In an ever-evolving professional landscape, success extends beyond academic achievements. Employers increasingly seek individuals equipped with a diverse skill set, emphasising the importance of soft skills. A report by Deloitte Access Economics predicts that, by 2030, soft skill-intensive occupations will account for two-thirds of all jobs. The same report notes that the number of soft skill-intensive jobs is expected to grow at 2.5 times the rate of jobs in other occupations. 

At Nova Pioneer, we recognise this paradigm shift and take pride in nurturing students not only academically but also in honing vital soft skills crucial for their future success.

 

The Significance of Soft Skills

 

The World Economic Forum paints a picture in their list of the sixteen most important skills and competencies for the 21st century. Ten of the sixteen skills are soft skills, including things like critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, curiosity, and social and cultural awareness. 

These skills are the bedrock of effective teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, making them indispensable in today’s workplace.

 

Nova Pioneer’s Approach to Soft Skills Development

 

Critical Thinking:

Our curriculum is designed to challenge students to think critically, analyse information, and solve problems independently. Through project-based learning and thought-provoking activities, students develop the ability to approach challenges with a strategic mindset.

 

Creativity:

Innovation is at the heart of our educational approach. We encourage students to think creatively, fostering an environment where new ideas are not just welcomed but celebrated. From arts and sciences to entrepreneurship, creativity is embedded in every aspect of our curriculum.

 

Communication:

Effective communication is a cornerstone of success. At Nova Pioneer, we emphasise strong communication skills through class discussions, presentations, and collaborative projects. Students learn to express their ideas articulately and engage in constructive dialogue.

 

Collaboration:

Teamwork is a vital skill in any professional setting. At Nova Pioneer, our collaborative learning environment encourages students to work together, share ideas, and appreciate diverse perspectives putting into practice our Greater Together culture principle. This prepares them for the collaborative nature of modern workplaces.

 

Curiosity:

Cultivating a sense of curiosity is key to lifelong learning which is one of our culture principles. Our educators inspire students to ask questions, seek knowledge, and explore beyond the curriculum. This curiosity-driven approach or inquiry-based learning prepares them to adapt to new information and technologies in their future careers.

 

Social and Cultural Awareness:

In a globalised world, understanding different cultures and perspectives is crucial. At Nova Pioneer, we promote social and cultural awareness through a diverse and inclusive curriculum as well as Social Emotional Learning. Students learn to appreciate diversity, fostering a more inclusive and empathetic future workforce.

 

As the professional landscape continues to evolve, the demand for individuals with strong soft skills is on the rise. We stand at the forefront, not just providing academic excellence but shaping well-rounded individuals equipped with the essential soft skills needed for success in the 21st century workplace. Our commitment is to empower tomorrow’s leaders with the skills and mindset to thrive in any environment they choose.

Guest: Tshegofatso Langa

Wits University B.A. Law student and Golden Key International Honour Society member, Tshegofatso Langa, discusses Africa’s opportunities and challenges from an International Relations perspective, what Pan-Africanism entails in modern-day Africa, the geopolitical context of Africa’s developmental strides and the role of the African Union in Africa’s rise to global prominence. 

To Listen in – click here

Want to become a Novaneer? Apply to Nova Pioneer now by visiting www.novapioneer.com. Remember to select “Novaneer Podcast” on the “How did you hear about us” section of the online application.

To support the podcast, gain early access to the latest episodes and bonus content, become a patron for as little as $5 per month. Visit Novaneer Podcast’s Patreon page to sign up today. 

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Your contribution to and feedback of the podcast is invaluable. Email your thoughts, comments, questions and voice messages to novaneerpod@gmail.com. 

Produced by Jabu Mtwa. Theme music, mixing and sound design is by Hazy.

Nova Pioneer believes in building a compassionate, like-minded community

 

Once your child is enrolled at Nova Pioneer, you become part of our supportive and passionate community – a group of parents from all walks of life – who all contribute to our school in various ways for the betterment of our students’ education. It is through this community that our school Culture Principles come alive, even at home. 

Nova Pioneer parents share in our mission of building the next generation of innovators and leaders and thus, we look to them to help us find more families who share our vision and values. This is because we believe in building a community of like-minded people who want to come along for the journey, and share in our story, as we continue to expand our offering throughout South Africa.

 

Benefits of growing our community

 

At Nova Pioneer, we know how important it is to build community. Who better to help us do this than our very own parents? As an existing Nova Pioneer parent, you could qualify for double the normal referral discount (R7000 off your tuition for a period of one year) when you refer a parent and they successfully enrol their child at any of our Nova Pioneer campuses for 2022 or 2023 between 8 December 2021 and 30 April 2022.

 

Which parents are eligible for the R7000 discount?

 

• In order to successfully benefit from referring a student, the parent must apply to Nova Pioneer between 8 December 2021 and 30 April 2022 for enrolment in-year in 2022 or for 2023.
• The parent must state that they were referred to by you (name and surname) when they fill in the online application form in the ‘how did you hear about us’ section.  
• The referred parent needs to successfully enrol at Nova Pioneer by completing the full admissions process (detailed below).
• Referred students cannot have a sibling currently or previously enrolled at Nova Pioneer. 
• The referral discount is awarded to the youngest child – if you have only one child at Nova Pioneer, that child will receive the discount. 
• You will be entitled to a R7000 discount per enrolled student that is referred up to five students (or a maximum tuition discount of R35000)
• If you are not yet an enrolled parent, you ONLY qualify for this discount once you have confirmation of enrolment.
• The discount is non-transferable and cannot be substituted for cash or a refund.
• The referral discount will not be applied should the student account be in arrears at the point in time that the discount is allocated.
• Nova Pioneer staff do not qualify.

What does “Successful Enrolment” look like: 

 

Step 1: Current family/ parent talks to a friend and tells them about Nova Pioneer.

Step 2: The prospective parent completes an online application form and in the ‘how did you hear about us’ section, they select ‘referred by a current parent’ and write the full name of the parent and student who referred them. We can only identify the family that referred you if they give us your first and last name.

Step 3: The prospective parent attends a Nova Pioneer event and the learner completes and passes, an assessment. 

Step 4: The prospective parent, who is very excited about Nova Pioneer, then completes all online forms and submits required documentation before our Finance Team completes the affordability check and gives go-ahead for enrolment fee payment.

Step 5: The prospective parent then pays the grade-relevant enrolment fee to secure their child’s spot. 

Step 6: The referral is then flagged to our Finance Team, who will pick up the name from the original application, and ensure your account reflects the referral discount once the student has started.

 

Mindfulness refers to a state of mind where a person has a heightened awareness of the internal and external experiences that are occurring at the present moment. It is a practice where your mind and all its thoughts are quietened bringing a feeling of calmness and increased awareness and focus.

 

The concept of mindfulness is thought to have been introduced to the west by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the late 1970s, who described it as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, at that moment.

 

Now more than ever, teaching mindfulness in the classroom is essential. As the world is experiencing unprecedented times with the Covid-19 pandemic.  Students, teachers, and parents feel stressed and anxious.

 

We also live busy lives and find our thoughts buzzing with a myriad of things to do and worry about.

 

As educators, we know that children learn best when they are comfortable, feel safe, and relaxed. By incorporating mindfulness in the classroom, teachers can create an environment for their students that is nurturing and non-threatening. It can set the climate for the day that is optimal for learning.

 

There are many benefits to mindfulness for students:

 

• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Improves attention and focus
• Improves the student’s cognitive performance
• Better emotional and social intelligence
• Improves memory

 

There are a few ways that our  teachers incorporate mindfulness into their classrooms, 

 

Mindfulness Through Breathing

Teaching children to breathe deeply into their stomachs when they feel stressed and anxious. This helps to calm their body and mind.

 

Mindfulness Through Sensory Experiences

Sensory experiences also help children to relax and focus. By playing relaxing or classical music with calming sounds, children can focus and concentrate on the task at hand. Work produced is of a higher quality and the classroom has a calm atmosphere.

 

Mindfulness Through Guided Imagery

Guided Imagery can develop children’s imaginations. It helps them to integrate learning with prior knowledge. When teachers introduce a new concept, they invite children to close their eyes and slowly talk them through a journey. In this way, the children can imagine and visualize – placing them in the right frame of mind and focus. In the younger classes, children can pretend they are the animals and mimic the sounds and movements of the animals. This just helps them to relate better to the topic that will follow.

 

At Nova Pioneer Ruimsig, our teachers incorporate all these strategies every day in their classrooms. You will always hear relaxing background music in each class when students are working independently. Music is also used to support transitions between centres. We use Guided Imagery in the younger grades to create a fun and interactive environment before the teacher introduces the new topic. Students are encouraged to close their eyes and imagine they are various characters or in a different setting to visualize the concept. This helps students to internalize the concept using all their senses. 

 

Our Grade  R, 1, and 3 classes actively practice meditation each morning. Teachers have noted the benefits of meditation in their classrooms, stating that their students are calm, focused, and are able to concentrate better throughout the day. 

 

Deep breathing techniques are also practiced after the lunch breaks and Physical Education (PE) transitions to help settle the class for the next lesson and put them in a calm and focussed frame of mind. 

 

As a result of practicing mindfulness on our Ruimsig campus, our students appear calm, relaxed, and happy.

 

 

Source:

http://www.educationalneuroscience.org.uk/resources/neuromyth-or-neurofact/mindfulness-has-a-place-in-the-classroom/#

https://childmind.org

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-mindfulness-in-classroom-curriculum-giselle-shardlow

 

Looking for a school for your child is never easy and can easily be one of the most stressful things that a parent can go through. There is always so much to consider in the process. In his novel, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell points out that parents should focus on what type of opportunities they afforded their children as a predictor of future success. The right school that is aligned with your child’s needs is a step in the right direction towards giving them opportunities that will allow them to thrive. Start your search for the best school by thinking about what you want a school to do for your child. 

 

“We do owe something to parentage and patronage. The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact, they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” (Gladwell 19).

 

When looking for the best learning environment for your child, you might want to ask yourself the following questions as key guidelines:

 

• What do I want my child to learn? This will include the specific subject matter, curriculum, level of academic difficulty, teaching and assessment methods, etc.
• How does my child learn best? Will the school cater to my child’s particular learning style? Will it cater to their challenges? Will my child be stretched to reach their full academic potential? Does the school incorporate technology and will it equip my child with the skills to survive and thrive in a constantly changing environment?
• Will the school consider my child’s social needs? How much contact will they have with peers, what does the school bullying policy say? Does the school pay close attention to the social and emotional wellbeing of students? What is the class size and will it allow my child to get more one-on-one attention from the teacher?
• Will the school be practical for my child and our family? This includes things like the school hours, affordability,  distance and location, scheduling, extracurricular activities, etc
• How will the school set up my child for University and beyond and equip them with the skills to cope in the real world?
• Am I, as a parent, prepared to play my role in ensuring that I support the school’s efforts to equip my child in their development? Am I prepared to communicate proactively and positively with the teacher and, where necessary, the school leadership team to resolve challenges? Do I have a realistic view of the needs of my child and am I open to discussing these with the benefit of my child in mind? 

 

While a lot might depend on the parent and their values, it is important to look at your child’s personality and strengths. Parents might want a school that offers a balance between sports and academics while others might want a school that has a strong focus on either sports or academics. Different children will thrive better in environments that are suited to their personality and individual needs. A lot goes into establishing a school’s approach and model and selecting its curriculum and so, while a good school will communicate with you openly about your needs, it will be more difficult to shift aspects of their model than it is to find the right fit, to begin with. That is why it is important to look for something that complements and supplements who your child is. If you know that your child is a soft-spoken and reserved person, it does not mean that you must put them in a situation where they will never be put on the spot, but rather, you should put them in a situation where they can learn to be OK with being put on the spot. 

 

The school’s behaviour policy is also something parents consider highly. Some parents might value the whole structured discipline approach while others want a school that encourages and values the student voice interactive structure and follows the preventive, supportive and corrective approaches. Children today will thrive in an environment that gives them a student’s voice but teaches them how to effectively apply it. They need to be able to say, “This is the outcome I want, these are the tools at my disposal, how can I get to my desired outcome?” A child that does not see that there is an option, a child who is told that they cannot make a mistake and that it is not acceptable to make mistakes, a child who struggles to negotiate their circumstances will battle to cope in this generation. This is also why some parents are against schools that encourage rote learning but instead choose schools that allow their children to question things, children who take interest in the process instead of just the end product. These schools that teach students critical thinking and allow students to identify problems and come up with solutions will excel in the future. 

 

In a nutshell, there is no ‘perfect’ or ‘right’ way of choosing your child’s school. Always think about what will work best for your child’s personality, strengths, needs and interests. Also, consider how different schools’ cultures and values fit with your family values and family life. Making the right choice now will allow you to focus on supporting your child and their school in doing the best they can to equip them for their future.

 

 

Preschoolers are digital natives, they don’t know a life without smartphones, tablets, and computers or cartoons on demand. Technology has changed our way of life including preschool games.

Coding isn’t just for computer whizzes or high school students – when introduced the right way is a fun interactive (and hands-on) way to learn the critical skills needed to prepare your students for a successful future in the tech world.

 

 

Bridging the Gap

Preschool educators who learn how to code can bridge the gap that still exists between the adult digital immigrants and the digital native children. Learning to code can help educators, parents and students who are not interested in pursuing computer programming, but would like to gain a better understanding of technology and how it’s shaping our world.

If preschool educators learn to code, they can show their own young learners how to master problem-solving skills by breaking larger tasks into a logical sequence of smaller steps, diagnosing errors and coming up with new approaches when necessary.

 

 

Five Reasons Educators Should Learn to Code:

1. Coding helps teach you problem-solving skills.
2. Coding helps you develop new ways of thinking by breaking up big problems into smaller steps.
3. Coding helps take the fear out of making mistakes or failing. It teaches persistence in finding a way to solve your problem.
4. Coding is fun and learning to code should be hands-on and collaborative
5. As a 21st Century skill, it is an opportunity to help prepare children for the digital future and inspire their creativity.

Bonus: This generation of kids is the most diverse, mobile generation ever. They immerse themselves in content, not just as consumers, but as creators. Through your newly learned skill in coding, you can fuel your learners’ creative confidence, self-expression, and curiosity.

We recently hosted preschool educators who experienced the joy of learning coding skills which they will teach to their little students. The program was a fun and interactive workshop which explored subjects such as how to teach coding, coding applications and more. The preschool educators who participated in the program were very happy to discover how easy it is to learn coding. They believe coding is a necessary skill that would add value to the future development of their learners.

 

Would you like to learn to code?

Join a FREE coding session hosted by one of Nova Pioneer’s campuses: 

• Boksburg – 30 May
• Ruimsig – 6 June

Reserve your seat by contacting a campus near you. Simply email marketing.sa@novapioneer.com

If you’re like me – the worst part about growing up was being forced to nap! Can you imagine cutting play time short – for a nap? But now, I see I shouldn’t have taken it for granted! Have you ever wondered why a nap is so important to your health and wellness? Let me assure you – you’re not alone! Many adults are unfamiliar with the importance of taking a nap, not just for themselves but for pre-schoolers as well! As a Grade 00 teacher, let me explain why our Nova Pioneer preschools nap, and why we would love for you to implement daily naps at home as well. Sleeping is a big part of living a healthy life, and it helps young children boost their mental, emotional and physical development. Unfortunately many children do not get their required amount of sleep during the night (11-12 hours) which is why most children need to sleep during the day as well.

“Ultimately my goal as a preschool teacher is to set my preschoolers up for success, and nap time is a good place to start.” – Teacher Emma Grade 00 Teacher at Nova Pioneer Midrand 

 

 

Napping helps growth

When little ones go through periods of rapid growth, they need more than just extra food. They need extra sleep too. A lot of their growth is happening while they’re in dreamland, so depriving them of that time impacts them physically as much as mentally. A missed nap or two may not seem like a big deal to friends and caregivers who see the child for an hour and then leave. But talk to the parents later that evening or the next day—when they’re dealing with extra fussiness, whining, and tantrum-throwing—and it’s a different story.

As explained by sleep scientist Dr. Monique LeBourgeouis, “Sleepy children are not able to cope with day-to-day challenges in their worlds.” Of course, this isn’t to say that parents who bypass naps every now and then are somehow robbing their little ones of the ability to learn, grow, emotionally engage, and sleep soundly at night. It just means that, when possible, napping should be prioritized—for the sake of parent and child alike.

 

Three reasons why we encourage naps at Nova Pioneer:

1. Naps can provide much-needed downtime for your child that aids both the physical and mental development that happens during early childhood. –
2. Nap time gives your child a break from the stimuli of learning and fun and keeps them from becoming overexerted. When a child is extremely tired, their mood changes and simply makes it harder for them to sleep at night.
3. Naps can help a child recharge from all the activity they have experienced during the day. The nap allows the brain to sort all the information they have learned and gives the cells an opportunity to develop faster! This helps the brain learn faster! So in summary, preschoolers nap because it is an opportunity for both their minds and their bodies to rest, recharge, reset and have a successful rest of the day.

Nova Pioneer School broke ground on a new piece of land which will house an extension of the current premises on 2 October.

 

Press Release: Head of school Jeanine Kerr said a new campus would be built and will accommodate Grade 4 to 7 learners. She added, “It will be a senior primary campus. Our oldest grade this year is Grade 5 so they will be moving to the new campus next year.”

The campus will be situated about 250m from the current one and will include sports facilities.

The school hosted a small ceremony to mark the occasion with Kerr saying the new campus would benefit the growth of their school and learners. There is the hope of a high school opening in 2022.

Property development manager for Nova Pioneer Carel Dill said, “We will be starting with the earthworks. We want to start with building in January next year with the school opening in our third term next year.”

Article published in the Midrand Reporter