Our Story
A Passion Project
Our humble beginnings took root in our extra garage, where we transformed it into a vibrant classroom. It was a small space with one green wall, a charming brown desk with compartments, and a modest bookshelf that separated the library from the classroom. Jaydene, my first teaching partner, and I had the pleasure of teaching our first grade 1 class there for six months.
Anna from Germany, Maddy from Canada, Seamy from America, and Sally's family from Korea had just arrived in the country and were eagerly waiting for a spot at the International School.
As a new mother, I decided to take a year off after teaching at the International School for two and a half years. It was during this time that the families of our first students approached me, and we had a fun-filled summer together while they waited for their school year to start at the International School in August. When June came around, more children were on the waiting list, this time for grade 2, and I had six kids starting in August.
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In search of more space, I contacted a friend of a friend who had a preschool in Chartwell and asked if we could put up a classroom next to hers.
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June and July were a blur of activity. We quickly ordered curriculum from families travelling to the States, bought new furniture, put up a giant log cabin, planted grass, built bathrooms, and ordered playground equipment.
Over the next two years, word of our differentiated learning and international curriculum spread among South African families. I realized that kids thrive when their anxiety is low, their motivation is high, and when their teachers know them well and can make learning relevant to them.
With highly skilled teachers and the best curriculum in the world, our school saw amazing results.
By 2016, we had expanded into the barns and almost taken over the preschool playground with 20 students. But we needed even more space. One day, while driving to Lanseria Airport we spotted a large "Property for Auction" sign. On impulse, we took a sharp turn and rang the doorbell. A security guard living on the property let us in, and we immediately saw the potential of the large farmhouse, stables, cottages, and jumping arena.
It was a stressful time, but we persevered with the support of an incredible team of family and friends, including Bridget, Meghann, Liza, Kendal, Vanessa, Courtney, and Pippa.
In January 2017, after six months of building, the school was about to start, and we were ready thanks to the dedication of our team. It was a beginning, a transformation of education, personalized for each student.
As we look forward, it feels like this was just the beginning of our journey...
Although it was overgrown with blue gums and the pool was black, we could picture it as the perfect setting for classrooms leading onto a joint library, music and art rooms, playgrounds, and fields. We approached current parents at the school, and my parents, who saw the vision and invested in the property. Construction began within a month.
