I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate our top academic achievers (Grade 8 -10) for 2021. I wish to congratulate these students for managing to produce these excellent results in what was, again, an unusual year. We are very proud of them. They exemplify our Culture Principles of High Expectations, Always Growing and being Solutions First. Well done!

While recognising these examples of excellence, I also wish to congratulate all the students who made the best of this year. Overall, our data show an ongoing improvement in the academic performance of almost all of our students. I must commend our teachers on also pulling out all the stops and not allowing the complexities of the past two years to get in the way of delivering excellent teaching. I salute you.

Lastly, to our parents. You have been incredibly supportive of both us as a school and your children. In a true spirit of being Greater Together, you have rolled with the punches while trusting us to get on with the job. It is such a privilege to help lead a school when you feel that you have the implicit trust and support of parents. We thank you.

We look forward to hosting a formal awards assembly in the new year to recognise these students as well as the IGCSE, AS and A-level students.

 

Academic Awards Term 3 2021 for Grades 8 to 10

 

Academic half-colours

 

Grade 10: minimum of 4 A’s in the November examinations

Grade 10

– Arjun Thulsie (6 As)
– Afrikaans (82%)
– Computer Science (96%)
– English (82%)
– Physics (88%)
– Biology (91%)
– Mathematics (92%)

 

Academic certificate of merit

 

Grades 8-10: minimum of 3 A’s in the November examinations

Grade 10
Gadija Shaikh (3 As)
– Art and Design (81%)
– Biology (81%)
– Mathematics (82%)

Grade 9
Sabeeha Adams (6 As)
– Commerce (94%)
– Geography (80%)
– English (83%)
– History (97%)
– Mathematics (80%)
– Science (85%)

Naledi Djiogo (5 As)
– Commerce (80%)
– Geography (93%)
– History (94%)
– Mathematics (92%)
– Science (90%)

Keziah Pillay (5 As)
– Afrikaans (86%)
– Commerce (84%)
– Geography (85%0
– History (91%)
– Science (80%)

Mikayla Bayat (4 As)
– Afrikaans (83%)
– Commerce (84%)
– Geography (87%)
– History (90%)

Nene Manyana (4 As)
– Commerce (83%)
– Geography (90%)
– History (81%)
– isiZulu (92%)

Nhlakanipho Magazi (4 As)
– Commerce (86%)
– History (100%)
– Mathematics (82%)
– Science (80%)

Jordan Roux (3 As)
– Geography (85%)
– History (88%)
– Science (81%)

Grade 8
Simphiwe William (7 As)
– Chemistry (81%)
– English (87%)
– Humanities (89%)
– Biology (90%)
– Business Studies (89%)
– Physics (88%)
– Mathematics (95%)

Matabo Kekana (6 As)
– Chemistry (81%)
– Humanities (83%)
– Biology (82%)
– Physics (96%)
– isiZulu (87%)
– Mathematics (90%)

Kwanele Dlangisa (4 As)
– Humanities (81%)
– Biology (82%)
– Physics (92%)
– isiZulu (86%)

Njabulo Sithole (4 As)
– Biology (88%)
– Business Studies (81%)
– Physics (96%)
– isiZulu (80%)

Thabiso Rasimeni (3 As)
– Chemistry (84%)
– Biology (93%)
– Physics (92%)

Molemo Kodisang (3 As)
– English (81%)
– Physics (84%)
– isiZulu (80%)

Lethabo Thinane (3 As)
– Biology (87%)
– Physics (87%)
– Humanities (85%)

Caris Ayemole (3 As)
– Chemistry (83%)
– English (85%)
– Biology (85%)

Ashton Wax
– Chemistry (80%)
– Biology (80%)
– Physics (88%)

 

Grade 10 Subject awards

 

Top 3 per subject (80% minimum) based on year mark

Grade 10

Afrikaans
1. Arjun Thulsie (81%)
Computers
3. Saad Sattar (87%)
2. Sitara Singh (92%)
1. Arjun Thulsie (97%)

English
2. Ungowakho Madolo (80%)
1. Arjun Thulsie (81%)
Physics
1. Arjun Thulsie (86%)

Biology
3. Ungowakho Madolo (86%)
2. Kewell Moodley (87%)
1. Arjun Thulsie (91%)

Business Studies
1. Tlotlo Oliphant (80%)

isiZulu
3. Lebogang Noni (80%)
2. Xolisile Buthelezi (83%)
1. Siphokazi Nxumalo (88%)

History
2. Alyssa Wax (83%)
1. Ayandza Dlamini (84%)

Mathematics
3. Ungowakho Madolo (90%)
2. Sitara Singh (92%)
1. Arjun Thulsie (94%)

 

Grade 9 Subject Awards

 

Top 3 per subject (75% minimum) based on year mark

 

Afrikaans
3. Mikayla Bayat (81%)
2. Lekeisha Campbell (82%)
1. Keziah Pillay (85%)

Commerce
3. Keziah Pillay (85%)
2. Nhlakanipho Magazi (87%)
1. Sabeeha Adams (93%)

 

Geography
3. Sabeeha Adams (83%)
2. Keziah Pillay (84%)
2. Mikayla Bayat (84%)
1. Naledi Djiogo (89%)
1. Nene Manyana (89%)

English
3. Naledi Djiogo (78%)
2. Naseeha Majam (79%)
2. Mikayla Bayat (79%)
1. Sabeeha Adams (84%)

History
3. Mikayla Bayat (92%)
3. Keziah Pillay (92%)
3. Naledi Djiogo (92%)
2. Samukelisiwe Nkwanyana (94%)
1. Nhlakanipho Magazi (97%)
1. Sabeeha Adams (97%)

isiZulu
3. Nene Manyana (90%)
2. Nhlakanipho Mandlazi (91%)
3. Mbalenhle Mntambo (93%)

Mathematics
3. Nfihlo Mulamula (84%)
3. Mlindi Msimango (84%)
2. Naseeha Majam (87%)
1. Naledi Djiogo (91%)

Science
3. Sabeeha Adams (85%)
2. Naseeha Majam (86%)
1. Naledi Djiogo (88%)

 

Grade 8 Subject awards

 

Top 3 per subject (75% minimum) based on year mark

 

Chemistry
3. Simphiwe William (84%)
2. Matabo Kekana (85%)
1. Caris Ayemole (86%)
1. Humairah Cornelius (86%)

English
3. Caris Ayemole (81%)
2. Cade ́ Jansen (84%)
1. Simphiwe William (87%)

Humanities
3. Lethabo Thinane (83%)
2. Kwanele Dlangisa (86%
1. Simphiwe William (88%)

Biology
3. Lethabo Thinane (85%)
2. Matabo Kekana (86%)
2. Bhavesh Thulsie (86%)
1. Simphiwe William (93%)

Business Studies
2. Matabo Kekana (81%)
1. Simphiwe William (86%)

Physics
3. Thadeous Snyders (90%)
2. Jabulani Khuzwayo (91%)
2. Thabiso Rasimeni (91%)
2. Balisa Lushozi (91%)
1. Matabo Kekana (92%)
1. Njabulo Sithole (92%)

isiZulu
3. Amahle Nkosi (84%)
2. Aobakwe Mchunu (86%)
1. Duduzile Ndinesa (87%)

Mathematics
3. Jabulani Khuzwayo (84%)
2. Matabo Kekana (93%)
1. Simphiwe William (96%)

 

Grade 8 Top students per grade

 

Based on the minimum average of 80% across all subjects

 

2. Matabo Kekana (84% av.)
1. Simphiwe William (85% av.)

 

Grade 9 Top students per grade

 

Based on the minimum average of 80% across all subjects

 

3. Mikayla Bayat (83% av.)
2. Naledi Djiogo (84% av.)
1. Sabeeha Adams (85% av.)

 

Grade 10 Top students per grade

 

Based on the minimum average of 80% across all subjects

 

2. Sitara Singh (80% av.)
1. Arjun Thulsie (86% av.)

 

Progress award

 

Most improved student in the whole school based on the ranking change between Term 1 and 3

 

Ashton Wax- Grade 8
Term 1- 26th place
Term 3- 9th place
Improved 17 places during the course of the year!

 

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.

 

The sad reality that is slowly starting to sink in about our childrens’ day to day experiences is that they are not only living through one pandemic that is shaping their futures, but they are also dealing with mental issues such as depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, often brought to light by the effects of bullying.

Imagine waking up in the morning drenched in anxiety and a feeling in your gut that pushes you to jump back into bed. A crippling feeling that persuades you that stepping out of the door will in no way bring you any peace. For a lot of adults, this is a feeling that we can all relate to or at some point in our lives have felt, but for most of our children, this is a reality that they live out daily simply because school no longer feels like a safe haven for them to hang out with their friends during lunchtime and engage in fun extracurricular activities after school. Due to the rising numbers of bullying in schools, more and more children refuse to go to school, but it seems like now bullying is something that they can’t escape even when they are in the comfort of their own home.

There was a time when bullying was simply something that children experienced physically or verbally from their peers but with the prolific rise of social media and apps such as Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp etc, bully’s have found a new ‘playground’ for them to torture their peers.

According to a 2018 Ipsos Global Adviser study conducted in 28 countries, it was confirmed that South Africa topped the statistics for cyberbullying with 25% of parents reporting that their children have been cyberbullied.

With our children moving to online classrooms and hybrid models of learning, it is becoming more and more important to monitor what children are doing online as they spend most of their time in front of screens.

 

Studies have shown that some of the signs to look out for if your child is being bullied online are:

• Child appears edgy or nervous when engaging in online activities like receiving instant messages or emails, engaging in conversations on social media, etc;
• Seems depressed, angry, irritable or frustrated after being online and may also seem regularly depressed;
• Displays unusually secretive behaviour, particularly related to online activity;
•  Avoids conversations about their online activities;
• Abruptly turns off or walks away from the computer mid-use;
• Stops using their devices unexpectedly;
• Oversleeping or not getting enough sleep;
•  Changes in eating patterns;
•  Unexplained headaches or abdominal aches;
• Disengagement from activities, hobbies or pastimes that used to interest them;
• Is unusually withdrawn from friends and family; and
•  Often telling you they are feeling ill to avoid going to school or to leave school early.

At Nova Pioneer we believe that it is important to constantly reinforce positive student interactions and are always engaging around bullying and how we can stop students from not only bullying but being bystanders that also do nothing when they see their fellow classmates being bullied. This year we were able to host our first anti-bullying picnic at our Midrand campus and hope to continue to spread the amazing work done by our Novaneers with the greater community.

In the event of a bullying incident, the school:

• Intervenes immediately; stops the bullying behaviour as soon as we see it or become aware of it. 
• Talk to the child that was bullied separately and obtain a vivid picture of what happened and how the child has been harmed. 
• Talk to the bully separately. If more than one child is involved in perpetrating the bullying, talk to each of the perpetrators separately in quick succession.
• Obtain a clear picture of what happened and remind child(ren) of the behaviour expectations. 
• Talk to any bystanders separately. 
• Arrange a meeting with the ‘injured party’ and the bully. The purpose of this meeting is to initiate a process of restorative justice. Perpetrators will have to face the consequences of their actions in terms of the Nova Pioneer Philosophy of Culture and Behaviour. However, perpetrators will also be provided with psychosocial support in order that they can better understand their behaviour so that it can be prevented from recurring. In other words, individuals will be held accountable for their actions within a system of support. 

For more information on understanding bullying, watch the full video here:

 

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

 

“We don’t think so, my lord. Why, then, ’tis none to you, for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Hamlet, William Shakespeare 

In the month of July, we as South Africans were challenged to confront threatening, destabilising events and emotions, due to the social tensions and unrest. Moreover, questions regarding our own biases and opinions on the unequal structure of society were subtly posed to us all. In confronting these issues, our perception of the events and people alike has been a powerful tool in shaping our experience of the unrest seen in our country.

 

In this sense, as unfortunate as events have been during that ill-fated week in July, that moment in time gave us an opportunity to contemplate our views on our society and interrogate how far we allow our own biases to dictate what we perceive of a given situation. 

In dissecting significant occurrences of social upheaval, as witnessed in the unrest last month, many (particularly the media and our leaders) tended to simplify the causes behind the unrest, in an attempt to create an easy-to-understand, dominant perception across the citizenry. This inaccurate characterisation of events was perpetuated on social media, as I discussed recently on The JM Podcast, where people would bandwagon and justify viral viewpoints, without any form of prior independent thinking.

 

The unrest, or ‘looting’ as has been established by mainstream media, cannot be simply attributed to unruly human behaviour. Rather, a culmination of various factors – poor governance, corruption, criminality, poor defence capabilities, classism, poverty, hunger, unemployment, social inequity (all of which were exacerbated by the pandemic) – gradually accumulated over a sustained period of time, ultimately erupting, facilitated by the less pleasant side of human nature.

 

All of these factors combined to produce the anarchy we all witnessed occurring on the news, and for some, in their own communities. A well-informed background and understanding of the context of the unrest we witnessed is pivotal for one to fully appreciate the destructive occurrences of social unrest.

 

In our respective reactions and observations of what we saw happening around us, we ought to practice empathy and perspective, over moralism and judgementalism. As has been become common knowledge in human psychology, we are prone to viewing people, national events, personal situations etc., through an emotional lens. We tend to project our personal and emotional needs during interactions we have with the world around us. At the end of the day, we are emotional creatures.

 

It is virtually impossible to reverse the thousands of years of evolution in our genetic makeup as humans. Therefore, taking the cognitive decision to emotionally detach ourselves, in certain instances, when forming opinions on events, is a significantly liberating decision to take. In this regard, emotionally detaching ourselves from the world around us, essentially enables us to see people or events for who and what they really are. Doing this limits the influence our emotional needs and biases have on our perception of a person, event, belief system etc. In this way, you are not being blinded by your own emotions or prejudices, but seeing people as they are.

 

This is something we ought to do the next time we face such events, in order to appropriately consume what happens around us in a more objective, empathetic manner. This is something I believe many of us lacked – resorting to judging and moralising over people who participated in the looting, without acknowledging our own varying levels of privilege. It is much better to practice empathy especially during a time where we witnessed people expressing their long-held frustrations over their own country, which has continuously failed them and excluded them from economic opportunities. That is not to justify the irresponsible actions of a minority, but to view such situations with an acknowledgment of the social inequality that still persists in our 27-year-long democracy.

 

Lastly, it remains extremely important to understand the causes of the issues we face as a country. However, instead of fixating on the problem, our leaders ought to apply their minds to finding effective, lasting solutions. Like Novaneers, we ought to be guided by both independent and collaborative thinking alongside a solutions-based approach to our country’s challenges. Importantly, in all we do, it is vital to continue cultivating a sense of hope that we have seen the worst and are finally heading into a period of sustained prosperity. Now is the time to celebrate our resilience and look to the future with optimism and a firm willingness to collectively solve the problems our beautiful country faces.

 

Stand a chance to win 7 days of luxury accommodation in Umhlanga, KZN, when you tell us what makes your Novaneer child stand out. 

We may be biased but we believe that Novaneers (Nova Pioneer students) stand out amongst their peers. 

They’re the kind of students who aim high. They’re empowered to lead, to grow, to do more, be more and achieve great things.  #HighExpectations

Novaneers are resilient and adaptable in uncertainty. We saw this when schools closed last year and they had to pivot to a new way of learning (#AlwaysGrowing). They worked together with their peers and teachers to thrive during what may have been the toughest year for all of us. #GreaterTogether 

Our students are always pushing boundaries. They think fast to solve problems and, most importantly, they solve problems together. #SolutionsFirst

Their confidence is off the charts. They’re the kind of students who speak up because they know their voice matters! #JoyOfLearning

But most importantly, Novaneers stand out because of their big hearts – they care deeply about their peers, their learning and their teachers. #ServantLeaders

Enough about what we think however, we want to hear from you mom, dad, sister, brother or even you Novaneer, what you think makes a Novaneer stand out. How do you stand out?

Post on social media showing us what makes your Novaneer child a stand-out student, be creative and get all your friends to like and share. Tag @novapioneer_sa on Instagram and Twitter, Nova Pioneer South Africa on Facebook and @novapioneer on TikTok, using the hashtag #imaNovaneer. 

The post with the highest engagement, this includes likes, shares and comments (views excluded) will win 7 days of luxury accommodation in Umhlanga, KZN (please see terms and conditions below).

P.S: Make sure your profile is public in order for us to view and enter your video into the draw

Terms & conditions: 

• This competition is open ONLY to current Nova Pioneer parents from schools in South Africa. Entrants would have to be a current parent at the time of the competition closing on 15 November 2021. 
• There will be one prize of a 6-night stay at a 3 bedroom self-catering apartment in Umhlanga, KZN (sleeping a max of 6 people). This prize can only be redeemed in low or mid-season (excludes December and early January). Travel, meals, and entertainment are excluded from this prize and will be for the winner’s own account. 
• The prize must be redeemed before 15 November 2022. Dates will be subject to availability.
• Nova Pioneer parents and students may enter the competition utilising the following mechanism: 
  • Current Nova Pioneer parents will have to film their child (or themselves) talking about what makes their Nova Pioneer child stand out from the rest. They need to post the video online (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or TikTok) using the hashtag #imaNovaneer and tag us on their post. The video with the most engagements (likes and shares – not views) as of 15 November 2021, will win the above-mentioned prize.
  • By entering the competition through the use of the hashtag, Nova Pioneer will consider this consent from the entrant to post on their social media platforms.
• The winner is required to pay a R2000 breakage deposit before the stay
• Nova Pioneer has a right (with consent from the winners to): (i) electronically publish and distribute the photos of these prize winners in any website or social media platform

(ii) include the photo(s) in advertising and promotion materials; and 

(iii) to include the photo(s) in print and non-print products.  

• The winner will be notified by direct message via the associated social media platform.  
• Prizes are not exchangeable, transferable or exchangeable for cash. 
• The prize must be claimed within one month from the date of the draw.
• All unclaimed prizes will be forfeited by 30 June 2022.  
• Parents are to abide by the rules and regulations stated by the organizer.  
• In case of dispute, the organizer’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entertained.  
• This competition runs from 20 October 2021 to 15 November 2021. The winner will be announced on 20 November 2021.  
• Nova Pioneer reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions of or withdraw this competition if required by the authorities.

 

Simikazi Deyi expresses the importance of mother tongue languages in an article in 2018 that states, “Language is not just a series of words, but includes certain nuances that emerge in the form of idioms, metaphors and euphemisms, as well as praises. Language is therefore tied intrinsically to a sense of belonging, which is in turn linked to society and its values”. In a country where our differences have so often divided us, our school is always looking for tangible opportunities to acknowledge the spectrum of who we are. 

 

Language has historically been a divisive tool in education. Used to disempower, to segregate, and to alienate children from access to quality education. One simply needs to reflect on the 1976 Soweto Uprising to realise how powerful a tool language is in creating equitable access to education. In modern day South Africa, we still struggle with classism and bias based on people’s accents when they speak in English. As schools serving children on the African continent, it is our responsibility to work to create a cohesive society, and the acknowledgement of our language diversity is one of many ways we can make this possible for our learners. 

 

A starting point for us was to embrace the different languages spoken by our students. In social and break settings, we do not prohibit students from speaking in their mother tongue. Rather, we seek to empower our students to understand how to include their peers, and not allow children of differing languages to feel excluded from a social group. We also encourage our students to learn language through socialising with their peers, who may speak a different language. This is a more complicated approach than simply saying everyone must speak English, however, the long term impact on social cohesion is more meaningful. 

 

With all this in mind, our team launched our first Love Your Mother Tongue Week (LYMT Week) in 2019. LYMT Week is a week where parents can book a slot to come in to visit their child’s class during the Morning Meeting, which is the first half hour of the day. During this time parents are invited to read a story, teach the children a song, or recite a poem in their mother tongue. During COVID parents have been able to join via Zoom. Since starting LYMT Week, we have been treated to the most rewarding recognition of who we are as a nation. Our children have experienced parents celebrating the various indigenous South African languages, Asianlanguages, English, Afrikaans, languages from the Middle East, as well languages from throughout Africa by introducing them to the rich nuances of their languages through music, poetry and storytelling. 

 

We host this each term in an effort to normalise the differences that make us who we are, and being mindful to not just doing this once a year on a national holiday. Operationally, this is a very simple event, which requires no changes to our timetable, and is facilitated with a simple booking form. While it is very little work to organise, the power and impact of it is huge. It is however, important that the true shift does not just come from a termly event, but rather from interrogating our policies about language, and language diversity, both formal and informal. We should continue to strive to create cohesion through our everyday actions and daily acknowledgement of our differences, or else events like this will remain hollow and will be unable to affect the change we need to see in our society.

 

High school is the final phase of basic education, and the seeds planted in high school will be the fruits that will grow in tertiary. Looking for a high school for your child is no small feat. Parents want to know that their children are well prepared in high school to face tertiary education.

 

1. Find out what happens to students after they matriculate

 

A school’s post-high school success rate is one of the first things parents ought to consider when looking for a high school for their child. At Nova Pioneer, we place great value on students’ post-high school success. We strongly believe many elements can impact a student’s ability to succeed after completing high school. Thus, we want to ensure that students perform well academically at our institutions and ensure that they feel supported and prepared to succeed beyond Nova Pioneer. 

 

2. Additional support programmes

 

The kind of support a high school provides their students, specifically with regards to tertiary support programmes, exposure and resources – is as important as the school’s success rate. Our Post-School Success (PSS) programme at Nova Pioneer is designed to leverage different stakeholders in the student’s ecosystem, to facilitate the student’s exploration and understanding of themselves. The programme is a unique offering available to our senior high school students and it provides our students with personalised guidance on exploring post-school options.

 

3. Educational philosophy 

 

Parents should understand the unique educational philosophy of the school that they’re considering for their child. Schools operate with different educational values and some might not be aligned with your family values or the values you wish to instil in your child. For example, public schools are typically driven by a directive to teach in order to test. On the other hand, independent schools, like Nova Pioneer, have much more creativity and flexibility to develop our curriculum to allow our students to learn in a more all-inclusive way. We, at Nova Pioneer, are intentionally developing generations of innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century.

 

4. Academic programme

 

Parents should also get a sense of what the academic programme of the school looks like and how it fits into their child’s needs. Your child will be spending their last years of basic education at that school; make sure that the school offers classes that interest and challenge your child. Nova Pioneer offers the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) curriculum, designed to teach students how to learn and how to go on learning. Our role goes beyond helping students achieve good results, and beyond giving students passports for progression to university or employment. We give our students a curriculum that will bring lifelong success in tomorrow’s world.

 

5. Classroom experience

 

Parents ought to have a guided experience around the high schools that they’re considering for their children. Make sure that you see the on-campus offering, facilities and how the classrooms are structured. In our classroom experience, Nova Pioneer invites parents to become students again by having them experience our unique way of teaching and experiencing what it’s like to be a Novaneer.

What parents need to remember is that there is no right or wrong way of selecting a high school for your child. Parents need to consider what will work best for their children. Place the needs of your child first when choosing a high school for them. And remember, whatever the high school has to offer your child, at the end of their high school career, the school needs to have prepared them for the next level of education post-high school.

 

Source

 

We live in an ever-changing and demanding world and children will be presented with opportunities and challenges, many of which will be new to their parents. The Cambridge curriculum was adopted by Nova Pioneer with the aim to equip students with the skills required to not only cope in the 21st century but to thrive in it.

Nova Pioneer delivers the Cambridge curriculum using a unique blended and enquiry-based learning model. With this, we persistently challenge our students to aim high and achieve beyond the ordinary, to seek out opportunities and research solutions that enable them to shape the world they live in. This is another reason why parents should consider a Cambridge curriculum for their children.

 

Cambridge curriculum offers students flexibility

 

The four stages of the Cambridge curriculum leads seamlessly from primary to secondary and pre-university years. Each stage – Cambridge Primary, Cambridge Lower Secondary, Cambridge Upper Secondary and Cambridge Advanced – builds on the learners’ development from the previous one, but can also be offered separately.

The Cambridge progression pathway in Secondary School at Nova Pioneer begins with Lower Secondary in the first and second year of Secondary School. The focus in these years is mostly on laying a very strong base in mathematics, science, and literacy in order to facilitate the high expectations of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and Advanced Levels (A-Levels).

IGCSE in the third and fourth year of high school is in itself an exit phase that provides students with an internationally recognized certificate that allows them access to tertiary institutions and the workplace. Depending on their performance in the IGCSE, students have a choice to do their Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS-Level), which is a university preparation phase that is academically intensive. 

Students can also opt to do the A-Levels or Grade 13 over two years, which is the preferred option for stronger academic candidates as universities give higher Admission Point Scores (APS) for A-level study. This can make students more competitive for admission into highly selective institutions, courses, or admission into international universities.

 

Cambridge versus Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS)

 

When faced with the choice between CAPS and Cambridge, parents often have questions as to what are the fundamental differences between the two curricula. Firstly, CAPS, as with any state offered curriculum, is aimed at mass progression. The aim of state curricula is to support the bulk of the population through the curriculum and provide general literacy for as many students as possible, hence the lower pass requirement. Cambridge, especially after the IGSE’s, is primarily focused on tertiary preparedness and progression (at an international level), with significantly higher pass requirements.

With the CAPS curriculum, students have a wider range of subject choices, however, these are not covered in as much depth as those subjects offered as part of the Cambridge curriculum. Furthermore, given its aim of mass progression, CAPS offers a very set curriculum with prescribed resources and textbooks, which fully cover the content examined. Conversely, the Cambridge curriculum offers teachers more flexibility to bring their own interpretation to the material. Lastly, CAPS’ final exams focus on the assessment of the content, whereas with Cambridge, it’s the assessment of skill.

The Cambridge curriculum teaches students to develop an intentional interest and desire for learning, and it also equips them with the necessary skills required to succeed at major universities and corporate companies anywhere in the world. It provides students with an internationally recognized education that prepares them to compete globally in pursuit of their academic and career development.

 

 

I identify first and foremost as a woman. This means that in every aspect of my life, it is important to me that my womanliness is ever-present and authentic.

On its own, this principle should not be a challenge to uphold. However, in a world in which the acceptable view of gender and gender equity continues to evolve in ways that are often contradictory, my pursuit to be a woman takes on an interesting tilt.

It becomes imperative then, that I define for myself what lies at the core of my womanliness, what values I wish to embody as a woman, and how these can be brought to life in my role as a leader. One relevant manifestation of this in my role today is empathy. Not mushy sentimentality, but rather the striving to connect meaningfully with others, to understand and celebrate their strengths, and along with that, to inspire them to harness the potential often obscured by our weaknesses; all while leveraging an intentionally nurtured professional relationship. It calls for a combination of warmth and firmness, a clarified sense of fairness, and the ability to be positively honest, especially when tough things need to be said.

I am a coach. And indeed every leader is one, or at least should strive to be one. Leadership extends beyond a title or a job designation. It lies in the ability to rally others in pursuit of a higher aim, to help them see that in truth they can attain it, to equip them with the skills and tools needed for success, and to inspire them to retain a winning front even in the face of the many obstacles they inevitably will encounter. This is the type of leader I strive to be.