06 JUNE 2022
Deciding on a Pre-School or Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre for your child is possibly one of the most difficult tasks, but an extremely important one, faced by parents.
ECD, and for that matter all schooling, should be about creating a deep-thinking space full of infinite possibilities, which Noah’s Ark at MPS absolutely fulfils. Noah’s Ark, alongside the Keller Education methodology, is leading the way in play-based, child-centred learning which is based on first world education methodology and thinking. The results achieved with this type of learning speak for themselves – our learners are confident, independent and self-assured which gives them a brilliant foundation for the educational phases to follow.
Why play-based learning?
Play is an essential and vital education tool in ECD. When we speak about play we are referring to independent play – driven by curiosity and experimentation, incorporating learning to share and take turns and mastering self-regulation and being able to control emotional outbursts with minimal adult intervention. During play-based learning the teacher/educator, in social situations, needs to be close, but far away enough to give the child the freedom to play independently and learn. All lessons at Noah’s Ark are taught this way, whilst always keeping the individual child’s capability in mind. We teach on the child’s level as this allows them the freedom to think independently, to be innovative, creative and forward-thinking.
Why does Noah’s Ark tick all the boxes?
We are proud to say that our teachers are fully qualified and are continuously improving themselves by going on courses, attending classes and information evenings about new, innovative developments in learning – a field that is continuously developing and changing in our world. Each of our unique classrooms has a teacher and qualified assistant who make sure your child is safe and content. Our small classes give us the privilege to work with the learners in micro-groups so that each child’s unique education and emotional needs are met and challenged.
Our curriculum:
With our partner, Keller Education, we focus on play-based learning and developing children physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually. By providing interesting and stimulating activities, we prepare learners to embrace the IEB curriculum. Young children learn by touching, hearing, seeing, smelling and tasting and our daily programme is full of opportunities to discover and explore. Using the Keller methodology, we stand by the idea that we should stop identifying what the child can’t do and rather teach the child “how to do”. Our continuous assessment, in the form of a term report and a parent feedback session, is based on five categories: communication and collaboration, pro-social, interdependence and dependence, posture and “my place in space”.
Our class size allocations are as follows:
| Grade | Maximum learner allocation |
| 0000 | 15 |
| 000 | 20 |
| 00 | 20 |
| Gr R | 20 |
Culture at NSA
At Noah’s Ark, we are all about celebrating our culture and encouraging our children to embrace their creativity and natural talent to forge ahead in developing their skills, knowledge, attitudes and values. We believe that from the very beginning of their school careers, children should be the focus and that they should be allowed to discover their talent in the cultural department. We proudly encourage children through daily art lessons which follow a specific theme but during which they are able to create their own masterpieces in their own way. We are also extremely privileged to have ballet and modern dancing lessons at our school, where the learners are able to express themselves through dance.
NSA’s child-centred facilities and resources
Noah’s Ark is a child’s paradise. Our pre-primary is nestled in a lovely farm environment. Every classroom has their own age-appropriate playground that encourages the development of gross motor skills, sensory explorationand socialisation skills. Our farm animals are an essential part of our daily learning as each grade is allocated a day to feed the animals. This is the beginning of the development of their sense of responsibility towards the world around them and nature as they learn how to feed, care for and love the animals in our care.
The Big Question … Is Noah’s Ark for me?
Our classes are small, our facilities are unique and child-centred, our main concern is your child. Safety is top priority with inside parking, security cameras, access control and an alarm system that is linked to an armed response service. Our curriculum is play-based and instills in your children the skills, knowledge, love, sense of belonging and safety that they require to go into their future knowing that they have the tools to be successful, no matter what they choose to be. Here at Noah’s Ark, our top priority is to Raise and Release #Changemakers.
If you need any more information about Noah’s Ark, please contact our Enrolment Officer, Jackie Carstensen, jackiec@melkbosprivate.co.za, to secure your spot. You are also most welcome to visit us and meet with our NSA Head, Mrs Antoinette Gauché.