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.

 

 

As children grow in their early childhood years and enter pre-primary school, their world begins to open up. They want to explore and frequently ask about the things around them. Eventually, their interactions with others help to shape their ways of thinking and moving.

Early childhood development progresses gradually and continuously in clearly defined phases. It is most important that parents send their children to pre-primary schools that are equipped with teachers who are skilled at working with young children during this crucial period of their lives. Teachers in pre-primary school play an important role in ensuring that your child has a strong foundation for their future school career. 

At Nova Pioneer we believe that a strong educational foundation in pre-primary school is vital to not only shaping your child’s academic success but also in paving their road for success in life. How your child learns and develops mentally, emotionally, physically and socially is critical to us. At Nova Pioneer, we use a unique integrated approach to support our youngest of students’ growth. We offer vast opportunities to develop your child’s intellectual curiosity and love of learning. Here are the 5 skills that you can expect your child to develop in pre-primary school:

 

Independence

 

We’ve realized that children become more independent in pre-primary school. Naturally, becoming more independent enables children to take care of their own basic needs, to be mindful of their belongings, and to develop their self-confidence. Nurturing your child’s independence is vital in pre-primary school because it encourages them to not only be resourceful and to learn how to solve problems on their own, but it also gives them the confidence to build up their student voice.

 

Language skills

 

Language develops rapidly during pre-primary school years. There is an increase in the scope and function of speech, and children start to use words to resolve conflict. They understand the conversation and volunteer their own ideas and opinions. Their concentration, memory and attention span increase and they begin to participate in discussions to make sense of the world that they live in.

 

Social skills

 

Consequently, children become more socially aware in pre-primary school, and they learn how to get along with others. They share more readily at school, take turns with one another more easily, and begin to work through conflict peacefully. Their play evolves from parallel to interactive play and they are comfortable forming friendships in a pre-primary school environment. Also, pre-primary school is where children begin to learn more about social cues and it’s where their individual personalities begin to unfold as they are exposed to different people from different backgrounds.

 

Physical development

 

Children attending pre-primary school learn how to intentionally use and control their bodies through the various physical activities they engage in at school. There are also striking physical changes in their body proportions during this time as they grow and partake in challenging physical undertakings when they play with their peers. They become capable and confident of more strenuous activities and learn to have greater endurance. Pre-primary school is also where children start to develop dominance and learn to have control over their hand muscles, which is an essential part of physical development during this phase of their lives.

 

Emotional maturity

 

In pre-primary school, children learn to outgrow the heightened emotionality of temper tantrums. Emotions begin to colour their lives. They become better at controlling their emotions and can be reasoned with. They overcome problems with separation from their parents more easily as they interact with other children and they are able to build trust with their teachers and peers. Lastly, emotions become more evident in children’s facial expressions in pre-primary school. Their body posture, movements and tone of voice help both parents and teachers to easily identify the children’s emotional cues. 

 

As I write this, I think of my younger self, in the late 1990s, with only a  few years of working experience. (Yes, that was ages ago and I am giving my age away!). I can vividly recall my father – who was my greatest role model – telling me that I didn’t need to become “hardened” as a woman in business to “make it”.

 

Hardened 

 

When I looked “up the ranks” (ironically a  phrase that I detest but which was a pertinent reality in my early career), in the various organisations that I was part of, for the first 15 years of my career, the women in senior leadership were few, relative to their male counterparts. They were also mostly in fact “pretty hardened”, ambitious-at-all-costs and fiercely driven. Many of them made their jobs their “whole life”. 

 

Feminine

 

Thankfully I had my dad whispering in my ear on how important it was not to “lose (feminine) self” in the quest for career success or model success in a predominantly male persona (which I think at that time, many women assumed was the only route).

 

Admittedly there were times, when I have/did put my roles of “being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a friend” on hold and de-prioritised these in favour of work, work, work.  Perhaps the subliminal narrative inside my head was that in a business context, feminine roles and qualities were in fact a handicap or sign of weakness.

 

Grateful 

 

Fast forward a couple of decades to where I find myself now, in the wonderful world of education and as part of the Nova Pioneer family. I truly never even think of my gender in my workplace context – I don’t think twice about being a female. How grateful I am to think that gender is just an irrelevant demographic, right now in my work life.  I don’t feel embarrassed about needing to “rush off and be a mom to my own kids” during a working day or in fact anything else that comes with the territory of my role as mother, wife, sister and daughter. These roles are equally respected and appreciated by the teammates that I work with. How very grateful I am for that, when things felt quite the contrary some decades back for “women in business”.

 

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.

 

There is so much pressure on students to succeed when they first enter Grade 8, so much so that they can miss the opportunity to actually enjoy the journey and the experience of being in high school. At Nova Pioneer we want our students to have a well-rounded high school adaptation – socially and academically. It is important for parents to remember that Grade 8 is not the defining year of your child’s high school career. Grade 8 at Nova Pioneer is a year of adjustment, transition and gradual
growth.

If your child is coming from a CAPS environment (State or IEB), it will take a while for your child to acclimatize to our Cambridge curriculum. But our school has multiple support structures in place to help your child make that curriculum transition a smooth one. All we ask is for parents to allow their children the space and time to progressively make that transition into a new curriculum. The support structures from the school and our educators are there, and the support from parents make a solid partnership that will positively shape the educational experience for our incoming Novaneers.

Transitioning to a Cambridge curriculum

Coming from CAPS and having to transition into a Cambridge curriculum can be challenging for students. It is a demanding curriculum that requires students to have a disciplined work ethic and a willingness to learn. However, our teachers are caring and skilled at supporting our students in their curriculum shift. The Cambridge curriculum is designed to teach students how to learn and to go on learning. Our role goes beyond helping students achieve good results, and it also goes beyond giving students approval for progression to university or employment – we give our students a curriculum that will bring lifelong success in the future. The Cambridge focus is on independent learning. Teachers are the supportive guides on the road to that independence.

Furthermore, our Cambridge curriculum sets up students for independence and allows them to lead. For instance, in the COVID19 climate, making the transition to online learning was not as challenging as it would have been, had we not equipped and trained our Novaneers to lead in their learning process. We train our students in high school to take the lead in the direction of their education. This mentality prepares them for the tertiary environment, which subsequently requires them to have the same
independence when learning. Our Novaneers essentially get a head start from our campuses. Nova Pioneer has resources readily available to make that transformation attainable.

School support system

Your children are not alone, there is always someone there to help with your child’s high school experience at Nova Pioneer. Additionally, there are programmes in place, teachers and coaches designated to support your child’s personal development on campus. Our coaching system provides a space for all students to have a voice in a supportive small group environment. This ensures that no one falls through the cracks. We want our Novaneers to succeed and thus, we encourage parents to enquire about the support structures available at our schools, to assist their children as they experience Grade 8.

We want to ensure that students perform well and we want to ensure that they feel supported and prepared to succeed at
our school. We believe that parents working together with the school forms a support system for our Grade 8 Novaneers. Our alumni are living proof that it is possible and achievable for your child to be successful at our school.

Culture principles

Our culture principles are what guide us at Nova Pioneer. We introduce them early to our Grade 8 students. We’ve found that these principles live in our students long after they leave us, and these principles will guide and support our Grade 8 students as they enter a new stage in their school career. We invite and encourage parents to embrace our culture principles and to look at applying them even at home – Joy of Learning, Greater Together, Always Growing, Servant Leadership, Solutions First and High
Expectations.

 

The way we teach at Nova Pioneer is very different from how other schools teach. Our mission is to develop generations of innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century. Therefore, we recruit teachers who not only have a passion for teaching but are lifelong students who are willing to be taught and are open to learning new ways of teaching.

A teacher at Nova Pioneer needs to embody our ‘Always Growing’ culture principle, which is: always seeking out difficult challenges, share and receive feedback as a gift and see every failure as an opportunity to grow. This particular culture principle is the foundation of a mindset of a Nova Pioneer teacher, and a requirement to being part of the Nova Pioneer teaching team.

Our teachers are Novaneers

Being a Novaneer is not only for our students but for our teachers as well. They value the growth of students, prioritise development, teaching and they care about students achieving their best personal and academic outcomes. Our students are equipped with educators who have gone through a rigorous process to be recruited and trained based on our culture, story, mission, and vision on how to help your child succeed in the 21st Century.

Our core teacher values

We look for teachers that deeply care about the future of students and have the passion to build up our students’ intrinsic potential. We look for teachers that respect and value the views of their students, who come from various backgrounds, whilst being the ultimate facilitator of knowledge in their classrooms. Nova Pioneer values teachers who are not only instructive but who also remember to have fun, by bringing an infectious and positive energy to everything that they do.

A Nova Pioneer teacher is passionate about teaching and making education in Africa great by growing its future leaders. It’s their entrepreneurial spirit of making things happen that allows our teachers to be creative and flex their innovation muscle by solving problems for their team and students. Our teachers have a growth mindset that consistently seeks new ways to do and see things, by collaborating with a team that believes in the joy of learning and high expectations.

Mapping out growth 

At Nova Pioneer, we are always invested in growing and constantly evolving to meet the needs of our students. We believe that we all have room to grow, at every level of the organisation. What that means, is that no matter what role someone is in, they have someone coaching and developing them to help them grow. 

What this looks like for teachers, comes in the form of weekly classroom observations and feedback meetings with their coach, the Dean. These sessions with the Dean allow teachers to focus on their growth areas that they are always working to improve on and master. Also, in these sessions teachers are affirmed on what they do well as educators, which helps reinforce best practices.

Each year, all Nova Pioneer teachers receive a Growth Map, which includes specific targeted areas for them to perform, in alignment with their role and job description. The metrics included in these Growth Maps align with each role’s biggest area of contribution to the success of the school, which for teachers, aligns with their student’s academic performance. 

The Growth Maps also measures teachers’ exhibition of our school’s Core Values and their overall performance as a Novaneer. These annual measures are helpful for teachers because they create opportunities for advancement, both within the classroom and in school leadership roles.

The global call to save our environment is critical! Nova Pioneer has made it a point to do its bit for the environment and to teach our Novaneers that the future of our planet is in their hands. Although nations are facing a pandemic with Covid-19, taking care of our environment should be no different this year, as we observe World Environment Day on Saturday, 5 June 2021. At Nova Pioneer we teach our students that the onus lies on each and every individual to take active responsibility to restore our ecosystem.

For this reason, we are committed to finding new innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint at our campuses. Here are five environmentally friendly ways that we have already started to heal our planet below:

 

1. We say NO to air conditioners

Air-conditioners are classified as one of the major consumers of electricity. The machines subsequently contribute to air pollution and play a role in ozone depletion. Nova Pioneer schools pride themselves with the use of natural ventilation in their classes and offices to regulate room temperature naturally.

 

2. We choose environmental friendly lights

LED lights save energy, compared to the traditional light bulb, which has the same light output as an energy-saving LED light. We use low-energy LED lights in all our schools. This helps us reduce a significant amount of energy at our campuses. We also make use of natural light to significantly reduce the amount of electricity usage during the day.

 

3. What we don’t use, we switch off

Switching off electrical appliances when not in use is not only beneficial in preventing the waste of energy, it also significantly reduces the risk of fire hazards. All our schools switch to dark mode every day after school, to ensure safety at our premises. We switch off all lights and all running electrical appliances that are not in use.

 

4. We practice the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Three sure ways to eliminate waste and protect your environment are to simply reduce, reuse, and recycle. When we reduce we can save money. When we reuse we can help sustain the environment for future generations. When we recycle we save energy. We are proud advocates of the 3R’s as all our campuses are provided with recycling bins to help sort out litter.

 

5. Our surrounding spaces are green

Our schools provide our students, staff, and the neighborhoods that we exist in, with attractive and nurturing green spaces. As a result, this promotes greater physical activity for our students. The green spaces at our campuses are also used for enriching activity, learning, and for teaching various aspects of our curriculum.

We encourage our Novaneer parents to also adopt environmentally friendly ways of living in their homes to help us reinstate the culture of looking after the environment in our children.

Source: unep.org

World Milk Day was established on the 1 st of June in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. This day aims to recognize the importance of milk as a global food, and to celebrate the dairy sector. Given that milk is rich with calcium, a mineral that promotes healthy teeth and bones, it can add to a healthy lunchbox for our Novaneers.

Whether with a milk product or a dairy alternative, celebrating World Milk Day can be enjoyed by all. The benefits of milk and dairy products have been actively promoted around the world. Milk is a part of the dairy category in the five food groups – dairy, bread and cereals, vegetables, fruit and meat (or meat alternatives).

The use of milk in food and drink has been a common practice for thousands of years. As many can appreciate, milk is an essential part of some people’s daily diets today.

 

However, for those who have trouble digesting dairy, here are some non-dairy milk alternatives for you to enjoy on World Milk Day:

– Soy Milk, made from soybean plants
– Almond Milk, made from almonds blended with water
– Coconut Milk, made from the white fleshy part of the coconut soaked in water

Milk is not only for drinking, it is an essential ingredient for other dairy foods such as butter, cream, ice cream, and cheese. Milk can also be found as an ingredient used in other types of foods, such as bread, cakes, cereal, desserts and so much more.

Check out these 5 dairy serving suggestions for our Novaneers to enjoy on World Milk Day:

1. Celebrate World Milk Day with a glass of fresh, cold milk in the morning to kick-start the day.
2. Enjoy a big bowl of cereal full of delicious milk
3. For lunch, why not have a toasted cheese sandwich
4. A glass of chocolate or strawberry milkshake
5. A bowl of ice-cream for dessert

Snap a photo of your child’s milk mustache and tag us on social media. Happy #WorldMilkDay!

Source: worldmilkday.org and daysoftheyear.com

“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