We are well over the 100-day mark since our schools have closed and gradually re-opened, as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine and lockdown measures across both South Africa and Kenya. A lot of us can agree that there’s something about the past 100 days that seemed to make time fly by so fast. Changes to how we live our lives have been implemented at record speed, leaving us with the age-old question of how we are adapting to and adopting the changes. 

 

Adapting to change

 

Change is set to be the only constant as we continue grappling with what our new normal will look like. It is, however, an interesting time for the education sector across the world. We watch how our key players: teachers, students and parents take stock of what the changes mean for the future and how we can continue to make sure that we are as prepared for the same.

 

Webinars

 

Our Nova Pioneer Connect (webinar) hosted a much-needed conversation about how our Nova Pioneer community continues to respond to the times ahead. The connect panel consisted of our Kenyan Co-founder and Director, Christopher Khaemba, Chief of Schools, Rahel Wondwossen, Operations Leader for South Africa, Ofentse Lekwane, students, Vahin (Grade 10, Nova Pioneer Senior School, Ormonde), Michelle (Form Three, Nova Pioneer Tatu Girls) and a parent Dr Emily Too (Nova Pioneer Boys, Eldoret). The discussion centred around key lessons we have learned and how our South African team is handling school reopening.

 

Tune in to the rest of the conversation below.

 

You can catch up with their inspiring stories through the recorded recap down below.

 

Click on the links below to watch our Nova Pioneer Connect episodes that take place every fortnight.

Nova Pioneer Connect: Finding Your Inner Voice

Nova Pioneer Connect: Role of Creatives in Shaping a holistic Education Experience

Nova Pioneer Connect: Life after Nova Pioneer

Nova Pioneer Connect: How to help your child build grit during trying times

The advent of Covid-19 in 2020 and the introduction of lockdowns has certainly changed the way we think and do things. From social gatherings, meetings and the way we deliver on education, we were forced to rethink life as we knew it. Now in the world of social distancing, working from home, face masks and regular sanitisation, we have to embrace a new reality which is ‘virtual reality’. Virtual meetings, virtual open days, webinars, virtual teaching and learning has become our ‘new normal’.

But how do we adapt? From social beings to this new virtual reality? Firstly, we have to look at the benefits of virtual reality. Secondly, we need to look at how virtual reality will impact our lives in a positive way. Introducing us to a new generation of thinkers, innovators and solutions-first leaders. All of whom will advance our lives beyond any challenging circumstance in education and beyond. As Nova Pioneer, we have had to embrace four key virtual reality aspects that form part of our ‘new normal’ as an educational institution.

 

Virtual teaching and learning:

 

While we were traditionally accustomed to face-to-face interaction in a classroom, Covid-19 has revealed to us our ability to teach and learn virtually through various tools that we have adopted. Delivering on our education promise of remote learning. ‘Google Classrooms’ have become our new way of teaching and learning.

It should be easy for us to embrace virtual teaching and learning when you consider all the benefits it presents.  This includes our students being able to receive a quality education, safely, in the comfort of their homes. For our Novaneer parents, the benefits include ensured safety of your child and their well-being, while learning from home, not to forget the savings on fuel and time spent in Johannesburg’s often terrible traffic.  

The introduction of virtual learning has encouraged our students to become independent thinkers, leading themselves to achieve their objectives with guidance from their teachers and support from their online classmates. If anything, virtual learning has allowed us to rethink what education may look like in a post-COVID-19 future, and from this lense, the future looks bright and full of wonder. 

 

Virtual Meetings:

 

Attending parent meetings are always a struggle, common scenarios include parents needing to take time off work, meetings running over the available time of the parent, last-minute cancellations, etc.  In comes the introduction of virtual meetings – your time, your space and no traffic. Most importantly, parents have that ample opportunity for a close connect with the teacher, with little to no time limitations, ensuring the parent is completely tuned in to the students’ growth throughout the year.

 

Webinars:

 

Nova Pioneer is not just a school, but a learning institution that is rich with information and knowledge which we aim to constantly share with our Novaneer parents and community through our webinars. Our goal is to share enriching and helpful information on the education sector giving our parents insight into what we do here at Nova Pioneer, how we live through our culture principals while striving steadily towards our vision. The best part is that we are embracing the joy of learning, all from the comfort of your office or home. You can listen to some of our recent Nova Pioneer Connect webinars here.

 

Virtual Open Days

 

Inge, one of our Admissions Specialists, shares with us how the Admissions landscape has had to adapt during this time: 

“School Open Days are essential as they provide our potential Nova Pioneer parents with the opportunity to meet with the school leaders. Learning more about our curriculum and understanding our learning approach. It is also a platform for you to ask as many questions about our school. 

Nova Pioneer has adjusted our application process and created The Virtual Admissions Experience to answer all your enrolment needs from the safety and comfort of your home. 

Whether you have put in an application or not, you are welcome to attend the Nova Pioneer Virtual Open Day. Each Nova Pioneer campus in our network hosts their own open day via Google-meet.

It is undeniable that virtual reality has become a large part of our lives during the pandemic and it’s certainly here to stay. We can also appreciate that it has presented us with an opportunity to deliver a unique learning solution to the pandemic ensuring our learners don’t miss a beat, helping them thrive in this new world and assisting them in reaching their learning outcomes for the year. We have become a people without limits, solutions-first leaders and innovators, who deliver on high expectations.

 

 

 

Six years ago

 

On July 7th 2014, 20 teammates and 30 students gathered for the Pioneer Winter Programme.  There were two programmes: we welcomed 15 Grade 00-1 “Young Pioneers”, and 15 Grade 6-8 “Pioneer Innovators”.  It was the first time teammates and students would come together to do what we do: grow innovators and leaders!   With that step, after many months of preparation and anticipation, our journey to develop innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century began in earnest.  With that coming together, Nova Pioneer was born.

One year ago, as Nova Pioneer turned 5, we celebrated our birthday for the first time.  What a year it has been since then!  It has been a year that has led us to reckon with both a health pandemic and a global social justice movement that could well define our generation.  It has been a year in which we have faced up to the challenges of learning to work, learn and live in new ways; and most importantly of staying true and committed to our mission, our students and each other through the most challenging stretch yet of our journey together.  It has also been a year of important achievements: the milestone of our first graduates, the growth of our students in all grades and teammates in all roles; and the welcoming of new campuses, teammates and students to the Novaneer family.  

 

On a personal note

 

I have never been as challenged or encouraged by our journey as I have been this past year.  I have felt greater extremes of strain and setback on the one hand, and gratitude and admiration on the other, than I have in any year of my life to date.  In my birthday message to teammates last year, I wrote that I consider our team and culture to have been our greatest achievements of our first five years.  I still do.  Our collective response to the unprecedented challenges of this year — while remaining committed to our mission and each other through it all — will be a close second!  Indeed, that too will also be a reflection of our team and culture.  

 

Where will the world be, where will we be?

 

One year from now on July 7th 2021?  How about July 7th 2022?  I hope that one year from now we will be able to look back with a sense of accomplishment and pride at the year we will have led, the storms we will have weathered, the scars we will have endured, and the triumphs we will have earned.  I hope that two years from now, with a world emerging from a long winter and looking forward with the exuberance and optimism of spring, we will once again pause and be able to take pride in our journey — our learning, our adaptations, our choices, our successes.  As we do so, on both of those days, I hope that we will be able to look around at ourselves and feel an ever-stronger sense of unity and bond amongst ourselves, and look within ourselves and feel affirmed by who we will have individually and collectively shown ourselves to be.  

From Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist — a book that met me at the right challenging moment in my life — I share with you: “No heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”  I am grateful for every moment of this journey together with you, and look forward to the many years ahead of us! 

Happy 6th birthday Novaneers 🙂

Grade 11 Nova Pioneer Ormonde student, Lesedi Mnguni (16), was chosen as Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge Top 20 Finalist (AGEC2018).

 

PRESS RELEASE: The Allan Gray Entrepreneurial Challenge (AGEC), organised and facilitated by Mr Anthony Selley, is a competition that encourages learning about entrepreneurship for high school learners in Grades 8 to 12 in South Africa.

The challenge seeks to inspire learners on how to influence change in their community, their country and the world. Learners were required to complete weekly micro-challenges that further exposed them to a variety of entrepreneurial skills, which were then applied to real-world scenarios. 

Lesedi’s mentor and business studies and accounting teacher at Nova Pioneer, Samson Mwaghore, explained how Lesedi and her peers were encouraged to bring and share their creative and innovative ideas in and outside of the classroom.

 

“We invest heavily in the future of our students by offering a real entrepreneurial environment in our classroom experience.”

 

The use of the unique, inquiry-based learning approach that encourages students to ask “why” instead of telling them the “what”, allows them to develop their own thinking through exploration, investigation and collaboration,” he said.

During weeks one to three, learners began their entrepreneurial journey by exploring local challenges and opportunities in the areas of social entrepreneurship, transportation and healthcare. In weeks four to six, the competition shifted focus to global themes of climate change, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. The final event wrapped-up six weeks of inter-school and inter-pupil participation across the country.

According to Anthony Selley, AGEC’s head of Gameplay, entry participation doubled for the 2018 season, from 4,000 in 2017 to more than 8,000 in 2018. In addition, more than 600 schools across the country participated in this year’s challenge. The challenges are designed to engage participants to act and think like entrepreneurs and rewards those who finish among the top performers.

Lesedi was awarded with AGEC2018 certificate for being a Top 20 finalist. The school is proud of Lesedi and all Novaneer participants for the efforts they put in during the competition. 

We are delighted to announce that Nova Pioneer Paulshof recently broke ground to build our Senior Primary School phase.

With the existing building and the new block, our Paulshof campus will be able to cater to around 900 students ranging from Grade 000 to Grade 7.

Construction commenced today with plans to have the new building completed by November 2019, ready for students to commence the 2020 school year.

We have designed the buildings to reflect our innovative inquiry-based learning model which has a strong foundation in the world-renowned Reggio Emilia philosophy.” said Des Hugo – Academic Director for Nova Pioneer South Africa.

Our Paulshof campus is not the only campus where we are growing. In 2020, Nova Pioneer will also welcome a new campus in Ruimsig on an expansive 36 200 square metre property on the corner of Flora Haase and Van Bergen Roads, Amorosa Extension 27. This school will serve young leaders [learners] in the Amorosa, Ruimsig, Little Falls and Greater Roodepoort communities,

Our Ormonde Secondary School students will also move to a new location 2020 mid-year. Our Midrand and Boksburg campuses are also being extended to accommodate older grades.

Nova Pioneer has campuses in Ormonde, Boksburg, Paulshof, North Riding, Midrand and Ruimsig.

Video

Update

Keep track of the progress by tuning in to our various Nova Pioneer South Africa social media accounts.