Describe your image
Describe your image
Welcome To Stone House
The privilege of parenthood brings with it the responsibility of planning for the future of our children. Difficult decisions must often be made, with the only guideline being the fact that whatever choices we make, we want to do the best that we can for our children and place them in a school that is going to be the right place for them as individual people. At home, we ensure that the values we instill in our children will equip them for the future. It is, however, the time that they spend with others – teachers and friends - that concerns us most, for much of it is beyond our control. An alignment of school values and those of the home is an important fact that affects the decision that we make.
Therefore, the choice of a place of learning is possibly one of the most important decisions that you may make as a parent, as this decision will ultimately impact upon your child’s ability to succeed in life. At Stone House, we aim to offer you peace of mind, as we not only prepare your child academically but also emotionally, socially, morally and physically, in preparation for the challenges ahead.
We invite you to visit us at any time, and we hope that we will be able to share, with you, our vision for ‘lifelong learning’ and our programme for academic excellence.
What parents need for their children
It is our understanding that most parents have four basic requirements of the education that a school provides. These are:
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They want them to be safe from physical and emotional harm and from harmful substances.
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They want them to be happy.
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The want them to become independent and acquire self-confidence
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They want them to be well-accepted by other children and the adults whom they meet.
We want our school to meet all those needs and we also endeavour to help our children to be adaptable and to be resilient in the face of difficulties. That means that they will have to learn to think on their feet and work their way through problems and challenges.
What Stone house wants for it's children
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We are committed to enable them to take their place and hold their own confidently when they enrol for the next phase of their education
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We envisage that they will acquire a comprehensive basket of appropriate skills and age-appropriate technological skills to give them the confidence to explore their world and make a difference in the lives of others
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We are committed to provide a nationally recognised curricular programme and to meet and surpass the standards required by the Basic Department of Education
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Classes will generally be limited to 10 children
The Foundation Stones
We have always believed that our combination of play and imaginative teaching which is enhanced by the effective use of technology, all under-pinned by sound values, respect for others and a generosity of spirit hold together as the foundation stones of our school. All of this happens in a school environment that is safe, healthy and caring.
We acknowledge that there is no substitute for developing a strong foundation of literacy and numeracy skills, and we are committed to ensuring that all our students have a sound grasp of language and mathematical concepts. Everyone needs these and they are core to effective learning.
We have always believed that our combination of play and imaginative teaching which is enhanced by the effective use of technology, all under-pinned by sound values, respect for others and a generosity of spirit hold together as the foundation stones of our school. All of this happens in a school environment that is safe, healthy and caring.
We acknowledge that there is no substitute for developing a strong foundation of literacy and numeracy skills, and we are committed to ensuring that all our students have a sound grasp of language and mathematical concepts. Everyone needs these and they are core to effective learning.
Free to be me
The Building Stones
Who Are We
Most good schools are unique in some way or another, and Stone House is no exception. At its core is the original house on the farm Navar not far from the Eastern Cape town of Elliot. It used to be a hotel where passengers on the nearby rail track could break their journey north or south to have a meal or spend a night.
It was the vision and determination of the founding Head that has seen it grow from very humble beginnings into the happy, forward thinking and progressive school community that it is today. The passion for education which is so very evident in the work that has been done by Mrs Debbie Cloete and her team of parents and teachers has been one of the main supporting rocks of this project.
In its first ten years Stone House, like the proverbial butterfly, has evolved and grown into a special school which can justifiably claim to be progressive and forward-thinking. The Covid-19 virus has propelled education in South Africa into a very different mode of operation which has enabled teaching and learning to re-focus on what schools need to do and to re-imagine the outcomes that they seek to provide for their children.
THE BUTTERFLY OF FREEDOM
“Why do you fly outside the box?” “I fly outside the box because I can.” “But we know the box. We are SAFE inside the box.” “That, my friend, is why I leave it. For you may be safe…but I AM FREE!”
Understanding ideas rather than learning facts
For far too long, the focus of South African education has been on learning content, rather than dissecting ideas and thinking creatively about them.
While we understand that mastering basic language and numeracy skills is vital, we also believe that encouraging curiosity, understanding the connectedness of things, being encouraged to think creatively to seek solutions to problems, outside of the box if necessary are all key activities which promote effective learning.
This includes re-thinking the whole question of assessment.
Explore
Grade 000 -
Grade R
We have chosen to follow the Reggio Emelia approach and the Key to Learning Curriculum, both of which are used in many countries around the world. We are a Key to Learning Licensed Centre,(www.keytolearning.com) the first in the Eastern Cape. Teachers and parents are constantly asking the same question: How do we get children excited about learning?
When it comes to teaching young children, we know that rote learning can be the very thing that drives them away. Making education practical and immersive in the early years is a good place to start, then the fun is sure to follow.
The Reggio Emilia approach is masterful at teaching children through play. The early childhood education philosophy encourages children to draw on their:
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untapped and unlimited potential
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curiosity
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unique insights into their own learning
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scientific minds to experiment and learn through play
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In a nutshell, our approach and curriculum works because they fundamentally address children’s curiosity and creativity more effectively than traditional learning approaches and curriculums.
Grade 1 -
Grade 3
Inspire
Stone House meets the basic requirements of the South African National Curriculum statement which we enrich by using Cambridge English, Mathematics, Science, Time2Read and Number Sense. This provides a broad and balanced programme that seeks to offer children a wide variety of educational routes and the opportunity to grow their individual talents.
All of this is led and guided by experienced and imaginative classroom activators who will take your children on a stimulating journey involving the use of a variety of skills during these formative years. They make use of collaborative learning techniques and an inquiry-based approach.
Connect
Grade 4
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Grade 6
The journey of preparation for life in the 21st century continues.
While we are committed to ensure that we meet the requirements of the National Curriculum Statement, we understand that there is a need to go beyond, if we are to prepare our young people to take the next step.
We have committed ourselves to the development of a curriculum which is less about content and rote learning, and more about the development of a basket of skills, as mentioned above.
In addition, we believe that the introduction of Coding and Robotics will give our children the opportunity to develop computational thinking skills. What does this mean? Computational thinking encourages learners to start with an outcome in mind. They then learn to use coding concepts in their attempts to reach that outcome. It is not always simple, and they often run into problems. They must be determined and resilient to try to find the "bugs" in their code. If they can do this, they are able to solve their problem and achieve their goal
giving them immense satisfaction in the process. They can then reflect on the process, to figure out if they could achieve the same result more efficiently.
This process can be applied to many aspects of their lives as they grow older - even if they have no interest in coding or robotics moving forward.
We have been fortunate to source an online primary school course that presents this exciting activity directly from Cape Town, and lessons will commence in 2021 for this group of students.
Beyond the academic program
Sport
Stone House is a small school and has chosen , as is the philosophy of many of the countries independent schools, that participation, learning the game, good sportsmanship, being a team player and fundamental long term athletic skills while having fun is far more important than competitive sport at a young age. Coaching clinics are held when the opportunity arises. All our children that have moved on from our school have become competent sportsmen and women. There is a detailed sports policy on our website.
Creative Arts
These are held in high esteem at our school, as balance is especially important to us. All our teachers are passionate about art and children produce a variety of amazing art pieces.
We are fortunate to have a qualified music teacher on our staff. She is an integral part of class music lessons, all our drama productions, which I may add are the highlight of our year. Mrs Fourie also offers private music tuition and we have a successful Music Evening every year.
Our Outdoor Education programme
We believe strongly in the benefit of getting out of one’s normal routine and getting away from it into nature. Our environment lends itself to not only a happy and relaxed atmosphere, but opportunities to learn from outdoor experiences such as our 2km Hambela Impilo( healthy walk/run) three times a week along our gravel road that helps to keep the children fit. On warm mornings we meet for 10 minutes of stretching and Mind Moves.
Once a year all the children go on a two-night camp close by. Our pre-school has an outdoor classroom with a beautiful view of the dam. Soon we hope to have another outdoor learning space for the rest of the school.
Our amazing staff
It is the policy of Stone House to engage teachers who are creative and energetic, who have demonstrated real passion for what they do in a school and who are likely to be relevant, authentic and interesting to young children. We understand the difficulties of recruiting people to a country town, but we make it our goal to develop and retain committed and competent staff.
Legal & financial matters
Governance: The Board meets once a term and is responsible for the effective governance of Stone House School and to ensure that it is managed on sound business principles. We also have a Finance Committee. All financials are available on request by any parent as we believe in transparency. Most of the school’s profits are put back into the school for the benefit of the children.
The auditors are Theron du Plessis, in Aliwal North
Values, ethos and discipline
Both parents and children are required to attest to their acceptance of the school’s statement on values and discipline as a condition of enrolment. The school pays careful attention to the issues of appropriateness of dress, appearance, manners and self-discipline so as to ensure a happy and secure community.
Stone House is a multi-faith school which focuses on the values to be found in Christian teachings.
Fees: It is the policy of Stone House to set fees at a level that will enable Stone House to attract the best leaders and teaching staff and to fund an educational programme that is both challenging and of a high standard. There is a non-refundable Enrolment Deposit which is used to develop the school’s physical facilities and educational opportunities.