Nova Pioneer encourages parents’ involvement in their child’s education. We organize parent teacher conferences and academic days for parents to find out how students are doing academically and socially. These meet-ups trigger deep conversations regarding the wellness of students in school. 

Research has shown that having parents involved in school has a very positive impact on a child’s education. The Harvard Family Research Project concluded that parental involvement is associated with higher student achievement.

Here are 5 reasons why you should get involved in your child’s education.

Higher Grades; Students whose parents are involved in their education, tend to record an upward trajectory in academics.

Better behavior; Students develop better social skills when parents are involved in school. They are less likely to skip school, less disruptive in class and are more likely to complete homework. The students are less likely to be suspended, expelled or expected to repeat a grade.

Improved Education; Parent involvement in schools directly impacts quality of schools, teachers morale, and improves a schools reputation in the community.

Increased Confidence; When students feel supported both at home and in school, they develop more positive attitude about school, have more confidence and place a high value on academic achievement. 

Parents benefit too; When parents are involved in their children’s education, they become more comfortable with the school,  gain confidence in their parenting skills, and feel more capable of helping their children learn. They are also more likely to continue their own education.

Parents’ involvement in their children’s education always pays off.

Enrollments for 2023 are currently ongoing in all our day and boarding schools. Click here to submit an application for your child.

The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.” –Paulo Freire

The Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), a practical and workable educational system that focuses on nurturing children from an early age, was launched in 2017 to address the deficiencies of the previous 8-4-4 system. Instead of relying on the student’s ability to replicate the content in a test paper, CBC intends for students to use the material in practical and real-world settings. This system is student-centred and intended to produce students who are prepared to face and solve problems of the 21st century.

Some parents and students have expressed quite reasonable worries and concerns about the announcement and rollout of CBC. After all, this is not replacing dated curtains to give your house a fresh look – this is the future of your child, Kenya, Africa, and the entire world.

In apt form, Nova Pioneer Schools for Innovators and Leaders have done just that! They have innovated, adapted and are ready to lead the new dawn in what promises to be a vivification in the Kenyan educational system. 

In preparing our teachers for this new role, we have gone above and beyond what was expected of us. The Ministry of Education will provide training, but we are providing additional professional development for our teachers so that they can develop a thorough understanding of CBC and an ability to administer with the diligence that Kenya’s future demands.

With the gradual implementation of CBC, we are prepared and supportive of the last class of 8-4-4, our current class 7 students, who will take their K.C.P.E exams in 2023. Our 8-4-4 and CBC students consistently receive equal attention and high-quality instruction.

In response to our parents’ requests, CBC Grade 7 students will now have the option to enrol in either a day or boarding school as they advance from CBC Grade 6 to CBC Grade 7. Our 8-4-4 students who are scheduled to finish their KCPE in 2023 will continue to receive support at their existing campus and will have the option of attending a Nova Pioneer Day or Boarding secondary school.

We have taken a holistic approach to embracing and mastering CBC, from admissions to the classroom; it has to be mentioned that so much of what we are already offering is well suited for CBC:

• The holistic student outcomes that we strive for – The 3C’s that we aim to develop in each Novaneer student: Capability, Character & Connection – match well with CBC benefits and intent, namely that of developing the best interests and talents of the student;
• Our enquiry-based teaching methods that promote student voice and reasoning is precisely the kind of instruction that CBC envisions and that can make it great;
• Our in-house learning design capabilities and team enable us to research, adapt, and enrich CBC curriculum for our teachers and students;
• Our professional teacher development practices — supported by our culture principles of Always Growing and Joy of Learning — give our teachers the mindset to actively learn and constantly get better at new practices.

We will continue to provide the best education possible for our students, give them the resources they need to develop into upright citizens, increase their connections to the global community by increasing their likelihood of participating in initiatives such as Model United Nations or Yale’s Young Learners programme, and we will continue to work hard for their success through our unique Post-School programme even after they graduate from our school.

Ours is a life long relationship, a camaraderie, and we invite our current and prospective parents and students  to dialogue about the plans we have made for the future innovators and leaders of the African century.

Admissions for 2023 are currently ongoing. Click here to enrol your child.

 

International Women’s Day is celebrated each year on March 8th to recognize the social, economic , cultural and political achievements of women. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.” 

At Nova Pioneer, we are empowering our young women to bravely take up opportunities.  We equip them with 21st Century skills that prepare them for the future.  In them we see a generation of great Leaders who will shape the African century.

This Year as we celebrate the International Women’s Day, we are celebrating these brave young women within the Nova Pioneer community.

 

Our Brave Young Women

We are Proud of Avery Muoki a Grade 5  student at our Athi River Campus who published her first book titled Amber The brave. At 10 years old Avery has already discovered her prowess in writing. She is passionate about the environment. Her book is about a young girl determined to save her village from air pollution caused by toxic fumes from a steel factory. 

We are  proud of Jeanne Sere an alumni of our Tatu Girls Campus who is the founder of tabasamu.ke a company she started while at Nova Pioneer in 2018. She grew from collecting several kilograms of bags with clothes donated by Novaneers to selling re-cycled Ankara waste from local tailors. She uses 20% of her profits to give back to the community.

We are  Proud of Shakira Mwakitawa an Alumni of our Tatu Girls Campus who joined the Nova Pioneer Marketing team as an intern. she has continued to embody the Nova Pioneer culture principles and bravely offers support to the team. 

We are proud of Apetronila Maina, Maya Hawi, Shanice Kituu and Tatyana Murila Students at our Tatu Girls Campus who emerged position 1 in this Years Junior Achievers Company of The Year Competition. Their project “Yoof” aims at  promoting mental health among young people by creating a safe space to express themselves.

Above, Apetronila, Maya, Shanice and Tatyana

 

We are proud of Rehema Amor and Michelle Atika, Form 4 Students at Tatu Girls who took part in this Years National Youth Agri challenge. They emerged among the top 10 finalists in all schools across the country. Their project led to our school being identified as an Agricultural Centre and winning an Agric park worth Kshs.30000 to help Amor and Michelle begin the implementation of their project.

Above Rehema and Michelle giving their presentation

We are proud of Ivy Wanja Mwaura from Tatu Girls who emerged top in the the World Scholars Cup for her outstanding performance in writing and Debate.

We are proud of Getrude Muthoni from Tatu Girls Campus who presented an excellent Virtual tour of our country during the X-culture Business Competition. At the Competition, 15 girls from Tatu Girls gave a tremendous performance. The students will be proceeding to the global round later this year. 

We are proud of our Form 4 class who have been supporting each other, believing in themselves throughout the tight academic schedule and are currently focusing on their KCSE exams.

Join us on our next Virtual Open Day Session to learn more of the amazing stories.

Remember to celebrate yourself and the women in your life today by calling out gender inequality.

 

We Answered all the questions submitted to us last week via our Social Media platforms.

 Most of the questions were similar so we combined them as is below; 

 

 How Much is Your Form 1 School Fees?

Our 2022 Fee Structure is as follows;

Eldoret campuses; here 

Tatu City Campuses; here

You can also find school fees structures of all our campuses on our website

 

We Live in Roysambu which branch can my Son attend for PP1?

We have 2 primary schools; Nova Pioneer Primary- Tatu City and Nova Pioneer Primary -Athi River.

In this case, the Tatu City campus is the closest to Roysambu.

You can also see here the transport schedule

Click here to find more information on our admission process

 

When are Form 1’s Joining?

At Nova Pioneer we follow the Kenyan Academic dates as provided by the Ministry of Education. 

The tentative date provided is 25th April,2022.

 

What is your High School class capacity

We have 34 students per class . In our Tatu City Campuses we have  4 streams per Form. Our Eldoret Campus is still growing and we currently have 2 streams per Form.

 

How Many of your students qualified for University in 2020?

We continue to celebrate our class of 2020 for their exemplary performance.

80% of our students managed to get C+ and above which is the Minimum University requirement.

Here’s a summary of the 2020 KCSE results.

 

When is the Next Open Day?

We host Primary School Open Days every other Saturday at both our Campuses in Athi River and Tatu City. Join us this Saturday, 5th Feb for a campus experience.

Our High School Open days are hosted virtually. You can sign up for our next virtual session here

For more information, contact our admissions team via email on; admissions.ke@novapioneer.com

 

 How are your Alumni doing, Do you follow up with them?

Yes we do.

We are extremely proud of what our alumni do post Form 4. You can find some of the Alumni work here

 

Teaching Vacancies

Teachers are at the heart of what we do. They inspire our students with a passion for learning.

All our Opportunities/ vacancies are posted on the website.  Constantly check on our website to see open jobs as well as understand the hiring process.

 

How did Nova Pioneer come up

Nova Pioneer is a network of schools developing a generation of leaders and innovators.  We launched our first school in South Africa in 2014. We have since expanded within South Africa and to Kenya. Our First Kenya Schools Launched in 2015.

 

Thankyou for engaging us!

 

 

 

 

 

Every Year parents make a decision for their children to either join Public schools or a private school.Here are the  benefits of private school education.

Enhanced Opportunities

One key benefit of private schools is the enriched educational experience that pupils obtain.This is thanks to numerous additional initiatives offered at Private Schools including; extra-curricular activities and a variety of  programs for gifted students.

At Nova Pioneer,in particular, our students are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one of our co-curricular activities. These Includes; Debate & Model UN, Journalism,Blogging & Photography, Drama/music club,Computer club, Entrepreneurship Club, Music Creation Club, Dance Club,Scouting, First Aid & Presidential Award club, Robotics & Maker club,Chess & Indoor games.

We also offer coaching for a variety of outdoor games including; Rugby, Basketball, Hockey, Football and Swimming.

Private schools can create their own teaching methods. At Nova Pioneer, We have a learning design team composed of subject matter experts. They are responsible for crafting all lessons around the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development objectives.

Lessons at Nova Pioneer are delivered using the 5-E lesson plan. This is whereby students discover content for themselves about the lesson( They Get to explore their leadership potential), They are encouraged to be innovative and make connections of their findings with the real world.They then share their findings with the teacher in class who then gives clarification and finalizes the topic.

By the end of every topic, Our learners have done their research, engaged with each other and this enhances their understanding and mastery of topics.

Reduced class Sizes.

 Studies  have  shown that the smaller the class size the higher an average grade a student attains.

At nova pioneer, Our primary class size for Pre-Primary Class is 24 students per class where each class has 2 teachers, For the Upper classes, our class capacity is 32 with 2 teachers per class as well.

This has proven to be a very helpful teacher student ratio whereby each Student gets attention from the teacher depending on their strengths and or weaknesses.

Expectation of Success

The high  quality of education offered at private schools results in very good academic results. The mission of private schools attracted students with similar interests, passions and talents.

At Nova Pioneer, we have seen a steady improvement in our K.C.S.E grades. 80% of our candidates qualify to join Universities as the others join tertiary institutions.

Networking Opportunities

At Nova Pioneer, We have a Post School Success Team. The Team Organizes exchange programs for our students between Kenya and South Africa. The team also offer student job shadowing and internship opportunities in a variety of professional fields depending on each students’ interests.

Our students have earned  international scholarship opportunities to pursue their dream careers.

The Nova Pioneer community is also a source of networks.

Community Feel

Many Private schools make an effort to create a community environment. When school feels more like a community, students can feel safer, more comfortable and more passionate about learning.

At Nova Pioneer our culture principles create such a great bond between students and staff. We call ourselves Novaneers.

The strong feeling of community at Nova Pioneer nourishes the student’s social skills and encourages good behavior.

Excellent Resources

Most private schools have excellent resources and facilities to support learning. From well equipped classrooms to multiple sports facilities. 

At Nova Pioneer, We have world facilities that offer a great learning environment for our students.

Get in Touch With Us

If you’d like to enroll your child for the 2022 academic year, Then please get in touch with us. Visit our website to learn more about Nova Pioneer.

There are several tips that will help a student excel in exams. Examination period can bring a lot of pressure and anxiety hence the need for students to prepare adequately. Studying effectively is very key in Exam Preparation.

Start Your Preparation Early

Starting early with your exam preparation will give you ample time to review everything you have already studied. So do not leave anything for the last moment and make sure you understand your subject thoroughly. This will make revision much easier.

Setting up a timetable early enough will also assist in proper time management. First note down the exams you have and schedule appropriately.

Organize Your Space for Study

Before sitting down to study,ensure your space is well organised and that you have enough space to place your study materials.Ensure the room is also well lit and there’s nothing around that might distract you.Keeping everything in order helps you remain focused throughout the study session.

Review and Practice old exam papers

This will help you familiarize yourself with the format and structure of the exam paper.

Set your Study Goal.

Goal setting is the best way in attaining any sort of targets.Utilize your study time to achieve your goals.

Get together with friends for a study session

Organizing study sessions with your friends is one of the most crucial exam study tips for university students as it helps you get answers to all your questions and vice versa. However, you need to make sure that you do not waste time and stay focused on learning the importance of preparing for exams.

Studying with your friends or your fellow students is also a great way to challenge yourself and keep moving forward towards your goal

Study to Suit your Learning Style 

Your learning style will help you to know what are the best ways to prepare for an examination. For instance, if you are an auditory learner, you may benefit from recording your notes and then listening to them later, or you can even listen to class recordings.

On the other hand, if you are a visual learner, pictures and diagrams can help you remember. So explore what your learning style is so that you can memorize significant facts and understand key concepts.

Read More about learning styles here

Ask for Help 

In case you face trouble understanding a specific concept or subject, then do not hesitate to ask for help. Talk to your teacher, tutor, or your friend to understand the concept better before it’s too late. Rather than trying to memorize or cram, taking guidance from someone can help you remember the concept for a longer time.

 Plan your Exam Day and Sleep Well

Make sure you have everything ready before the day of your exam and do not leave anything for the last day. Check all the requirements and make all the other necessary arrangements.

 Besides, do not forget to take at least a minimum of seven hours of sleep before the exam. Remember, exams are designed to test your thinking ability. So if you are sleep deprived, you might not be able to complete your exam in time or justify your answers correctly.

Do Not Evaluate Post Examination

After finishing your exam, if you realize that you have given an incorrect answer to one of the questions, it may cause anxiety.

So avoid evaluating your question paper because, at that point, you will be able to do nothing to change your answer or your score. Instead, stay focused on your studies and prepare for the next exam to ensure that you do not repeat the same mistake again.

Drink Lots of Water

As one of the most vital tips for exam day, always remember that keeping yourself hydrated will add to your overall positive mood and will make your brain work at its best.

So make sure to drink plenty of water while preparing for exams and even during the exam.

Read more on exam preparation tips

The True Talents of Africa Football Academy, is set to launch Kenya’s first fully residential International football academy in partnership with Nova Pioneer Boys Secondary School based in Tatu City, Nairobi.

 

The program is designed to develop young ‘ student-athletes ‘ from all over the continent ages of 13 – 19 in a professional football academy environment whilst schooling at Nova Pioneer Secondary school. Essentially, students will live and train on one campus with the goal of pursuing a career in football. 

Since 2018, TTA’s partners have sent over 7 students on soccer scholarships to places around the world and these are the opportunities that the TTA Academy prepares Nova Students for.

“Having played professional football myself, I would say this is an opportunity which I would have loved to have growing up…” – Karuga, Nova Head Coach 

“This is a big opportunity for aspiring footballers, not just in East Africa, but all over the continent. In my career, football opened doors for me that academics could not. We are simply giving the same opportunity to the students of today. At Nova, we have created the right environment to develop and mentor students as they pursue football at the highest level.” – Kimathi Kaumbutho, TTA Director and former player and USA NAIA National Champion.

The intensive format of the program will see students train 4 times per week on campus in tandem with their studies. The program also includes weights, resistance training, and  ‘mental conditioning’, and character-building sessions. 

“Mental conditioning is where we mentor our student-athletes off the pitch in a classroom setting. We discuss matters regarding their mental health and character. It’s important to realize that football is simply a tool we use to educate the students and equip them to succeed in life—that’s the real goal of the academy.”

The True Talents of Africa Football program starts this coming July Term 2021 @Nova Pioneer.

 

 

 

Academic Excellence is important because it is strongly linked to the positive outcomes we value at Nova Pioneer.During the Alumni Virtual connect event here ,Nduta Gicheru from the Alumni class of 2020, shared her top  5 tips which she used while in school for academic excellence

Nduta Gicheru scored an A of 83 points. In addition to her exemplary performance in the KCSE Class of 2020,  Nduta was the Team Captain of the swimming club, The inaugural school president, and was also part of the music club where she played Piano.

She was very keen on mentioning the importance of being an all rounded student, which she indeed led by example.

Here are her top 5 tips;

 Start the race as soon as they say go.

This journey is not going to be about who the fastest runner is or who has the most talent. It’s about who is the most adaptable and keeps a steady pace. Like a race, as soon as you get on campus keep a moderate but constant exertion in your academics and outside classroom activities. As long as you start now, you will be closer to your goals than you were yesterday. Adopt self mastery sooner rather than later. 

Build a community.

 Find friends who are a few steps ahead of you and will keep you going forward daily. Healthy competition makes all the difference. It creates accountability as well as support during the trying times. 

Set out to fail. 

The greatest lessons come from the biggest mistakes. The ones that stick with us forever. Put your arm up each and every time to answer a question, what’s the worst that can happen if you get it wrong? So what if they judge you? They certainly will not be laughing when you learn something new and eventually achieve your goals. Remember winning and losing are just trajectories in the journey which are dependent on only you. 

Go, go, go the extra mile. 

They wake up at 5:30, you wake up at 5:00. It’s half an hour more in one day but three and a half hours in a week. And so much more in a year. Make the sacrifices early. The journey will become easier. In the end it will be a cruise. Additionally, go the extra mile in applying for all the opportunities that you are interested in. They will come and go, don’t agree to let them pass you by. Aim to be a holistic individual. 

 Lastly, serve in whatever capacity you can. Find a place to be of service to others. It will help you build relationships, learn to work with people and to respect the people around you. From big positions like School President to smaller positions like Class Environment lead. Lose yourself in service to others. 

Now, if you do not remember any of these things just remember that you have what it takes to be a success. The first thing you must do is believe it. 

To catch the full video on the event, click below;

 

 

The first five years of your child’s life is critical, as this is the period in which early childhood development takes off. Parents can find it difficult to decide on when the best time is to send their child to school. No one wants to send their child to school prematurely, neither do they want to send them to school too late.

One of the things parents need to know about school readiness is that it involves two types of indicators: an eagerness to learn and an enthusiasm for school. School readiness is thus a measure of how prepared your child is to succeed at school. Check out these 5 key indicators of school readiness to look out for in your child:

1.Physical and Motor Development:

If your child is able to crawl or walk, it means that they are getting ready to explore their physical environment. Parents can look out for gross motor development, which includes running, skipping and standing on one leg. Furthermore, parents can look out for fine motor development in their child. When your child is comfortable using a pair of scissors, successfully able to use zips and buttons and they are able to use cutlery, this is an indicator of school readiness. Moreover, visual as well as auditory development and your child’s ability to take care of themselves by being able to go to the toilet alone, is another strong indicator of school readiness.

2.Emotional and Social Development:

A child who is emotionally well-adjusted has a significantly greater chance of early school success. Your child is most likely ready for school when they get along with their peers. They are ready for school when they can interact within a group, they show an interest in other children and they willing help others. Also, if your child can express feelings and needs, can sit still long enough to listen to a story and can concentrate on a task for a reasonable amount of time, they are most likely ready to be placed in a school.

3.Cognitive Development:

Every parent knows that mental ability is essential in the cognitive development of a child. How a child thinks, makes independent decisions and figures things out for themselves is a good indicator of school readiness. It is the ability to take direction and following instructions that helps children navigate the world around them and that also encourages an interest to learning.

4.Language Development:

A child is ready for school when they can express themselves through speaking and vocabulary as well as literacy and listening. Furthermore, they should be able to communicate effectively in their home language, be able to sequence or recite a story or a set of events comprehensibly, and identify similarities and differences between objects.

5.Emotional Development:

Last but not least, your child is most likely ready for school when they show emotional maturity. When your child can reasonably control their emotions and handle separation well, that means they can handle being in a school setting with other children. Other emotional development indicators include confidence, independence and displays of being responsible.

Sources:

https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/HelpfulRes/Articles/WhatMotorPhysicalDev/index.html#:~:text=Motor%20development%20means%20the%20physical,and%20touch%20his%2Fher%20surroundings.&text=Motor%20development%20is%20important%20throughout,tied%20to%20other%20development%20areas

June 16th is a day set aside to remember and celebrate the African Child. Every year on this date, the African Union and its Member States observe the Day of the African Child (DAC) as a commemoration of the 16th June 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa, where students who marched in protest against apartheid-inspired education, were brutally murdered. 

People worldwide celebrate this day by highlighting awareness about the education system in Africa by sharing their views via social media using some hashtags for example #educationforAfrica, #InternationalDayOfTheAfricanChild. Contributions are also made to organizations that work towards improving education for the African child. 

This year, a deep emphasis was put to raise awareness on having Access to a child-friendly Justice and education System in Africa. This augers very well with the Nova Pioneer Mission of developing generations of innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century. It was therefore our pleasure to have our students join the rest of the world to celebrate this day. 

HOW WE MARKED THE DAY AT OUR ATHI RIVER CAMPUS

Reading is an important skill in every child’s life. Book reading can spark a child’s imagination and stimulate curiosity, help develop the child’s brain, ability to focus, concentration, social skills and communication skills it also helps a child learn the difference between ‘real’ and ‘make-believe.

To underscore the importance of the reading skill among our students and parents at NPAP, what better way was there to celebrate The day of the African Child than to participate in STORY MOJA PUBLISHERS READ ALOUD PROGRAMME. In this, our students joined children from all over Kenya to break the world record in reading.

The aim was to have every child in Kenya read the same text at the same time from their own school. To make this more interesting, our P.T.A class representatives read with the students instead of having the teachers do it. The parents representatives then led the students in asking and answering some questions from the text read. The data was then forwarded to the publisher awaiting tallying to see whether the world reading record is coming to Kenya, we are anxiously awaiting the results! 

Our day in school at NPAP rarely ends without a “Joy of Learning Moment ” and this day was not going to be any different. Our students engaged in  various activities depicting African art work – Face painting, making head crowns decorated with feathers, some bead work and making of African dancing costumes.