Posted on Jul 15, 2018
This is the latest update regarding our GG 1636129.  The Knysna Club and the Knysna Education Trust are really promoting our partnership by making the annual opening birthday celebrations a very Canadian event!  
 
This is a project that came in "second place" at the 2014-15 Annual Showcasing of the Mississauga Joint Cluster International Project.  John Gilvesy encouraged us to take this forward and find funding.  Bolton, Burlington Lakeshore, Meadowvale,  Oakville Trafalgar, Oakville West, and Palgrave all gave generously to make this project happen. 
I thought I would give you an update on the progress of the KET Model preschool, now called The Learning Tree.
 
We decided to do a first birthday celebration for the preschool, now that there are lots more learners.  And to celebrate Canada again (I hope this will become an annual event, to make this preschool unique).  We have a Canadian family who has joined our Rotary Club, and this makes it much easier!  Herb and Janet are here with their 4 children from New Brunswick, and they were extremely helpful with regard to dishes, animals, stories and songs.....and kiddies’ ice hockey.  They went to the preschool during the week and presented Canadian meals for the children, poutines being a firm favorite. They also had salmon sandwiches cut into the maple leaf shape, and Rice Krispie biscuits, which Janet told me all Canadian children love.
 
This photo shows the decorated entrance, with 2 of the invited guests, and our Canadian helpers, Meghan, Janet, and young Charlie.
Photo 1
 
The next photo shows the children around the Canadian flag cake, after stirring renditions of our 2 countries’ anthems!

Janet read them a Canadian story, while they coloured in Canadian pictures.
Below, right: general photo of the youngest children in their classroom, with teacher Hazel.
 
We had tea for the invited guests with waffles, blueberries, maple syrup, shortbread cut into maple leaf shapes, biscuits with cheese and salmon, and some very tasty cakes, made by Janet (called nanaimos?).  About 40 – 50 came for tea and to see the preschool, which was very rewarding.