New school takes shape

In just a few short months, Pinnacle College Waterfall will be opening its doors as a place where children can learn and grow.

The ADvTECH school, currently under renovation and located in Candican Road, will offer a mid-fee education that includes a very strong academic programme whilst giving learners the opportunity to grow and develop through sport and cultural activities. The school will open its doors for Grade 000 to Grade 9 learners in January and will eventually encompass the full school up to Grade 12.

On 20 September, a number of ADvTECH employees undertook a site visit to see the new grounds and give their input on what still needs to be added. “A number of staff members are here today,” explained Christelle Wolmarans, the public relations officer for ADvTECH. “They are going around the premises to see how construction is going and make a list of things that still need to be done – For example, the IT department is figuring out if they have all the plug points they need.

“The school can accommodate about 1 700,” she added. “When we open, we’ll have Grade 000s up until Grade 8 which is nearly full. We’ll then organically grow the school up to Grade 12. At the beginning, there will be one grade per class.” Pinnacle College Waterfall is one of six Pinnacle schools that ADvTECH has launched. The Waterfall campus is a little bit different from the others in that it’s buildings are not being built from scratch, but rather is based at what used to be a South African Brewery (SAB) training centre which is being renovated to better fit with the school’s needs.

“With this being a former SAB building, it is an interesting and different space that doesn’t quite look like any of our other schools,” explained Mike Aitken, the schools division chief executive officer for ADvTECH and one of the visitors on 20 September. “[ADvTECH] has been searching for a good mid-fee school [private schools that still require families to pay fees, but not as high fees as some of the other private schools] and we eventually came up with the concept of Pinnacle Colleges. “This school represents a certain standard of education that serves communities. “During the visit, visitors got to see the 15 classrooms that will be used after the first phase of work is complete (a second phase is planned for the next few years, as the school starts to grow).

Much thought was given to how the spaces will be used, and what different ages of children will need. “The classrooms for the Grade 1s, 2s and 3s are nice and big, about 80 square meters to a regular classroom size of about 55 square meters,” explained Barbara Eaton, the academic advisor for the pre-primary present during the visit. “Children that age don’t sit at desks, but need to get up and move as they learn. “Children will have the space to do enquiry learning, and these classrooms will also have round tables for when the children are collaborating and co-operating, which are important skills in a global company.” For the older children, the spaces in the new school have also been carefully considered, with a media centre being planned for the space that SAB formerly used as a presentation space.

“We want to turn it into a multi-media space,” Wolmarans added. “Little square pods will be placed here where different activities can happen at the same time, such as music practise or extra lessons. “It’s also a place where children can learn global competencies such as computer and programming skills. coding and robotics will be introduced to youngsters as part of the curriculum.”

Before the grand opening in January, the people behind the new school want to host a special welcome function for parents and learners alike to become familiar with the grounds. Nearly 200 children have already signed on to attend the new school, and all teaching positions besides two have been filled by new staff. Keith Armstrong, the newly selected principal of the school believes great things lie in the future.

“I’m very excited, we’ve got an amazing school here,” he told the Fourways Review. “It’s a beautiful campus and its fees match anything out there. “I love that it’s different space, with big rooms and beautiful finishes,” he concluded.

Details: www.pinnaclecolleges.co.za/ waterfall

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