILITY: Construction continues on our new bathroom complex. (Please see photo). We are counting the days until 26 toilets and 2 large trough urinals are ready for action. Many thanks to the Episcopal Church Women for their generous grant which provided the money to get this project underway. And, a huge thank you to the many volunteers who have worked and continue to work in the hot Belizean sun to make this incredibly needed facility a reality. When completed, Holy Cross will have the most environmental friendly bathrooms in the country. We are thrilled to be ecologically sound and to get rid of the huge lines at potty break - smile.

Registration is well underway for the next school year. Once again it looks like we'll have a 'full house' and be forced to turn children away. That is the hardest thing in the world to do. With your help and continued support we hope to soon have the money needed to buy land fill. Once we can fill more of the property we can look to building a much needed pre-school and additional classrooms along with a playground...Church....art and science classrooms....and...and... The dreams for Holy Cross continue to grow. Please join in helping make them come true!!! Many thanks and blessings, Francis

Support Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro www.holycrossbelize.org

Holy Cross Anglican School was honored by a visit from the Rt. Rev. Philip Wright on Sunday, May 29th. Bishop Wright was here to administer the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The service was held at the Angel Nunez Auditorium at San Pedro High School. Eleven children were Baptized and nine students were Confirmed and made their First Communion. Those Confirmed were Isolene Bailey, Jovanni Campos, Kaira Chan, Reyna Chavez, Venancia Choc, Celia Edwards, Helen Palacio, Alba Trejo and Tamika Castro who left before the pictures were taken.

Holy Cross Anglican School rejoices with the eleven children who were Baptized and their families. We are also extremely proud of the students in our first Confirmation class. The Confirmands were prepared to receive the Sacrament by School Principal, Mrs. Grace Williams and Deacon Jan Lamb from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, NC who has been volunteering at the School since January 2010.

Bishop Wright presented copies of the New Testament to each family who had a child Baptized. In addition he gave Study Bibles and wooden Crosses to each student who was Confirmed. Many thanks to the staff members who prepared the auditorium for the service and everyone who made this such a special day!

Support Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro www.holycrossbelize.org

Richard Hess and Marcel Goneau, of Goneau-Hess Architectural design and construction here in San Pedro, have donated their time and expertise to make this happen for the school. They have also allowed the school to purchase all the materials to build this building at their cost.