Health benefits for Winterberg pupils
Recognising the critical importance of health and wellbeing in a child’s holistic development, especially in an isolated rural area where access to medical services is challenging, the Winterberg School Trust hosted a Wellness Day.
The Winterberg farming area struggles with public transport, making it difficult for community members to go to the nearest towns to receive the specialist health care they need.
The inception of Wellness Day was prompted by past instances where hearing and vision impairments in children were not diagnosed early on, placing them at a disadvantage by depriving them of equal access to learning experiences.
Therefore, the primary goal of the day is to identify health concerns in children at a young age, enabling timely intervention and treatment. This is crucial to ensure every child progresses by being able to fully embrace the educational opportunities provided in school.
The Winterberg School Trust was fortunate enough to have a team of specialists from East London visit the school, allowing every pre-schooler and Grade R pupil to receive thorough eye, ear, and skin examinations. Selected children from higher grades, parents and community members requiring attention were also screened.
The day was a great success thanks to the dedicated specialists who generously volunteered their time and expertise.
The team included a dermatologist, Dr Sarina Drusinsky, optometrists Fanie Kriel and Stef Kriel, acoustician Brandon Schlimpler and audiologist Kyla Knoetze.