Welcome to Green School South Africa

Welcome to a school where curiosity, creativity and innovation flourish. Welcome to a school that inspires and equips its learners and community to thrive with purpose, now and in the future. Welcome to a campus that ignites the senses and creates a sense of wonder in adults and children alike. Welcome to Green School South Africa.

Green School South Africa educates for sustainability in a progressive, learner-centred way. We are focused on preparing young people to thrive in a changing world. Our carefully researched educational approach is designed to ignite a love for lifelong learning, a joyful, wonderous journey, and teach our learners the skills we believe are required to thrive now and in the future.

We believe that each child learns differently and with 1 teacher for every 10 learners, we provide a personalised approach to our learners.

We’re part of the global Green School movement, launched in 2008 by Green School Bali. Green School South Africa is the third school in this global network, along with Green School New Zealand.

Our programme is offered as Kindergarten (ages 3 – 6), Primary (Grades 1 – 5), Middle School (Grades 6 – 8) and High School (Grades 9 – 12). Read more about our learning programme here.

Welkom by Green School Suid-Afrika

Welkom by ’n skool waar ons fokus op kreatiwiteit, innovasie en entrepreneurskap. Welkom by ’n skool wat poog om sy studente en gemeenskap te inspireer en toe te rus om hulle doelstellings na te streef, nou en in die toekoms. Welkom by ’n kampus wat die sintuie prikkel en kinders en grootmense in verwondering laat staan. Welkom by Green School Suid-Afrika.

Green School Suid-Afrika is toegewyd tot onderwys vir volhoubaarheid op ’n progressiewe, student-georiënteerde manier. Ons fokus daarop om jong mense voor te berei vir ’n veranderende wêreld. Ons goed nagevorsde onderwysbenadering is spesifiek ontwerp om ’n liefde vir leer te kweek as ’n wonderlike, vreugdevolle ervaring en ons leer ons studente die vaardighede wat ons glo nodig is om te floreer: nou én in die toekoms.

Ons glo dat elke kind sy unieke leervoorkeure het, en met 1 onderwyser vir elke 10 studente kan ons ’n persoonlike benadering vir elke student volg.

Ons is deel van die internasionale Green School beweging wat in 2008 begin is deur Green School Bali. Green School Suid-Afrika is die derde skool in die netwerk, saam met Green School Nieu-Zeeland.

Ons skoolervaring is opgedeel in Kleuterskool (ouderdomme 3 – 6), Laerskool (Graad 1 – 5), Middelskool (Graad 6 – 8) en Hoërskool (Graad 9 – 12). Lees meer oor ons leerprogram hier.

A school with a purpose

Green School’s purpose is to educate for sustainability through community-integrated, entrepreneurial learning, immersed in a natural environment.

We believe that we must prepare the youth of today to deal the challenges of a changing world. A world that faces different challenges compared to previous generations. We cannot educate our children to succeed in our past: we must educate them for their future. A new model of education is not only possible but necessary. This will require a completely different mindset and set of skills and these are at the heart of a Green School education. In addition to learning how to spell and count, we have to integrate sustainability into our learning, and to lead by example. This means that our campus is green, our procurement is green, our habits are green and our curriculum is green.

’n Skool met 'n doel

Green School se doel is om te onderrig vir volhoubaarheid deur gemeenskap-geïntegreerde, entrepreneuriese leer in ‘n natuurlike omgewing.

Ons glo dat ons die jeug van vandag moet voorberei om die uitdagings van ‘n veranderende wêreld die hoof te kan bied. Ons kan nie kinders grootmaak om in die verlede te floreer nie: ons moet hulle toerus vir die toekoms. ‘n Nuwe model van onderwys is nie net moontlik nie, maar nodig. Dit vereis ‘n heeltemal ander instelling en vaardighede, en hierdie is die kruks van ‘n Green School-opvoeding. Bykomend tot leer om te lees en skryf, integreer ons volhoubaarheid in alles wat ons doen, en lei deur ‘n voorbeeld te stel. Ons stel ‘n voorbeeld vir ‘n ander manier deur ‘n groen kampus te hê, groen aankope te doen, groen gewoontes te kweek en ‘n groen kurrikulum te volg.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela

A different curriculum

Our learning programme consists out of learning objectives, 21st century skills and our iRESPECT values. Our timetable includes a carefully balanced mixture of proficiencies, thematic classes and experiential learning. We follow a child-centered approach to learning, and believe that each child’s inherently curiosity drive their learning, and that a joyful and inspiring learning environment enables learning.

Our high school learners follow a four-year personalised learning programme and obtain an American High School Diploma.

'n Anderse kurrikulum

Ons leerprogram bestaan uit leerdoelwitte, 21ste eeuse vaardighede, en ons iRESPECT waardes. Ons rooster bestaan uit drie leerraamwerke: vaardigheidsvlak klasse, tematiese klasse, en ondervindingsleer klasse. Ons glo in ‘n leerder-gesentreerde benadering, dat elke kind se natuurlike nuuskierigheid hul dryf vir leer aanspoor, en ‘n vrolike leeromgewing met ‘n fokus op die kinders, leer bevorder.

Ons hoërskoolleerders volg ‘n vier jaar persoonlike leer program, en matrikuleer met ‘n Amerikaanse Hoërskool Diploma.

A joyful, child-friendly learning environment

One of the objectives of our physical learning environment is to be a joyful place, that nurtures curiosity. In designing our campus, we have consciously necessitated regular movement and walking, skipping or running through our gardens that not only increase oxygen in little bodies, but creates opportunities to smell herbs, see butterflies and engage in the joy of living.

All our classrooms have ample natural light and natural ventilation. And our daily routine includes a morning break and lunch break, designed to be child-friendly, with enough time to eat, pee and play.

Another critical element in being human-friendly is nutrition. We provide a healthy morning snack and sit down, home-cooked lunch that meets children’s nutritional needs while providing them with slow release energy to sustain them through the day.

Vreugdevolle leer in 'n kinder-vriendelike omgewing

Een van die doelwitte van ons fisiese leeromgewing is om ‘n vreugdevolle plek te wees wat nuuskierigheid aanwakker. Die ontwerp van ons kampus noodsaak doelbewus gereelde beweging – klein lyfies wat stap, huppel, en hardloop deur die tuin bevorder sirkulasie en skep geleenthede om kruie te ruik, skoenlappertjies te sien en die vreugde van lewe te ervaar.

Ons klaskamers het ‘n oorvloed van natuurlike lig en ventilasie. Ons kinder-vriendelike daaglikse roetine bestaan uit ‘n oggend pouse en ‘n middagete breek wat genoeg tyd gee om te eet, piepie en speel.

Voeding is nog ‘n baie belangrike mensvriendelike element. Ons voorsien ‘n gesonde oggend peuselhappie en ‘n tuisgemaakte maaltyd vir middagete wat die nodige voedingswaarde bevat om die kinders energie te gee deur die dag.

Educating for sustainability

We teach connection – to ourselves, each other and the earth as a starting point. We teach beauty and wonder and how to marvel at the natural world. We instill a love of little creatures and large ones, of the magic of science and natural systems – the ocean, the atmosphere, life on land. And then we teach about small challenges and how each of us can make a difference, taking small actions we have control over. Only then do we introduce larger challenges.

Green School’s approach to educating about environmental and social challenges is a structured, well throught out strategy based on David Sobel’s book: Beyond Ecophobia. We used the stepping stones laid out in the book to develop a comprehensive plan that doesn’t dwell on the negative, but instead builds a real sense of wonder, joy and connection to nature. Through this appreciation children develop an intrinsic desire to protect what they have come to love, and are less likely to succumb to ecophobia, a feeling of powerlessness to prevent cataclysmic environmental change.

Leer vir volhoubaarheid

As ‘n beginpunt leer ons oor konneksies – met onsself, mekaar, en die planeet. Ons leer die waarde van skoonheid en ontsag, en hoe om te verwonderd te staan oor die prag van die natuurlike wêreld. Ons kweek ‘n liefde vir diere groot en klein, sowel as die wonders van wetenskap en natuurlike stelses – die oseaan, atmosfeer, en lewe op land. Dan begin ons leer oor klein uitdagings en hoe elkeen van ons ‘n verskil kan maak en klein aksies kan neem waaroor ons beheer het. Eers dan stel ons groter uitdagings bekend.

Green School se benadering tot onderrig oor omgewings- en sosiale kwessies volg ‘n goed-gestruktureerde deurdagte strategie gebaseer op David Sobel se boek Beyond Ecophobia. Dit is ‘n omvattende plan wat nie op die negatief konsentreer nie, maar eerder ‘n ware gevoel van verwondering en vreugde kweek, en ‘n diepe verbintenis met die natuur bou. Deur hierdie waardering ontwikkel kinders ‘n intrinsieke begeerte om te beskerm wat hulle lief het, en is minder geneig om te swig voor ecophobia, ‘n gevoel van magteloosheid om rampspoedige omgewingsverandering te voorkom.