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

 

“So that morning in 1962 I told myself: Let everyone else call your idea crazy… just keep going. Don’t
stop running. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where
“there” is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop” – Phil Knight, Shoe Dog.

Over the years, it has become a sentimental Nova Pioneer metaphor to liken the organic growth of the
schools to that of a baby. By gradually opening new campuses, introducing new grade levels and
continuously expanding our horizons, Nova Pioneer has slowly learnt how to crawl, walk and fend for
itself in a fast-changing world. But given the supreme operational and academic performance of the
school in the past year, I would suggest we have gone a step further – Nova Pioneer has been running all
along. In our relentless pursuit of High Expectations, we have definitely done ourselves proud in the most
challenging of times.

On exciting developments, I wish to extend my congratulations to Nova Pioneer Ormonde in electing its first female Student Committee Chair, Zewande Phiri. Having had the honour of being Chair myself in 2019, I firmly believe Zewande’ leadership prowess, social intelligence and stellar academic record make her the immaculate, well-rounded individual needed to lead the school’s student body. I wish her, along with Emmanuel Manzini, Zanele Mlambo, Zainub Butt, Chinedu Edward, Atiyyah Ally and Declan Watson, all the luck, energy and will-power in guiding the student body in this difficult moment in time. The Class of 2021 has always left an uplifting impression on me in demonstrating an unrelenting willingness and enthusiasm for leadership – now embrace your roles as model custodians and servant leaders with the same vigour you have shown over the past 5 years. You are nearing the finish line – keep going, don’t stop running.

In the most challenging of periods in history, Nova Pioneer has successfully adapted to the changes forced by the pandemic. The psychological strength shown by all stakeholders during this difficult period in human history has inspired me beyond comprehension. In the most arduous periods of our short history as a group of schools, we have not lost our values or ethics. In the face of calamity, we have not stopped running. Moreover, the anticipated opening of a secondary school in the Midrand reinforces this truth. In spite of the cataclysmic happenings around us, we have not lost sight of our mission to have 100 schools across Africa within 10 years. I celebrate the global leadership team, school managements teams, ground staff, admin staff, all educators, students and parents for their ‘Solutions First’ approach and unabating efforts to steer the organisation through the darkest of times.

It is no surprise that our alumni, or living founders, are placed in the best universities, colleges and leadership academies on the continent and abroad as well. This speaks to an inherent resilience and intelligence, as well as the infinite post-school possibilities Nova Pioneer offers its students. In this regard, it is imperative that a formally constructed and recognised alumni network across Africa is acknowledged as a necessity. Establishing an official platform for former students to interact, network and collectively find solutions to Africa’s challenges will be a seismic step towards the African utopia we all strive to witness in our lifetime. It is without doubt that creating and revitalising the synergy between Nova Pioneer alumni such as Jeanne Sere, Wairimu Wahome, Ntando Makwela, Phillip Mburu and Taskeen Hoosen, just to name a few, would be a significant stride not only for Nova Pioneer, but the African continent at large. Ensuring access for alumni to a pan-African network of alumni and resources to keep them running beyond the finish line per se of a Cambridge A Level certificate, is a path we ought to explore. This is because, as a pan-African network of schools, we ultimately have a decisive responsibility to develop lasting mechanisms to ensure that our alumni collaborate in creating ground-breaking African solutions for African problems.

Lastly, I wish to extend to you a recommendation to a new platform – The JM Podcast – where we have conversations that will narrate and shape the trajectory of Africa’s future. In the spirit of Greater Together, the podcast will be run by myself and Kagiso Ramaboea, a fellow living founder of Nova Pioneer Ormonde. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that External Relations Associate Manager at Nova Pioneer Kenya, Robert Omondi, who has recently been offered a scholarship at Duke University, will feature in season one of the podcast alongside Vahin Naka, a student at our Ormonde campus. This podcast is an expression of our vision of a unified, connected and self-reliant Africa. Be sure to integrate an hour of the profound insights and ideas from The JM Podcast into your weekly routine.

My final words to you are – ‘keep going’. Never let up. Whether this be in our personal lives which are fraught with eternal struggle, or your academic or professional career which pushes you to your limits – any aspect of your life which requires your strength and endurance. Never let up. Class of 2021, don’t stop running; put in the extra hours that will guarantee you success. Keep going; you will do it. Nova Pioneer, let’s keep running for the betterment of our continent, of its future and of its people. Let us never lose sight of our crucial role in the unending pursuit of the pioneer dream.

JM
https://anchor.fm/the-jmpodcast

Nova Pioneer recently celebrated its valedictory ceremony for its Grade 12 students at Ormonde Secondary. The ceremony, which took place at the campus, saw students and staff maintaining all social distance protocols as well as live streaming for those students, speakers and family members who were unable to attend in person. 

“Nova Pioneer is proud of how quickly our students and teachers were able to adapt to learning during the pandemic this year. Because we follow the Cambridge curriculum, three groups of pupils sat exit exams over this time: Grade 11 (IGCSE), Grade 12 (AS) and Grade 13 (A-levels). All of these students had to pivot between ‘normal’ school, fully online and hybrid delivery systems while preparing for these high-stakes exams. We are incredibly proud of the perseverance and can-do approach that they displayed at all times”, says Theun Opperman, Head of School at Nova Pioneer Ormonde Secondary. 

2020 presented unprecedented challenges, with schools mandated to close in March. As a result, Nova Pioneer shifted immediately to virtual learning to support the continued learning of students. The anxiety associated with this sudden change was felt by all students and parents, but none more so than those in their final year of school. 

Ntando Makwela, the author of “The Dynamic Kid” and a student at Nova Pioneer Ormonde, started his address at the Grade 12 valedictory ceremony by saying that his class needed to celebrate the fact that one skill they have acquired through this year is ‘resilience’. 

“The class of 2020 have developed the skill of being able to learn on their own, with teacher support that looked and felt very different, through online platforms that have become their school experience in March. They were always very aware that they would be writing international exams and as such had no choice but to leverage technology and each other throughout this period”, says Ntando Mlilo, Dean of Students at Ormonde Secondary. 

“One of the biggest achievements of the class of 2020 was to maintain the connection in the school throughout this remote climate. This was achieved through having school-wide conversations around topical issues, such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘Gender-based violence’.  Planned and moderated by students, these termly conversations ensured a sense of unity within the student body. What one can learn from the class of 2020 is that resilience is built when young people are given the opportunity and platform to independently persevere through challenging times”, says Mlilo. 

Nova Pioneer is a proudly African independent school network that builds and operates world-class facilities offering affordable education. As a testament to its commitment and perseverance to excellence, Nova Pioneer is celebrating some fantastic achievements from its second class of Grade 12’s since opening in 2015.  

The Nova Pioneer concept is the brainchild of Chinezi Chijioke whose vision is to produce world-class African leaders and thinkers who will power the continent forward. The Harvard and Stanford graduate has a life-long passion for education and always dreamed of being a part of a team that would develop schools across Africa to unleash the incredible potential of the continent’s youth.

Part of Chijioke’s vision was to offer a holistic education to his students. This meant not only attending to their scholastic needs but also building character.  “Our vision of a Novaneer is centered on three ‘C’s: character, capabilities, and connection.  The three together equip our students to solve problems, take on challenges and shape the world for the better.  Among the three Cs, the first is Character, because it is the foundation upon which distinctive capabilities, or the connections of a strong community, are built,” says Chinezi.  

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

Carla Hercules was recently appointed as the new Head of School at our newest Campus, Rumisig. This comes after the news that we would be opening a new campus in Ruimsig that will cater to parents with children in pre-primary and primary school, in January 2020. 

We are confident that with Carla’s extensive experience and her inspiring leadership, Nova Pioneer Ruimsig students will be developed into our future leaders and innovators. Carla is passionate about the unique Nova Pioneer learning approach which prepares our students to be globally competitive in the 21st century, and subsequently go on to change the continent and the world. As a long-time resident of the Roodepoort area, Carla has expressed her excitement to join the beautiful Ruimsig community and work closely with its residents to maintain the spirit and energy of their neighbourhood.

Carla and moved to join Nova Pioneer from her role at Sharonlea Primary School, where she had been Principal for seven years and deputy for six years prior. Before that, she was a teacher at Bushlands Primary, in KwaZulu-Natal, for just under ten years.  Along with a Diploma in Education, she also has two accreditations in organisational leadership – she is a lifelong learner and someone who exemplifies Joy of Learning.

These skills and her extensive prior school leadership experience will stand her in good stead, as she develops the team at Ruimsig, to welcome our first students to this new campus in 2020. Carla officially steps into this role in November 2019 to ensure the new Nova Pioneer Ruimsig campus is ready for a great start in January 2020.

Nova Pioneer Ruimsig will open its doors in January 2020 for students in Grades 000, 00, 1 and 2.