Welcome to Capriccio! in 2021
Thank you for your interest in our school – a creative, fun-filled home environment designed with the cognitive, emotional, physical, social and artistic development of boys and girls aged 2 – 6 years in mind.
The Italian word Capriccio has the following meaning:
♪ A lively piece of music, short and free in form;
♪ A painting or work of art representing a fantasy or a mixture of real and imaginary features.
Both the above interpretations have bearing on our approach to early childhood development, designed to make the absolute most of the profound benefits of early exposure to the arts:
♪ We encourage children to develop a passion for the arts in the fleeting early years of life, while giving them the advantage of acquiring skills that will help them excel in other areas such as mathematics, languages, and science later in life. The expressive needs and individual developmental abilities of our children are always taken into account.
♪ We maintain an effective balance between right- and left brain stimulation.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein
At Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school, we are passionate about the power of art education in all its forms, namely music, dance, drama and visual art.
♪ We believe in art as a powerful means of learning, a premise we like to describe as arts-driven learning. The various forms of art have an infinite capacity to affect brain and body and act as a unifying force, a vehicle by which important cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills can be developed and integrated in young children.
♪ We believe that children possess an innate property for appreciation and enjoyment of the arts – a deep desire to express themselves through art, which need to be fulfilled in order for them to progress, selfactualize and foster healthy self-esteem.
♪ We believe that arts education is essential and profound to developing well-balanced and healthy communities.
We are a registered, Montessori and Reggio Emilia inspired ECD Independent School offering Grade R (Western Cape Education Department Reg. no. 13/1/4/H2379), focused on following the individual child, recognizing his/her ability to direct his/her own learning in a carefully prepared learning environment and enabling our children to develop at their own pace, following their own natural rhythm. The traditional Montessori areas of learning, namely practical life, education of the senses, literacy, numeracy & arithmetic, knowledge & understanding of the world, creativity, and outdoor learning, are integrated in our methodology and materials. We offer a loving home environment, in keeping with Maria Montessori’s “Casa dei Bambini” concept.
Elements of Waldorf education are also integrated, as we recognize that the pre-schooler is stimulated and nurtured through creative play and imitation. The inner experiences of awe and wonder are awakened amidst a daily structure of ritual and rhythm. Teachers are warm and caring guides who endeavour to expose the children to that which is truthful, good and beautiful.
Sport and technology: Encouraging sensible integration of technology whilst guiding our children toward a healthy lifestyle nurturing physical development through sport, are further important aspects addressed in our approach.
Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school provides a loving, fun-filled, all-round creative environment for little ones aged 2 – 6 years, functioning from within our Christian ethos, fostering family values, an affinity for the arts and creative thinking from a young age, allowing each child the freedom to flourish at his/her own pace and develop his/her own unique potential.
“I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century.”
– Gerald Gordon, Ph.D., President/CEO, Fairfax County (Virginia) Economic Development Authority
OUR CURRICULUM:
Our unique, well-researched curriculum sets the stage for emerging symbolic and creative thinking, advanced literacy and numeracy skills, and the ability to listen attentively. It is based on findings by acclaimed authors of works pertaining to child psychology, early childhood education, neurology and brain development, our own practical experience of more than 20 years in performing arts youth development and education and ongoing early childhood development research.
Our school week makes provision for elements and materials of the Montessori and mainstream methods to be combined with our specialized, Waldorf inspired creative development programmes, all of which form part of our curriculum (and are included in our school fees), delivered within the context of our current theme.
1. MONTESSORI CONTENT:
✓ Practical Life: Activities aimed at helping children develop skills which may assist them to become independent, including manipulative skills, care for the environment, self-care and courtesy.
✓ Education of the Senses: Materials and activities focusing on a specific sensory aspect such as visual perception, taste, smell, sound, texture, shape, weight or temperature.
✓ Language & Literacy: Activities to support emerging literacy include reading, story-telling and exposure to materials promoting writing and reading skills.
✓ Numeracy & Arithmetic: Materials and activities introducing the mathematical concepts of matching, pairing, sorting and sequencing, as well as estimation, symmetry and one-to-one correspondence, promoting logical systematic work.
✓ Knowledge & Understanding of the World: Materials and activities introducing children to geography, history, nature and culture studies.
2. SPECIALIST CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES:
♪ OKeyDoKids: Our specialist music programme that incorporates elements of music and sound, is delivered in our music studio during a weekly group session, covering percussion work, instruments, singing, listening and performance skills; and also includes regular engagement in fun theme-related action songs and rhymes.
♪ DemiDance: Our dance and creative movement programme, drawing inspiration from various forms of dance, such as ballet, hip hop, jazz, contemporary and tap, is delivered in our dance studio during a weekly age relevant session.
♪ ArtXpress: Our visual arts programme promotes self-expression, fine motor skills and creative application of our themes. It is presented in dedicated age appropriate group sessions including painting and/or craft-making work within a variety of mediums, but also involves regular opportunities for engagement in drawing, colouring-in, modelling, cutting or pasting activities in class and free expression within specific mediums.
Plot ‘n Play: Our Drama programme, presented weekly and integrated with our theme, encourages clear and confident speech, develops public speaking skills, basic theatre and performance skills, and involves abundant use of imagination and play.
♪ LocoMoto: Our dedicated motor skills programme that enhances gross motor skills development and balance, incorporates physical activities such as jumping, running, skipping, climbing, rolling and balancing. It is presented weekly in age relevant group sessions.
♪ Ball Bunnies: Our ball sports programme, designed to introduce children to ball sport skills, is presented weekly, aiding the development of ball sense and emphasizing the importance of participation in sport and/or regular physical activity, by means of a variety of fun ball activities and games.
♪ Karate: A combination of movement, basic karate techniques and physical strength and agility training, presented in a group setting.
♪ Cookin’ Clues: Our cooking and baking class fosters confidence and creativity in the kitchen whilst advocating healthy choices and lifestyle habits.
♪ Little Green Heart: Our “going green” programme instills love and respect in our children for nature, plants, animals, the environment and our planet.
♪ XperiWorld: Our science programme, consisting of fun science experiments and exploration, encourages analytical thinking in curious young minds.
♪ Sentegr8: Encouraging healthy sensory processing and integration via sensory play and tactile exploration.
♪ KiddoBytes (Senior Pre-school phase & Grade R): Our information technology programme that introduces children to elementary computer skills by means of educational computer games and activities conducted under supervision. Key focus areas include pairing, sorting, alphabet, numbers, colours, shapes, memory and theme relevant activities.
♪ Enrichment Programmes (two of below presented per week):
o EmotiCom: A module aimed at building positive self-esteem and raising our little ones’ emotional intelligence (EQ) through the use of stories, discussion, puppet shows and role play, helping them to learn how to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome emotional challenges, and defuse conflict.
o Manners Matter: This module introduces courtesy, etiquette and social skills, reinforcing learning through role play, stories, puppet theatre and other media.
o Valiant Values: Instilling values like respect, honesty, integrity, responsibility and sincerity by means of story-telling, games, puppeteering and role play.
o LifePrep: A module aimed at preparing our children for life via practical lessons learnt from the Bible.
We offer daily opportunities (weather permitting) for outdoor play – at which time our jungle gym, monkey bars, trampoline, bike track, outdoor toys and open lawn are enjoyed by the children.
During our daily Classroom Play & Learn sessions, we encourage little ones to engage in Montessori and mainstream educational activities, making use of a wide variety of didactic materials.
In terms of school readiness, as a Montessori inspired environment, we view the 3 – 6 year old window as a continuous cycle in which school readiness is developed. We offer a unique WCED registered Grade R curriculum that is arts-driven and CAPS aligned via use of curriculum resources and child-friendly workbooks; on completion of which our children receive a beautiful diploma.
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Our school is open on weekdays (Monday to Friday) from 7h30 – 16h50. (A waiting class arrangement can be made with the principal for drop-off at 7h20, should your child need to arrive earlier.) Grade R’s to arrive by 8h00; Senior Pre-schoolers to arrive by latest 8h20 and Junior Pre-schoolers to arrive by 8h50. Home-time is staggered for our different groups- Collection times: 12h15 (Mozart), 12h30 (Beethoven), 12h45 (Chopin), 13h00 (Stravinsky), 13h15 (Grade R). Afternoon care closes at 16h45.
EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES:
We offer a range of optional extramural lessons in the afternoons, including Art, Contemporary Modern dance, Hip hop & Jazz, Ballet, Flexinastix (pre-gymnastics) , Drama, one-on-one Piano and Vocal lessons, for children aged 3-9 yrs old. These lessons are presented by our school’s performing arts teacher, Tashai Simons. We also offer a sport skills extramural programme, Sport Stars Unite! presented by Carina Brits, one of our teachers who has a strong background in sport. Further information is available on request.
CALENDAR:
Our annual calendar is based on four school terms as advised towards the end of the previous school year. The school (including aftercare) is closed during school holidays and on public holidays. School closes earlier on the last day of term (no aftercare).
SNACKS & LUNCH:
Children have breakfast at home before coming to school and bring their own healthy snacks and lunch to school, as well as a clean bottle filled with fresh water daily. Provision needs to be made for a mid-morning snack and light lunch; aftercare children need to bring additional healthy snacks for the afternoon.
PARENT COMMUNICATION & FEEDBACK REPORTS:
We place a high premium on synergy between the school and home environment as conducive to the well-being of each of our little ones. We communicate with parents via email, our ChildCloud communicator and WhatsApp from time to time and encourage all to stay in tune with the latest school news and activities by following us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtsPreSchool/ and https://www.facebook.com/caprischools/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18997512/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/19003591/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtsPre and https://twitter.com/ArtsPowered
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capriccioartspoweredpreschool/ and https://www.instagram.com/caprischools/
We are not in favour of exposing children to strict evaluation / assessment procedures at a young age, but do provide two parent feedback reports up to Grade RR during the course of the year, i.e. mid-year and end-of-year. Grade R learners receive quarterly reports.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Non-refundable, once-off enrolment fee payable upon notification of successful application: R4,000 per child Fees are calculated annually based on four school terms and will be subject to annual escalation.
• 2020 School fees: R45,600 per annum payable monthly in advance in 12 instalments of R3,800 each (January to December), kindly due on the 1st day of each month.
• 2020 Afternoon care fees:
a. 5-days per week option: R18,000 per annum payable monthly in advance in 12 monthly instalments of R1,500 each (January to December), kindly due on the first day of each month.
b. 3-days per week option: R15,600 per annum payable monthly in advance in 12 monthly instalments of R1,300 each (January to December), kindly due on the first day of each month.
Annual educational supplies fee: Determined at R1,950 for 2020 (payable by end of November for the following year) payable upon enrolment (covers class stationery, art & sensory materials, starter clothing items, books, learner labels and other educational supplies; excludes selected hygiene supplies provided per learner).
For more information, feel free to contact the school via email or telephonically.
Assuring you of our best attention at all times and looking forward to sharing a magical adventure with you and your little one☺
Kind Regards,
Elbe Webber (managing owner)