By Katherine de Kretser | Project Leader
The last 3 months has been a flurry of activity as the school year progresses and the children and the young people who attend Cotagala School continue to develop their academic, independent and vocational skills.
There have been many special events, both at the school and in the community. For example, Cotagala School students participated in the sports days of other local schools. It is a delight to see the children at Cotagala compete and win against their ‘mainstream’ counterparts. These type of events are also good for greater inclusion and Cotagala School is very much involved with other school and community events in the area. In other activities, the school band participated in public performances and students also took part in a charitable sports event in Colombo where they won 8 bronze, 7 silver and 6 gold medals!
Thanuje, an 11 year old boy with a learning disability, sat the ‘Grade 5 scholarship exam’ this year and won a special award for his achievement from the Education Department. This is a competitive exam for all 11 year olds in the country and we are all pleased that he did so well.
In April, at the beginning of the second term, three new children started school at Cotagala. These were children who had grown up at the Infants Home and had developed enough independent skills to start their formal education at Cotagala. One of the children who started, Upuni, is a little girl with Down’s syndrome. She remains in contact with her mother but due to extremely difficult personal circumstances, she is not able to care for her full-time. Her carers at the Infants Home have supported her early years development well and she is happy and confident little girl. Upuni is already settled at Cotagala and used to the new routine. She has bonded well with her teacher and main carers. Friendships with other students are also developing well.
In further news, we are delighted that Dinushi, who was mentioned in our previous report, has made it through to the second round of a national televised show called ‘Sri Lanka’s got talent!’. A short preview of her first television appearance is here:
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