Brackies put the FUN in fundraiser.
There are many advantages in being the oldest- and mother school in town, but, unfortunately its well-established history and prestige come at a price. The main downsides of a 118-year old school such as Brackenfell Primary include the costs involved in the maintenance of existing facilities and the creation of new and modern ones. Brackies thanks its stars for the supportive community, parents, educators and learners who, without much encouragement, are willing to jump in and keeping the wolf away from the door. And it comes with parental habit with huge team efforts and fun during the fundraisers where classes and grades eagerly challenge each other in competitive competitions.
Term 1: Fun Walk
The first annual fundraising campaign starts in March by way of a virtual fun walk in which learners and their class teachers get close to going overboard in their efforts to claim gold and a place on the podium. In the past, our fun walk meant just that. It was a day for all our learners to take a 5 km walk from the school around the Brackenfell community. Most houses joined in on the fun and sat on their front porches or yards waiting for the classes to walk by; some neighbours even had a braai while waiting for our learners to pass. Unfortunately, as most of us know, Covid struck, and we were forced to stop our Fun Walk event. As restrictions got lighter and lockdown was lifted, we were allowed to go back to “normal” but still had to work around the walking part due to social distancing. So we limited it to our school grounds, where learners can enjoy obstacle courses and water slides on the day. The learner seemed to enjoy it more; therefore, we decided to stick to it. Each year we have a virtual theme to motivate parents and learners. In 2024, we participated in the Comrades Marathon, and this year, we took a cycling trip around Mauritius.Â
Term 2: Wine Auction
During the second term we let the town’s wine tasters pucker their lips for Brackies’ annual wine auction, which is more comparable to the best. Thanks to the enthusiastic support of parents, supporters, local businesspeople, and wine producers in the Cape area, we are able to maintain this exciting feature that brings joy to our principal! Unfortunately, due to the changes in the Schools Act and the uncertainty surrounding wine auctions.
As fundraisers, the school, with the support of the school’s governing body, decided to adjust the fundraising projects for term 2. The “High Five Zero” was created; it means that there are 50 possible prizes that raffle buyers can win. At the end of the collection period, names will be drawn from the names on the raffle lists. All 50 winners will be invited to an event on the 18th of June, where there will be another draw to determine which prizes will be awarded to each winner.
Term 3: "Kaskar" race
You haven’t witnessed a race if you haven’t attended Brackenfell Primary’s annual “kaskar” race. Man and mouse, from Grade R to Grade 7, all participate in this breathtaking spectacle dressed in team uniform, which is one of the highlights on the school’s annual calendar. True to its reputation, the kaskar is the one day in September the learners look extra forward to. Teams engage in competition to determine the champion class. Each year, a different theme is assigned to each class.
In 2022, we celebrated the 7s World Cup, which was here in Cape Town. We represented six countries (Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Spain, France and Ireland), and each country also sent us a video to say good luck for the day. The 7A4 class was the champion that year.
In 2023 we celebrated the Rugby World Cup. The countries we represented were Ireland, France, England, New Zealand, Wales, and Australia, of which our 7A3 class was the champion.Â
In 2024 our theme was none other than Formula 1. The teams represented were McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Red Bull and Alpine. Each class, per grade, also represented a driver and a specific colour. Mr Kleinhans and his class, 7A3, were crowned back-to-back champions as he won the title for a second year in a row.
Will he make it a 3rd? What will this year’s theme be?Â
Click on the flags for the race videos.
Term 4: Carnival
But the icing on the cake remains the school’s annual carnival in November, shortly before the final exams dawn. Despite high input costs, the school provides high quality entertainment for parents, learners and the community of Brackenfell with exciting fun rides and tasty takeaways for everyone.
And what is the school doing with the money? More than half of the teaching staff members are being employed by the school governing body, which allows Brackenfell Primary to limit the size of their classes to 36 learners per class. Maintenance of the school structures, upgrading of facilities such as galvanized steel fencing around the entire school grounds, restoring the floors and roofs of the whole school as well as new sporting facilities such
as an Astro Turf hockey field and solar power electricity support are just some of the gains the learners received from the SGB recently. A big plus that can be directly attributed to the eager supported fundraising efforts, is that Brackenfell Primary has the most modest school fees in town, if not in the area.