Lookout world, "hear" I come..
Carel du Toit
Special School Bloemfontein
Who we are
Carel du Toit is a special school for children who have a hearing loss and have been fitted with cochlear implants or hearing aids. We are the only school in the Free State that teaches spoken language to hearing impaired learners. We do not make use of sign language teach as a means of communication. At the moment we have 70 full time learners.
In January 2000 the Bloemfontein Carel du Toit Centre commenced its
services for children with hearing impairment in a Sunday school classroom at
the Universitas-West Dutch Reformed Church on the corner of De Bruin and Van
Schalkwyk Streets in Universitas.
There were only three children enrolled at the time: One 6-year-old and two 3-
year-olds. Mrs Michelle de Kock, who had previously been a teacher at Cape
Town’s Carel du Toit Centre, undertook the role as their teacher, putting her
insights of the Carel du Toit methodology to good work.
Dr. Koos van der Merwe approached Annelie du Toit to assist in the
establishment of the school in a more official capacity. There were no funds
available for this exercise, so Dr. van der Merwe donated a sum of money and
a diamond to be raffled to raise the necessary capital to begin with. In March of
the same year, the school moved to Bloemfontein’s National Hospital due to the
expansion of the Centre.
Annelie du Toit put all her energy into bringing sponsors and donors on board
for the launch dinner. Her tireless efforts resulted in securing the support of
National Real Estate and thus the official launch of the Bloemfontein Carel du
Toit Centre was in June 2000.
With the committed support from National Real Estate after the launch, the
Centre continued as a privately run organisation until October 2012. Then the
provincial education department officially registered the school as a Section 20
school from Grade R to Grade 7. It is now known as Carel du Toit Special
School.
We are a school of HOPE and we believe that every child should have the opportunity to hear and be heard. We are making a difference in the lives of all our learners but we need your help to improve our that our children get a chance in life.
The staff work wonders to meet every learner at their level of development. The school has a full-time Occupational therapist, Agnieta Dreyer, that sees the learners weekly to support normal development by using sensory integration techniques. The school also have two a full-time Speech therapists, Renate van Rooyen and Esthie van Vuuren that gives individual and group therapy sessions to the learners. They are also in charge of the hearing screening programme of the school. The school offers recorder classes, hip hop dance classes, art classes, netball and hockey as extra mural activities.
Our Mission - I can HEAR, I can talk ..... TEACH me!
- We believe that the hearing-impaired child have the same capacity as normal hearing children to acquire functional language.
- We follow a natural language acquisition approach through the maximum use of the auditory modality and the application of auditory verbal principles.
- We equip our children to be able to cope and prosper in mainstream schools.
- Primary disability must be hearing impairment.
- Any hearing-impaired child is accepted, regardless of degree of hearing loss and socio-economic status.
- Parent co-operation is a necessity.
Teachers and curriculum
- 11 Full time Teachers from 2019, paid by the Education Department
- 2 ECD trained assistants and 2 class assistants, and one of two speech therapists paid by the SGB.
- Classes are presented in Afrikaans and English. (Language of teaching is chosen by the parents)
- Learners attend the school daily from the age of 3 to Grade 7.
- Intensive auditory training from the age of 3 years.
- CAPS curriculum is followed in Grade R – Grade 6.
Therapists
- Occupational Therapist: weekly treatment to support normal development by using sensory integration techniques.
- Speech Therapist: weekly speech and language therapy to improve learners’ communication skills and parent guidance.
Hearing Screening Project
There are various causes of an acquired hearing loss, including:
- A perforated eardrum
- Otosclerosis or Meniere’s diseases, which are progressive.
- Infections like meningitis, measles, mumps or whooping cough.
- Taking ototoxic medications (for TB for instance).
- A serious head injury.
- Exposure to loud noise, causing noise-induced hearing loss.
Other Services provided by school
Feeding scheme
Breakfast is provided for all learners at our school. We rely on sponsors as we are not part of the National Funded Feeding Scheme. At the moment monthly food parcels are sent home to 8 families. Our school is in need of funds to continue this service. We expect that the number of parcels that have to be handed out, will increase during 2025.
Transport
Sponsors help us with a taxi-fund to transport our learners to and from school. The school has three 16-seater buses and is able to provide transport our learners at a minimal fee.
School Fees
For any questions or concerns regarding school fees, please don't hesitate to reach out. You can find detailed information about our school fees when your child is admitted or enrolled, as well as during the screening process. Our team is happy to provide clarity and support to ensure a smooth experience for your family.
Guidance to parents and babies
Guidance to parents and babies with hearing loss (from the age of 6 months) from any town in the Free State. Our whole approach is not to hand the child’s development to the experts, but rather empower parents to help their children themselves.
We dare to dream..
We dream of classrooms big enough to have a work area, play area, reading corner, sensory corner and enough storage space to store all the equipment necessary to teach learners with a hearing loss. We dream of a spacious play area for all the kids, a soccer field, hockey field, a swimming pool and fully equipped therapy rooms.
We dream of a new school!
How to support Carel du Toit Special School Bloemfontein
- Consider a once-off or monthly donation via the bank details provided.
- Invite your family, friends and colleagues to consider a donation and be an ambassador for our cause.
- Look at our list of needs. Perhaps you are able to donate goods or services that will help us keep costs to a minimum.
- Invite us to meet with your work colleagues or employers to share our stories of hope.
- Nominate the Carel du Toit Special School Bloemfontein as the beneficiary on your loyalty cards, such as Makro and Woolworths MySchool.
- Sponsor a learner’s school fees. We will provide information on specific learners if requested.
- Sponsor the salary of a class assistant.
- Sponsor the salary of the bus driver.
- Donate an amount to help fund the upgrade of the playground.
We are a school of HOPE and believe that every child should have the opportunity to hear and be heard. We are making a difference in the lives of all our learners but we need your help to improve our services so that our children get a chance in life.
Carel du Toit Special School Bloemfontein
Your support enables us to provide the resources needed to help the school’s children enter the hearing world with an improved potential to integrate and thrive
- Chicken patties
- Chicken nuggets
- Red viennas
- Fish fingers
- Pilchards – tinned fish
- Polony
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Longlife milk
- Peanut butter + other bread spreads – syrup / jam / chocolate spread
- Sugar
- Maize meal
- Maccaroni
- Cooldrink concentrate
- Tomato sauce
- Margarine
- Cooking oil
- Toilet paper
- Printing paper (R600 / month) – print our own books
- Ink/cartridges for printers (R2000/month)
- Laminating paper (R400/month)
- Taxi fund: any monthly contribution (are used to help/subsidise needy parents with their child’s monthly taxi fee of R880)
- School fees: sponsor a child’s school fees of R500 per month
- Class assistant’s salary (paid by school governing body)
- Busdriver’s salary (paid by school governing body)
- Audiology needs of learners
Carel du Toit Spesiale Skool Trust
Standard 240 297 504
Ref: Your initials, surname and contact number. (We want to thank you; keep you informed and send you your tax certificate.)
Fund No: IT 616/2018(B)
NPO number: 222-066
Get in touch
Get in touch via this form below
Get Directions
