Owner of School: Jacobs Well Village NPC

Established in 2008, by Pierre and Anke du Toit, Jacobs Well Village is a Non-Profit Company (NPC) and a Non-Governmental Organisation.

Our definition of a good education is that every learner should be equipped with academic, vocational, creative, personal, emotional, leadership and other life skills to serve in their communities, whether home, workplace or university.

Jacobs Well Schools are multi-lingual and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race or religion. We follow Biblical principles.

Our first school was established in 2008 in Valhalla, Centurion, Pretoria. Benoni is our second High School. A Pre-School for Early Childhood Development was established in 2012 in Raslouw, Centurion.

• Gauteng Dept of Education – CAPS Curriculum
• Umalusi – Registered for National Senior Certificates
• SACAI – Independent examination, assessment and moderation board
• SACE – Teachers and Teaching Assistants
• Local Dept of Mental Health
• Local Fire Dept

We make use of teachers and assistants so that the ratio remains 1:20.

• 2016:   R2 200-00 x 11 months
• 2017:   R2 350-00 x 11 months
• Once-off Registration Fee R900-00
• Parents buy books

Learners wear a branded golf shirt (available at the school @ +-R130) with denim jeans and tekkies. In winter branded jerseys and windbreakers will be added.

Jacobs Well Schools encourage mentor-protégé relationships of trust. In this process more skilled and experienced mentor leads, teaches, counsels and encourages the protégé to complete their assignments in the context of ongoing nurturing, within a disciplined framework. We therefore have teachers that are passionate about children and have a calling for education.

Learners are encouraged to share their joyous and painful experiences with their mentors. Jacobs Well Schools are associated with registered counsellors who help not only our learners, but also their families. Professionals we trust can help assess IQ, interest and aptitude to determine study directions for learners at reasonable costs.

Jacobs Well Schools offers an option that is different from the normal classroom situation to provide individualised facilitation as learners progress at their own pace. Though the classroom has an informal atmosphere, it is a disciplined educational environment.

Tina Cowley Remedial Reading in English and Afrikaans is on offer during school hours or after school hours at an affordable additional cost. After a once off evaluation session, a qualified trainer will present 45 minute sessions once per week in English and once per week in Afrikaans. The sessions ends with Perceptual Development that also aids Maths.

Tina Cowley Neuro Focus Therapy, which comes as highly recommended as a separate value-added service to support learners with ADHD or focus and concentration problems, is also available at an extra cost.

Costs:

• R400-00 for personal evaluation of child
• R125-00 per 45 minute session for English reading, writing and comprehension
• R125-00 per 45 minutes session Afrikaans reading, writing and comprehension

Since reading and writing skills are the foundations of education, an improvement of between 4% – 60% in learner’s average marks are achieved, depending on how much progress was gained through the Tina Cowley program.

We offer the CAPS Curriculum using text books as advised by the Gauteng Dept of Education. Blended learning, i.e. making use of teachers in class and remotely via technology, enables Jacobs Well Schools to make excellent schooling affordable. The subjects that will be presented at this school, using blended learning (real time and remote) are:

• Grade 8 and 9 according to Gauteng Dept of Education
• English
• Second language
• Maths/ maths literacy
• Natural Sciences (Gr 8 & 9)
• Life Sciences (Gr 10 – 12)
• Physical Sciences (Gr 10 – 12)
• Accounting
• Business studies
• Economics
• Hospitality
• Tourism studies
• Life Orientation
• Consumer Studies
• Design

At Jacobs Well Schools we believe that every child should be computer literate so that they are ready for the job market or university. During school hours they will work for the following certificates:

• Gr 8: Digital Literacy
• Gr 9: Introduction to Micro Soft Office Specialist (MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access)
• Gr 10: Intermediate Micro Soft Office Specialist
• Gr 11: MOS Advanced Micro Soft Office Specialist

Jacobs Well Schools focus on streamlining learners into either university exemption or vocational preparation.

As vocational option we offer tourism and hospitality because it is a growing industry worldwide. We will work together with the Guest Houses and Hotels where learners will do practical work at hotels and guest houses during school holidays to gain experience. This will give our learners the advantage of being exposed to the labour market and may place them in a preferential position for vacancies in those companies.

The learners will also on a first hand basis spend time in our fully equipped kitchen on campus which caters for up to 300 people per day. In this very kitchen the cooks were trained for Nelson Mandela’s inauguration banquet.

We have dedicated Math and Science teachers who are passionate about their subjects.

Learners are offered the normal academic schooling to prepare for university entrance to train for a profession. Learners who want to receive University Degrees are led to choose the right subjects for applications into their respective fields.

07h45 to 13h45 daily

School terms are the same as Gauteng Dept of Education.

• Dr Hendrik Barnard (Counsellor)
• Drs Elina Maanselka-Botha (Finnish Connection)
• Pierre du Toit (CEO and Founder Jacobs Well)
• Cheryl Velthuysen (Principal Valhalla)
• Dr Henriette Botha (Director Jacobs Well)

Jacobs Well Schools are registered private schools at the Dept of Basic Education. The leaders of Jacobs Well Village have connections with the Finnish Education System, regarded as the best in the world, and implement some of their principles. Jacobs Well Schools’ leadership works with leaders in the Finnish Education System.
We envisage an exchange system where our learners and teachers will visit Finland.
Finnish learners and student teachers will visit SA to upgrade our service delivery to come in alignment with theirs, being the best in the world.                                               

We currently implement the following elements of the Finnish Education system:

• Qualified teachers and mentors who have a calling as educators;
• Expectancy of our teachers to improve their professional learning to Master’s Degrees;
• Personalized, individual attention given to learners in a mentoring relationship;
• Learners are taught to self-educate, discover, enjoy the education process;
• Trust relationships between children, teachers and parents;
• Creation of learning environments;
• Teachers and learners are held accountable for progress;
• Less time spent teaching, more time facilitating and mentoring
• Mentoring and facilitating education with low learner teacher ratios;
• Student teachers who assist teachers in class.
• Grade 8 and 9 do normal basic education;
• After assessment at the end of grade 9 and with consultation of the parents, Grade 10, 11 and 12 split into academic schooling to prepare for University entrance or a vocational Matric suited to the working world.

We will also implement an exchange system where our learners, students and teachers will visit Finland. Finnish learners, students and teachers will visit SA to upgrade and ensure service delivery to our learners.                           

An application for enrolment form is available on the internet. The fully completed form is emailed or handed in at the office. We approve enrolment of learners on an individual basis only after an interview.

Teachers, mentors and learners should demonstrate the following principles

• Courtesy, which is founded in respect for all people, regardless of race, religion, age and status.
• Pride in oneself and one’s appearance.
• Pride in his/her contribution and membership in the school.
• Awareness of his/her role and responsibilities in the school and the community.
• We expect Jacobs Well Schools’learners to:
• Treat all teachers and mentors with respect and dignity.
• Be friendly and respectful to fellow students, mentors and visitors.
• Treat each other’s belongings with the necessary respect.
• Take care of their personal belongings. Jacobs Well Schools will not be held responsible for personal items that are stolen.
• Switch off cell phones and MP3-players during study time. Parents are welcome to contact the school in case of emergency.
• Not use crude or foul language.
• Be worthy of the trust placed in them.
• Regarding appearance and behavior Jacobs Well Schools’learners should:
• Arrive punctually in the mornings.
• Show pride in personal appearance, to dress neatly in jeans and a t-shirt, to keep hair clean and in neat styles. Girls must wear tops that cover their midriffs.
• Not use excessive make-up and jewellery.
• Treat their surroundings with respect – the furniture, equipment, the garden and the toilet facilities.
• Use the refuge bins for any trash and chewing gum.
• Respect each other with the use of the toilet facilities and leave these areas clean after use.
• No smoking is allowed inside or around the building.
• No use of alcohol allowed.

Breaks:

• Students are allowed to use the garden area to relax.
• Students should bring healthy snacks for break to keep their energy levels constant.
• Good food will be for sale in the cafeteria.

True education takes place constantly, regardless of time or place for children learn by what they live. General knowledge, behaviour patterns, respect, gratefulness, orderliness and discipline of the child are the responsibilities of the parent, not the education system. Jacobs Well Schools will endorse and support all of the above while a learner is on our premises. When a learner transgresses Jacobs Well Schools’ code of conduct, we expect the parent to endorse and support us.

We undertake to communicate openly regarding problems experienced by learners. Our teachers and mentors are dedicated and experienced youth workers who have helped many children and their parents. Should a parent have a problem with the mentors of Jacobs Well Schools, we value the same open discussion.