Category: Expanding Gold Teak

Children who study on elementary school, need to learn how to make friends. They need friends not only at school but also outside of school, because when the children play or study together, they will increase their self-esteem and support each other when they are on troubles.

When they are together, they will not feel alone, they learn how to communicate and build the leadership skill.
Live in a simple and small village like Cibening, children are get used to play without technology. They play traditional games and sports. They grow physically and mentally. The school and community help them to develop their attitude and aptitude.

“Childhood is like a mirror, which reflects in afterlife the images first presented to it. The first thing continues forever with the child. The first joy, the first sorrow, the first success, the first failure, the first achievement, the first misadventure” (Samuel Smiles)

Not all students get pocket money from their parents, in addition the school is near their homes and there is no food stall sells snacks. The students who receive pocket money from their parents usually put their money in piggy banks at home.

Students are taught about how to make things from recycling, beside they can reuse the things they made but also they can sell them to their friends or their neighbors (like piggy banks from milk cans or to make pencil boxes from biscuit cans). Basically, the students are taught how to be creative and productive and not consumptive.

Learning to manage the pocket money is very good to be introduced from an early age. The easy thing to save their pocket money is the students can bring snacks for their break, and they can save their pocket money in their piggy bank at home.

Teachers and parents teach the same thing to the children, how to manage the time. Life in the village is very simple, but when children are not accustomed to school and home activities they can not enjoy their beautiful childhood.

“Saving a small amount soon builds up to a large amount” (Scottish proverb)

SD Cibeureum does not have a large yard, students play and exercise on the same yard. They take turns, using the yard, work out with teachers or play with friends.
Almost every day the students and other children of Cibening village play together. Therefore, the balls that Goldteak gave, did not last long. Last month, Goldteak gave four balls again for Football and Volley, so they can keep practicing and playing together.
Proverb “a healthy mind in a healthy body“, precisely for the growth of school children. They should be given the opportunity to grow balanced and perfect for their physical and intelligence as well.

Last year, Goldteak gave several balls for Volley, Football and Sepak takraw. The balls have been using by students almost everyday. The balls are all broken and torn now, they need new balls.

SD Cibeureum does not have a large yard, students always take turns using the it, When they play Football today they will play Volley or Sepak takraw tomorrow.

Children and the neighbor are very noisy watching the students play in front of the school. Students play the games without wearing the sport wear, they still use school uniform and they put off their shoes. They use net and bamboo for lines for Volley and Sepak takraw. For Football they use plastic rope net for goal.

Little surprise to hear that female students are interested playing football, usually they play Volley and the male students play Football and Sepak takraw.

They do not see any gender differences in games or sports, for them sports make them healthy, happy, and they also practice how to be sportive.

Early this year, SD Cibeureum sent 7 students (Seni, Neneng, Reki, Elsa, Ali, Muhyiduin and Eni) from grade 4 and 5 to follow the competition. The competition was held at SDN 1 Bantargadung, in Bantargadung Regent. The students took a Science Quiz, Reading Al-Qur’an (Koran), Reading/Writing/Counting, Calligraphy and Praying. Grade 1, 2 and 3 did not follow this competition, they will follow the next one in March, Grade 6 is preparing the examination in April.

Two trophies for Science Quiz and Praying, make the school, other students and parents are proud. Need more practices and recites for reading Al-Qur’an, because not only knowing how to read it but also need to know the intone. Calligraphy is new one, students need more practice.

Every year all the students practice preparing for the competition, they are prepared to gain a competitive experience so they can understand that winning does not need to be arrogant and if it is not to be embarrassed and inferior, they should feel that they must prepare themselves for the challenge of studying and challenges in society.

To be the best means students must be healthy, intelligent, skilled, modest and environmentally friendly.

Like last year, SD Cibeureum has two weeks holiday this end of year. After the students
received their progress reports, they started holiday and they came back to school on 2nd of
January 2018. People in Cibening village very seldom celebrate the New Year (AD), they just
watch TV to see the celebration, the fireworks and firecrackers as the year is already changed.
They celebrate the Islamic New Year with big celebration.

During the holiday, students usually spent their time at home, at the rice field or garden to help
their parents. They play with their friends at school yard or visit their friends in other village.
December and January rain falls almost every day, children like playing football under the rain,
sometimes they look after the frogs or collecting the fruit on the ground.

SD Cibeureum’s students are very lucky, they received many books from Goldteak before the
holiday. When they played at the school yard, some of them sit at the porch and read books.
Children spent their time for something fun, creative and knowledgeable during the holiday, they
will be exited to start the New Year 2018.

There will be a long holiday for the students after they finish the examination and receive the
progress report. They will have three weeks holiday, two weeks in December and one week in
January. The students were very happy when they received books from Goldteak.

Rainy season has been started last month and will end in February or March next year. Rain falls
almost every day, morning, afternoon or evening, all day or all night. The heavy rain damages the
road, water brings stones and clay and the road will be thinner and finally there will be a land
slide.

Cibening people will have a problem when they want to go out from the village, especially the
children will stay home or play at school or visit their friends during the holiday.

There are several activities can be done indoor, but the best is reading. Books with interesting
topics and simple experiments will make students’ holiday more exiting.

Students will spend their holiday with their friends and books until the holiday ends in January
and they start to school again.

“Together we can do great things” (Mother Teresa)

Several years ago, the students of SD Cibeureum only had reading activity in the class. They almost never read books outside of the class, because they did not have any reading books, they had only students books. No wonder, we could find a student who was on third grade but can not read properly. Goldteak started the program “ Let’s read a story books”, the students were enthusiastic when they read books together at the school porch. Starting with a bilingual story books for young kids (Indonesian & English), now they read social & science books (encyclopedia).

From reading activities they are interested to do more activities, related with simple experiments for simple science (like to prove that water and oil does not mixed). They also like to do gardening and do a hydroponic at their school yard. They display they work on the Bazar Day, where they can earn money by selling their products to their parents.

Reading is the beginning of the braveness to follow the competition, then the students will know their ability and their knowledge.

Trip to Bogor Botanical Garden was the first experience for the SD Cibeureum students, they almost never went out from the village, except when they took a competition in other village or in Sukabumi Regent.

Since early morning, they already woke up and took a bath and had breakfast, they should go to Cibadak train station by car to take a morning train. They had no experience taking a train, that’s why they were very exited when they arrived at the station and chose the seat, they wanted to seat near the windows. It was different when they saw the train from the book, they found more interesting to see the view from the window.

Some students slept, the air conditioning made them sleepy. But some were awake, they saw the scenery from the window. Passing the rice field, guava and oranges gardens, fish pond, market, villages, even they could see the traffict, they were exited when the train stopped at the station and some passengers got on or off the train.

They chatted, talked and had snacks, one hour trip seemed short. They arrived at Paledang train station in Bogor and directly walked to Bogor Botanical Garden.

Taking a train back to Sukabumi made their trip completed, they were tired but their exitement and fun made them keep talking in the train untill they arrived home and told the story to their family. Some of the students asked to the teacher, whether they will have another opportunity to go to Jakarta or Bandung or other places using ship or plane. The teacher answered that it is possible when the students perform well and achieve many awards in every competition.

“My achievements are not mine alone, but those of many”. (Maori proverbs)

The Botanical Garden is located in Bogor, Indonesia, 60 km South of Jakarta, and it is currently operated by Indonesian Institute of Science (Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia or LIPI). The Gardens are located in the city center and adjoin The Presidential Palace compound of Istana Bogor and Zoology Museum. It covers an area of 87 hectares (210 acres) and contains 13,983 different kind of trees and plants of various origin.

Thursday morning, August 24th, students grade four, five and six, took 06:00 am train from Sukabumi to Bogor with five teachers and five parents and they arrived in Bogor at 07.05. Jon, Zaini, Dewi, Adi and his family joined the program. After students received goodybags with books, stationary and bread, they started trip from from Zoology Museum (It was founded by Dr. J.C Koningsberger in August 1894), they saw the collection of fossilized and preserved animals. The Museum tour guide gave explanation to the students, they wondered about all animals they never knew and surprised when they saw animals that they already knew from the books. They amazed when they saw a giant preserved Rhino.

After one hour tour in museum Zoology then they took an open bus to go round the garden. The tour leader informed them about the history of The Botanical Garden, last May there was a big event to celebrate the 200 years Botanical Garden. There are about 80 % of the plants from Indonesia and 20 % from other countries. With the theme “Plants and People in Harmony” we encourage young people especially students to plant trees or any green surround their houses or their area.

Half day trip to Bogor made people happy, they ended the tour with games, taking photos and got an ice cream and key chains from Jon. Theo and Alfred, Adi’s sons, shared the key chains to all people who joined the trip. They had lunch at the Garden beside the Lotus pond and The Bogor Palace as the background. We believe that it will be a memorable experience for the students and becomes a motivation to care more about environment