pecanwood

Thank You for Supporting Slipper Day 2025!

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 05:13:36 GMT

A big thank you to all our students, staff, and families who participated in Slipper Day 2025 at Pecanwood College!

The campus was filled with colourful slippers, happy smiles, and a spirit of compassion as we came together in support of the Reach For A Dream Foundation . By simply wearing slippers and making a donation, our school community played a part in helping children with life-threatening illnesses experience moments of joy and hope.

Your participation not only raised funds but also reminded us of the power of kindness and empathy. It's amazing what we can achieve when we unite for a meaningful cause.

Well done, Pecanwood – every step made a difference!

Pecanwood College Adopts Black Leopard Cub as Part of WESSA Eco-Schools Commitment

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 05:09:31 GMT

Pecanwood College is proud to announce the adoption of Bagheera, a black leopard cub currently housed at a local wildlife sanctuary. Bagheera was sadly rejected by his mother shortly after birth, but now receives care and support with the hope of one day being released into the wild.

This symbolic adoption is part of Pecanwood College’s ongoing focus on environmental responsibility through its involvement in the WESSA Eco-Schools Programme. As a registered Eco-School, Pecanwood is committed to creating a culture of sustainability by encouraging learners to take action on real-world environmental issues.

Bagheera’s story has sparked meaningful discussions among learners around conservation, endangered species, and the importance of protecting natural habitats. The school looks forward to tracking his journey and continuing to foster environmental awareness in Pecanwood College.

Pecanwood College is proud to partner with Pure Care to launch the Water Treatment Project on campus!

alexhovy@bluegrassdigital.com (Alex Hovy) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 13:01:42 GMT

This state-of-the-art facility utilizes advanced *reverse osmosis (RO) technology* to remove harmful contaminants such as *lead, arsenic, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs),* ensuring that our learners, staff, and visitors have access to *safe, high-quality drinking water.* This initiative not only enhances the well-being of our community but also reflects our commitment to sustainability and responsible resource management.

As of last week, we have successfully processed *over 3.8 million liters of purified drinking water, with a **284,000-liter storage capacity* ensuring a reliable supply for both our *hostel residents and day scholars.* This means that every student and staff member at Pecanwood College benefits from clean, great-tasting water that meets the highest quality standards.

By investing in cutting-edge water purification technology, *we are taking proactive steps towards a more sustainable future*—reducing plastic waste from bottled water, promoting healthier hydration habits, and ensuring long-term water security for our campus.

We are excited about this milestone and look forward to expanding our sustainability efforts even further! ��

#Sustainability #CleanWater #PecanwoodCares #FutureReady

Weekend well spent!

Rian.Nell@firsttech.digital (Rian Nell) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 07:45:00 GMT

"Weekend well spent! ✨ Ntokozo, the house mum on duty, delivered an insightful talk on Elegance 101, covering everything from refined behavior and being ladylike to dressing appropriately for different occasions. She also touched on etiquette in dating and social settings. It was a truly enriching discussion! #Elegance101 #GraceAndPoise"

Pre-Prep Valentines Day Planet

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 07:42:24 GMT

On Valentines Day the Pre-Prep gave some love to our planet. They used recycled toilet roll inners as planting pots. Each child planted a Spekboom in their pot for their parents. The message on the pot was: "Love our planet, love our home, plant a tree for you and me". The Spekboom absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

The first clean-up of 2025

tvanrhyn@advtech.co.za (Tobi van Rhyn) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 07:31:29 GMT

�� The first clean-up of 2025 was a huge success! The weather was perfect (for hard work!) and together we cleared several bags of litter. �� A huge thank you to everyone who joined us in making a positive impact. Let’s keep this momentum going! �� #CommunityCleanup #MakeADifference #CleanUp2025"

GROUNDBREAKING DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM DEVELOPED IN SA LAUNCHED ACROSS ADvTECH SCHOOLS

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 12:26:57 GMT

In a first for the country, South Africa’s leading private education provider, ADvTECH, will this month start rolling out a unique, locally developed personalised learning digital platform across its schools.

ADvLEARN is a customised platform for ADvTECH Schools that provides personalised learning paths using adaptive technology to deliver data-driven insights and learning analytics. Students will therefore have a unique learning experience while constantly improving their understanding in core areas.

“We are very excited to have partnered with MathU to bring this groundbreaking digital learning platform to our Grade 7 to 12 students, a move which will further cement our reputation as a leader in education in the country, in line with our vision to stay at the forefront of global technological innovation and emerging best practices,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head at ADvTECH’s Schools Division.

ADvTECH Schools Division will initially use ADvLEARN to enhance learning in Mathematics (Grade 7 to 12), Physical Sciences (Grade 10 to 12) and Mathematical Literacy (Grade 10 to 12).

The pedagogy applied in ADvLEARN seeks to find the gaps in students’ learning, and then fill these gaps to ensure they improve their understanding in core areas. Through adaptive learning technology, the system supports both students who want to progress faster as well as students requiring reinforcement of key concepts.

MathU is a software as a service (SaaS) company based in Pretoria, specialising in artificial intelligence and software engineering. The team at MathU has developed an innovative software solution that uses state-of-the-art engineering principles to map, monitor, and assess student progress. The platform has been adapted to cater to the specific needs of schools and universities, and the company was founded by engineers and scientists who are passionate about improving mathematics and science education. MathU provides solutions to schools and universities looking to enhance their educational offerings and better support their students.

“In addition to enhancing student learning, ADvLEARN will also give teachers the ability to instantly allocate relevant student work and homework to student devices, immediately access student performance and achievement data, as well as easily view and identify concepts needing reteaching and review,” says Hugo.

“We are truly excited about taking education another step into the future in 2023, and look forward to seeing how this strategic partnership cements and accelerates STEM learning for our students.”

FINAL EXAMS: HOW TO BEAT YEAR-END FATIGUE AND FINISH STRONG

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 06:41:22 GMT

It’s that time of the year when students experience what is called ‘year-end fatigue’ – whether they be Matrics getting ready for the most important exams of their school career, senior high students aiming to perform at their best as they progress towards Grade 12, or graduate students at universities preparing for their end-of-year assessments.

For all of these students, the coming weeks are going to be a test of their focus, strength and endurance as they aim for top marks. Yet at the same time, they have to contend with the fatigue that has most likely set in after all their hard work during the past year. But by reframing their mindset and ensuring they stick to some tried and tested guidelines, they can all dive into the last quarter of 2022 with renewed enthusiasm to ensure they finish the year strong, an education expert says.

“Signs of year-end fatigue include low energy levels, a feeling of being unable to keep up, a lack of motivation, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, being unable to sleep, and low levels of concentration while possibly feeling anxious,” says Dr Rufaro Audrey Mavunga, Senior Head of Programme in the Faculty of Law at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s leading private higher education provider.

She says this situation may lead students to start slacking when they can least afford to, for instance by bunking classes, not participating in school or university activities, procrastinating and putting off revision they planned hoping that they might feel more motivated to tackle tasks later, and by checking out of their circumstances by sleeping too much or watching too much television.

“If you are feeling like this, rest assured that it is normal to feel tired and overwhelmed and that you are not alone. However, you should also know that it is possible and important to overcome these feelings so that you can finish strong, and that it is within your ability to do so if you act decisively right now. There is still enough time to make sure you can get a handle on things again and get on top of your academic work to the best of your ability.”

Dr Mavunga advises students as follows:

Take some time off

This may sound counter-productive, but it can help to take a day or two to regain your focus without feeling guilty. In these days, you can catch up on sleep, get out in nature for some relaxation, and remind yourself about the why and the how of what you are doing right now. Get your mind in the right place, and resolve to start the final stretch with vigour. Also use this time to lay out your schedule and plans for the coming weeks, right until you’ve put down your pen on your last exam.

Revisit your study timetable and manage your time efficiently

To finish strong, you need to continue with regular study sessions every week till the end of your exams. Do not count on doing an all-nighter just before you write an assessment. You should revisit your study timetable and ensure that you have set up fixed hours for study every day. Plan for enough time to study each module and add your study sessions to your calendar like any other commitments. This guarantees that you keep in mind that this is time set aside exclusively for studying. Bear in mind a study plan works best when it is followed consistently. It is imperative that you stick to your plan, as this will ease tension and anxiety if you can see your consistent progress.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Exercise has many benefits, but it has been proven that exercise releases endorphins, which can improve your mood and reduce stress levels. Fatigue and tiredness could also be an effect of a lack of proper nutrition. Make healthy meal selections wherever possible and consume lots of water. Make sure you factor enough sleep into your schedule and don’t use that time to endlessly and mindlessly browse social media. Stay away from activities that are going to tire you out for days to come and keep a single-minded focus on your priorities right now. This too shall pass, and you’ll be happy you stayed true to yourself when results day comes.

Get help if you need it

Sometimes one feels so helpless and it may feel like you are stuck in a deep dark hole with no way of coming out. Give attention to the positives you encounter and embrace them. Consult school or campus support staff to gain different perspectives on how to ease the fatigue and to get over negative feelings you may have. If you need additional assistance with the academic side of things, approach a teacher or a lecturer for guidance. If you need additional emotional support, ask trusted adults at home or at your institution to assist in getting the support you need.

Keep your eye on the end goal

Commit to finishing strong. In your downtime, look at your path ahead – what dreams and aspirations will become accessible if you perform well during this stage of your academic journey? What avenues of study may open up for you? What possibilities and opportunities may arise?

“At this time of year, it’s easy to get lost in the fog of studying and worrying, and it’s easy to lose perspective about the bigger world out there and the fact that all of this is part of life’s journey. The end of this year will soon come around, and your effort will be rewarded if you know that you gave it your all on the road to making your dreams a reality,” says Dr Mavunga.

ENDS

Issued by: MEROPA COMMUNICATIONS

On behalf of: THE INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

www.theworldofwork.co.za or www.iie.ac.za

Note to editor:

The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE) is a division of the JSE-listed ADvTECH Group, Africa’s largest private education provider. The IIE is the largest, most accredited registered private higher education institute in South Africa, and the only one accredited by The British Accreditation Council (BAC), the independent quality assurance authority that accredits private institutions in the UK.

HIGH SCHOOL OPEN DAY CHECKLIST: HOW PARENTS CAN GET THE INFORMATION THEY NEED

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 06:06:33 GMT

Time is running out for parents and guardians of senior primary school students to find and enrol at a high school that will best prepare and position the child for a successful future. It can be very confusing to make a call on which school is best suited for this most important task, as there are countless variables at play. However, if parents are prepared with a checklist of questions they need to ask (as well as examples of good responses), this task can be made a little easier – particularly when attending a school’s open day, an education expert says.

“Good schools will host open days throughout the year, allowing parents and prospective students the opportunity to view and get a feel of a campus, ask questions, and decide whether a particular school is the right fit for them,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider.

“These open days are geared to provide opportunities for sharing the best aspects of a school, and excitement can quickly let important questions that need to be considered fall off the agenda. Whether prospective parents attend an open day, or just pay a school a regular visit to guide decision making, it is good practice to go with a plan in hand so that one can objectively compare schools on the various key elements required from an excellent institution,” Hugo says.

The first factor – and a non-negotiable one at that – is the question of academic excellence and future-focused curricula, she says.

“There can be no compromising on ensuring that the school you choose for your child will provide the absolute best on the academic front. An easy gauge of a school’s ability to deliver, is to have a look at end-of-year IEB Matric results to evaluate the performance of various schools against each other. Another way to judge this factor, is to look at benchmarking. “

Hugo advises that academically excellent schools will ensure they utilise international benchmarking assessments to confirm that the school remains locally and globally relevant with rigorous academic programmes and that academic data supports and engages all students in a personalised learning journey.

“Also look out for clear visibility of student-centred practices as an important part of the academic model, intended to build confidence in an environment that values every student,” says Hugo.

“Furthermore, parents should enquire whether the voices of the students are considered valuable in their learning journey towards academic excellence and student success, and whether they are they included in academic conversations with their parents about their plans for progress.”

It is also a non-negotiable to enquire about the curriculum. A school must be able to provide evidence that their curriculum choice is implemented with integrity and is future-focused, and geared towards equipping students holistically across a broad range of technologies and global skills. Ask for evidence of what they do, how they do it, and outcomes, Hugo says.

With the above basics satisfactorily answered, parents can move on to broader questions, such as:

FACILITIES & AMENITIES

The question that needs to be answered here, is how the offering supports the overall learning experience of students. Many schools select a focus for their offering, aligned to their fees, and may not offer all the bells and whistles, but rather ensure that the academic model and subsidiary activities are of an excellent standard instead of offering a wide bouquet.

Check that classrooms are neat, well maintained and that they cater to a wide range of interests and offer flexible seating possibilities. For instance, do classrooms have useful educational technology, is Wi-Fi available, are equipped laboratories accessible, if promised, and are spaces for art, design and innovation utilised for future focused learning?

On the sport side, do they cater to a variety of sport codes aligned to their model and offering, well-kept fields and facilities for those particular sporting opportunities on offer? Even if a child is not particularly sporty, well-maintained grounds are a good sign to take into consideration.

STUDENT SUPPORT

If a student requires additional academic support, whether it be emotionally or academically, what support structures does the school have in place, and how are they accessed? What disciplinary processes are in place to address bullying and other issues that may impact on the wellbeing and success of students? Does the school support the values of respect, diversity and inclusion – and is this evident in the classrooms and across the culture of the school?

TEACHERS & CAMPUS STAFF

What is the ratio of teacher to students in classes? And does the school highlight the academic practices to ensure all students are mentored and supported – no matter the class size?

Are all teachers SACE accredited and can the school ensure police clearance is completed on all who work closely on the campus with children? Are the teachers offered professional learning opportunities to ensure curriculum and pedagogy are foregrounded to support student success?

HOLISTIC ACADEMIC AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

In addition to regular subjects that can be expected at most schools, which additional subjects may students access? What is the school’s approach to 21st Century Skills, such as communication, collaboration, analytical thinking, creative thinking, digital literacy, and problem-solving? How are these skills embedded in the curriculum and the everyday learning experience of students? Is there evidence of cross curricular teaching and learning, and are the students granted regular opportunities to share their thinking and co-construct their learning collaboratively?

ENDS

ABOUT ADvTECH The ADvTECH Group, a JSE-listed company, is Africa’s leading private education provider and a continental leader in quality education, training, skills development, and placement services. The Group reports its performance in a segmental structure reflecting the Schools and Tertiary as two separate education divisions, and Resourcing as the third division. ADvTECH’s Schools division comprises 9 brands with more than 108 schools across South Africa and the rest of Africa, including Gaborone International School in Botswana, and The Makini Group of Schools and Crawford International in Kenya.

It owns 9 tertiary brands, across 32 campuses across South Africa and the rest of Africa.

ADvTECH’s 8 resourcing brands places thousands of candidates annually, assisting graduates to make the transition from the world of study to the world of work.

Rutendo Madondo - Pecanwood College Alumni

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 12:28:46 GMT

Rutendo Madondo, also known as Teddy, matriculated from Pecanwood College in 2013. He went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication at Varsity College and graduated in 2017.

After graduating in 2017, Teddy was fortunate to obtain a job for a multi-national sales company. Quickly Teddy climbed the ranks and had the opportunity to meet and interact with various established leaders in the industry. In 2018 Teddy was promoted to Key Accounts Manager for his sales company. A year later, the sales team he was managing won the Massmart Supplier of the year award.

Though corporate life is an excellent experience, in 2019 Teddy decided to leave corporate life behind. Teddy went on to complete a TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language) certificate and jumped at the opportunity to move to Vietnam, where he has been teaching students ranging from 5–17 years old’s for the last two years. Recently, Teddy was promoted to Senior Teacher for the English centre he is currently working for.

Before Covid hit in 2020 Teddy was able to indulge in one of his favourite hobbies, travelling. He visited Malaysia and Thailand and was able to travel in and around Vietnam with some peers that also graduated from Pecanwood. “Travelling has allowed me to meet and socialize with a lot of different people from various cultures and backgrounds,” said Teddy. In his free time, Teddy enjoys going out, trying out new food, exercising, exploring the city he is living in and immersing himself in the Vietnamese culture and experience.

“I am currently staying in a small city where English is rarely used amongst the local community. In addition to that, my limited Vietnamese sometimes makes life very interesting and challenging to communicate with the locals, but it is still such a fun life changing experience. I love every moment of my current career path and teaching English to young students has been very enjoyable and rewarding”, said Teddy.

EXPANDED OPTIONS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS: FIND THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR CHILD

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 12:32:21 GMT

A mere cursory glance at social media and parent groups shows the anxieties and frustrations of parents with school going children today regarding access to an excellent education. Lack of access at public schools is a major challenge, with parents whose children qualify on all counts not gaining admission – through no fault on their part, but because of capacity constraints. Another observed challenge is that of children already at school, but where the environment is simply not preparing them for the modern world because of outdated pedagogies and ways of working, non-productive homework requirements, or a system that no longer serves the needs of students.

An education expert says while the above and other issues related to schools may feel like an impossible hill to climb for parents, the reality is that there are many options in the private sector of which parents may not be aware. Additionally, parents sometimes discard the idea of private education out of hand because of the perception that it might not be within their reach financially, when that is not necessarily the case.

“Over the past weeks, many parents have had to tell their children that they were not accepted at any of the schools to which they applied, despite them qualifying for access,” says Kassandra Strydom, Academic Advisor: ADvTECH Schools Division Central Academic Team.

“We’ve also noticed parents highlighting the struggles their children are facing because of personal challenges or circumstances, being just a number at school, being required to take subjects that are of no interest to them and being subjected to teaching methods and approaches that are out of touch regarding what is required in today’s world and what will be required of them in future.

“Parental concerns are becoming evident. We urge these parents to investigate the options open to them in the private sector, because it can make a world of difference in a child’s educational journey, their self-actualisation and future prospects, and their general wellbeing,” says Strydom.

Strydom says a key consideration for parents when investigating options in the private sector, is to consider WHAT KIND of school is right for their child, because unlike in the public sector, different private schools have very different offerings designed to cater to the specific needs of students and their families.

She says top-level considerations when assessing any private school, will include the following:

Class size
Teacher qualifications, experience and expertise
Commitment to continued professional teacher development on the part of the school
Teaching styles, methodology and environments
The selection of curriculum and whether qualifications will be internationally recognised
Fee structures
Sport and extra-curricular offerings as well as facilities
Additional academic support as well as programmes such as core skill development and EdTech integration

The kinds of private school offerings include the following:

MODERN AND PROGRESSIVE SCHOOLS

Emphasis on learning by doing – hands-on projects, expeditionary learning, experiential learning
Integrated curriculum focused on thematic units
Strong emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking
Group work and development of social skills
Understanding and action as the goals of learning as opposed to rote knowledge
Collaborative and cooperative learning projects
Education for social responsibility and democracy
Integration of community service and service-learning projects into the daily curriculum
Selection of subject content by looking forward to ask what skills will be needed in future society
De-emphasis on textbooks in favour of varied learning resources
Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills
Assessment by evaluation of child's projects and production
Ed tech enabled learning opportunities

These schools prepare students for responsible adulthood and potential leadership by laying an excellent academic foundation supported by future-focused skills that will ensure students have lifelong success

TRADITIONAL HOLISTIC SCHOOLS/ RELIGIOUS TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS

In addition to the above elements, traditional schools offer a strong academic focus with excellence in sport and culture opportunities for students. They seek to retain traditional values while preparing students for an ever-changing world. The recipe of following time-honoured traditions has been very successful and recognised for the excellent contributions it makes in every sphere of education and to the social and emotional development of each student.

SPECIALISED ACADEMIC SUPPORT AND ASSISTED LEARNING

These schools offer a non-traditional approach to education to support neurodiversity. The unique strategy creates opportunities for the academic support and nurturing of all students on their journey to achieving academic success.

All students are included, catered for, and receive the additional support they require. The school believes that when a student joins the school, they are taking the first step toward their best future. creating opportunities for self-fulfilment and self-actualisation for all students, to develop their potential regardless of differences. Each student is taught according to their unique needs and in accordance with an individualised development plan by a multi-dimensional specialist team who follow a neurodiverse approach.

School types as above can be broken down into top tier and mid-tier schools. The variety of school fee options can be aligned to the school’s offering. It is important to highlight that investigation into the academic success of students is important as this is possible at all fee levels, but the offering of additional subjects and activities vary.

ONLINE HOME SCHOOLING

Parents may consider investigating online/ homeschool options, but are urged to ensure that their chosen school focuses on ‘cognitive’ screentime – where students are able to engage during lessons – rather than opt for a ‘paper behind glass’ approach, which may impact successful study.

“Very importantly, parents should feel comfortable that whichever school they choose, it has academic excellence at the core of its offering. Once that has been established, and the basic top-level considerations have been satisfied, parents can settle on the perfect environment for their child which fits with their budget, which will not only impact on the wellbeing and future preparedness of the child, but also on the family’s wellbeing as a whole,” says Strydom.

ENDS

ABOUT ADvTECH

The ADvTECH Group, a JSE-listed company, is Africa’s largest private education provider and a continental leader in quality education, training, skills development, and placement services. The Group reports its performance in a segmental structure reflecting the Schools and Tertiary as two separate education divisions, and Resourcing as the third division. ADvTECH’s Schools division comprises 9 brands with more than 108 schools across South Africa and the rest of Africa, including Gaborone International School in Botswana, and The Makini Group of Schools and Crawford International in Kenya.

It owns 9 tertiary brands, across 32 campuses across South Africa and the rest of Africa.

ADvTECH’s 8 resourcing brands places thousands of candidates annually, assisting graduates to make the transition from the world of study to the world of work.

Julienne Nestler - Pecanwood College Alumni

Thu, 12 May 2022 09:50:49 GMT

Julienne Nestler matriculated from Pecanwood College in 2017. After matriculating from Pecanwood College, Julienne, went on to complete a BA Law Degree, at the University of Pretoria in 2020.

Julienne is currently studying towards her LLB Degree at the University of Pretoria and is due to graduate at the end of this year, 2022.

After completing her LLB Degree at the end of this year, Nestler plans to further her studies, by applying to do her Masters, as well as doing her articles.

In the first year of her degree in 2018, Julienne joined the Psyche Society at the university, where she volunteered at an orphanage weekly, spending time with the children and helping the staff in any way they needed. “Through the society, I also helped to plan and work a ‘Fun Day’ event where we spent the day doing fun activities with the children from the Mamelodi township,” says Julienne.

For the last three years, Nestler has been part of the STARS Mentor at the University. As part of the mentorship, Julienne is assigned first-year students (usually 2-3) and works with them throughout the year to help them in their adjustment to the University from High School.

During the lockdown, like many of us, Julienne decided to complete a fun online course to pass time, mixology.

Some of Julienne’s passions include working with people, volunteer work and being a mentor at the University.

During the completion of her LLB Degree, she has acquired interests in international law, medical law, and criminal law. She hopes to pursue a career in one of these fields.

Julienne started at Pecanwood in 2013. Staying in the hostel she created many great memories. “One of the greatest and most significant events was the Academic Tour in 2015, where we travelled to Europe, and had incredible times making everlasting memories”, said Nestler.

“Pecanwood has contributed to my success in that I was provided a great education from brilliant teachers and that set me up to get into university and succeed in furthering my education”- Julienne Nestler.

COMPULSORY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW

Tue, 03 May 2022 09:05:49 GMT

The transition of Early Childhood Development (ECD) from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education is now in full swing, and will change how the academic development of young children is approached in South Africa. The transition started this month, and will become effective from next year. Among the changes which will be introduced by the move, is the obligation on parents to send their children to school from Grade 00, as opposed to school attendance only being compulsory from Grade 1, as has been the case until now.

An education expert says parents who now need to consider where they will send their young child from next year, must do their homework carefully to ensure the school they choose approaches ECD from a child-led learning perspective. This will ensure they start their academic journey appropriately for their age, that they build strong foundations, and that they have positive associations with attending school.

“Schools have different programmes and approaches, and parents may be seduced by the idea of sending their child to a strictly academics focused ECD institution which will turn their little one into a mini Einstein before they even head to big school. However these good intentions are likely to fall flat, as this is not the correct and age-appropriate approach,” says Lynda Eagle, Academic Advisor at ADvTECH Schools, SA’s leading private education provider.

“The early years are exceptionally important, but learning should be play-based as far as possible. One of the best approaches to this is contained in the Reggio Emilia philosophy of learning. Bombarding young children with a curriculum more suitable to older students is entirely counter-productive,” she says.

When looking for an early learning campus, parents should search for a school that is not only aesthetically pleasing but more importantly where the student’s wellbeing is placed at the forefront.

“Young children learn best when provided with opportunities to ‘play’ - where they can explore, discover, and experiment in order to make sense of the world around them. The school/teachers need to be cognisant of this and facilitate the students’ personal learning journey through careful observations and by providing meaningful and relevant learning opportunities.”

Other things to look out for when hunting for the right ECD environment for your child, includes:

Teachers who are appropriately qualified to teach in an early learning environment,
Where teachers have a caring and positive disposition and where a child is viewed as competent and capable,
Where there is a strong sense of community,
Where teaching is engaging, relevant and interactive, and
Where the school follows a positive discipline policy - students are guided positively and supported as they develop their social and self-regulation skills.

“For parents who may be concerned about the ability of schools to adapt to the new paradigm, they can be reassured that the inclusion of the younger years into their programmes is doable if the right approach is followed. Approaches to teaching and learning in the early years – such as the Reggio Emilia approach - are well documented and provide schools with prime examples of best practice. Here the emphasis is not on equipping a school with expensive resources but rather connecting the student with natural elements in meaningful ways, with rich learning experiences, and helping them to reimagine and repurpose available materials – resulting in rich learning opportunities and possibilities.”

ENDS

ABOUT ADvTECH

It owns 9 tertiary brands, across 32 campuses across South Africa and the rest of Africa.

ADvTECH’s 8 resourcing brands places thousands of candidates annually, assisting graduates to make the transition from the world of study to the world of work.

Karla (Visser) Jansen van Rensburg - Pecanwood College Alumni

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 08:33:28 GMT

Karla Visser now Karla Jansen van Rensburg, Pecanwood Alumni, class of 2009, has gone on to achieve numerous goals both in her personal and professional life.

After high school Karla attended the University of Pretoria where she studied for her LLB Law Degree, however, in her 3rd term, Karla decided her path lies elsewhere and went on a journey of self-discovery. During this time, she travelled to beautiful Bahrain and Botswana.

In 2011 after her journey of self-discovery had concluded Karla had found her passion in Hospitality. She registered at Stenden University based in Port Alfred, Eastern Cape where she completed her B. Com in Hospitality Management Degree. After her first year, she applied to fast track her studies and run her years 2 & 3 simultaneously and finished her degree in 2014 and graduated Cum Laude. “I loved the diversity that my new degree offered. That same year I applied to start my MBA through UNICAF via the University of Nicosia that I did while working full time & graduated in 2019”, said Karla.

Currently, Karla is the Rooms Operations Manager at The Makokola Retreat in Malawi. She has been working there since October 2016.

Between 2015 - and August 2016 Karla worked in Dubai for a short time before moving to Abu Dhabi to join the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort where she worked in their concierge department from December 2016 until she moved back to Malawi.

During her time of finding her passion and her journey of self-discovery, Karla met the love of her life - De Reuck Jansen van Rensburg.

“We love having this adventure called life together. We have been working together since we’ve known each other and love it. Together we have travelled to Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Belgium, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Australia & Cyprus with loads more on our bucket list”, said Karla.

Next year Karla and her partner will be moving to Canada, where they received a Permanent Residency.

Karla reminisces about numerous fond memories about her time at Pecanwood college. From the number of sports, she partook in, to the Midmar Mile trips, end-off-year camps, dances and events, the most precious memory she holds is her being sworn in as the first-ever head girl at Pecanwood College.

THE STORY OF OUR ADOPTED RHINO #1

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:32:38 GMT

He arrived at the rhino orphanage in June 2021- an orphaned 7 month old white rhino calf. He was in a terrible state having lost his mom in a horrific poaching incident. He was named Duane. He was put on an IV line for dehydration by the vet. It took his carers two days to get him to drink a bottle of milk. Duane was traumatised and did not tolerate any humans being close to him. He eventually took a bottle of milk through the barrier fence. Duane was watched closely for colic and gastric ulcers which is caused by stress. #pecanwoodcollege #ecoschool

ACADEMIC JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME: THE SCHOOL, STUDENT & PARENT RELATIONSHIP

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 13:22:50 GMT

A fulfilling, meaningful and ultimately successful academic journey relies on a close relationship between the school, parents and students throughout, and all of them are required to play their roles consistently and effectively, an education expert says.

“We can’t always be certain of what the future may hold, and all of us bring to the table our different life experiences, expectations, abilities and personalities. But working towards a solid foundation of trust and understanding, and always centering the needs of the student, will ensure that regardless of setbacks and challenges, all parties are able to experience success during the many years a child will spend at school,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head at ADvTECH Schools, SA’s leading private education provider.

Hugo says it should come as no surprise that where an emotive and life-changing endeavour such as a school is concerned, with its myriad employees, many parents and students, service providers, schedules, divergent approaches and essential and valuable logistics, it is inevitable that there will be variance in expectations.

The relationships that exist in schools are complex and need constant attention by all stakeholders. The success of students and positive student experiences must underpin all undertakings and relationships within a school. Stakeholders must build trust and good faith to ensure consistent student’s development and performance.

The roles of the 3 parties – school, students and parents – can be defined as follows:

PARENTS

The parent’s responsibility is to take an interest in their child’s wellbeing and build relationships. They will be selecting the school best suited to their child’s interests and are tasked with ensuring they do thorough due diligence before signing up with an institution. Then, once at school, they need to stay involved. Any significant events or changes in a child’s life may impact a student’s engagement and learning, and it is important to share that with the school so that the school can better serve the child’s unique needs and provide the necessary support.

It is also worth teaching children the value of perseverance. If there are difficulties, don’t simply move the child to another school, but rather work with the school to address concerns. This builds character and resilience.

Endlessly moving from school to school does not support your child’s learning experience. Rather continually engage with the school to help your child grow and build necessary life skills of grit and perseverance. Children take their cue from their parents, so if parents speak derogatorily about a school or a teacher, that child’s ability to thrive is immediately limited due to a lack of trust.

Get involved in school and extra-mural activities and seek to become part of the community of growth in which you enrolled your child. In doing so, the school ultimately also becomes part of families’ personal network and foundation of support.

TEACHERS

The student experience must be at the heart of what teachers do. Their role is to ensure they develop, inspire and support learning across all phases in education. The teachers build positive relationships with students to ensure their social and emotional status enables learning. Academic success for all is a key strand of the role of the teachers, and this is underpinned with future focused classroom experiences. Teachers enable inquiry- based learning, integrated with ed tech which at all times align teaching and learning to the core values of respect, diversity and inclusion.

Using data constantly in lessons to drive improvement and ensure progress for each student, teachers are responsible for building supportive learning engagements and interventions to enable this.

STUDENTS

Students must be encouraged to respect the ethos and rules of the school and the community, engage in lessons and ask questions.

Parents must encourage open and honest communication between themselves and their children, and teachers and children. Help your child set goals and work towards attaining them. Help them cultivate discipline by ensuring they do their homework and take accountability for their performance. Doing so will for the most part eliminate the need for tutors as crutches, and will build resilience and a willingness and ability to move on from failure.

“When there is mutual support and trust between students, parents and the school, this provides a firm foundation for students who are then able to focus on their studies with confidence, and without external noise arising from unnecessary conflict. If teachers and parents are able to engage openly and honestly, without fear and by centering the child’s needs, this provides the perfect setting for academic excellence.”

Matome Ramatsui - Pecanwood College Alumni - Class of 2014

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:14:52 GMT

Matome Ramatsui, Pecanwood Alumni, class of 2014, has gone on to accomplish many spectacular careers and personal goals in just a few years.

After matriculating from Pecanwood College in 2014, Matome Ramatsui, went on to complete a National Diploma in Fine Arts, at the University of Johannesburg in 2018.

Whilst completing his National Diploma, Ramatsui worked as an Assistant Curator at UJ FADA Gallery, as well as freelancing as an Artist and a Designer.

After completing his National Diploma in 2018, Matome has gone on to Co-found as well as work as a Senior Curator at Johannesburg Art House. Most recently Matome has worked as a Sales and Marketing Manager at Dedelta Automation and is a Director at Ramatsui Art.

Ramatsui has had the amazing opportunity in his career to host and curate the Diplomatic Exhibition with the Embassy of Hungary. Working with the Embassy of Hungary has allowed Matome to achieve several personal goals such as visiting many major Museums, Galleries and Fairs as well as regularly visiting Art Market Budapest in Hungary.

In his free time, Ramatsui is working on developing a graphic novel as well as various other art projects.

A memory that Matome has from his days at Pecanwood College is the Art Tour in 2012 and 2013, which sparked his love for art.

Pecanwood College is an independent, combined school of excellence. Our outstanding facilities and qualified, dedicated teachers offer the passion and enthusiasm to reach each child in a sensitive, caring manner. This excellence extends to a balanced programme of academics, sport, culture, service and leadership.

Graduates of Pecanwood College will thus emerge as fully-rounded individuals, moulded by the College’s ethos and opportunities, ‘prepared for life’ and its challenges.

Junior Boarding Newsletter | March 2022

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 12:08:23 GMT

Please download below

HOW TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF A SCHOOL’S EDTECH OFFERING

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 09:47:54 GMT

As more and more South African schools work towards improving their tech offering in response to the need to prepare students for the future of work, parents should ensure they get a solid understanding of what is required from a high quality, holistic EdTech programme, an academic education expert says.

“While we may realise the importance of preparing children to navigate their future digital world, understanding what factors inform a programme which is based on academic excellence, and which incorporates the newest technologies while also focusing on digital citizenship, is crucial. Parents therefore need to view their school’s offering and promise of digital skills with a discerning eye,” says Nadia Dal Lago Nell, Academic Advisor: EdTech and Innovation (Schools Division) at ADvTECH, Africa’s largest private education provider.

Nell says it is very important for schools to seek to provide an enhanced educational journey by investing in their students through the integration of technology into the curriculum, as opposed to tech being a standalone educational unit.

“The result of technological integration into the curriculum is a more efficient and engaging educational experience. The need for digital literacy and the discerning use of technology by students is essential for them to continue to advance in their education and be equipped with relevant skills for their future workplace,” she says.

Schools which can give students the educational edge will have several of the following on offer: programmable robots, interactive coding platforms, Minecraft, 3D printers, iPads, laser cutters and even indoor drones.

“Ideally, schools should have dedicated EdTech spaces designed to suit their unique approach to technology and incorporate a variety of devices with a strong emphasis on collaboration. A practical EdTech Framework should also be central to the technology foundation that students are guided through.”

One question to ask your child’s prospective school, is whether they are aligned with ISTE standards, advises Nell.

ISTE (The International Society for Technology in Education) standards have been formulated by the world’s foremost organisation in teaching technology in the classroom, and comprise the following principles: The Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator.

“An EdTech focused school will introduce the elements of the framework in their context as early as Grade 000 and follow through with this focus until the end of Grade 9, whereafter students will be well-versed in real-world tech-proficiencies. Some schools take this a step further and offer tech-based extracurricular activities, including for instance Robotics clubs.”

Nell says EdTech lessons equip students with future focused, transferable global skills that are necessary for success in all areas of life.

“The central skills here are creativity and problem solving which are taught through open-ended activities and emphasising the possibility of multiple solutions for any given problem. This provides students with a space for both collaboration and individual growth.”

An additional element of the EdTech Framework is Digital Citizenship.

“This engages students and shows them how to connect with one another, in an empathetic and safe way through digital tools, platforms and devices. Negative digital habits such as cyberbullying, irresponsible social media usage and unsafe use of the Internet are explained and strongly discouraged.

“Students’ safety, growth and well-being when exploring the world of technology must be emphasised at all times. Fortunately, most of the requirements to be a good Digital Citizen can be taught in the classroom and reinforced at home. Digital Citizenship is intended to give students a clear understanding of the interconnection between tech-life and real-life citizenship skills with the aim of creating knowledgeable, responsible, and mindful online interaction. A sound and well thought-out EdTech programme will prepare a student to face the digital world of tomorrow.”

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS FROM GRADE 1

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 07:20:15 GMT

Building the foundations for future academic success must start from when a child enters Grade 1, and the focus must be on cultivating a love of learning, an education expert says.

“Parents have an important role to play in the early years, in terms of developing the framework for a child’s educational journey. One of the most important ways in which this can be done, is to help the child navigate the early years with humour and enthusiasm, to ensure the process of learning and discovery creates positive associations in the brain, rather than feelings of anxiety and despondency,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider.

Hugo says that by providing playful after-school home routines right from the start, children are able to grow and thrive throughout their school career.

“While there is little to no homework in the early years, putting aside some time every day to focus on the day’s activities, by talking over what was done in school during the day and reading together, for instance, young children will start getting into a natural routine of building upon what they’ve learned. By making this a fun and enjoyable experience, and a positive family interaction, they will start to associate learning with empowerment, which will pay dividends down the line when the workload does start to grow,” she says.

In addition to setting up a daily ‘connection’ routine with positive associations right from the start, parents should also help their children build the skills which will be required from them later in their school careers, says Hugo.

These include:

HEALTHY ROUTINES

Children need a healthy diet, plenty of sleep and exercise. Unhealthy habits and routines can manifest in a child’s general disposition and academic engagement, so establishing good habits – including limiting screentime – is key.

RESILIENCE

Help your child keep a balance and put things into context. Sometimes small things going wrong can have a big impact, especially on sensitive children, so young children need to understand that just because they haven’t yet mastered something, this doesn’t mean they can’t. Help them by emphasising the word ‘yet’ – ‘I haven’t mastered this YET, but I will keep trying and then I will’.

STAYING POSITIVE

While it is normal for parents to feel a little competitive and compare their child’s progress to others, this instinct should be kept in check. Children can very quickly sense if parents feel they are not measuring up to their peers, and this can kickstart a downward spiral in terms of motivation and belief in self. The early years is a developmental stage, and a time for students to explore, discover and hone their skills. Mastering a skill may take many attempts and parents should afford their children the time and space to do so. Therefore, don’t let the child feel their school performance is the be all and end all. It’s okay to not get a perfect score on every spelling quiz, and to focus on mastery rather than performance.

LEARNING STYLES

If you see your child struggling, it is worth speaking to their teacher or a counsellor to determine whether they perhaps have a unique learning style or special needs which require additional support. There are many different approaches to learning and finding those that work for your child will work wonders on their learning journey. Additionally, it might be that the environment is not right for your child, which is why it is important to find a school that is a right fit. It is therefore vital for parents to do thorough research when choosing a school, by talking to other parents, visiting the school, finding out what their approach entails, and how they will enable your child’s success. And if your child experiences anxiety, it is essential to engage directly with the teachers and school leadership teams to consider supportive interventions – prior to moving environments.

Paragon Architects completes major upgrade and extension

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 15:17:30 GMT

The recently completed Pecanwood College project at Hartebeespoort in the North West Province has allowed the school capacity to expand by an additional 350 scholars. Pecanwood College is a brand of ADvTECH , Africa’s leading private education provider. The upgrading of existing facilities and infrastructure has transformed the space into a welcoming and exciting learning environment ready for future generations.

Paragon Architects was tasked with the conceptual design of the new build at the end of last year. Construction commenced on 25 March 2021, with the project handed over for practical completion at the end of August, reports Project Lead David Cloete . The Paragon team included Director Estelle Meiring and Student Architect Tayla Summerton .

The project consisted of a newly-built preparatory school and ‘learn-to-swim’ pool, as well as renovation of the high school entrance, conversion of dormitories into new apartments and the upgrading of existing dormitory facilities. The development included 14 new on-grade parking bays and a drop-off area, a sportsfield, JoJo tanks and signage.

The design aimed to preserve the existing architectural aesthetic of the school, namely face brick band base, covered connecting corridors and tiled pitched roofs, while incorporating modern fixtures and finishes to create an enduring learning environment. The use of tactile materials and the integration of indigenous landscaping, surrounding views and natural light throughout the scheme creates a sense of connectedness to the outdoors.

“The design aimed to preserve the existing architectural aesthetic of the school.”

– David Cloete

“There were no real challenges posed by preserving the existing architectural heritage. However, due to the sloping topography of the site and design layout of the new preparatory school, which corresponded with the existing school’s layout, we had to break the new development up into different levels, and add gradual ramps between them. This, in turn, resulted in a stepping roof system as well,” explains Cloete.

The 2 085 m2 new preparatory school consists of 13 classrooms, all with storage facilities; a laboratory, entrance atrium, office spaces, staffroom, staff ablutions and ablution facilities for junior and senior boys and girls. Interconnecting covered corridors create central courtyard spaces. The entrance atrium is enclosed with performance glazing shopfronts with charcoal aluminium that demarcates the entrance of the new development.

The central 8-m-wide corridor extends from the entrance atrium towards the new sportsfield, accentuating views towards Hartbeespoort Dam and the mountainous landscape in the distance. The new structure is established along the street frontage for maximum exposure to any passersby.

The high school entrance renovation consisted of enclosing the entrance atrium space with high-performance glazing shopfronts and louvres for natural ventilation. The newly-enclosed area created additional waiting space for visitors. Placing illuminated signage featuring the school’s logo at the entrance of both the high school and new preparatory school clearly defines the structure’s entrances at night.

The new ‘learn-to-swim’ pool consists of a covered, 1.4-m-deep, 5 m x 10 m pool with a surrounding walkway, ablutions, changerooms and a pathway connecting to the existing pre-primary school area. A Clear-Vu fence surrounds the new development to ensure safety at all times.

On the ground floor of the boys’ dormitory building, the renovation saw construction of ten dormitory rooms housing 21 scholars, a collaborative study area, boys’ and girls’ ablution facilities and a connecting four-bedroom apartment. The renovation included an additional entrance, modern fixtures, finishes and joinery. On the first floor of the boys’ dormitory structure, the renovation saw the conversion of three existing classrooms to two apartments, namely a one-bedroom and a three-bedroom apartment respectively.

While the architecture and interior architecture firm is more widely known for iconic corporate offices such as 144 Oxford Road, Discovery Place and the new Sasol head office, Paragon Group has a number of educational facilities under its belt, such as the Torah Academy Girls High School in Johannesburg, as well as student accommodation projects like Hatfield Square in Pretoria.

Equestrian at Pecanwood College

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 13:03:01 GMT

What a ride it has been!

At the age of 5 years old my chosen sport was Equestrian. Other children may have chosen netball or swimming or any other sport but I decided to pursue my passion and love that I have for horses.

I have been riding for 13 years. I started competing for Pecanwood College when I was 8 years old which is when I attended my first National Competition, competing for the North West Province.

10 years later, I am leading the North West team to Nationals and competed for the last time as a Pecanwood College athlete.

These 10 years have been incredible. I will certainly miss being a part of the Pecanwood College team as I matriculate with the Class of 2021.

Our Pecanwood College equestrian team has worked hard this year and I am very proud of our riders as we qualify and attend Nationals 2021, representing the North West Province.

I had the privilege of being the Captain of the Pecanwood College Equestrian team for 2021 as well as the North West Bojanala team for 2021. I am beyond grateful for being given these opportunities.

I have fortunately been surrounded by very supportive Pecanwood College teachers, family members and friends throughout this duration of time. I wish the current and future riders the best of luck and strength as our Pecanwood team grows.

Hard work and dedication goes in to our sport. Your team mate is an animal. Horses will try their best for you and the bond that is created with our horses is irreplaceable. This is what makes this sport so rewarding and fulfilling.

Equestrian definitely has its highs and lows with many life lessons learned, but at the end of the day the love for our horses will never change and because of my Pecanwood College journey, I will forever be in the saddle.

The Nel Family USA journey

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 09:45:29 GMT

We left South Africa and everything we knew and loved in September 2018 when our son Ethan was mid way through Grade 10 in the High School at PWC and our daughter Madison mid way through her Grade 7 and final year in the PWC Prep School.

We needed to spend close to 4 months in Grenada in the Carribean as part of our visa requirements. There we quazi home schooled the children with local tutors helping them to understand the US school curriculum. Although it looked to many to be paradise it was tough on our children who had little to no social interaction with peers, had to be self disciplined, learn on their own and try to figure out the US schooling system.

We arrived in December of 2018 and the children began their US schooling in January. Ethan went mid-way into his "Sophomore Year" 10th Grade at a private catholic school and Madison went into the middle of the final year 8th Grade of the US Public Middle School program. Madi found the school really tough, not the school work but the social interaction. She had left behind a large, close and very special group of friends at PWC and knew no one, for six months she had to dig deep.

Ethan has now graduated from High School after spending the last 18 months on line due to the Covid19 pandemic. Despite this and all the changes he achieved a 3.8 GPA (equal to an A Matric) AP and Honors classes being taken back to back to get him where he needed to be after his late start into the US educational system, a 1440 on his SAT exam (placed in the 97th percentile in the US). During a highly impacted year of College applications he was accepted to three of the top Computer Science Colleges in California and will be attending the prestigious UC Santa Cruz to study a Computer Science degree in the Fall of 2021.

Madison has completed her Sophomore Year 10th Grade and will start as a Junior, 11th Grade in the Fall at San Clemente High School. Despite changing schools three times in two years she has achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA score. She has been part of the Cheer Squad and despite huge adjustments socially now has a close, supportive and special group of friends. Madi plans to do a Marketing Degree at an in-state University when she graduates High School in 2023.

We cannot thank Pecanwood College enough for the IEB system and the incredibly high level of education our children were privileged to receive during their seven and a half years at PWC. This foundation was paramount in them not just adjusting but flying in the US education system. The dedication, passion and commitment of all the teachers at PWC set them up to succeed not just in their education but as respectful and highly moraled individuals who the teachers in the US cannot not praise enough.

We will forever be grateful for each and every staff member at Pecanwood College who were each uniquely responsible for shaping and resulting in the incredible and resilient young adults we have today in the USA.

Ethan still fondly talks about his two favorite teachers of all time Mr. Nainar and Mr. Baines. That's the profound effect PWC teachers have had on our children.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts we are forever indebted to you all. God bless.

James Clark

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 09:43:09 GMT

Studying – Veterinary Medicine and Surgery

When – September 2021 to September 2026

Where – University of Liverpool

My goal to becoming a Veterinary Surgeon started in 2017 while completing a grade 9 Life Orientation project at Pecanwood College. This project called for work experience of a profession you would be interested in pursuing and I spent some time with a local vet. I then continued to work every holiday, without knowing this experience would be a key part of my university application in the future. After 3 years of hands on experience I finished school in the midst of a pandemic and online schooling, to achieve my IEB matric. I applied to multiple Universities in the United Kingdom, and I was unconditionally accepted into the University of Liverpool.

University in the UK only starts in September, as such I had 8 months to wait before university started. I managed to get a Job with the local Vet practise in Botswana called VetPro Specialists. I have been working at VetPro for 6 months now doing 55 hours a week and the experience that I have gained has only solidified my dream to become a Veterinary Surgeon. Luckily for me Botswana has a chronic shortage of Veterinarians and as such Vet nurses/assistants, so while at VetPro I have been trained to become a Vet assistant. This training has more than adequately prepared me for the practical aspect of Vet school, and I can’t wait to start in September.

ANXIETY AT SCHOOL: HELPING YOUR CHILD SURVIVE AND THRIVE

Wed, 05 May 2021 06:51:25 GMT

Anxiety at school is not a new phenomenon, however, educators and parents alike recognise that there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of anxiety among children in the past year, as a result of Covid - 19, pandemic lockdowns, and measures to ensure the safety of children who are back at school or in the process of returning.

Anxiety is not to be dismissed or taken lightly, but the good news is that parents and teachers can take steps to ensure they firstly, recognise red flags in children and then respond appropriately, should there be concerns that a child is taking strain emotionally, an education expert says.

“Teachers and parents can recognise the onset of anxiety when a sudden change in behaviour becomes apparent and continues for at least three weeks or longer,” says Dr Jacques Mostert who holds a PhD in Psychology of Education and is Brand Academic Manager at ADvTECH, SA’s leading private education provider. Dr Mostert is globally renowned in his field, and has conducted experiential research in education in Denmark, the UK, South Africa and The Netherlands.

He says some of the signs to look out for include inattention and restlessness; attendance problems and clingy kids; disruptive behaviour that is not typical of the young person; trouble answering questions in class; an increase in problems generally, which could include a marked downturn in academic performance in certain subjects where usually there wasn’t a problem and if non-neurotypical difficulties are ruled out, such as ADHD or dyslexia. Finally, if a child starts avoiding socialising or group work, attention must be paid.

“Anxiety is your body’s normal reaction to perceived danger or important events,” says Dr Mostert.

“It is like your body’s internal alarm system that is set to alert you of dangers that may be life threatening and it helps your body to prepare to deal with danger. However, your internal alarm is not very good at recognising whether the danger you may face is indeed life threatening or not. For example, your body reacts by becoming nervous about being late to school and seeing a big spider in the bathroom in the same way. Neither are likely to cause real damage, yet your body remains alert and ready to run away in either case.”

Dr Mostert says anxiety or feeling nervous are normal emotions and can be expected during times of transition and change, especially during times of unprecedented disruption like the current Covid-19 pandemic.

“The news and social media are filled with reports of the danger of Covid-19, the virility of the virus and how to stay safe from infection. This is especially true for children and teens going back to school after their normal routines have been disrupted. Even young children who don’t watch news still pick up on the concerns of the adults around them, and constantly have safety measures reinforced in a way they were not before 2020.”

Many parents also remain concerned regarding children’s safety from the virus at school.

“While you as parent may be stressed about safety and Covid-19 safety procedures, this can be put in context by considering the excellent track records of schools where children have returned.”

If a parent has concerns about the anxiety of a child following the identification of symptoms which persist over weeks, they need to start tackling the problem at home, as the first line of response, says Dr Mostert.

“Routine is key in this. The first important step is to reinstate regular routines, including in the morning and evening. Nobody copes well when they are tired or hungry. Anxious children often don’t feel like eating breakfast, they might not feel hungry, or become nauseous after eating breakfast, so start making sure that your child gets back in the habit of getting some nutrition before heading to school.

“Also, make sure that your child wakes up early enough to avoid rushing to get to school. This of course means that you must ensure that your child goes to bed early enough, at a regular time. If your child spends hours before going to sleep on a device or social media, this is a habit that needs to end. It is not healthy for children or adults, for that matter.”

Dr Mostert notes that if a child becomes unusually quiet, or starts to ramble, this can also be an indication that they are anxious about returning to school.

“Children often seek reassurance that bad things won’t happen in order to reduce their worry. Rather than dismissing this behavior or becoming frustrated with them, acknowledge their fears. Avoid making light of their (and your own) anxiety by, for instance, saying there’s nothing to be worried about or that they’ll be fine. Instead, listen to them, acknowledge their feelings, and encourage your child to work through ways of solving their concerns with your assistance.”

In addition, there are practical ways to deal with anxiety in the moment, which include:

• Practising deep breathing

• Taking a break and going outside

• Talking about anxiety openly and objectively

• Getting moving

• Walking and talking

• Practising positive thinking and keeping a gratitude journal

• Trying to eat as healthy as is possible and drinking enough water

“When dealing with an anxious child, it is very important not to lecture or interrupt them, or to jump to conclusions or mock their fears.

“Instead, practise being a good listener, remain positive and retain a sense of humour, give positive feedback and reinforcement, aim to see fears from the child’s perspective. Helping your child through anxious periods is possible and an important part of their growth towards maturity. And, if your own efforts to help them do not yield results, there are many qualified and compassionate professionals who can help child and family get back on track.

“Adults should keep in mind that they play an important role in supporting children during this time to direct attention away from the concerns about friends, teachers, homework and Covid-19, by directing instead their thoughts toward the positives of seeing their friends, building relationships and new friendships, having the opportunity to interact with teachers and the safe environment of the school.”

ABOUT ADvTECH

The ADvTECH Group, a JSE-listed company, is Africa’s largest private education provider and a continental leader in quality education, training, skills development and placement services. The Group reports its performance in a segmental structure reflecting the Schools and Tertiary as two separate education divisions, and Resourcing as the third division. ADvTECH’s Schools division comprises 10 brands with more than 100 schools across South Africa, including Gaborone International School in Botswana and Crawford International in Nairobi, Kenya. It owns 9 tertiary brands, across 30 campuses across South Africa and the rest of Africa, and its higher education division, The Independent Institute of Education, is SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider. ADvTECH’s 9 resourcing brands places thousands of candidates annually, assisting graduates to make the transition from the world of study to the world of work.

ABOUT Dr Jacques Mostert

A renowned educational expert with more than two decades of experience locally and internationally, Dr Mostert holds a BEd Honours (Cum Laude) and MEd in Curriculum Design from University of Johannesburg. He completed a UK Qualified Teacher Accreditation from the University of East London in the UK as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Social, Emotional and Behaviour Difficulties from Leicester University in the UK. He completed his PhD in Psychology of Education through the University of Johannesburg. Dr Mostert was awarded the Outstanding grade for Teaching and Learning by Her Majesty’s Office in Standard in Education (Oftsed).

Following his work in the UK, Dr Mostert was appointed Head of Department of Psychological Sciences at the American University of the Middle East in Kuwait. He managed qualitative and quantitative research projects, has published peer reviewed articles in international journals, presented and international education conferences, led and presented staff development seminars and is currently the Academic Manager of ADvTECH’s Niche School Brands in South Africa. Dr Mostert has conducted experiential research in education in Denmark, the UK, South Africa and The Netherlands.

#BigBuild Diary - Pecanwood College Expands

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 15:03:03 GMT

The Pecanwood College Management team met with the building team today for the official handover. The Big Build at Pecanwood College includes: - #BigBuild

1. Phase 1 of the new Prep School

2. Pre-school Learn to Swim Pool

3. High school alterations and enclosure of the main boulevard.

4. Co-ed Junior Boarding Wing

New Principal of Pecanwood College

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 14:52:43 GMT

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Melaine Nainar to the position of Principal at Pecanwood College High School. Melaine started at Pecanwood College in January 2010 as the Head of the GET Phase managing the Academics and Pastoral portfolios. Since then she has worked her way up to the Deputy Principal – Academics with her area of speciality being Mathematics.

2025 VISION: THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO DEVELOP NOW, FOR CAREERS OF THE FUTURE

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 08:29:31 GMT

If anyone doubted that the world of work was changing, the pandemic must surely have removed those doubts. Now is the time to ensure that schools are mindful and deliberate in developing those skills which will be in high demand and necessary for success in a reconstituted future, an education expert says.

“It is no longer sufficient to focus purely on academics, and schools need to make a concerted effort to holistically develop on an ongoing basis those skills which will provide learners with a strong foundation for the future,” says Desiree Hugo, Head of Academics at ADvTECH Schools, a division of Africa’s leading private education provider.

In its most recent Future of Jobs report, the survey of which was conducted in 2020 taking into account the impact of COVID on global workplaces, The World Economic Forum listed the Top 10 skills of the year 2025 as follows (see infographic below):

• Analytical thinking and innovation

• Active learning and learning strategies

• Complex problem-solving

• Critical thinking and analysis

• Creativity, originality and initiative

• Leadership and social influence

• Technology use, monitoring and control

• Technology design and programming

• Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility

• Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation

“As the world and companies move increasingly towards automation of a myriad of functions, traditional career paths continue falling by the wayside, which requires of educators to ensure their students are able to navigate that which lies ahead, rather than that which currently exists. This necessitates the development of skills which allow young people to navigate their environment intelligently, regardless of what that environment might look like.”

Data from the WEF Future of Jobs Survey shows that companies are expecting to re-structure their workforce in response to new technologies and, in particular, the companies surveyed indicated that they were also looking to transform the composition of their value chain (55%), introduce further automation, reduce the current workforce (43%) or expand their workforce as a result of deeper technological integration (34%), and expand their use of contractors.

“Clearly, our already hugely competitive jobs marketplace is set to become even more so in future, with more people competing for fewer opportunities. It is therefore of crucial importance that we assist the students in our care to become as competitive as possible, by providing them with the skills which will set them apart in future. While technical knowledge will remain important, to be competitive, it is non-negotiable for young people to develop their ability to think and problem-solve, rather merely requiring them to relay information they have been taught,” says Hugo.

She says that ADvTECH Schools have, since 2015, sought to actively include these universal skills as an integral part of all curricula, regardless of subject.

“These skills should not be taught by way of a separate, independent curriculum, but rather incorporated within all general learning, as well as across all subject-specific learning,” Hugo says.

“In order to develop these skills, students need frameworks, examples, models, clear expectations, developmental targets and both multiple and regular opportunities to put them to practise. Teachers should provide students with regular and specific feedback on the development of these skills through their learning engagements, and formative and summative assessments should take place within the different classes. Developing these skills is a powerful tool for further exploring specific content, and over time students will be able to reflect on and identify themselves and their competence when using these learning strategies and skills.”

Hugo says that in addition to developing the WEF 2025 Skills, high schools and higher education institutions should also ensure they provide sufficient opportunity to develop those technical and future-facing skills that will be in high demand in the workplace in coming years, instead of merely the historically available basket of academic subjects.

“So for instance, the WEF survey projected that more and more companies are likely to adopt a number of technologies in coming years, including cloud computing, big data and e-commerce solutions, and so forth, which represent a continuation of the trends of recent years.

“However, it is noted that there is now also a significant rise in interest in encryption, reflecting the new vulnerabilities of our digital age, and a significant increase in the number of firms expecting to adopt non-humanoid robots and artificial intelligence, with both technologies slowly becoming a mainstay of work across industries, according to the survey.”

So future career paths to look out for include: Artificial intelligence, Big data, the Internet of Things, non-humanoid Robotics and encryption. These new technologies are set to drive future growth across industries, as well as to increase the demand for new job roles and skill sets.

“Very importantly, we also prepare our students to design the jobs of the future and not just work in the new jobs created. Therefore the additional focus in our Ed Tech strategy is to develop design thinkers who are enabled to navigate various digital platforms and create new applications and technologies,” says Hugo.

“Changing trends will undoubtedly impact on the workplace of the future, and the jobs we take for granted today may be displaced in future. The ability of someone to navigate the workforce of the future will depend not just only on their occupation - which should not be considered in relation to what is, but in relation to what is expected to come – but also on their broader skillset which will enable them to perform those functions which robots still, for now, can’t.”

How much is enough?

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:32:41 GMT

Growing up, I remember hearing the words: “We are trying to give you what we never had as kids” a lot. My parents worked long hours to provide the things that they thought that we needed and would be hard done by if we did not have them. Materialistically, we wanted for nothing and had everything from mountain bicycles to the latest hifis and we considered ourselves to be very fortunate.

As a parent, I have often found myself repeating the phrase that I heard so often in my youth. Lately I find myself wondering just how much is enough? What do I have to give my children that I did not have? The answer to this question is nothing. My children want for nothing, they have food in their tummies, a roof over their heads, a warm comfortable bed to sleep in and clothes on their back. They are rich in love and I keep their emotional buckets filled to the brim so that no-one can poke holes in their self-image that will leave any permanent damage. Why then do I feel like they are lacking and that I need to give them more? Could it be that I have lost sight of what my children actually need in my pursuit to keep them happy in an age where technology and materialistic stuff equates with happiness? If this is the case, am I the only parent who has lost sight of what is important? Perhaps I am and I own it.

If this is the case and the phrase “We are trying to give you what we never had as kids” is passed from one generation to the other, what expectations am I setting my children up for? How much more will they have to give their children to make this phrase true? The thought that the expectations for children receiving and getting is becoming far greater than what I think parents can cope with is very real. Parents work long and hard to provide for their children what they did not have as children. Sometimes the cost of this is detrimental as parents miss out on what is actually important: spending quality time with their children.

I have come to the realisation that children do not need the latest of everything to feel validated and loved and if they do, we as parents have somehow failed them. Children need to be taught to value what they have and respect what they can get and what their parents are able to afford. They need to be taught not to make their parents feel guilty if they have not got the latest iPhone 12 or a brand new out-of-the-box car for their 18th. Maybe, we as parents, need to take a step back and re-evaluate our need to give and cater to instant gratification. Perhaps it would be pertinent for us to allow our children the satisfaction of having to save pocket money and buy their own phone or brand takkies. I am sure that if they were taught the value of appreciating what they have and not of what they want, then we can break the cycle of trying to give our children what we never had.

To this day, I am not sure what it is my parents never had, because they had all the things that my children have, and I had all the things that they did.

Pecanwood’s pride and prestige – the class of 2020

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 07:18:00 GMT

Pecanwood College is immensely proud of the Matrics of 2020 for the success they collectively made of a most difficult year.

Our school once again achieved a 100 % pass rate – in the midst of vastly changed circumstances like online teaching, virtual classrooms and the challenges of remote learning. We also secured a Bachelor’s Degree pass rate of 88 %.

Our head girl, Jordan Engelbrecht, excelled under trying conditions to attain seven distinctions (for English, Afrikaans, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Business Studies and Life Orientation). Jordan is also to be congratulated on her outstanding mark for Mathematics – 94 %.

She was followed by our deputy head girl, Leanne Meyer, whose five distinctions were for Mathematics, English, Life Sciences, Business Studies and Life Orientation.

We are especially proud of the fact that another of our Matrics, Georgia Gunning, ended in the top 1 % for English nationwide with a remarkable result of 90 % for that subject. Georgia also attained distinctions for Afrikaans, Business Studies, Geography and Life Orientation.

Our other top achievers are Jessica-Claire Leigh, who obtained distinctions for Visual Art, Mathematical Literacy, Business Studies and Life Orientation, along with Daniela Palla Appert (who attained A symbols for Afrikaans, Mathematical Literacy, Business Studies and Life Orientation).

Our distinctions translate to a ratio of 1,67 per pupil.

In terms of core subjects, our learners achieved an average of 70 % for English - substantially above the national IEB average of 66.21 %.

Our average for Mathematics was a respectable 63 %. Three other subjects were above the national average: Mathematical Literacy (81 %); Business Studies (68 %) and Visual Art (81 %).

Seven of our learners attained a distinction for Afrikaans, five for English and two for Mathematics.

We wish the Matrics of 2020 good health, prosperity and success for the future and thank them whole-heartedly for their contribution to our school.

They did us proud – against the odds.

I take my hat off to Pecanwood College class of 2020!

They are a group who demonstrated courage and determination as they saw their school career to its close.

The learned a great deal more than academic content and subjects, they learnt life lessons that equipped them to deal with challenges that lie before them.

#Preparedforlife

For the love of reading

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:07:35 GMT

This week we have celebrated Book Week and encouraged the children to participate in various activities in the English classes.

As parents we sometimes underestimate the power of a good book and the characters portrayed in the book and yet they make lasting impressions on our children. Children delight in the antics of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, fight off villains and sail the seven seas amongst the pages of a good book.

It is imperative that children read a wide genre of books to develop their vocabulary which in turn helps them with sentence writing and creative stories. Reading fiction builds imagination and unfortunately, it is becoming more evident in the classroom that imagination is something that children lack these days. As little children, we could keep ourselves entertained for hours with a couple of stones, some mud and a few cars. Give those things to children nowadays and they will think that we have lost our minds.

Reading non-fiction improves their general knowledge and they feel comfortable enough to participate in subjects like Social Science and Debating when they have facts that are relevant to the topics being discussed.

I love to peruse the books at The Travelling Bookshop and take great delight in helping the children choose good books to read. There is nothing quite like the smell of a new book with crisp pages and the air of anticipation at what lies ahead. Reading is a skill that needs to be encouraged and instilled in our children. What a privilege it is to be able to pick up a good book and read the story trapped in the pages.

According to the latest statistics about 3 million people are illiterate. That is 3 million people that will never know the feeling of getting lost in a good book or the enjoyment of a good story. As an English teacher, this is a great tragedy for me, as I would be lost if I could not make meaning of the written print I find all around me everyday of my life.

I would like to encourage everyone to send in a book to donate to their class library. In this way the children will always have a supply of books to choose from and enjoy.

Expectations of our children

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 08:02:04 GMT

I am always amazed at the fact that our children reach a certain age and then magically they are expected to be more organised, responsible and better prepared than they were the day before. My question is what happens in 24 hours that can possibly make this miraculous event occur? I have three teenage children and I can safely say that just because they reach 13 or 14, it does not change who they fundamentally are or their make-up, and yet as parents and teachers we expect them to be and act a certain way when they reach a certain age.

These expectations from us as parents and teachers can cause huge emotional trauma for our teenage children, who are not on the same wavelength as us, and cannot fathom how all of a sudden, they are expected to be and act in a certain way. How unfair to them that through our expectations, they are suddenly feeling like they are not good enough. I speak from personal experience when I say that expecting a child to change overnight owing to his/her age and societal norms places our children at an unfair disadvantage and they develop feelings that makes them question their self-worth. They are now hearing phrases like: you need to be more responsible, you are in Grade 7 now, you are in high school now, when are you going to act like a Grade 7/8, etc. just because they are a year older and in the next grade does not automatically mean that they will be any better prepared or organised or responsible than they were the year before.

We need to be more aware of the fact that our children are just that, children. Even though they are getting older and so much more is expected of them, they need to hear that who they are and what they are doing is okay. They need constant reassurance that there is still time for them to play pranks, ride their bicycles and have fun with their friends. They need to know that their best is good enough and that we are still there to help them navigate and make their way through the new grade. They need to know that it is okay to make mistakes, even when you are 13 or 14 or 19, and that making mistakes is a part of life and should be used as teaching moments and learning tools, so that they always feel safe and secure.

We should be reminding our children of this on a daily basis so that we fill their emotional buckets so full that when they are battered and bruised by the daily rigors of life and friendships, that they still believe in their own self-worth. Remember that your teenage children need you just as much, maybe even more than they did when they were toddlers or young children.

Math Olympiad

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 08:12:30 GMT

In March 2020 the high school wrote the first round of the South African Maths Olympiad. Several of our Pecanwood College learners who wrote qualified for the second round, making their teachers proud. The second round took place in July 2020 for the Grade 8s and 9s and in September for the Grade 10s to 12s. In January 2021 the finalists were announced.

Mathew Goodrum made Pecanwood College proud by achieving third place in the North West province for the Maths Olympiad. Mathew’s teachers are extremely proud of him and believe that this achievement can be attributed to his natural mathematical ability and his dedication to the subject.

The high school’s mathematics department has awarded Mathew with a gift voucher for Bargain Books.

Zoe's Journey

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 07:48:48 GMT

2020 was particularly poignant for me as a parent as my daughter completed her Matric year. She arrived at Pecanwood in 2005, joining in the first Grade 000 class the school had to offer. There she flourished under the care of Mrs Coetzee and Mrs Fikkert and, although painfully shy at the time, emerged ready to tackle the challenges of Grade 1 in Mrs Nortje’s class. During her Prep years she had the opportunity to participate in a number of different sporting and cultural codes and found her academic footing.

High School came far too quickly and soon we were sending her off on the very first Pecanwood LEETO, introduced by Mr Barrett, to experience 11 days in the wilderness with her peers. The teenager that returned from LEETO was not the same one we sent away. This one returned with not only hundreds of stories to tell, but also a new level of maturity and independence. The once shy child from Pre-Prep days had gained confidence and was ready to make her voice heard in the world. We were delighted with her appointment as prefect, holding the Academics portfolio and watched our little girl, who used to hide behind my legs in company, address a hall full of parents and children in her public addresses.

All of a sudden, I am parent to an adult. One that drives a car on her own, takes herself shopping and is capable of mapping her own path in the world.

It’s terrifying.

The speed at which this all took place is dizzying. You can’t slow it down or stop it if you try. What you can do is enjoy every moment because every phase of their development is different and you will miss the challenging parts too. When they enter the high school phase, they will be moody and sullen and have a tendency to backchat, spending unbelievable amounts of their time sleeping. They do emerge from this cocoon eventually, although at times you despair that your sweet child is lost forever.

Looking back, my future self would tell me to stop sweating the small stuff . A failed assessment is a learning opportunity, not the end of the world. A poor report card is an opportunity for reflection, not a time to panic. I can see in my Grade 9 son that academic rigour does eventually set in, sometimes it just takes an agonisingly long time.

Don’t interfere! Trust the school. There are times in my daughter’s school days where I felt the need to question class placements and the splitting of friendships and the disaster that ensued from my interference did no good for my child. I should have trusted her teachers. That lesson was one I did not forget.

What I did not regret, was letting her work at her own pace, play sport at her ability and not place any additional pressure on her. She was responsible for her own performance and results. The end result is a goal orientated individual who has self-motivation and works because she wants to.

To all three campuses and the dedicated teachers and management who have helped my child along the way, thank you! To those beginning the journey. All the best. You are in good hands.

Art is fundamental: Expressive principles for learners in the classroom and beyond

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 07:32:49 GMT

In a modern era where technology dominates our daily routines, not enough time is allotted to the important aspects of life that replenish our souls such as spending quality time with family, exploring nature, building puzzles or expressing yourself through art.

Being a preschool teacher for the past decade, the impacts of young learners spending too much time being ‘plugged in’ and not getting messy, being creative and spending time drawing, doodling and colouring, have been staggering and evident.

This has led to an exponential increase in learners with sensory tactile defences, children with weakening pencil grips, low muscle tone and postures and less initiative or motivation to express themselves creatively.

What can we do about this calamity? Here are my principles for Art in the classroom and at home:

• Switch off

Limiting screen time is certainly public enemy number one! Be vigilant and consistent.

• Allow time for boredom

Boredom can be the mother of invention and the perfect opportunity for children to think of ways to entertain themselves or to be creative. Don’t fall for the “I am bored” trick!

• Create a purpose-built creative space

A space should permanently be available for children to be creative. Create your own ’doodle drawer’ or box with a variety of colourful materials readily available at a level that your children are easily able to access it.

• Variety is the spice of life

In your classes and at home, create opportunities for creative expression in a variety of ways by offering materials that are inviting and open ended. Art does not always have to be on paper. Box constructions, dough creations and collages are great way to stimulate creative expression.

• Mess is good

Do not limit your children in fear of a mess. A messy class or home is evidence of a growing creative mind that is not restricted by control.

• Everyone can be an artist

The wonderful forgiving fact about art is that beauty is in the eye if the beholder. There is no right or wrong when it comes to art – it is each child’s individual expression and unique point of view.

• Little or no guidance

Art should be a completely free activity with little or no guidance. Only offer advise if it is solicited and then only, give them verbal guidance. Never take over and do it for them. This only teaches them that you can do it and they can’t. Encourage and motivate them to complete their art independently, reminding them that it is their unique art and it is beautiful.

• Inspiration

Every artist needs to feel inspired. If the items provided do not inspire an idea, offer assistance by talking about the colours, placing a few items in a meaningful way or brainstorm a few ideas. Intrigue them particularly with themes that are of keen interest them. Fortunately, inspiration is easily sourced in creative books and Pinterest of course!

• Practise makes perfect

The more you expose your children to the enjoyment and satisfaction of being creative, the more they will develop their talents. They will be more attentive to the world around them until they cannot walk past an empty box without realising a world of opportunity in a simple object that is destined for the bin.

• For the boys

Boys as a rule are less interested in colouring, painting and expressing themselves artistically. Don’t despair, there are plenty opportunities for them too! Turn some toilet rolls into superhero cuffs and a long roll into a lightsaber! Don’t forget building with Lego is also an outlet for creativity!

• Quality time

When you are unable to engage your pre-schooler to be creative, grab a cup of tea and sit with them. Often children just want you to be with them to enjoy the process together.

Arty Farty Shmarty right? No, not at all! There are a multitude of spinoffs and benefits to early childhood art including fine motor control and perseverance, cognitive development, problem solving, visual perception development and building self-esteem.

Next time you wonder whether to purchase a remote-control car or a new PlayStation game, make the smart choice and invest in some colourful paints and tub of playdough!

Mrs B Nell

The Underdog Becomes A Graduate

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 11:13:21 GMT

The definition of underdog is a person who is likely not to win or succeed. Attending a high school like Pecanwood College as prestigious as it is that is exactly how I felt, like an underdog. Being surrounded by peers who were younger than me and performing well not only in sports but academically was slightly intimidating. There were times that I wished that I could send my parents a text saying I got a distinction for test or exam, the amount of time and endless tutoring I did I still couldn’t send that magical text to them. So one night I sat in my room in hostel thinking about my interests and what it would be like to be successful in something that really mattered to me. I had two options, to either stress myself over getting a distinction or continue doing my best. So I chose option two, I was no longer fixed on a distinction I was focused on making myself and those surrounding me proud. The first proud moment was matriculating in 2015, the year that came with so many challenges personally and academically. Walking into 2016 I could finally say goodbye to what was and now look at what could be.

In the beginning of that year I was set on attending school at the IIE MSA (formerly known as Monash South Africa) but unfortunately I did not meet the requirements. Devastated I just wanted to go home but my mother was determined to find a school that we found ourselves at Varsity College Sandton registering for a Higher Certificate in Event Management. What we liked most about this qualification was that once it was completed I would then have a NQL 5 qualification. During this course I learnt a lot about executing and planning events that I realised how much I loved the whole process behind hosting an event that I joined a committee on campus that focused on hosting events for the students, the Social Committee. Once I completed my first qualification I moved onto pursing a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications, itself came with its own challenges. The biggest challenge was completing my final year in a very strange yet unusual conditions as 2020 brought a worldwide Coronavirus pandemic.

December 18th 2020 was the day the results were being released I was so nervous as the last time I was this nervous was in 2015 waiting to get the text message of my matric results. I logged into my campus portal and there I saw that I had passed my degree with 1 distinction for Global Communications. It was a very exciting moment that I couldn’t keep it to myself I told my family and close friends the good news.

It took a few years but today in 2021 I can officially say that I am a two time IIE Varsity College Graduate. No longer feel like an underdog! I took my own time to chase my dreams and create my own success story.

What’s next? I’ve been provisionally accepted to 3 different schools for a honours degree and I’m currently looking for internships in the desired field of Journalism or Communications. I would like to start a blog mid year and become a content producer for a television program in the future.

In closing I would like to acknowledge my parents because without their love and support none of this would’ve even been possible. I thank them for always believing and encouraging me to live out my dreams. I’m forever grateful to the both of you.To those that feel like underdog know that you are capable of creating your own success in your own way and time. I did it and so will you just believe in yourself! This is just the beginning…

WAITING FOR MATRIC RESULTS: FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 06:56:24 GMT

As South Africa entered the new year, it quickly became clear that 2021 would not represent a return to the normal we knew before the pandemic, and that the country, like the rest of the world, would continue living with ongoing uncertainties for at least the near future. Following arguably the most tumultuous year a Matric class had to face in recent history, the Matric Class of 2020 now await their results, with many still not having a clear idea about what their future in general, or this year in particular will hold.

“The one thing that these Matrics can do now, is to focus on those things that are within their control, rather than take a wait and see approach,” says Peter Kriel, General Manager at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider.

He says there are still many unknowns about the coming year, and the only constant one can bargain on during these times is change.

“However, waiting things out until normal returns one day is not an option. The world continues despite the challenges we continue to face, and there are things you can do to continue on your personal and professional journey to ensure you are not left behind,” he says.

Kriel says one of the most important things 2020’s Matrics can do in the coming weeks, until results are released on February 23 (as currently scheduled) is to review their plans for the year and ensure that they will be able to continue on their chosen path regardless of any new and unforeseen circumstances that may arise to throw a spanner in the works.

“So, if you have signed up to study somewhere, you can use these coming weeks to make sure that your institution will be able to continue seamlessly in the event of, for instance, another hard lockdown. The way to determine this is to ask an institution about their readiness and ability to quickly adapt their offering to a hybrid or online model,” he says.

“Additionally, you should not just take an institution’s word for it, but also speak to students who experienced last year’s response. You need to ask questions to determine whether students last year were able to continue their learning journey seamlessly, whether they got the support they needed to do so effectively, and whether the learning was adapted in such a way that they continued to be engaged,” says Kriel.

Kriel says that on-campus education is the preferred and most effective way to learn for many young people and it has strong advantages in terms of outcomes. So, if you want the campus experience don’t give up on that aim now – look for an in-contact institution that can move between online and face-to-face as circumstances change. For some students, distance education is a great alternative, but it is not right for everyone – it is a mistake to think that in current times it is a direct swop for contact. If contact is what you want, make sure your institution can move between the two so you can have the benefit of contact with lecturers and classmates in person when the pandemic allows.

Kriel adds that those Matrics from the Class of 2020 who have not yet decided on their plans for the year, and are waiting for results before making a move, should seriously consider approaching an institution to talk through their options rather than leaving it too late.

“Our world has changed forever and is becoming more and more competitive all the time, with technology constantly developing and giving rise to new and exciting career paths. Instead of waiting for your results and attempting to get clarity thereafter, use this time to contact respected registered and accredited institutions that have shown themselves to be up to the task during 2020, and speak to a student advisor about your options.”

It also makes sense to ensure that your computer skills – including old-fashioned typing skills – are up to the task ahead of you. Anything you can do to make the transition easier will be very worth it in the long run, he says.

“There is much that is outside all of our control right now. But there is still much that is within our control, and by focusing on what they can make happen instead of the many uncertainties that prevail, the Class of 2020 can continue to build on the resilience they displayed last year, and ensure the best possible outcomes for themselves in the face of any new or existing challenges we will face in the future.”

Open Mind

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:19:20 GMT

Written by Caroline Correia

When I was young ‘children should be seen and not heard,’ was definitely the case. We could say ‘hello’ to people, but we were never allowed to have an opinion or voice it in the company of visitors. Whilst I am an old school parent, and still make my children greet people using Aunty and Uncle, I firmly believe that children should have a voice and be allowed to use it in the safety and sanctity of their own homes. If we do not allow them to have an opinion and talk about their feelings or offer advice on issues and events that are taking place in their space, then we are doing them a great disservice.

With teenage anxiety, depression and suicide on the rise in South Africa, we need to equip our children with the means and skills to be able to verbalise what they are feeling and experiencing and encourage them to tell us why they are feeling this way. We need to be encouraging our children to come to us with their problems, and as hard as it is, to not let our personal bias and prejudices come through in our answers and discussions with them.

Anger is a normal emotion and yet we as parents stop our children from ranting and raving as it is seen as unacceptable behaviour. If we do not allow them to vent with us, they might start internalising these feelings which could lead to them becoming sick, depressed or feeling like they have nowhere to turn.

When your child comes to you with an issue or to talk, remember to be as open minded as possible. Allow them to talk and then reassure them that what they are feeling is totally normal and that they should not be ashamed or feel guilty for whatever it is that they might be going through at that time. Open and honest communication with our children is something that we need to develop and foster. It is this relationship that could end up making or breaking their self-image.

As they get older and start going out with their friends, develop a ‘safe word’ that only you and your child know, so that if they send this word to you, you know that they feel uncomfortable, out of their depth or are in trouble. This allows you to phone with an excuse and to go and fetch your child, and for your child to leave an awkward situation without being ridiculed by their peer group.

However, you may not ask questions until they are ready to tell you what the problem is. They may never be ready to tell you what the issue was, but just knowing that they have a safe space to come home to means the world to them. Raising children in today’s day and age is no mean feat, and it is true what they say: it takes a village to raise a child. These little miracles that we were blessed with, did not come with a manual of what to do or how to raise them. As parents we can just trust our instincts and do everything in our power to keep them safe and protected, whilst still allowing them the freedom to become independent and spread their wings. As parents, let us be as aware of our children’s emotional wellbeing, as we are of their physical needs, especially as they get older and become teenagers. It is during this period of their lives that they need us the most.

Hannah Jones shares her story.

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 10:04:23 GMT

Written by Hannah Jones

I was born in Rustenburg, South Africa but I have lived between South Africa and Australia. After moving to Australia when I was a child, I finished my primary education there. In 2014 my family moved back to South Africa and I started at Pecanwood College in third term grade 8. Having grown up mostly in Australia so far, moving back to SA was a great adventure. At the age of 14, I was old enough to actually see the country and everything it encompasses. I was able to appreciate everything through the travel that I’d been fortunately given. I didn’t realise it at the time, but living back in South Africa was one of the best things that ever happened to me in my life.

Settling into Pecanwood College was easy, with the abundant kind and friendly culture. I was welcomed from day one. This was one of the things I noticed right away. As the months went by, I grew to love and appreciate the South African way of life, except the materialism which has its roots there.

Learning, both inside and outside the classroom was a highlight of my time at Pecanwood College. I enjoyed the privilege of learning from fantastic teachers. The classroom learning was fulfilling, but there was so much learning happening outside of the classroom too. Looking back, some of the best moments for me were the endless school activities, with the highlight being the potjie competition and the interhouse quiz. My favourite sports were softball and soccer, the former a first for me. Whether we were participating or sitting on the sideline, we all played a part. We continually played as a team, supporting each other all the way to the finish line. This had been the case at my Australian school too and it is good to see that it is a recognised value worldwide.

Outside of school, I waitressed at the Bistro in The Coves’ Estate, from the age of 15. I spent many long hours over every weekend working. I enjoyed being able to earn a bit of pocket money. This opportunity gave me courage and most definitely boosted my confidence. The responsibility of working every weekend really accelerated my personal growth and allowed me to truly appreciate the value of money, and how hard one has to work to earn it!

I’ll always remember the career work experience that I was most fortunate to be involved in. Since about the age of 15, I have had a desire to be a Medical Doctor one day. So, co-ordinated through a compulsory school Life Orientation class activity, I was lucky enough to shadow a few Doctors in Rustenburg. I went to Impala Mine Hospital, Peglare Hospital and Life la Femme Clinic. The varying surgeries I witnessed opened my eyes and gave me a taste of real life and what it would actually be like to be in an operating room. I saw many amazing procedures during my few days there, including but not limited to; eye surgery, orthopaedic surgery, a bone marrow aspiration of an infant, and my favourite, a caesarean section. Extremely valuable life learning was achieved and it was after this that I decided to definitely further my interest in Medicine. This career would offer me a stable future, but also allow me to reach out to others.

Every holiday be it mid-term or end of term, my parents took us away to different game reserves and locations all over the country. In fact, in the time we were back living at the dam we traversed the length and breadth of South Africa twice, and did a wonderful trip up into Zimbabwe, my mom’s home. Camping was tiresome and hard work but now I see that they were some of the best experiences of my life. Instead of being couped up inside, I was exploring the real world. Not only did I see the animals and the landscapes, but also all of the rural communities along the way. There was pristine beauty in some parts and poverty in others. I was used to the hardship for some in Africa as we had traveled back often while we were living in Australia. My parents had brought my siblings and I up to be aware of the plight of those less fortunate than us.

By the time we left at the beginning of 2017 to return to Australia, I was sad to leave my friends behind. The plan had always been to go to Varsity in Australia and build a future for myself and my family there. Although excited for the future and what could be, I didn’t want to leave behind my culture. I had experienced more in those two and a half years than most people who live their whole lives in Africa.

Moving back to Australia in Grade 11 was tough as anyone can imagine. It wasn’t only crossing an ocean; it was crossing a culture too. Although I had done most of my growing up years in Australia, it felt like unfamiliar territory upon my return as my roots are and will always be South African. But I knew that my future belonged in Australia. With my family’s support, we all began to settle into our new life in Perth WA and with the addition of a dog and a cat, we began to feel at home. My brother and I got jobs at the sandwich takeaway franchise Subway and together with school, we had our hands full. The months quickly passed by and before I knew it, I was writing my final matric exams. About a month and a half after completing my final exam, I was accepted to study Medicine at the University of Western Australia. That was one of the happiest days of my life. All of the hard work and the struggles with moving back and forth across continents and making new friends along the way, had been worth it. Always believe in yourself and that you can achieve your dreams. Never give up.

I am now in my second year at University and I have a part time job in a pharmacy down the road. I learn the professionalism of a career through work experience but I too get to give back to my community. Not to mention that learning about the drugs through a lectured environment is thoroughly accelerated through my work at the pharmacy.

Australia is one of my homes now and I am forever grateful for the open arms that the country extended to my family. So I am a South African Australian and I am proud of both of my nationalities.

From everything I’ve seen, I definitely have an appreciation for the different beauties that different countries possess. South Africa and Australia are most certainly very different as one can imagine. The poverty, litter and crime seen in Africa is not visible in Australia. However Australia has a different landscape although here in WA we boast the best beaches in the world. We miss Table Mountain though! But not the load shedding! Both continents and countries have their benefits and both have their downfalls, as with all countries in the world. No country is perfect. One has to always remember that.

Truth be told, I am so fortunate to have traveled. To have seen the world. There is so much out there for us to experience. The more open one’s eyes are, the better. I urge you to see the world for yourself and have an open mind. Remember though, never forget where your roots are. It is most certainly a fact that I am the person I am today because I have traveled.

When I look back on those few years in South Africa, I think to myself how lucky I was to be a part of the Pecanwood College community. The school’s motto is “Prepared for life” and I must say that Pecanwood College most definitely did so for me. It helped launch me through my mid teenage years and gave me another insight into life in the real world, when I was old enough to appreciate it. Now back in Australia I can build on my privileged life but dream often of precious holidays back in Africa.

ADvTECH stands for Anti-Racism

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 07:32:33 GMT

SAPA: Return of South African children to school

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 09:55:20 GMT

ONLINE LEARNING

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:49:26 GMT

Written by Katie de Chaves

If someone had told us what 2020 would look like, I doubt very much any of us would have believed them. The changes to the world have been startling across so many different aspects of life. As a school the sudden need to reinvent and keep children learning has opened many new avenues of learning for our teachers and students alike.

From an educator’s perspective, online teaching has thrust many of us into a space where advanced IT skills have had to be quickly acquired. Those who might have been reluctant to learn new programmes whilst at school, have had a very quick catch up and, surprisingly, have surpassed some of those with established computer skills.

The creativity happening in order to engage and inspire children on a daily basis has been something incredible to see. While online assessment might have seemed daunting at first, children are now submitting prepared reading via voice notes, completing Mathematics assessments through Microsoft Forms and uploading images as evidence of work, to name just a few.

Live lessons are both exciting and frightening spaces for teachers. It is delightful to catch up with the children in a live setting provided the correct netiquette is followed. The early days are filled with horror stories of teachers being muted in their own meetings, all of which will form tales to be told for years to come. With Teams ever evolving, functions such as “raise your hand” in meetings converts the virtual class to something very much resembling the physical class.

Our students, who tend to be more intuitive when it comes to technology, have in a very short space of time sussed out exactly what Microsoft Teams has to offer and are using it to their advantage. Whilst connectivity has been a challenge to some, we have endeavoured to keep these children engaged via WhatsApp and email. Our dedicated IT specialist has availed himself to the teachers and children to assist with issues ranging from login to software to devices.

Is it scary to consider going back to school? Well, yes of course. Teachers will again need to adapt, facing a physical class as well as online classes for those children who cannot return to school. They will also need to provide support for the children, who will no doubt take some time to adjust to the initial transition and their new reality. I am confident that with the skills gained through this online revolution, our teachers are more than ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

We have learnt that we can do anything if we set our minds to it. And that we miss our children more than we could have believed possible.

Business whizz – and a national champion!

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Fri, 29 May 2020 09:57:01 GMT

Dylan Snyman is Pecanwood College’s business whizz – and a national champion!

Pecanwood College is delighted to announce that we have a national finance champion, Dylan Snyman – who is the Matric money brain you would want to advise you on your business and managing your moolah!

Dylan won the national business simulation workshop, Banango, last week – defeating a previous record from 2015 and earning a whopping profit of R82 718.

The four-year-old record smashed by Dylan saw a pupil from Saheti in Linksfield, Johannesburg, amass a profit of R79 000.

Dylan’s Accounting teacher, Mrs Natasha Williams, is bursting with pride – as are all of Dylan’s classmates and the whole Pecanwood College community.

Georgia Gunning won Round 1 and Sim’Nikiwe Fakude Round 2 of the segment of the game which was played by PWC learners on 21 May. Our very own Tirelo Masilo was the fourth participant in this event.

It was a lively, interactive project with plenty of friendly banter between the Matrics.

The workshop is hosted by the Johannesburg School of Finance with the aim of giving Grade 12 Accounting students a better understanding of the complex world of business and finance.

It also assists learners in the successful completion their School Based Assessment (SBA) tasks for the year.

Under normal circumstances, the workshop would have been completed during a regular school day, but the Covid-19 pandemic changed all of that and Pecanwood College agreed to compete online.

Morne Meiring facilitated the workshop in his competent and knowledgeable manner.

Throughout the day, learners received YouTube videos, slide shows and WhatsApp or email messages explaining what was expected of them.

Dylan’s achievement is significant – more than 102 IEB accounting schools across the country participate in Banango over the course of several days, with more than 500 candidates doing the numbers during the four rounds of the game.

“There was a lot of excitement and action throughout the day,” said Mrs Williams.

“The learners worked very hard. I am very proud of them.”

Feedback from the learners was that the experience was stressful, but a lot of fun at the same time. It was good for them to see how Accounting principles are applied in the real world and it made them excited to apply their knowledge after school.

MATRIC MID-YEAR EXAMS: CREATE YOUR OWN LOCKDOWN SIMULATION

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Thu, 28 May 2020 09:41:17 GMT

Under normal circumstances, Matric mid-year exams provide a valuable benchmark from which to launch the final push towards the finals. Because of the Covid-19 lockdown, there will be no official mid-year exams this year, but learners should still aim to re-create their own exam experience at home as this provides valuable practise and insights, and an opportunity to improve their performance later this year, an education expert says.

“Much is being asked of our Matric learners this year, who have to complete the final leg of their school journey under very difficult circumstances,” says Nola Payne, Head of Faculty: Information and Communications Technology at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider.

“Unfortunately, part of the impact of our current situation, is the fact that learners will miss out on one of the most important first tests of their Grade 12 year, the mid-year exam. However, just because there is no official exam scheduled, that doesn’t mean learners can’t still get the benefit from the focused revision and simulation of the exam environment, to test their current readiness and address challenges identified in the process,” Payne says.

With Grade 12s set to return to school at the start of June, some schools may include mock exams as part of the revision strategy, but many may not be in a position to do so.

“These learners can greatly benefit from testing themselves by sourcing and completing past papers, in one sitting, and within a specified timeframe as would have been done in actual formal exams,” says Payne.

“Even better, is to collaborate with your friends, and ‘compete’ against each other, which makes the experience more fun and also ensures accountability and follow-through,” she says.

Payne says that normally mid-year exams would provide learners with valuable insights into where they need to focus their attention in coming months

“By simulating the exam environment, through completing a paper in one sitting within a given time, you will get a good understanding of how you need to pace yourself during the exam. You also get to practise answering questions in different formats which tests your ability to apply your knowledge, and provides deeper consolidation than simply going through your textbooks over and over.”

Usually, mid-year exams are not just the first test run for finals, but they also come with rather high stakes, as these results can be used to provide the proof of performance required for higher education applications, says Payne.

“While you won’t have these results to work with this year, the benefits of completing these exams remain, because simulating the exam environment provides an assessment of how you handle the pressure of the exam room, the efficacy of your study methods, and your ability to master and reflect on large amounts of academic material. Most importantly, you will be able to see early enough whether you need additional help in certain areas, which allows you to act on these issues timeously, and before the prelims you’ll write later this year, the results of which you will be able to use in your higher education application.”

Payne says it is important for Matrics to now focus on their own journey and try make the best of the year, while tuning out the logistical noise around the return to schools as much as possible.

“You may feel very alone right now, and confused about what is going to happen to you and the rest of your year. If you are struggling to focus, remember that your situation is similar to that of hundreds of thousands of other learners across the country, and that your mental and emotional energy is best applied to that is within your control rather than that which is not.

“Universities – public and private – are very aware of the unique challenges and circumstances facing our Class of 2020, and will take these into account. So you do not need to let go of your dreams for the future, and you don’t have to delay your plans to study next year.

“However you must still strive to apply yourself and do the best with what you have in whichever way you can. So your preparations now must focus on doing as well as possible in your prelim exams later this year, because you won’t have mid-year marks to use in support of your application. And preparing for the prelim exams, includes practising the art of exam writing by setting up your own mid-year exam simulation.”

EQ vs IQ

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Mon, 25 May 2020 10:27:21 GMT

Written by Caroline Correia

During this period of online learning, I have realised just how much emphasis we as parents, and the children themselves place on attaining the best results for everything that they do. Whilst there is nothing wrong with achieving the very best that you can and giving 100% of yourself to your academics, there must be a balance between work and play.

For a long time now, there has been an ongoing debate around EQ vs IQ. IQ is a measure of one’s intelligence and is usually determined by a set of standardised tests based on norms for different ages. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve your career and personal goals. It can also help you to connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you.

Adapted from Emotional Health - Authors: Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, and Jennifer Shubin.

As we know, it’s not always the smartest people who are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. We all know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual ability (IQ) isn’t enough on its own to achieve success in life. Yes, your IQ can help you get into college, but it’s your EQ that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing your final exams. IQ and EQ exist in tandem and are most effective when they build off one another. It is therefore vitally important that we give our children opportunities to build and develop their EQ as well. If a child is unable to empathise and put themselves in someone else’s shoes, then we as parents have failed them.

We need to teach our children how to be mindful of each other and to be aware of one another’s feelings. Teach your child to be the one who sits with the lonely child at break, the one who turns no one away when playing a game, the one who includes the socially inept children in group work and who is tolerant of those with disabilities. Teach your child to be confident and know their strengths and weaknesses, and to be aware of their own emotions in various situations so that they can handle conflict in a responsible manner.

One of the most important things for me as a parent is to teach my children to be kind and to have empathy. Teach your child that kindness begins with them.

Online Teaching from a teacher’s viewpoint

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Mon, 18 May 2020 10:21:15 GMT

Written by Caroline Correia

I am both a teacher and a parent of three school going children navigating both online teaching and learning. As a parent we would like to see our children achieve and excel at all they do, however, online learning is a totally new ball game and the children have had to learn to navigate the apps that the school is using, be it Google classrooms, Microsoft Teams or Zoom. For a lot of them, this can cause major anxiety if they are unable to upload, download or connect to an online class. They long for the security and normality that the classroom offers.

Some children have adapted well and are enjoying the freedom and independence that online learning has afforded them. However, some children have not adapted and are not coping at all. They miss the personal connection and interaction with the teachers, and they miss the routine. Tears and tantrums have become the norm and a sense of being a failure has invaded their thoughts and subconscious. They fear not understanding the work and disappointing their parents. This has led to the parents taking over and doing the work for the children, which in turn cements their thoughts of being incapable of doing it for themselves and adding unnecessary pressure on parents.

Coupled with the stress of online learning, is the anxiety and uncertainty of the pandemic that we are facing. As adults and parents, we are stressed and anxious about finances, about the safety of our families and the future. Our children pick up on snippets of conversation that they hear, our anxiety and our stress and they in turn internalise it and their fear becomes a beast that they cannot control. We need to be aware of not feeding the beast but relieving their fears and anxiety around the pandemic and their safety.

As online continues, you will probably see an increase in your child’s tantrums and emotional behaviour. They are feeling overwhelmed by all they are seeing and hearing. Teach them the correct protocol for returning to school and being in public, but do not frighten or overwhelm them with too much information about deaths and statistics of other countries. Children find it challenging to deal with all this information and it adds to their fear of losing family members and loved ones. Often children who are acting out just need you to put your arms around them, cuddle them and tell them that all is going to be okay.

When lockdown is over and the children return to school, teachers will play catch up and get the children to where they need to be. This is our super-power – we teach. What we cannot do is fill a child’s emotional bucket and soothe their troubled minds. That is a parent’s super-power. Do not be so focused on online learning that you forget to focus on your child’s emotional and mental wellbeing. Reassure them and make sure that they understand that they do not have to carry the burden of the pandemic, they need to be children and play, read, listen to music and feed their souls. Allow them to step away from their devices when they feel pressurised and to spend some time in the garden, reading or just talking to them.

We are all in this together and we will get through this. Teachers will get your children to where they need to be academically, you need to keep your children mentally and emotionally stable so that they can return to school ready to learn.

Invitation to Grade 11 & 12 and parents / guardians:

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Thu, 14 May 2020 10:35:09 GMT

USA Scholarship opportunities for Grade 11 & 12 students on 21 May 2020 – LIVE Webinar 17:30pm.

A few weeks before SA were forced into lockdown we had the pleasure of being introduced to an international company IAM360. IAM 360 is an International Student Athlete Management Company and they assist students with their search of scholarships to Colleges within the USA based on their academic, sporting and or cultural preferences.

The IAM360 team personally visited our school and we set up an introduction to our learners. Due to current worldwide Covid19 pandemic and our lockdown, we had no choice but to postpone the IAM360 presentation.

With so many uncertainties around lockdown and dates as to when schools will resume back to normal – IAM360 have offered our school an exclusive online webinar about the US College pathway and all the reasons why it could change your life forever. This is essentially the exact same presentation that would have been hosted in person at our school – but from the comfort of your own home. The presentation will be hosted live with one of the IAM360 representatives from across the globe.

“REGISTER HERE” - https://event.webinarjam.com/register/18/34zqrig

This exclusive session will be live at 17:30pm (SA Time) on THURSDAY 21st MAY 2020.

By the end of the 60 minute LIVE Information session you will know:

• How this pathway will change your life for the better

• The facilities that US College students and student athletes have unlimited access to

• How to receive university bursaries that others don't know exist

• How the USA lets you study the degree of your choice, regardless of subject choices.

• The types of scholarships you may be eligible for

• You will learn about other South African students and athletes currently in the US having the time of their lives

• You will hear about current South African Students who are about to embark on their 1st year in USA in August 2020

• What a day in the life of a College student and student athlete is like

We strongly encourage anyone who is interested in sports or overseas study to attend the LIVE webinar as this is an exclusive event and the scholarships will not be provided again this year.

In order to be eligible to scholarships, learners must attend the online sessions with at least one parent or guardian present.

“REGISTER HERE” - https://event.webinarjam.com/register/18/34zqrig

Ms Elmarié Basson, our newly appointed Afrikaans teacher

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Wed, 13 May 2020 10:30:05 GMT

Ms Elmarié Basson, our newly appointed Afrikaans teacher in the place of Ms Viljoen.

For a moment, put yourself in her shoes:

• the enormous changes and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19;

• changing schools by leaving a community of friends and pupils that you have been a part for twenty years and stepping into our brand new community, where you don’t know staff, pupils and parents.

• Added to this, not physically meeting your pupils and looking them in the eye. More than daunting.

Allow me to introduce her to everyone: Elmarie Basson completed her degree at the University of Pretoria and has 25 years of teaching experience. Some of her previous schools include Crawford College Lonehill, Beaulieu College as well as Afrikaans Meisies Hoërskool in Pretoria.

She is very passionate about the Afrikaans language and she assured me that she has many ways in which she shares this with her students during her classes. Ms Basson grew up in Phalaborwa (right next to the Kruger Park) and therefore it will be no surprise to you, that she loves the bushveld and during most of her winter holidays you will find her in the Kruger Park.

She loves to travel and has been fortunate to visit many foreign countries. Some of her recent travels include some bucket list items, such as visiting the Great Wall of China and a Mediterranean cruise where she visited Italy and Greece. She loves a bit of adventure - her teaching is rich with her experiences and life-learning!

As I chatted to her last week, looking back over the past two weeks, she told me that she finds the students and staff at Pecanwood College to be very kind-hearted and polite and that she cannot wait to meet you all in person. Welcome to the Pecanwood family, Ms Basson!

LOCKDOWN LEARNING: HOW TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT AT HOME

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Fri, 08 May 2020 12:26:02 GMT

South African families are going through tremendously challenging times as most continue to stay at home during the country’s extended lockdown. While it is not yet clear when schools will start to re-open, thousands upon thousands of learners are working hard to stay on top of their educational journeys, while those parents who can do so are still working from home. External pressures combined with fear and anxiety about the future are taking their toll on parents who are, at the same, tasked with ensuring their children don’t fall behind. These, and other factors, are exacting an undeniable emotional toll in homes during this time, an educational expert says.

“The current situation facing those parents who are trying to do their best on the work front to ensure the sustainability of their companies and their livelihoods, while having to oversee their children’s schoolwork is without a doubt extremely stressful, and it is important to take a step back and gain perspective at this time,” says John Luis, Head of Academics at ADvTECH Schools.

“It is no easy task to keep children productive and learning at home, while also trying to get your own work done under trying circumstances. But we urge those parents who are ready to throw in the towel, and who quite simply have had enough, to aim to regain a sense of equilibrium and a positive environment even if it seems impossible right now,” he says.

Luis says that ADvTECH, in its preparation ahead of lockdown, introduced Pastoral Care Teams at all their schools in recognition of the fact that the current situation would come to pass.

“From the start, we were ready and committed to continuing our teaching and learning through our online and distance offering, and recognised that parents and family members would need to support, guide and monitor the learning taking place at home.

“But addressing the continuation of the curriculum was only one part of the story. We realised very early that this was going to be an unsettling and uncertain time for everyone concerned, and that we also had to support our parents and learners in the challenges and demands that would accompany this time in addition to the learning aspects.

“So we put in place Pastoral Care Teams at each school to help learners, staff and parents maintain a sense of community by maintaining regular contact, and to ensure that we are firstly aware of, and then able to help them address issues arising during this time. Many of these issues, as flagged by our partner schools abroad who went through lockdown for up to nine weeks before South Africa did, are now being realised in homes across the country.”

Luis says despite the fact that public and private schools are all planning and preparing for the return to physical sites, the approach will be phased, which means that many learners outside of the designated first returning grades will still be learning from home for several weeks and even months.

“It is very important that the educational journey continues for these learners so that they do not fall behind their peers. But at the same time, the situation needs to be managed in a way that no harm is done do the relationships within the family, as a result of this pressure to continue.”

So parents should aim to re-establish a productive yet calm environment even in the face of the challenges of this time, he says.

“One way in which this can be achieved, is by creating a schedule which allows for both family connection and deep focus time. We as parents must set the example by demonstrating that while things are different, we can build our resilience muscles.

“In the mornings, before children start their work and parents dive into their to-do lists, make the time to connect – read your children a book, get some fresh air, and just be. When the work starts, be realistic. Don’t try to make your average 9-to-5 happen. Structure the day to allow for work-immersion slots, and during this time don’t feel guilty for not engaging directly with your children. Too much screen time is still not advisable, but if it allows the children to decompress while you can apply intense focus to your own work, it will do more good than harm.”

Parents should also dedicate some time to being able to assist their children – and must ensure that they can focus on their child’s needs and learning during this time - without running over their own pending work repeatedly in their minds.

“Try to banish your own concerns during this time, and give your child your full attention. It may only be half an hour, but make that half an hour count in terms of connection,” he says.

Finally, everyone should have some downtime together during the day, potentially around lunchtime, he says.

“Build up your reserves for the afternoon shift by going offline, taking a tea break, hanging up the washing, and so forth. It is important for parents during this time to look after our own wellbeing and state of mind by actively managing these factors, and not allowing our fears and anxieties to rule our entire days or our interactions with our families. By realising the need for, and then ensuring we maintain positive space and connection despite challenging times, we will be better positioned to continue our lives post-lockdown without having to start rebuilding our personal relationships as well.”

The Prep school newly appointed Head of Sport, Mr. Braam Booysen

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Wed, 06 May 2020 08:27:07 GMT

Written by Braam Booysen

A new direction

I would have loved to be outside, on the field, doing what I was born to do.

As I read the above words, I can’t help but feel the same. The author of these words of course was not on lockdown at home because of a worldwide pandemic, but rather he was confined to a hospital bed after a serious injury and was writing down some words to vent his frustration. The author was me in 2018.

My name is Braam Booysen or, as most call me, Coach Braam. I have been involved in sport and coaching for 20 years and it is my absolute passion to help children improve not only on the sport field but also with personal growth through sport. I am honored to be part of the Pecanwood Prep staff for the foreseeable future and I look forward to turning a new page on sport development and participation.

As our community looks to the future amidst the covid 19 pandemic, there is one thing that we can be assured of, there will be a new normal when it comes to sport practice and sport events. We will have to make sure that social distancing and stringent sanita-tion measures are met while we do our best to give our athletes the best possible chance to participate in their specific sporting codes. I firmly believe that the human race excels in extraordinary circumstances like these and I have no doubt that we will rise above this pandemic and find new and resourceful ways go about our daily lives.

I will do my best to ensure that our children are coached in a safe environment. I will make sure that individual needs are met with regards to sport participation and coaching. I will give my every effort to make sure that your child enjoys sport participation and that they are coached at an age appropriate level to ensure gradual development into the superstar we see in all our children.

Thank you for welcoming me into your community. I look forward to working with your children and getting to know all of you better. Above all it’s going to be my pleasure to be part of your child’s development on the sport field and in life.

Spare a thought

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Wed, 06 May 2020 08:10:09 GMT

Written by Caroline Correia

On Friday 1 May, we will go from Stage 5 to Stage 4 Lockdown, but we will still be in lockdown. We must still stay at home, wear masks, practise social distancing, wash our hands continuously and limit our trips to buy essentials. Whilst we bemoan these facts, let us remember that we have a roof over our heads and a place to call home, we have a plate of food to eat, a hot bath or shower and a comfortable warm bed to rest our weary bodies at the end of every day. How blessed and fortunate are we? Most importantly, our loved ones are safe.

While I was thinking of what to write about this week, I thought of the many people who are not as fortunate or blessed as I am, and I wondered how they were coping during this time.

Covid 19 has sure thrown a spanner in many people’s plans and it is these people that I would like to acknowledge and spare a thought for in this article.

All the people who own their own businesses and are not allowed to work during lockdown as they do not provide an essential service. All those who are without an income now and are anxious as to where the next pay-check is coming from. Spare a thought for these people.

All those people who cannot self-isolate and have nowhere to go. Spare a thought for them.

All the weddings that couples have spent months planning for, awaiting their big day. Invitations sent out, venues booked, and wedding dresses made and fitted to perfection. Spare a thought for the couples who have had to put their big day on hold.

All the babies that are going to be born during this time. Couples who have eagerly awaited their baby’s arrival for the last nine months. Fathers are not allowed in the delivery rooms, so what was to be a monumental bonding moment in their lives is now just a nurse telling them that all is okay, and that baby is healthy. Spare a thought for these moms and dads.

All the elderly who live in old age homes, who eagerly await the visits from their children and grandchildren. Spare a thought for the elderly.

All the people celebrating their birthdays with their immediate families or alone. No parties with their friends and extended families to celebrate the special day that they were born. Spare a thought for these people.

All the Grade 12s who have spent the last 11 years of their schooling looking forward to the last year of school. The year they get to lead, to be counted as equals, to plan matric dance outfits and to revel in the fact that they have made it. Spare a thought for these young adults.

Over the last couple of weeks, social media platforms have been awash with stories of people helping, people performing random acts of kindness, communities coming together and showing ‘Ubuntu’ towards each other.

If you have the means to lighten someone’s load, lessen someone’s pain, brighten someone’s day, then do it. Buy someone groceries, bake your neighbour a cake, leave a message of encouragement for someone. Be a ray of sunshine in someone’s cloud!

During the next stages in lockdown, and for the rest of our lives, let us practise ‘Ubuntu.’

Online learning is not for the weak at heart!

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 06:21:32 GMT

Written by Caroline Corriera – Preparatory Head of Academics

Having three children doing online learning is not for the feint hearted and I take my hat off to all our parents dealing with the new experience of online learning, no matter how many children you might be coping with. All three of my kids excitedly looked forward to the beginning of online teaching; that is a distant memory now. I long for last week!

My two eldest have taken to online teaching like fish to water, however my youngest is a whole different ball game. She misses the interaction and input from the teachers and is not a fan of online teaching at all. A lot of children now have to deal with the added stress of coping in a world that has become very digital in a short space of time. A lot of our children are finding this challenging; daily meltdowns and the fear of falling behind or not understanding a concept properly are part of their new reality.

As teachers, we understand that this must be exceptionally difficult for some of our children and would like to encourage you to allow them to take time out when they need to. Let them step away from their devices and just breathe, the work will still be there later. Their emotional wellbeing is much more important than completing a task if they are falling apart. Please be in touch with your child’s teacher and let them know if they are needing more input from them. I can assure you that they will make a concerted effort to accommodate and help your child navigate these unfamiliar waters.

I have found that often all these little people need are a cuddle and a reassuring word that all will be okay. Constant reassurance that this too shall pass and is just a brief time in their lives is what they need to hear.

Take a bow moms and dads; you are all awesome and are doing an amazing job!

TEACHING REMOTELY: FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIALS, LESS IS MORE

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 12:00:13 GMT

The temptation to do it all as if it is possible to maintain the pace and volume of contact education remotely must be resisted, an education expert says.

“As educators adapt to teaching remotely and online, there may be an attempt to mimic what a school day would normally look like, by filling learners’ days according to pre-lockdown timetables, and pace and content of learning,” says Dr Felicity Coughlan, Academic Director at ADvTECH, SA’s leading private education provider.

“However this approach is counter-productive, and can lead to further frustration, anxiety and tension under what is already challenging circumstances for all concerned, including for parents, learners and educators,” she says.

Dr Coughlan says there is an important difference between focusing on essential skills during this time, as opposed to trying to keep the curriculum going in full.

“Much of the stress people are experiencing arises from this well-intentioned attempt to ‘keep up’. It is far more conducive to learning and well-being to make deliberate choices and to pare back and focus on those skills around which we can then build content knowledge again later,” she says.

In quite unexpected ways the lockdown and the unique and unprecedented circumstances in which we now find ourselves, provide a perfect opportunity to develop and entrench those global competencies which otherwise might not receive the requisite focus during normal school time, Dr Coughlan says.

“We have known for some time that the world is changing, that the skills required in the workplace are evolving and that the workplace of the future is going to look much different from what used to be the status quo only four weeks ago. Now, all of a sudden, we find ourselves thrown into a completely new paradigm and it is quite clear that the world will not be the same.

“So what better time to develop those global competencies and master 21st Century Skills than during the biggest global disaster in recent history?”

Dr Coughlan says SA teachers have risen to the challenges of remote and digital teaching with remarkable resilience and zeal, with very little warning or lead-time. They have been wonderfully innovative whether or not they have had access to extensive educational technology or been required to use WhatsApp or other day-to-day communication tools to keep in touch with the children they were teaching. The mindset of making do and re-inventing is a precious one we should not lose.

She says ADvTECH Schools have integrated Global Competencies in their curricula for several years, and that those schools and educators who have not yet had the time to do so or have treated these as peripheral, now have the perfect opportunity to embed them in “normal” teaching and learning.

“The world of the future just came crashing through our door,” says Dr Coughlan.

The Global Competencies of THINKING skills (creative, critical and reflexive), RESEARCH skills (collecting, recording, organising, interpreting), COMMUNICATION skills (personal interaction with others), SOCIAL skills (personal behaviour) and SELF-MANAGEMENT are the only ways that teachers and students will navigate this period and what follows it, successfully.

“So, for teachers developing lessons and content, and schools still grappling with how to approach learning at this time, consider that less really is more. If there is therefore a little bit of a silver lining to this disaster, it is that we now have the ideal opportunity to develop these skills, and that even those schools and educators who are not as well-positioned as others can include them.”

Now is the time to focus on the basics, and to aim for consolidation, says Dr Coughlan.

“It is true that for some this is easier than for others. There is particular concern about the Grade 12 class as well as the millions of children being left behind as education continues for some. These social justice imperatives are not trivial, but are not addressed by the entire system freezing. It is however vital that those in positions of privilege who are able to still be learning effectively acknowledge this privilege with humility.

“If your school or class can continue learning then this time needs to be used to develop global citizens just as much as it must be used to entrench skills. Content can and will follow. Don’t mistake quantity for quality. “

Our story – Pecanwood College

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 08:02:54 GMT

“Can you imagine our children going to school here with this beautiful view of the dam and mountains?” Petro Geerts

This story starts long before you and I could even imagine, when stones, rocks, mountains and streams were young and fresh; when wild animals, leopards and lions roamed freely.

The land we stand on this day has a memory of stories that are rich in texture and colour, beauty and devastation. This land is rich and fertile, so farmers grew abundant crops of mielies and tomatoes, with cows and sheep aplenty. The farmers built a high dam wall across the strong flowing rivers – Hartbeespoort dam was “born”.

Quite a distance from this beautiful and quiet place, were two towns which grew and grew into bustling cities, ever creeping closer and closer to the dam.

One afternoon, at about the time of the turn of the century, there was a visionary businesswoman, with a love for her children and a passion for their education, Petro Geerts. As her name suggests, she was a strong, resourceful fighter who made it her mission to find other allies to partner with her to build a school overlooking the picturesque dam under the ancient Magaliesberg Mountains. She struggled long and hard to gather others to support her cause.

Along with her close friend, Joan Coetzee, they were introduced to the Van der Byl brothers of Irene. These industrious men purchased the farm adjacent to Oberon Drive and began the renovation and alterations of the old farmhouse into a delightful country school.

In January 2005, the school opened its doors to 54 children from Grade 0 to Grade 7, six teachers, one secretary and a director of the school, Mr Chris Lee. You may have noticed that the Preparatory Administration block stands “skew” to the rest of the current school buildings and so will always remind us of where this school started as the farmhouse with cows, sheep and chickens as part of the everyday landscape.

The school was without a headmaster for the whole first term until Mr Jacques Braithwaite was appointed, from Heronbridge. He was such a talented man: Physical Science was his passion,

an accomplished musician and bass player - he loved the school dearly. His memory will live on in the words and the music of our school song that he lovingly composed.

There was no time to slumber or rest: new building plans were drawn; bulldozers and excavators dug and moved earth; bit by bit farmland was transformed into gorgeous school buildings and classrooms. All energy and focus was in preparation for the growth to the high school Grade 8 and 9, and Grade 00 the following year.

It was only in September 2006, that Mr Mike Farrer was appointed as headmaster of the High School. The continual groaning of the earthworks could be heard all across the campus for the first few years as the school expanded from the Pre-prep, to the senior primary quad followed by the high school Mandela quad and administration block.

The attractive architecture caught the attention of families far and wide, and the need for a hostel was evident. Founders House was built, with a magnificent view, and thanks to her maternal instincts and fearless determination, Mrs Carla de Brito became the first Hostel Head.

The building construction continued to gain momentum with the High School Physical Science, Life Science and IT laboratories being added. Pretty soon the hostel was bursting at the seams – the rowdy and boisterous boys needed to move to a “home” for themselves. Founders Boys began its story. Furthermore, sports fields and a sparkling swimming pool was included in the offering. Finally, the last of the big builds included the new Pre-prep relocation and custom-designed classrooms.

But, with the taste of success, one often grows hungry for more. Mr Farrer was not satisfied and felt that there was something lacking. He fought long and hard and finally his dream to unite the school was realized in the building of the versatile, large school Hall. His efforts were rewarded as it now stands proudly as the Farrer Hall.

Over the years, the focus has shifted from an obsession of acquiring and developing the landscape to an appreciation and respect of the natural world around us – a desire to create a nurturing environment for children, plants and animals to thrive. There was a strong drive to become an Eco-friendly and Eco-wise school to instil a love for conservation and a deep social responsibility in the learners.

Ours is a tale of old. A tale of victories won and lost. A reminder of special legends who have graced this place. Memorable teachers, significant families and heroes both young and old.

In the beauty of this place, we find treasures to remind us of the triumphs attained. We are grateful to those who have gone before and paved the way.

As you walk through the Mandela quad, you may notice a sturdy, wooden, railway sleeper in honour of Mr Chris Lee. You may also pause a while alongside the tranquil garden outside the old Farmhouse in honour of Mr Nigel Sloane. Keep a watchful eye as there are more to be discovered.

But of them all, there is one that should be mentioned as without this her tenacity, we would not be here today. In the junior prep quad, there is a wrought iron bench that bears the name of Petro Geerts. Her bench looks over the magnificent view of the dam and ancient crags as a reminder that someone some years back had the perfect vision to create THIS, our blessed school.

Online Teaching and teachers!

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 09:15:52 GMT

Written by Caroline Correia

It is safe to say that no teacher ever imagined that online teaching would be their normal. When you study, you are taught and given hints for every eventuality, this was not one of them. I keep thinking of Sophie from the Golden Girls (showing my age) when she says: “Picture this,” no amount of picturing could have readied us for this period in our lives. If you had told me last year that I would be teaching from my dining room table, I would have told you to stop being stupid, and yet here we are. Our new norm.

Teachers are not made, teachers are born. Teachers become teachers for the love of children. Teachers are born to interact, to talk, to listen, to empathise, to be funny and act stupid for the sake of the children in their classes. Suddenly that has been taken away from us, and I can tell you without a doubt that not one of us would choose this way of teaching over interacting with the children in our classes. We miss their smiles, their chats, their hugs, their infectious enthusiasm, but most of all: we just miss them.

When you watch and listen to our online lessons, please remember that teachers are people.

Teachers are by nature creatures of habit. We have our favourite mugs, favourite coffee and even sit in the same chair in the staffroom. Yet, we are also adaptable and lifelong learners. This is a learning curve for us, one that we have embraced wholeheartedly and have changed the way that we teach to bring lessons to the children in the comfort of their homes, during this unprecedented time in world history. I know that the teachers would appreciate constructive criticism, as well as positive praise from you, the parents, at this time. That is how we learn and grow and better ourselves and our product.

Allow your children to try and do the work themselves.

Do not help them complete the tasks, quizzes and assignments.

If they are finding a concept challenging, encourage them to communicate with the teacher.

FAQ For Online Learning

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:49:28 GMT

Pecanwood College - High School Assembly (14 April)

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:11:23 GMT

Message from the Prep Principal

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 13:25:24 GMT

Hello Pecanwood Prep!

We miss you all so very, very much! It must be hard for you to be on lock down and not be able to come to school, play sport or see friends. We sincerely hope that you'll be able to do this soon!

In the meantime, you can look forward to seeing your teachers. They've been working very hard to bring the classroom into your home.

Mr Lay is also formulating work outs to keep you fit and healthy.

Remember this is difficult for your parents too, so make sure you help around the house and do your bit.

See you soon, Mrs de Chaves.

Online Applications | How-To Guide

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 10:28:03 GMT

Have a look at our new Online Application Process How-To Guide! ��

Open Day

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 13:45:12 GMT

Looking for an English IEB Boarding School, High School, Preparatory school? Join us on Open Day, Saturday 7th March from 9am to 12pm. Send us your details in the meantime by submitting a RSVP on our home page

Open Day

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:46:03 GMT

1 February from 9am to 12pm

Looking for an English IEB Boarding School, High School, Preparatory or Pre-school? Join us on Open Day, 1st Feb from 9am to 12pm.

FOUNDERS HOUSE – Boarding – Grades 7 to 12

Founders House provides each boarder with a well-proportioned, individual bedroom with study facilities; luxury bathrooms; a communal lounge and TV area; wireless; broadband connections; a modern dining hall; a laundry, and a sanatorium with a dedicated paramedic, as well as an on-site school psychologist.

Safely enclosed within the school grounds with 24-hour security, it allows boarders the use of the School amenities at all times, whether they chose to board on a term basis, weekly or monthly.

Led by an experienced House Master and House Mistress, our Boarding offers a warm and comfortable environment, which nonetheless creates the structure and discipline necessary to teach independence and resilience and to build strength of character.

Co-education allows siblings of both sexes to attend the same school and boarding facility, thus presenting the family with numerous benefits. Pecanwood College’s convenient location makes drop-offs and collections or unscheduled visits to the school a breeze for families living in Gauteng’s major city centres.

SABC Interview

dudaadmin@advtech.co.za (ADvTECH Group) — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 13:34:10 GMT

2019 Pecanwood College Matric Results

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 03:36:19 GMT

As a class of 51 pupils, they achieved a ratio of 1,65 distinctions per learner. With 92,2% Bachelor Degree passes, 5,8% Diploma passes and 2% Higher Certificate passes, and therefore a 100% Pass Rate. The year-group average of 67% was solid and is a strong indicator of consistency across the board.

There were some incredible results achieved by individual learners.

Top Performers by number of Distinctions:

8 Distinctions: Boipelo Shai

6 Distinctions: Teagan Forbes; Sabrina Vasconcelos; Lloyd Murenzvi

5 Distinctions: Erin Grice

4 Distinctions: Michaela van Schaik; Jacques Lategan; Thandolwethu Mazibuko

Top 10 Performers by Rank Order:

1. Boipelo Shai (Dux Scholar)

2. Teagan Forbes; Sabrina Vasconcelos; Erin Grice

5. Lloyd Murenzvi

6. Megan Grace

7. Michaela van Schaik

8. Connaire McGowan; James Phillips

10. Matthew Allen

Top Learner in each Subject:

Mathematics, Life Science, Afrikaans – Boipelo Shai (8 distinctions)

Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, English, Life Orientation – Erin Grice (5 distinctions)

AP Mathematics, Physical Science, Accounting – Lloyd Murenzvi (6 distinctions)

Business Studies, Engineering Graphic Design - Sabrina Vasconcelos (6 distinctions)

History – Teagan Forbes (6 distinctions)

IsiZulu - Thandolwethu Mazibuko (4 distinction)

Geography – Chloe Nangle (3 distinctions)

Information Technology – James Phillips (3 distinctions)

French – Roger Moretti (2 distinction)

Mathematical Literacy – Oliver Major (1 distinction)

Setswana – Boitsolo Badukane

Top 1% of a subject nationally, in the following subjects

IsiZulu First Additional Language - Thandolwethu Mazibuko

Life Sciences - Boipelo Shai

Visual Arts - Boipelo Shai

Visual Arts - Erin Grice

Mathematical Literacy - Oliver Major

Mathematical Literacy - Teagan Anne Forbes

Mathematical Literacy - William Leslie Shaw

Christmas Carols

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 06:47:41 GMT

You are warmly invited to celebrate Christmas with our community at our annual Christmas Carols' Service; followed by a bring-your-own picnic on Friday, 29 November from 6pm. The Carols service will take place on the Pecanwood College Sports Field. What to bring: Picnic Basket, blanket or chairs, Candles or Glow sticks and singing voices. Please see the attached lists of songs and lyrics.

Pecanwood’s Christian Ethos

analytics@conversationlab.com (Conversation Lab) — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 16:14:26 GMT

“Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I trust your commands.” – Psalms 119 : 66

When parents enrol their children at Pecanwood Christian School, they’re allowing us to teach the next great generation. At Pecanwood, we follow a Christian-based value system that will enable us to pass on the significant teachings of the faith.

We teach our students to respect everyone within the school community, be kind, well-mannered, and to live morally. Here’s how we ensure that our students make an impact in the world through our Christian ethos.

1. OUR SCHOOL ATMOSPHERE

At Pecanwood, we always ensure that we keep a happy and loving atmosphere for our students. Our value of being trustworthy makes way for our students to always have integrity.

We aim to encourage acceptance and respect amongst our students’ to create a peaceful and positive environment. All of our dedicated educators know that maintaining a cheerful atmosphere within a school contributes to the success of students’ studies.

Following our Christian ethos, we encourage a school environment where children feel challenged but competent and where achievement is the product but not the sole objective.

2. INDIVIDUAL NURTURING

From our preparatory to our senior high, we take the time to understand each child’s individual needs. Our smaller class sizes make this easier to facilitate.

We’re aware that and confidence grows when they’re able to make mistakes without the fear of criticism. This is why our teachers encourage students to ask questions about information, ideas and beliefs. This creates an environment of openness in the classroom.

We teach our students to value their truth and to always be honest in their words and actions.

3. PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN

At Pecanwood, we believe that successful parent involvement is crucial for a child's growth and development. It's essential in sustaining the values instilled in the child by our school.

From parent-teacher conferences, school events and volunteer work, we aim to help parents build stronger bonds with their children and the school community. We aim to teach our students respect, and that they need to always respect every individual in their surroundings, especially when it come s to their parents.

Our Christian ethos helps us incorporate parents into their children's learning experience so that they can connect with how their child sees the world. At our school, we also communicate with parents through the D6 School Communicator.

This system ensures that parents are always kept up to date with school programmes. We also have a class mom network where a mom is assigned to every class. Her responsibility is to relay vital information to parents over a WhatsApp group when the need need arises.

4. GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

Students at Pecanwood are taught to be resilient, they’re taught to be courageous in every challenge that they may face. Our outreach programme at Pecanwood was established to encourage a sense of nation-building amongst our students, and we can happily say that it has been a great success.

Our students are learning the values of giving back to the community, and it just warms our hearts to see them take such a lead within the community. Students are seeing and understanding the value of giving to those who are less fortunate. Plus they're able to express their gratitude for the lives and lifestyles that their parents have given them.

We believe that by teaching our students to give back, they are getting a sense of fulfilment that they have helped someone. We're showing them how to make a positive change in people and ultimately, the world.

5. CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY

We value stewardship at Pecanwood and we always teach our students to care for and value every positive influence that they encounter. We celebrate a diverse culture of people in our school and we find that this has a positive influence on our students.

In a co-ed classroom, we have students who come from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures and religions. We encourage learners to ‘love thy neighbour’.

We believe that learning to appreciate and value all kinds of differences is an important attribute to have in today’s diverse society.

At Pecanwood Christian School, we accept and embrace all, and this is something that we aim to teach our students daily. We uphold a happy school environment that celebrates a diverse community to which our students are a part of.

Yes, our value system is Christian-based, and our students experience some forms of religious teachings, but other views are acknowledged and welcomed too.

Pecanwood, the best choice for your child

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 09:54:59 GMT

“Now, a good education is about so much more than just learning geometry or memorising dates in history. All of that is important, but an education is also about exploring new things – discovering what makes you come alive, and then being your best at whatever you choose.” – Michelle ObamaNew Paragraph

With our profound and renowned education system, at Pecanwood Private School, we prepare our students for life. From the availability of an enriched academic centre to fostering global competencies, our independent school provides only the best for your child. We take pride in our core values which are truth, respect, stewardship, trust and resilience.

We prompt our future leaders to uphold these values in their everyday lives. We aim to teach our students all of the necessary skills they need to prosper in an ever-changing world. We prepare them for life.

Here are some reasons why Pecanwood Private School is one of the best options for your child’s education and future.

1. Enriched Academic Opportunities

At Pecanwood Private School, we uphold an exceptional academic programme that nurtures students with a solid education. Placed under ADvTECH , our Independent school is continuously evolving, adapting and innovating its educational vision strategy and approaches to teaching.

We ensure that our students are more than prepared for the outside world through our unique learning environment that is inspiring, engaging and challenging. We broaden the minds of our students through a future-focused education system. We emphasise on achieving excellence through our curriculum, essential global competencies, digital literacy skills and an ongoing understanding of global citizenship.

At Pecanwood Private School, students are academically challenged every day. We always try to relate our teachings to the real world. By doing this, our students are being exposed to clearer value systems and have a better understanding of how the world works.

2. Smaller Classes & Dedicated Teachers

We maintain smaller class sizes so that our dedicated teachers can pay individual attention to each student. Teachers can form stronger relationships with students for academic success. The teacher to learner ratio allows them to get to know each student and his/her strengths, goals and interests.

We also have ongoing student progress analysis. Here, the teacher and the parent can keep track of a child's performance throughout the school year. If the teacher picks up that a student has any learning difficulties, he/she can refer him/her to our on-site therapists.

Our on-site therapists include:

● An Educational Psychologist,

● An Occupational Therapist,

● A Remedial Therapist,

● A Speech therapist,

● A Visual Therapist,

● and a Physiotherapist.

Our team ensures that your child is attended to professionally within the school environment. All of our teachers aim to empower students and to help them have a better understanding of themselves and their goals.

3. Parental Community Involvement

Parent involvement in students’ studies is essential. Pecanwood is one of the best private schools out there because we encourage open communication between parents and administration. We make it our utmost priority to get parents involved in the school community.

We believe that parent-teacher meetings, social events and fundraising activities creates a balanced lifestyle of work and play for both students and parents. This ultimately helps strengthen the relationship between parent and child and develops them into well-adjusted adults.

4. Extracurricular Activities

While academics remain our priority at Pecanwood, we also understand that students learn through play. With this in mind, we have also placed a strong focus on extracurricular activities such as mainstream sports, sports clubs, cultural clubs and societies at our school.

We understand that student’s involvement in any extracurricular activity helps to stimulate their minds, thus creating a better learner in the classroom. We believe that extracurricular activities provide a much-needed break from the stresses of academics, while still developing skills and engaging students in social situations.

At Pecanwood Private School, we go beyond the mandatory lessons. With our school’s enriched and philosophical education system, we always ensure that we give our students the best guidance for the outside working world.

As a private school, we are responsible for producing many leaders; thus, we place much emphasis on preparing our learners for the outside world. Pecanwood matriculants become well rounded and distinguished individuals, moulded by the school’s ethos and opportunities.

The Benefits of Co-ed Schooling

Sun, 20 Oct 2019 19:04:29 GMT

Work better together

Co-ed environments facilitate mutual respect. They expose children to different viewpoints, and in some ways can help positively challenge gender-based stereotypes.

At Pecanwood Private School, we believe that a co-ed school encourages students’ self-esteem and social skills. It prepares students for the real world as it teaches boys and girls how to interact with each other. We are broadening the minds of our students and showing them the different types of attitudes and behaviours that are seen in both genders so that it can prepare themselves for survival in the working world.

This co-ed setting ultimately prepares them for a diverse world where both genders play significant roles. Here are four ways a co-ed environment positively affects your child.

School Diversity

Our independent co-ed day and boarding school operates from Grade 0000 to Grade 12. We provide a dynamic, happy learning environment that’s supported by a Christian-based value system.

At Pecanwood Private School, we have students from different walks of life and backgrounds, and thus, we encourage respect and tolerance from our students, from a young age. Our girls and boys become classmates from their first day, exposing them to diversity at a younger age. This will make it easier for them to adapt to different environments later in their lives.

An experienced House Master and Mistress lead our co-ed boarding school. They provide a warm and comfortable environment, to help teach independence, discipline and build the strength of character. We believe that a co-ed environment mimics the real world.

In most businesses and community activities people need to know how to interact with each other, so by our students having already being in a co-ed environment it helps them to learn how to collaborate, solve problems and resolve conflicts with both genders.

Teaching of Equality

“Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.” - UN.org

Both genders deserve equal opportunities in the world that they live in.

Our outstanding facilities and qualified, dedicated teachers offer passion and enthusiasm to reach each child in a sensitive and caring manner. We can give our learners individual attention because of our student to teacher ratio. We can identify the strengths and weaknesses of each learner and customise learning methods accordingly.

Children who are identified to have learning difficulties are offered in-class support by their teachers, as well as extra lessons after school. Specific areas that require intervention are referred to on-site or nearby therapists, to ensure that no child is left behind.

1. Promoting Socialisation

The reality of the world is that both male and female co-exist outside the learning environment. From the classroom to the playground, our students are learning how to co-exist, daily. At our school, we offer a wide range of extracurricular activities that both genders are encouraged to participate in.

From sports, music rooms and art studios, our students are continually co-existing with one another. They’re getting a better understanding of the purpose of human interaction and the importance of networking. Ultimately, our students are learning the values of socialising, interacting and creating lifelong bonds.

2. Preparing Students for The Real World

At Pecanwood Private school, we prepare students for life. We do this by presenting opportunities for learners to develop their self-confidence.

By motivating our students to interact with both genders, we enable them to integrate into college, and the workplace efficiently. A co-ed environment provides students with the ability to experience different thought processes, learning styles, humor, and other unique approaches to life through both genders.

This can teach valuable skills in relationship building, and we believe that learning about one another is what will help our students prosper in the big world out there.

At Pecanwood Private School, we not only equip students for their academic future, but also give them the practice they need to master their everyday social skills.

By enabling students to learn together in a co-ed classroom, we promote diversity, equality, socialisation and the ultimate preparation for the real world. We teach students how to interact with one another with dignity and respect. Both men and women contribute to our society in equally significant ways; thus, we should always recognise and celebrate each other’s greatness.

Pecanwood Private High School: Moulding strength of character in your child

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 14:39:39 GMT

Education isn’t only about learning the fundamental subjects such as; Maths, Science and English. It’s also the process of shaping and understanding personality traits, emotions and strength of character in our children. Today, parents are looking for learning environments that encompass balance and provide a holistic approach to learning and development. Supported by a Christian based value system, Pecanwood Private High School located in Hartbeespoort offers a dynamic and happy learning environment, in which your child is able to emerge as a well-balanced and independent individual who is “Prepared For Life”.

How does Pecanwood Private High School benefit in moulding strength of character in its pupils?

Pecanwood’s academic components aim to develop the full potential of each individual pupil. In addition to that, our Academic Enrichment Centre is beneficial for the growth of pupils who are experiencing learning difficulties. This support offered at Pecanwood Private High School is a catalyst for confidence and strength of character within students who have trouble with coming to grips with academics. While academics are significant, Pecanwood is also comprised of comprehensive pillars that promote the strength of the individual child's character through:

1. Service

Character can be measured by how you are willing to be of service and what positive impacts you are making within your community. Pecanwood fuels this character building through being proactive and being of service to outreach and eco projects within surrounding communities.

2. Leadership

Pecanwood plays a vital role in assisting pupils in developing their leadership skills. A clear vision, independence, discipline and a healthy understanding of Pecanwood’s values are what create a stable foundation for creating dynamic leaders with a strong character.

Click here to get a well-rounded view of all our pillars .

As mentioned above, values create the basis for excellence. Pecanwood instils wholesome values that enable your child to make meaningful contributions to society. These important sets of values consist of ethical dimensions that foster resilience and discipline in our learners. We place a high value on the following:

I am Trustworthy
I stand for Truth
I have Respect
I value Stewardship
I am Resilient

Preparing our children for the future at Pecanwood Private High School

We stay on the pulse of our technologically advancing society by providing pupils with the skills and experiences they need for today's modern world. Our fully equipped GO Lab is available for both Preparatory and High School students. This program exposes our students to the wonders of technology and builds a strength of character, knowledge and confidence to integrate the available information into practical form.

Pecanwood Private High School combines a comprehensive foundation of education that influences character development, positive behavioural qualities and a creative mind that strives to make a meaningful contribution within society.

Visit our website for more on preparing your child for life.

Why boarding schools build strength of character

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 08:25:38 GMT

Boarding schools provide an excellent environment for growth, discipline and strength of character for a child. Here are four reasons why you should consider enrolling yours in ours.

Any institution becomes a community - whether it's a high school or a boarding school or a publishing company or a small town where everyone knows certain things about people. - Alice Hoffman

Providing for your child may require you to work in another city or even country. To ensure that your child is in a safe and supportive system, while you're away, you may consider a boarding school.

Boarding school learners often hold warm memories for a lifetime. Residing on school grounds is a different approach to education. It's an immersive experience where learners develop trust, independence, honesty and camaraderie. Boarding Schools present an excellent environment to win, fail and experiment in a safe space. Are you still on the fence on whether you should consider a boarding school for your child?

Here are four reasons why boarding schools build strength of character.

Why boarding school?

1. Children learn independence

“There's nothing quite like a few chores to encourage responsibility. “ - Author unknown

Boarding school presents an opportunity for children to be responsible for themselves and their actions. In this setup, they learn to take care of themselves by doing chores like their laundry. They learn to be self-motivated and reliant, which builds disciplined young adults. The most beneficial part of boarding school is how it provides freedom within reasonable limits set by the boarding school mentors. Children can test parameters while also being held responsible for their actions.

An experienced House Master and Mistress lead the Pecanwood College boarding school. They provide a warm and comfortable environment, to help teach independence, discipline and build strength of character.

2. Private school is a bridging school to real life

Let’s face it. One day 12 years from now, your sweet-faced child will be starting yet another journey in their life.

The adjustment from high school to college can be smoother with the right preparation. In boarding school, interpersonal skills, self-initiative and leadership are cultivated and nurtured. These qualities are facilitated through a boarding house, safely enclosed within the school grounds. Plus, the option to board on a weekly, monthly or term basis is available to suit you and your child’s needs.

The most challenging part of starting tertiary studies is the change in lifestyle. For many, it means leaving their close network of friends and family and adjusting to new surroundings. On top of all of this, new academic challenges appear. Children who have been through the boarding school system are often more mentally and emotionally prepared for these changes. As part of our mission we are passionate about equipping pupils to emerge as well-balanced, productive individuals, who are “Prepared for Life”.

3. A sense of community

Boarding schools are a diverse environment where children of different backgrounds can meet and interact. They create an opportunity for people of different ages and cultures to bond. They do so not only in a classroom setting but also in dorm rooms and dining halls, creating a brother/sisterhood for life. When a community of your peers surrounds you, coping with the ebb and flow of life is easier.

4. Academic opportunities

Part of the educational journey is creating an environment to facilitate it. Wireless broadband connections and the availability of school amenities for use at all times allow for more study time, giving them a better opportunity to prepare for their future. With an on-site school psychologist and dedicated paramedic, boarders get a different experience from day learners.

The one constant is change. Prepare your child for the future by building fundamental traits to help them navigate life's changes, easier. Pecanwood College is excited to welcome your child to our boarding facilities to learn and grow. Enrol your child today to prepare him/her for life.

Pecanwood College: Best Private School for your Child

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 12:01:31 GMT

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

- Malcolm X

The age-old debate on whether private schools are better than public schools is still raging. The most important thing for a parent is creating a happy learning environment to prepare your child for life outside the school gates. You’re faced with quite a challenge when selecting the right school for your child. We’ve narrowed down six factors to consider when choosing a school and why we tick all the necessary boxes.

1. Educational options

The 12 years spent in school are meant to prepare learners for the real world, making it essential to equip your child with the best education money can buy. Whether the school offers IEB or NSC, the end goal is quality training for future movers and shakers.

At Pecanwood College, we aim to develop graduates who can emerge as fully-rounded individuals, moulded by the College's ethos and opportunities. Our private school is accredited by IEB, which is an independent board certified by Umalusi. The standards of the board are held in high regard by International and South African tertiary institutions.

For a more in-depth understanding of our approach to academic excellence, please visit our 'Academic Excellence ' page.

2. Affordability

Whether it’s a lump sum you pay yearly, or a monthly commitment, school fees, along with costs such as uniforms can add up. Considering the costs of your chosen school is a pivotal factor in selecting the right school for your child and your budget.

At Pecanwood College we have designed a fee structure that gives you the flexibility and convenience to budget according to your own needs.

3. Religious, cultural and gender preferences

Our independent co-ed day and boarding school operates from Grade 0000 to Grade 12. We provide a dynamic, happy learning environment that’s supported by a Christian-based value system. Here pupils can reach their full potential academically, physically, socially and spiritually. In this way, they emerge as well-balanced, productive individuals, who are “Prepared for Life”.

If your child is currently in Grade 7, you’ll be happy to know that we are an excellent choice among Christian high schools. This is because we place a high value on truth, trust, respect and stewardship.

4. Where it is located

The location of a school plays an essential role in a child’s school experience. It determines lift clubs and participation in extracurricular activities. More costs are incurred if these facilities aren’t available on the school premises.

Our weekly and monthly boarding facilities, which are available to learners from Grade 7 to Grade 12, offer 24-hour security and individual bedrooms with study facilities. The communal areas include a modern dining room and a laundry. It’s a warm environment coupled with structure and discipline to build independence and resilience in learners.

5. Available extracurricular activities

Pecanwood College offers a wide range of sports and other after school activities to develop a well-rounded adult. These include trail running, mountain biking, rugby and swimming, to name a few.

Please see the extramural activities we provide here .

6. Ability to keep up with global trends

Methods of education are ever-evolving and staying ahead of the game requires keeping up with technological advancements. Our fully equipped GO Lab, available to both Preparatory and High School students, exposes students to technologies such as 3D printing, entry-level robots, laser cutters, electronics and programmable electronics. These extensive facilities help to ensure that our students can increase their skill set and work readiness.

We are a school of excellence because we go beyond the academic side of your child’s development. We also consider the fundamental skills and competencies required to build children into functional adults. Our dedicated teachers are passionate and enthusiastic about each student and facilitate a balanced programme which covers our college’s five pillars.

Academic

We aim to develop the full potential of each individual. To create lifelong pupils who are confident, compassionate and multi-skilled through quality private schooling.

Sport

We provide pupils with sporting opportunities to encourage teamwork to reach goals and build lasting friendships.

Culture

All children have unique talents and we intend to capture, encourage, hone and promote those talents as far as possible.

Service

We strive to live our lives with compassion and courage in service to our community, country and planet. For this reason, we’re proactive with Outreach and Eco projects in our community.

Leadership

We assist pupils in developing their leadership skills, creating dynamic leaders for a global society.

School is more than just school; it’s a platform to mould, develop and evolve a young person into a functional human being. Pecanwood College is a quality Christian private school whose approach to education is to create fully-rounded individuals.

Please visit our website to enquire for the enrolment of your child today.

Sensory Creative Writing

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 11:19:20 GMT

When we are babies, we learn through our senses. We hear our parents and siblings’ voices. We feel the loving touch of our caregivers and all the people who love us. We taste different liquids and foods and we learn what we like and do not like. Our whole world is made up of sensory stimulation.

As we become toddlers our sense of adventure and curiosity grows, and we are in awe of the world around us. We play in a pile of leaves and hear the crunching sound that they make. We stomp in puddles and run in the rain. We roll in freshly cut grass and find pleasure in the sight of beetles, earthworms, puppies and so forth. Everything we do and learn is made possible by using our senses to make sense of the environment that we find ourselves in.

Unfortunately, as we get older, we tend to lose the excitement, the wonder, the awe of the ordinary around us. Children as young as 9 have forgotten what it is like to ride their bicycles with the wind blowing through their hair or find the perfect beauty in the delicate wings of a butterfly. I do not know about you, but I find this incredibly sad. Children are cooped up in their homes, on devices or gaming their afternoons away, and as they do this, so they lose their sense of enjoyment in the little things and their childhood gently slips away.

The impact of the technological world that we live in is evident in the creative writing genres that the children are submitting in class. They have a limited imagination, as they are no longer encouraged to escape to another world in the pages of a great book. Their vocabulary is lacking, and they do not have the words necessary to describe a setting. They have forgotten to experience their environment through their senses, as the only sense they utilise regularly is sight.

A sensory writing lesson is designed to allow children to experience for themselves on a sensory level. We, as teachers, cannot expect children to submit a creative writing piece if they have not had the experiential learning to help them. If we ask children to write about ‘A day at the beach,’ would all children have experienced a day at the beach? Is it fair to expect them to write about it, if they have not? This is where sensory lessons are so important. Sand for the children to feel and squish between their toes, layers of suntan lotion, ice-cream, bathing suits, tanning, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore; these are all sensory items that a teacher might provide so that every child can describe a day at the beach and achieve success.

If we want our children to continue to find enjoyment in the ordinary, then as adults, we must do the same. Allow children the pleasure of experiencing everyday tasks using their senses. Let them run in the rain, play in the mud, smell freshly baked muffins, jump in a pile of raked up leaves, eat ice-cream from the tub, find wonder in a rainbow, get sticky, get dirty and live for the pure enjoyment of using their senses. While we are letting our children do this, why not join them? It would make for a lot of laughs and some beautiful memories.

Your child will reap the rewards by remembering how to use their senses whilst writing and getting lost in between the pages of a wonderful book, where pirates, sea creatures, aliens, space invaders, princesses, dragon slayers, little freckle-faced boys, doddering grandpas, evil villains and the like are the order of the day. Talk to your child and build their vocabulary by using descriptive language and idiomatic phrases. Use ‘big’ words like balmy and sultry, instead of hot. In class, we tell them that ‘said’ is dead. ‘Said’ is such a mundane word and there is a wide range of words that they can use in its place like chortled, whispered, bellowed, suggested etc. Encourage them to talk about their feelings; how they felt when they were tired, thirsty, angry, safe and what it feels like to be loved and part of a family.

Sensory writing lessons are such rich learning settings for the children, and we hope to be providing many in the future that will help your child achieve a small measure of success when writing.

Remember that these are the ‘special times’ and that our children deserve to see the world through their eyes and not ours!

Written by Caroline Correia

Preparatory Head of Academics

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 15:31:44 GMT

So what is creative expression?

Creative expression allows children to express their feelings and emotions. It allows them freedom to articulate and express their thoughts – to think critically. Creative expression can be many things – it can be painting, dancing, fantasy play, drama, singing, crafts, building with blocks and making music.

Creativity helps with mental growth by giving opportunities to try out new things: a different way of thinking, problem solving as well as discovering their talents and uniqueness.

Creativity is a way of thinking and expressing yourself – a skill we all need! Every child is capable of creativity and is imaginative, we just need to provide opportunities to nurture it and NOT restrain it!

It is very important to have creative spaces both indoors and outdoors to develop and allow for their freedom of expression.

Some ideas of how to nurture creative expression:

Art :

Provide various mediums and encourage children to explore while doing art. Talk about the process and their finished project – be supportive. Children can make art out of anything – scraps of paper, playdough, nature and even mud.

Music / Dance / Singing :

Music brings so much pleasure, as well as important skills – it develops memory, language and rhythm. Use musical instruments and let children experiment. Join in with your children and choreograph a fun/silly dance. Make your own instruments – rice in a plastic bottle, a drum from a tin, anything works, there are no rules just be creative!

Drama / Fantasy play :

Have areas with books, dress up clothes, pillows, blankets, big boxes, anything works – just be creative! Have a microphone, even a make shift one and a stage, children love performing.

Creative Play :

Play is the work of a child. Children must be able to play freely and express themselves freely to ensure a healthy development.

Children learn when they experience the world around them. They need to be actively involved in all they do. They need to see, hear, touch, feel, taste and do things. It is all about the experience.

Activities should be based on the children’s interests and always put your emphasis on the process and not the finished product.

One of the best things you can do for a pre-schooler is to let them be creative with no judgement.

Written by :

Joan Coetzee

Principal – Pecanwood College Pre-Preparatory

Prep Inter-House Fun

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 06:55:11 GMT

On Saturday the first of June, the astro and fields at Pecanwood Prep were abuzz with the sounds of children taking on inter-house soccer and hockey. With Ibis, Kingfisher and Cormorant competing for the top spot, competition was fierce. For soccer, this marks the end of the season, while for hockey it is a pre-season warm up for the matches to come.

Robotics @ Pecanwood Prep

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 06:43:28 GMT

Into the future we go!

The Open Day on the 1st of June showcased Pecanwood Prep's move into the future with coding and robotics. The children had a ball operating the robots and using the coding software, ensuring they build skills for the next industrial revolution. Currently robotics forms part of the curriculum for Grades 1 through 7 and is extended in the College with the GoLab and advanced robots.

Out Door Classroom Day - 23 May 2019

alengelbrecht@pecanwoodcollege.co.za (Alyson Engelbrecht) — Thu, 23 May 2019 12:18:00 GMT

Pre-Preparatory #OutdoorClassroomDay

Outdoor classroomday at the Pre-Prep. Loads of fun!!! #OutdoorClassroomDay #PecanwoodPrePrep

Outdoor Classroom Day - 23 May 2019

Thu, 23 May 2019 12:11:34 GMT

Preparatory #OutdoorClassroomDay

Oh, what a lot of fun was had! The teachers and children spent the day outside where they participated in lessons that included angles, numbers, idioms, vocabulary, science, history, story writing, cultural dancing, fruit salad making, building and so much more. It was a wonderful day where they engaged in collaborative skills to produce skits, solve challenges, research, measure, orienteer and learn through play.

Pecanwood MTB Enthusiasts

Thu, 16 May 2019 07:33:35 GMT

Pecanwood Prep children were very excited this week as they took part in the first Mountain Biking practise of the season. A huge turnout ensured a fun afternoon for all, as the children cycled from school to Pecan Park to work on their off-road skills.

The school looks forward to fielding a large team at the first North West race of the Spur MTB League, which takes place on the 25th May at Rustenburg High School, and includes cyclists from both the Prep and the College, captained by matric pupil Chloe Nangle.

Boarder Sleepover

Fri, 10 May 2019 09:17:49 GMT

Looking for OUT OF CITY WEEKLY BOARDING? Single rooms, Secure and Spacious.

Pecanwood College is excited to be hosting a sleepover on Friday, 31st May 2019. Email admin@pecanwoodcollege.co.za or call 012 001 7118 for more info and booking details.

Robotics Curriculum

Wed, 01 May 2019 05:35:58 GMT

Preparing for the next Industrial Revolution - Industry 4.0

What is the next Industrial Revolution? In short, it’s the next phase of the Third Industrial Revolution, taking computers and automation and enhancing it with artificial intelligence and machine learning. What does that mean for us? It means that we are preparing our children for a future that does not exist yet, but is on the way. The My Future 4.0 Summit, held at the Ticketpro Dome in May, is a must-see as it displays what this future might look like.

As schools, we need to keep up with this new trend and ensure our children are ready for what this exciting new future may hold. As an Advtech school, Pecanwood College has an established Digital Literacy Curriculum that exposes children to coding and entry level robotic instructions. Pecanwood Prep is excited to announce that, to take this development a step further, a full robotics curriculum will be introduced on the 1st June, in partnership with Stem Dynamics.

From Grades 1 to 7, children will begin on their robotics journey, learning coding from basic to advanced and using a variety of apps and robots in order to bring the subject to life. With a full competition set en route to South Africa for our school, we hope to be able to field teams at the VEX Robotics Championships in the near future.
Pecanwood Prep will certainly be ensuring children are “Prepared for Life”.

Prep Open Day

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 14:53:41 GMT

1st June 2019 - 9am to 12pm

Looking for an English Primary School in Hartbeespoort. Join Pecanwood Preparatory Gr 1 to 7 on Open Day, Saturday, 1st June 2019 from 9am to 12pm. Contact Alyson on 012 0017118 for more info or a tour of our school. #PecanwoodCollege #PecanwoodPride

Top Achievers

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 09:42:37 GMT