There is so much pressure on students to succeed when they first enter Grade 8, so much so that they can miss the opportunity to actually enjoy the journey and the experience of being in high school. At Nova Pioneer we want our students to have a well-rounded high school adaptation – socially and academically. It is important for parents to remember that Grade 8 is not the defining year of your child’s high school career. Grade 8 at Nova Pioneer is a year of adjustment, transition and gradual
growth.
If your child is coming from a CAPS environment (State or IEB), it will take a while for your child to acclimatize to our Cambridge curriculum. But our school has multiple support structures in place to help your child make that curriculum transition a smooth one. All we ask is for parents to allow their children the space and time to progressively make that transition into a new curriculum. The support structures from the school and our educators are there, and the support from parents make a solid partnership that will positively shape the educational experience for our incoming Novaneers.
Transitioning to a Cambridge curriculum
Coming from CAPS and having to transition into a Cambridge curriculum can be challenging for students. It is a demanding curriculum that requires students to have a disciplined work ethic and a willingness to learn. However, our teachers are caring and skilled at supporting our students in their curriculum shift. The Cambridge curriculum is designed to teach students how to learn and to go on learning. Our role goes beyond helping students achieve good results, and it also goes beyond giving students approval for progression to university or employment – we give our students a curriculum that will bring lifelong success in the future. The Cambridge focus is on independent learning. Teachers are the supportive guides on the road to that independence.
Furthermore, our Cambridge curriculum sets up students for independence and allows them to lead. For instance, in the COVID19 climate, making the transition to online learning was not as challenging as it would have been, had we not equipped and trained our Novaneers to lead in their learning process. We train our students in high school to take the lead in the direction of their education. This mentality prepares them for the tertiary environment, which subsequently requires them to have the same
independence when learning. Our Novaneers essentially get a head start from our campuses. Nova Pioneer has resources readily available to make that transformation attainable.
School support system
Your children are not alone, there is always someone there to help with your child’s high school experience at Nova Pioneer. Additionally, there are programmes in place, teachers and coaches designated to support your child’s personal development on campus. Our coaching system provides a space for all students to have a voice in a supportive small group environment. This ensures that no one falls through the cracks. We want our Novaneers to succeed and thus, we encourage parents to enquire about the support structures available at our schools, to assist their children as they experience Grade 8.
We want to ensure that students perform well and we want to ensure that they feel supported and prepared to succeed at
our school. We believe that parents working together with the school forms a support system for our Grade 8 Novaneers. Our alumni are living proof that it is possible and achievable for your child to be successful at our school.
Culture principles
Our culture principles are what guide us at Nova Pioneer. We introduce them early to our Grade 8 students. We’ve found that these principles live in our students long after they leave us, and these principles will guide and support our Grade 8 students as they enter a new stage in their school career. We invite and encourage parents to embrace our culture principles and to look at applying them even at home – Joy of Learning, Greater Together, Always Growing, Servant Leadership, Solutions First and High
Expectations.
