New to remote teaching? So are we! It’s back to school tomorrow and our Nova Pioneer Paulshof School Leader, Claudia Pienaar, created this tool kit for her team on how they can be a successful remote-learning teacher. We hope you enjoy.

 

1. Dress for Success

Remember that even though you are teaching remotely it is important that you look professional and presentable at all times. Think of what you would wear in the classroom – this is how you should come across on the video to your students. You definitely can enjoy the fact that your students can’t see what you were in from the waist down so feel free to stay in your comfortable track pants and slippers if you like, just ensure that everything that your students look professional and well-presented! 

 

2. Light It Up

Lighting makes a big difference to your video! Natural light is best, especially when done in the morning or after midday. The harshness of the midday sun casts harsh shadows on your face, so isn’t always the most complimentary or flattering. Should you be shooting your video inside and using artificial light, ensure that you have enough light and are not sitting in silhouette. 

 

 

3. Setting the stage

It is very important to make sure that you have a quiet space to record. Naturally some background sounds are unavoidable, like the gentle sound of children playing in the background or the lovely sound of a hadeda going over your house! Do try make sure that any background noises are minimal and unavoidable. Your background itself should be clean and neat. Avoid a messy or distracting area to record. 

 

4. Short Bursts

Try work in short bursts, keep instruction to 5 – 7 minutes before using an engagement strategy. Do a Turn and Talk, give a task or activity, even ask children to respond to you like Dora the Explorer! It is easier to find ways to keep the students engaged by breaking your instruction into smaller parts. 

 

 

5. Loud & Clear

Research shows that the clarity of speech and audio in a video makes the greatest impact on the audience. Use a mic that will project you well.  This may mean that you need to put in your headphones so that you can use the mic attached. Be sure that you articulate clearly and speak slowly. Do not rush or mumble, it is very important that your lesson is able to get through to the students and we are clear we are consistent.

 

6. Keep it sweet & simple

Remember that the focus of these videos is on teaching. It is not about entertaining the students, so there is no need for any frills or fuss. You do not need to put on a show. Keep your focus on teaching and learning.

A good idea is at the beginning of the video, to provide the children and list of any materials that they will need for the lesson. Allow them to pause the video and go and collect the items. This way the student has everything with them for the lesson. Smile, and be your natural self. Your students have been missing you, so let them see YOU!

 

 

 

7. Peer Review

Before posting your masterpiece, ask a peer or mentor to review it for you. Ask them to look out for any mistakes that we would all like to avoid having these immortalized in video for all mankind by going viral. 

 

 

 

 

Nova Pioneer and their Foundation have partnered with the National Association of Change Entities in Education (NASCEE) to provide students from vulnerable communities with learning materials.

 

Press Release – Recognising that the majority of learners in our country do not have access to internet or smart devices and, as such, are losing valuable teaching time during the school closures and the nation-wide lockdown, Nova Pioneer and their Foundation have partnered with the National Association of Change Entities in Education (NASCEE) to provide learning material to children in vulnerable communities throughout South Africa. 

Nova Pioneer’s materials have contributed to 10 000 printed learning packs distributed to 60 schools as part of the Amakhosi learning programme in KZN.

With COVID-19 continuing to impact people and countries around the world, families everywhere are learning to work remotely. The scale and speed of the shift has turned this into a new challenge for everyone, but especially learners, educators and schools who haven’t had the opportunity to invest heavily in remote-learning. This has been further compounded by the uncertainty surrounding the expected staggered return to school for lower grades.

Nova Pioneer co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chinezi Chijioke says, “While our utmost priority remains the wellness of our employees, learners and families – at Nova Pioneer, we understand the gap this pandemic has created among families who do not have the resources to continue learning at home.”

He adds, “At Nova Pioneer our vision statement calls on us to earn the right to contribute beyond our campuses, to society. There is no more important time than now — as the world comes together to tackle the impact of Covid-19 — for us to find a way to do that.” 

By making their innovative learning material available more broadly, the school group aims to support more students in continued learning during this unprecedented time.

Chinezi says, “We are fortunate as Nova Pioneer to have a skilled learning design team whose work provides us with one path to contributing.  We are thankful for the opportunity to do so, and we hope by sharing our resources we can support the learning of more young developing leaders far and wide.” 

The private school group also recently launched an online platform where non-Nova Pioneer families could access custom-designed and comprehensive weekly learning packs for their children (https://www.novapioneer.com/sa/learning/remote-learning/). 

On the website, parents can find previous curriculum material available for Grades 000 to Grade 7. Parents will be able to download an initial grade-specific learning pack and will receive updated material every two weeks. 

Nova Pioneer’s Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Rahel Wondwossen says the learning packs were specially designed and created in response to the school closure announcement on 15 March. The Nova Pioneer Academic and Learning Design teams worked creatively to find solutions to ensure learning for students continued remotely. 

“We were able to respond as quickly as we did thanks to the work done by our Learning Design team. This team is responsible for designing and creating standardised curriculum, assessments, and lesson plans for all our schools – in Kenya and South Africa – and ensuring there is consistency in learning across all campuses and geographies. This is a unique offering available only to Nova Pioneer families,” Wondwossen explains.

“For the purpose of the school closures, the learning designers prepared at-home work packets for the primary schools’ families to follow the learning timetable at home that has accounted for academic learning time, creative work/art, and physical movement so that learners continue to have a holistic support plan,” she adds, “Additionally, parent-friendly lesson plans have been provided with each section of the timetable that also includes all needed materials and student work.”

According to Wondwossen, the virtual learning programme was created to replicate as much of the in-class experience as possible, with materials that have been both engaging and easily accessible to the majority of our students and their parents or caregivers.

Social Distance. Quarantine. Virtual Classroom. Fever Gun. Lockdown. Face Mask. Curfew. Zoom Meetings.  These are all words that in the last month most educators have shifted from rarely using to being part of their daily vocabulary. 

A french novelist Andre Gige once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”  For most of us, in our new normal we are currently in the middle of the ocean with no shore in sight.  This period is unprecedented, uncomfortable and uncertain and it is important to acknowledge that and allow ourselves the space to process it.  March 2020 is a month where life on The Continent and throughout the world became forever changed.  As a human race we are left to grieve life as we once knew it and are tasked with rebuilding our new normal.  As educators we are tasked with not only doing this for ourselves and our families but also for our students. 

 

What story will we tell the next generation about what we did to shape a better future for our students during this time? 

 

 

The Socio-economic Gap 

The impact of the Corona Virus is universal.  This virus does not know nationality, nor tribe, nor race.  Where it does differentiate is along lines of socio-economic difference.  As an education community the onus rests with us to not leave children behind, to be their champions no matter of their status.  The socio-economic gap in education has the ability to widen significantly as we build a virtual instructional world.  These students are in more dire conditions than ever before.  They are at risk of being left far behind their more affluent peers. Some students will take the world of online learning by storm and others remain at home with no access, struggling to have their basic needs met.  I ask again, what story will we tell the next generation about what we did to shape a better future for them during this time?

We all have stories that illustrate this time for us – for me, a day I will never forget is March 17th, 2020. On this day, I had three different conversations, with educators on three different continents, all asking three different sets of questions about how we proceed forward for students:

• 8:00am EAT- Educator Group 1 – Have we ensured that all of our students have devices and data?  Do any adjustments need to be made to the new online timetable?  85% of our students were present in all of their online classes today – how do we get to 100% tomorrow? How are we ensuring that our culture principles are still a part of our students daily life? How are we going to ensure that we are able to coach teachers in the zoom classrooms?  How did online learning engagement go yesterday?  What can we fix today?
• 12:00pm EAT- Educator Group 2 – I hear we are going on full lockdown soon- do our families have enough water and food to get through it?  How do we raise funds to help?  There are 13 kids in that home where there is only one room – what can we provide to keep them engaged and learning during this time? How do we ensure that they don’t fall behind?  A packet will run out and where will the funds come from to keep printing them? How can we shift funds to make sure our kids at least have their basic needs met?
• 5:00pm EAT- Educator Group 3 – Why is everyone doing their own thing?  Shouldn’t there be a stance for all kids in our country during this time? Aren’t we one nation? Some of our kids can get online and some can’t. Is it really fair for me to just keep teaching online knowing that others are falling behind?  Isn’t this the definition of inequity?  

 

 

Different Continent, Same Struggle

Three phone calls, from three different groups of educators on three different continents with three different struggles came to my phone. Different, yet similar in that all were rooted in the idea of what does this new world mean for our students. What does our support need to look like for them?  What is doing right by them?  The questions of equity versus equality on every call quickly bubbled to the surface. 

I have been asked the question – ‘Is Africa far behind the rest of the world in education in this new world?’.  The truth is not at all.  On many occasions the innovations that I am seeing in certain schools on The Continent are far surpassing what I am seeing Stateside.  In this new world order collectivism is proving to yield dividends in ways that individualism cannot. 

 

 

How do we reduce the gap?

As we discover the new oceans that await us on the other side of Covid-19, we must ensure that our humanity rises to the forefront. We must not allow our children in the lowest socio-economic brackets from across the world to fall behind and widen the already wide learning gap. 

As you continue to lose sight of the shore I challenge us to discover new and more equitable oceans in the process.  I ask you one last time, what story will we tell the next generation about what we did to shape a better future for them during this time?

Picking a school for your child is no easy task. We understand. 

The current global lockdown due to COVID-19 has undoubtedly made this decision making process even harder. Being isolated at home means you cannot just pop into the school you’re interested in. Nor can you easily get the answers to the list of questions you prepared as you toured the school campus.

At Nova Pioneer, we understand how important this decision is to you and your family. That’s why we have created a Virtual Open Day. We wanted to give you the opportunity to tour our school campus, hear from our school leaders and explore our internationally recognised curriculum. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should attend our Virtual Open Day.

 

 

1. Join from anywhere

Whether you’re sitting in your lounge, the study or out in the garden , you can join our Virtual Open Day from your smartphone or computer.

 

2. Interactive

Our Virtual Open Day is designed to be interactive.  We encourage you to share your questions beforehand, as well as ask questions during the presentation. And, if you need to discuss something more personal, we’ll be happy to set up a private meeting after the session.

 

 

3. Tailored resources

We have made previous Grade 000 – 7 curriculum material available to parents not yet part of the Nova Pioneer family. Parents are able to access these learning materials here. In addition to supporting you in remote learning, the packs will give you unique insight into Nova Pioneer’s learning approach. 

 

4. Presentations by experts

Do you have questions only the head of school can answer?  The Virtual Open Day is presented by our School Leader who is an expert in their field! What’s more, our Admissions team is available to guide you through the enrolment process. They are there to support you by providing useful and specific information based on your grade of interest.

 

 

5. Save time and effort

With a Virtual Open Day, you can visit any of our campuses from the comfort and convenience of your own home . Simply gather the family around your device to participate.

Are you ready to join our Virtual Open Day? Click here to RSVP. (http://shorturl.at/jmyKT)

Nova Pioneer Paulshof is excited to announce the addition of a Tots class (ages 2 turning 3 years old) to its complement of grade offerings in 2021. With the addition of this new grade, Nova Pioneer Paulshof will provide a full pre-primary offering accepting children from age 3 through to Grade R.

The Primary School will also grow, accommodating students from Grade 1 to Grade 6 in 2021.”After opening its first campus in 2015, this pan-African group of schools continues to grow their campuses through thoughtful collaboration and support from interested parents, staff and the community. 

 

A word from the Nova Pioneer Paulshof School Leader, Claudia Pienaar:

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Tots class to our growing campus and global family of schools This is something our parents have been asking for and, now that our Phase 2 building is complete, we cannot wait to open our new class to our families” 

 

 

Why should you enroll Your Tot at Nova Pioneer Paulshof?

Nova Pioneer believes that the journey of becoming a leader and innovator starts early, and as such, are very intentional about how they engage with pre-primary students. Their curriculum incorporates an enquiry-based learning approach, with teachers leading discussions and facilitating projects that help students engage deeply with course material and apply what they have learnt outside the classroom to real world situations.

This pedagogy is currently used in classes from Grade 000 upwards and Nova Pioneer is excited to be able to extend this offering to Tots students and parents from next year.

 

 

Where is the school located? 

Situated on Stone Haven Road, Paulshof,  with close proximity to Witkoppen Road and the N1 highway, this campus is ideally placed for parents in the Sandton and Fourways communities. 

 

How do you find out more during Lockdown? 

Attend one of our Virtual Open Days! Lockdown hasn’t stopped us from taking you on a tour of our school … virtually. Join us and engage with our School Leaders as they share all you need to know about Nova Pioneer. RSVP here: shorturl.at/jmyKT  For more information about Nova Pioneer, visit www.novapioneer.com

Do you remember your first job and working for a new company? The anxiety of information overload, the excitement of meeting and collaborating with new teammates? As a fairly new member of the Paulshof campus, I imagined working remotely would be difficult, scary and a little lonely. Have you felt this way before?

 

Adjusting to working remotely

 

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to know each member of the Paulshof team. At first, it took me some time to adjust to working remotely. I couldn’t help but miss the children on campus. Their joyous screams in the sandpit to the inspiring teamwork as they build a new project. As an apprentice educator, I had the privilege of working with the ever curious Grade R class, and I must say, I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Seeing the Culture Principles at work 

 

If I could select three of our culture principles that reflect my experience of working remotely, I’d choose these. Solutions First; the Professional Development (PD) meetings have been an invaluable resource. I work with solution-orientated people, who constantly come up with amazing ideas to support each child as they learn remotely. Ideas that will also support parents during this challenging time. The second principle is High Expectations, where we are all challenged to be better and work smarter and not get comfortable being in the same place.

I have gained so many resources that I can look at to empower me throughout the weeks, from online videos made by the teachers, deans and school leaders, the fun challenges you could do at home. And finally, the third principle is being Greater Together. During these hard times, the daily check-ins and the support I receive from my team ensure I stay motivated and never feel alone. Plus, the team WhatApp group is not only informative but entertaining as well! After all – laughter is the best medicine.

 

Looking forward

 

It is such a privilege to be a first-year apprentice, because each day I am learning and growing in my skill and effectiveness as an educator. It has only been three months but I cannot wait to see what the next nine months have in store.

At Nova Pioneer, one of our core culture principles is to be #SolutionsFirst. This means when we are faced with a challenge – we continually look for the best ways to solve it. Like you – we are learning to work innovatively from home. 

The closure of schools from 18 March presented a number of challenges for schools, one of which has been how to best support parents through the admissions process remotely. Our Admissions team have transformed the application process to make it easier for you during this time.

 

How to proceed with your application?

1. Visit our website and complete the online application form
2. Our Admissions team will be notified of your enquiry and will be in touch. During the lockdown, we have made our innovative web-based platform, the Nova Pioneer Admissions Portal, available for all applicants to allow them to prioritise the uploading of all supporting documents.
3. Attend one of our Virtual Open Days! Lockdown hasn’t stopped us from taking you on a tour of our school … virtually. Join us and engage with our School Leaders as they share all you need to know about Nova Pioneer.
4. Our Admissions team will reach out to schedule your child for a virtual assessment – we will connect virtually to assess their literacy and numeracy levels. 

 

Looking for a new school for your child? What makes Nova Pioneer different?

 

We believe everyone has the potential to be a leader and think innovatively. Our learning philosophy works in harmony with the Cambridge Curriculum because it focuses on building a student’s natural skill-set to ensure they are not only successful in school, but able to adapt these skills to the real world.

The reality is, the world is changing and it is a much different world to the one you grew up in. We want our students to be creative thinkers who can solve modern problems and create opportunities for themselves. 

We’re looking for the potential to excel in an enquiry-based learning environment. We want young people who are able to talk about the things they are passionate about; open-minded individuals who are able to take new information on board and draw their own conclusions; students who are willing to question the status-quo and push the boundaries of what we know for a better future.

So, we’re hunting for curious minds! Is that your child?

Ready to make your application? Visit our website to apply: www.novapioneer.com

At first, when we were told about the online learning program, I was worried. I didn’t want to spend all of my study time on a computer. I know that I’m more likely to retain knowledge if I can apply it in the real world. So I thought to myself, “How would an online class possibly provide those kinds of assignments?” I pictured a virtual classroom full of glassy-eyed students reading articles on a webpage and filling in standardized electronic tests.

 

I could not have been more wrong!

Much of the work assigned in the classes I’ve taken has been hands-on. Students are actively encouraged to leave their computers behind and explore the world around them for applicable solutions to problems. You can expect to do a lot of research on your own time. How involved you are in creating an interactive, hands-on experience is almost entirely up to you, but you’ll be encouraged to think outside the box and take charge of your own assignments.

What I have noticed in the period I have been doing the online learning program, is that you’re investing your time, energy and resources into it. That means you care and want to see certain results like building skills – you want that to be a good investment. So what I have found has helped me keep focus during classes is:

 

1. Find Your Prime Time

How you structure your day is crucial. Turns out, there are hours during the day when we are most and least productive. Imagine the difference it can make to move your online classes to that prime time! The characteristics of this most productive period of the day are that your energy levels are at their highest. It’s much easier to find focus and keep it at that time, you retain information better, and you are more motivated to engage in the lesson. So, find your peak time and structure your day around it.

 

2. Identify And Remove Distractions

Distractions are everywhere. Even if you’re alone in your room with your laptop, there can still be plenty of factors negatively impacting your focus. A noisy environment, someone coming in the room, a wandering mind, notifications from your phone, etc. Clearly identify these, and then solve for each one of them.

 

3. Tame Your Mind

A great way to ease your mind and let go of anything else happening around you in the moment, or later in the day, is to take a few deep breaths, do one thing at a time, remember why you wanted to take this course, and how it can prove to be a good investment of your parents’ money. Now, some people suggest that you do need to let your mind wander every now and then as it’s what unleashes your creativity and helps you focus better when it’s time to learn things. That is true. But, right before you get to work, you need to leave behind the distractions around you and inside your head, and simply concentrate on this one task in front of you. You then become present and your mind is alert. Whenever we do something consciously and pay all our attention to it, we do a great job.

 

4. Rest Well

Meditation, taking a power nap, as well as mental breaks, work and help high performers reach their goals. And chances are, if you’re a motivated student who’s got a lot on their plate (like me!), you don’t have that much time set aside for rest during the day. However, you need to do so if you want to improve your focus and memory.

Start by fixing your sleeping schedule. Going to bed and waking up earlier are sure ways to give your body and mind the rest they need but also kick-start them both as soon as the day begins. If you add a short meditation session during the day, you’ll be able to have a clear mind until the evening. Such a trained brain concentrates more easily and for longer periods of time.

It’s Day 7 of self isolation in the wake of COVID-19 and it started out like any other with a few exceptions. Instead of spending ninety minutes weaving the highways of Johannesburg in the nightmare of rush hour traffic – I started the morning explaining to my three year old (henceforth known as my coworker) why she can’t have ice cream first thing in the morning. Sigh.

I entered my corner office to find a pile of last night’s doodles and toys still in the state we left it in the night before. I remind myself that today will be a productive day! As the co-worker and the printer jointly throw a tantrum of epic proportions – I calmly assure all parties that ice cream is not breakfast and paper jams are not accepted today – I’m pretty sure this can be classified as “multitasking”.

 

Trying to control the situation 

One hour, eight print outs and two Zoom calls later – I was pretty sure my day would be as productive as I planned. Being self isolated as a working, single mother meant I couldn’t put my responsibilities in a box anymore. I had to constantly shift between one responsibility to the next. And more often than not – doing two things at the same time. 

Note to self: Set goals that are within your control

I realized during my online meetings that I stopped feeling bad for apologising for the little coworker singing and dancing in the background to her favourite musical. It can’t be helped and certainly isn’t disrupting the course of the meeting.

When I finally got to sit at my desk, coffee in hand, I found 43 emails eagerly awaiting my attention. One in particular screamed for immediate action – picture me in a hard-hat and thick gloves racing to defuse a critical situation. “Right! Let’s do this” I say to myself as caffeine surges through my veins urging me to get my To-Do list done! My coworker comes dragging her pink blankie behind her, clearly in need of a nap. Oh dear! Knowing this was not going according to plan, I strapped the coworker to my back, swayed to and fro and continued to respond to the urgent email.

 

Goal setting that is relevant and innovative 

I spent the rest of the morning on the phone making arrangements for a new strategy amid the self isolation quota, all while making a pathway through the minefield of toy blocks, crayons and what used to be a box of recycled paper. I barely had time to finish what began as a hot cup of coffee before my next status meeting began. 

Note to self: Set goals that are relevant.

A good part of what I do is communicating, collaborating and executing action plans. As much as I would have loved to work on everything on my plate – it is not feasible. I spent the lunch break planning the most important things to complete for the day. By this time my coworker was awake and yelling out the numbers on the flash cards I held out for her in between mouthfuls of pasta. This is going to take awhile. Another meeting was looming and it was time to jump back into the fray. 

Note to self: Take the opportunity to be innovative and agile

 

Learning to embrace this time

Working from home with a toddler doesn’t seem easy. But it can be. Knowing the next meeting would be an important one, I had to make sure I wouldn’t be disturbed. High Expectations am I right? Insert a surprised laugh if you will! Using multi-coloured used paper, I created a track that started in the lounge and went over, under and through the house leading my coworker outside into the garden to play with a heap of toys. And should Plan A fail, crayons were waiting for her to create beautiful shapes on the endless amounts of recycled paper laying around. Great! My meeting had started and my coworker was occupied. 

Final note to self: Don’t sabotage yourself from the word “Go”

Understanding my child’s needs was an important part of planning my day in the age of self isolation. Including a full day of learning and activities for her, while tackling meetings was not going to happen. I knew it. My little coworker knew it. Thanks to the lesson plans available for download on the website – my coworker and I were able to include her required learning in a fun way without it being taxing for either of us. Joy of Learning! To avoid being demotivated and feeling overwhelmed, I chose to allow my goals to compliment our lifestyle while nurturing some flexibility to change.

Every child is different and every family dynamic is unique. But starting the day with the right action plan can set you up for success! If you need more tips on how to work remotely, read this handy tool. It will only take 4 minutes!

The past few days have seen major changes within our country and more specifically, within our homes. All of us are wearing multiple hats – mum, dad, professional, cook, gardener and maybe even referee…amongst others. However, the hat that most of us may be struggling with is becoming a “work-from-home” parent.

 

Working from home

For some, like me, this is a completely new experience as I have never been called to work from home and not only take care of, but also school my own children. I am sure that the expectation of completing your own work and tasks and becoming your child’s teacher has raised stress levels for many parents.

 

 

Confident I could do it

On day one of the school closures, I made breakfast for everyone, made the kids brush their teeth and dress and got myself done. I then arrived at our dining room table, armed with a printed out schedule and started handing out work to both my 8 year old and 4 year old, before settling down to do my own work. Eight minutes in and after multiple chimes of “Mommy, LOOK WHAT I DID!”, getting up twice for snacks and “Can you both focus on YOUR work so I can do MINE!”, my son looked at me and proclaimed that he wished he was back at school.

 

Changing things up

Recovering quickly from a shattered heart, I realised that whilst we all have expectations, this is such a unique context and I couldn’t expect my kids and I to function in the same routine because too many things are so far away from our “normal”. After this, no two days in our home have looked the same so far. And, you know what? This is fine! As the concept of working from home is such a unique scenario we are all having to do what we can. Not all work needs to be completed whilst seated at a desk. Last week, my kids and I enjoyed some time outside. While my son worked on some activities on our boundary wall with chalk (yes – we wrote on the walls!), my daughter and I played her own version of x’s and o’s.

 

 

Embracing the time we have 

This time at home can be impactful – as a school, we would want it to be a positive experience above all. This is such an anxious time. Instead of getting bogged down by all we need to accomplish – take some time to rest, recuperate and spend quality time with your families, even if it means you put down tools for a few hours. We probably will not have an opportunity again to spend so much time with our families and only we can determine the level of opportunity presented to us in this case.

Our children’s schedules are so packed on a normal day – allow them this opportunity to just be. Let them get messy. Let them laugh at silly things. Watch them as they run around the house and possibly eat ALL the snacks. Let them have a little extra screen time and my favourite one, let them spend the whole day in pyjamas. Above all, stay safe and be well. We cannot wait to welcome all our families back once our situation improves!

 

Here’s what our other Nova Pioneer teacher-parents had to say

“As a Senior School teacher it is quite a challenge dealing with High school students, parent requests and of course with a 3 and a half year old running around and demanding my every bit of attention towards him. I downloaded a work pack for his age from a company who designs school programmes and am keeping my little one occupied. He is SUPER energetic so I needed to find a way to keep him busy. Each day has a different activity which he LOVES. So in between my online teaching and responding to emails, I’m a grade 000 teacher too. We trying to keep that #AlwaysGrowing momentum going here with yogurt, snacks and trampoline jumping in between. P. S. – Parents, please be easy on your children… This process is very new to them and to us as teachers too. THEY WILL BE ABSOLUTELY FINE WITH YOUR AND OUR SUPPORT!” – Shelley Jacobs, Senior School Teacher Ormonde 

“WELL!!! Where do I begin?! What is more traumatic than the constant flood of Corona posts? The constant flood of home schooling posts! So many parents look like they just have it nailed, and there I am, 15 years in a classroom, and not getting anything done! Working from home and managing a team remotely is so intense. Right now my children are working on their careers as professional gamers! But, I know when the dust settles, and we find a rhythm, the amazing learning packs sent home by Learning Design will make my home schooling life a dream! Then maybe I can also post some perfect parenting pics on social media, but for now, my measure of success is FED , WASHED, and CLOTHED. 😁” – Claudia Pienaar, School Leader Paulshof