Welcome to Capriccio Arts Powered Preparatory in 2021
Thank you for your interest in our education facility – a creative, inspiring, family-like learning environment designed with the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and artistic development of young boys and girls in mind.
ABOUT CAPRICCIO! ARTS POWERED PREPARATORY
Capriccio! Arts Powered Preparatory is an arts-powered, inspiring learning environment that offers learners a holistic and creative educational experience. Our innovative approach to primary education is specifically designed to provide learners with an enriched curriculum, incorporating elements of Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia into the CAPS curriculum (the official national curriculum prescribed by the Department of Basic Education, which oversees primary and secondary education in South Africa), against the backdrop of our Christian ethos.
Capriccio! Arts Powered Preparatory came to life as a response to requests from parents of learners at our established Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school for extension of our unique, arts powered pre-school curriculum into foundation phase education. In 2019, we accommodated our first, small group of Grade 1 learners and will be catering for Grade 1 to Grade 3 learners in 2021.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein
At Capriccio! Arts Powered Preparatory, we believe that education should be experienced as an enjoyable, inspiring adventure – It should provide children with a safe space and a sense of belonging in which to truly explore their creative potential in its widest sense. In the process, their curiosity should awaken naturally, gently propelling them forward to want to know more, instilling in them a life-long love of learning.
With many well-researched models of education available, we believe that it makes sense to integrate different elements that best serve our children’s educational interests in modern times.
True to our arts-powered roots, 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, self-actualise and foster healthy self-esteem.
♪ We believe that arts education is essential and profound to developing well-balanced and healthy communities.
♪ We offer a warm and inviting, family-like learning environment, in keeping with Maria Montessori’s “Casa dei Bambini” concept.
OUR CURRICULUM
Our academic offering draws inspiration from and integrates elements of well-proven educational models such as Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia, with more traditional mainstream methods, resulting in our unique, creativity-infused learning experience.
To ensure that our learners stay on track with the South African schooling system and remain well on their way to obtaining the National Senior Certificate (NSC) in Grade 12, we follow CAPS as our core curriculum. Our core curriculum materials and resources are provided by Impaq Education and we facilitate Impaq’s CAPS aligned assessments. No additional assessments are conducted, nor do we expose learners at this tender age to the pressure of unnecessary tests, as we believe that primary school children benefit greatly from having time to play and socialise with family and friends.
• Emphasis is placed on the following skills which is in keeping with current global educational trends:
→ CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
We teach our learners to ask questions and think for themselves.
→ COLLABORATION AND LEADING BY INFLUENCE
We endeavour instilling in each child the value of being a good team player, to know their own strengths and talents – This enhances the learning environment and encourage co-operative and independent learning.
→ INITIATIVE AND ENTREPRENEURIALISM
Children are inspired to become creators and change-makers. We provide them with the tools necessary to utilise their individual abilities and to eventually use them to meet economic opportunities.
→ GOOD ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
We provide our children with a platform to convey their ideas and emotions clearly and concisely
– encouraging global awareness, and confidence for public speaking.
Core curriculum (CAPS):
→ Language: development of reading, writing, comprehension and oral communication skills
→ Mathematics: development of numeracy skills
→ Life Skills: in accordance with CAPS, the intellectual, emotional, physical and social development of our learners are nurtured through our own specialised curriculum modules, with pertinent focus on instilling values and building emotional intelligence and resilience in our learners.
Along with CAPS Language, Mathematics and Life Skills, the Montessori starting point for all courses of the Cultural Curriculum is followed, which involves the Five Great Lessons as a framework. The curriculum seeks to develop in the child a sense of the connectedness of things, to understand that:
• We all share the sacredness of life
• We all belong to groups and institutions
• We all place ourselves in time and space
• We are an inseparable part of nature
• We are all engaged in producing and consuming
• We all seek to live with purpose.
Our Christian ethos provides a consistent foundation upon which is built to instil family values – Practical lessons from the Bible form part of equipping our learners for a meaningful life.
Technology is integrated under supervision of teachers without it becoming overly prominent.
Promoting health and fitness as a life-long priority for our learners, is a further important aspect addressed in our approach. We encourage the development of sport skills and fitness through our physical education programme.
Creative Development:
Providing our learners with an effective outlet to express themselves in an enjoyable way through the visual and performing arts (music, dance & drama), helps them to explore their creative potential and nurture their creativity. This is a top priority for us, as arts-driven learning develops in them a variety of invaluable skills for life, enhancing and integrating their cognitive, physical, emotional and social growth.
“I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century.” – Gerald Gordon, Ph.D., President/CEO, Fairfax County (Virginia) Economic Development Authority
DAILY SCHEDULE
- Arrival time: 7.30 – 7.50, to commence at 8am.
- Afternoon collection time: 1.15pm.
- Afternoon care is available (additional cost applies) until 4.45pm.
EXTRA-MURAL LESSONS
We offer a selection of optional extra-mural lessons at our school in the afternoons. Further information is available upon request.
CALENDAR
Our annual calendar is aligned with four academic terms as advised towards the end of the previous year. Our facility (including aftercare & extra-mural lessons) is closed during holiday periods and on public holidays. Holiday programs/workshops are offered at an additional cost.
SNACKS & LUNCH
Learners bring their own, healthy mid-morning snacks and packed light lunch in a clearly labelled lunch box. Should they be attending afternoon care, they provide their own healthy afternoon snacks.
PARENT COMMUNICATION & FEEDBACK REPORTS
We place a high premium on synergy between the learning and home environment as conducive to the well-being of each of our learners.
We communicate with parents via email, WhatsApp and ChildCloud communicator and encourage all to stay in tune with the latest news and activities via our social media platforms:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caprischools/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtsPowered
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caprischools/
We also provide a regular parent newsletter and facilitate quarterly progress reports.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
• Once-off, non-refundable enrolment fee: R4,000 (not applicable to learners who completed their Grade R year at Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school). Kindly note that this does not include educational supplies.
• Fees: billed annually based on four academic terms; subject to annual escalation, as advised at the end of each academic year for the following year.
2021 fees: R48,000 per annum payable monthly in advance in 12 instalments of R4,000 each (January to December), kindly due on the 1st day of each month.
• 2021 Afternoon care fees – (optional; subject to annual escalation):
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 (subject to annual escalation):
For 2021, R1,950 payable by end of November of the previous year or upon registration, covering class stationery, textbooks, art materials, ingredients towards specific projects, school shirt for newcomers, exercise books, workbooks and other educational supplies.
Information with regard to selected hygiene/household items to be supplied per learner twice a year, will be provided in our Parent Information letter.
Should a learner be absent from attending for any period of time, all fees due for that period will continue to be payable. In the case of a learner’s discontinued attendance, advance written notice of one complete academic quarter (3 months) is required.
THE ENROLMENT PROCESS
Capriccio! Arts Powered Preparatory is an education facility registered with the WCED as a primary school offering Foundation Phase education. Parents enrol their children by completing the relevant application. Once the application for enrolment has been accepted, they proceed with payment of the once-off enrolment fee.
We obtain and utilise comprehensive educational products of a high standard, based on the national curriculum (CAPS), which core elements (Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills) are implemented into our unique, enriched learning experience. This ensures that our learners are aligned with and remain on track with the South African schooling system, enabling them to easily migrate to another school, should this be required and to continue their journey towards obtaining the Grade 12 National Senior Certificate.
We look forward to sharing this exciting educational adventure with you and your child. Feel free to contact us should you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Rosina Lee-Warden (principal)
CAPRICCIO! PRIVATE SCHOOL
Incorporating:
Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school Reg. no: 13/1/4 H2379 Capriccio! Arts Powered Preparatory Reg. no: 0100000692
Tel: (021) 551-7008
Email: principal@caprischools.co.za Website: www.caprischools.co.za