1. About Launchpad What we’re about The very first question a parent must ask when looking for a pre-school for their child is, “What do I value in education?” Your child’s school must align with what’s important to you and how you’re raising your child. Our founders, Leisl Algeo & Tina Chen started Launchpad to bring the values of playbased, academically-driven education and dual language learning together. We believe children thrive academically in an environment which nurtures and stimulates their natural interests. In a Montessori classroom, our teachers engage the children’s minds by observing which stage of learning they’re at and guiding them through material appropriate to where they’re at. Montessori children are excited about their education and are equipped with the independence & leadership skills to actively steer their own education experience. What this means is that Montessori children love learning and always seek out new experiences and ideas to challenge themselves. 1 Your child’s school must align with what’s important to you and how you’re raising your child. Our Objectives • To make a globally relevant education accessible to all young South Africans in inclusive & affordable multilingual Montessori environments • To build & grow schools which reflect the true cultural and socioeconomic diversity of our country • To advance education in Africa by partnering with global leaders and continuously investing in ways to become better at what we do Our Different School Models Launchpad 2 Launchpad Access Core Curriculum Montessori curriculum (aligned with Common Core, US-based educational standards) Dual language learning Character Development Extra Inclusions Design Thinking Extra-murals (defined at school level) 4 weeks holiday school Lunch (for full day kids) Online Reporting Tool Sport & Gross Motor Development Programme Location Residential/suburban based Urban based (main routes, city, township) Fees Half-Day R2100/month: 3 days/week R3100/month: 5 days/week Full-Day R3900/month: 5 days/week Full-Day R1500/month Exclusions (can be arranged at extra cost) Transport Transport Holiday school Lunch The earlier a child is introduced to a language, the greater the likelihood they will become truly proficient in it. 2. A School Re-Thinking Education 1. Montessori Learning that takes place during these early years comes spontaneously and without effort. Montessori helps children to become self-motivated, self-disciplined, and to retain the sense of curiosity that so many children lose along the way in traditional classrooms. 3. Design Theory (exclusive to Launchpad schools) a. Design Thinking People are solving real-world problems every day in their work lives. Entrepreneurs design new products & services and change the way the world works. But what is the skill set needed to create these innovations? Teachers focus on the child as a person, not on the daily lesson plan. Montessori teachers lead children to ask questions, think for themselves, explore, investigate, and discover. Their ultimate objective is to help their students to learn independently and retain the curiosity, creativity, and intelligence with which they were born. Design thinking is a combination of having empathy for the people who you are resolving a problem for, creativity in generating insights & solutions and the rationality to bring together your education to try out different solutions to the problem. This set of skills can be taught to children from a very young age by getting them to work in groups to solve things they encounter in their lives and their communities (e.g. how do we stop people throwing rubbish onto the floor at the community park or how do we create a reminder for children not to run inside the school?) Children learn from each other just as much as they learn from their teacher – the Montessori setting seeks to create collaboration instead of competitiveness. 2. Dual Language Learning Children’s brains are naturally programmed to learn any language they are sufficiently exposed to, perfectly and without accent. This ability declines with age, disappearing by high school. The most effective way to learn a language is to put a young child in an environment where they are surrounded by the language – their language acquisition is then similar to that of a native speaker. Our (language) teachers are all native speakers in the languages they teach in. The school aims to create a two-way enrichment programme for both native and non-native English speakers to learn in two languages and develop full bilingual fluency. We achieve this through having a target language teacher and an English speaking teacher in each classroom. Children learn to associate each teacher with a language as this teacher will only ever speak in their assigned language. Not only is a bilingual child at an advantage in our global village, but research shows they think & process faster, resolve conflicts better and have a greater cultural appreciation and awareness. Benefits of a Bilingual Brain Splash language immersion programs provide a unique and powerful opportunity to strengthen children’s highest cognitive brain potentials through deliberate literacy development in two languages and authentic exposure to rich language experiences. Research shows that bilingual people have an easier time with these key brain functions: Developing strong thinking skills Cultivating greater cultural awareness Using IDEO’s (leading global innovation consultants) framework for teaching children about design thinking, we will have a creative period every week to allow children to work together to frame a problem and design a solution at age-appropriate levels. b. Junior Electronics Using a combination of Little Bits (award-winning building blocks that teach the basics of electronics) and Lego, we aim to teach children how to start thinking about making things that work! With globally tested curriculums and modules, this is a fun way to start learning about science, technology and electronics. c. Character Development Through weekly circle time activities, we introduce children to emotions, how to talk about them and work through them, how to deal with other people’s feelings and how to resolve problems. Based on research by leading psychologists, Martin Seligman & Angela Duckworth, we focus on 7 key characteristics which have been shown to be highly predictive of later success in life: zest, grit, self-control, optimism, gratitude, social intelligence, and curiosity. Understanding math concepts and problems Increasing reading comprehension A multilingual brain is quicker, nimbler and more resistant to Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. Academic Performance Students of dual language programs consistently outperform monolingual peers on state-mandated tests, regardless of demographic. Preparation for the future Using logic Focusing, remembering and making decisions 3 Mental Health Bilingual adults have several advantages over monolingual adults, including higher average salaries and greater career opportunities. 4. 3. Parent Engagement Schedule 3. Schedule 7:00 – 8:30 Kids arrive – indoor & outdoor play 8:30 – 9:00 Morning ring | Discuss the day 9:00 – 12:00 Work period 12:00 – 12:30 Lunch time 12:30 – 13:00 Story & Theme time (Pickup for half-day children) 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch & free play 14:00 – 16: 00 Montessori work cycle (with more of an English language focus) 16:00 – 16:45 Free play & arts/craft 16:45 – 17:30 Story & pickup time We want to walk the journey of giving your child the best education possible very closely with you, their parent. We thus make every opportunity to engage with our parents and create a sense of community amongst the school’s families. Online Reporting & Newsletters When your child starts school with us, you will get a link to an online reporting tool. Our teachers do all their progress reports on this tool and will push out a weekly update to you. You can also see all your children’s photos, send out communication to your child’s teacher and read our monthly newsletters on this. Launchpad Access schools receive a monthly, printed or email report. Yearly Teacher/Parent Update In June/July, all parents have the chance to schedule a meeting with their child’s primary teacher to discuss their progress and plan their key development areas for the remainder of the year. Yearly Full Assessment In addition to the regular updates, we give a full, 10-page assessment of your child’s progress at the end of each school year, including a full language development report (using an international language assessment tool). Parent Workshops At the start of the year, you will receive a schedule of our 6-weekly parent workshops, which will include Montessori & education talks alongside experts on various child-raising issues from discipline, to gross motor development, etc. Fundraising Events We try to do small fundraising events throughout the year to ensure our equipment is constantly updated. These events are great community days and will include picnics, fun days, etc. 5. Application process • Complete the online form or request a prospectus & enrolment form from [email protected] • Once accepted, secure your child’s place with an upfront, refundable deposit of one month’s fees • Fill in the application form and submit with your registration fee of R250. In order to be considered for a position, we need both the application form & the registration fee • Your child’s attendance will only be confirmed when the deposit is paid • Take a tour. Look at our calendar to see when our next open day will be held. If you can’t make it, contact the school you’re considering directly to set up a tour. 4 • Join the Launchpad family! When all the application forms & fees have been processed, your child’s place will be confirmed with a welcome letter