Raising children in faith

JUSTISIA SHIPENA
Elizabeth Joseph



Shining Stars Pre-School’s motto is “where excellence begins”, and aims to stay true to Proverbs 22:6, which reads: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”.

SSS opened its doors on 10 January 2011 with an initial group of 12 learners, and was formed as a result of the need to contribute to excellence in children right from elementary stages.

The school has a training trust and believes in empowering children from a tender age. The spiritual, mental, physical and academic excellence provided to learners is aimed at training children holistically and developing an independent child who can fearlessly face the future.

A usual day at SSS starts with a devotional prayer and message led by the school principal, Vongai Mudimba, affectionately known as Teacher Vee.

She is a vibrant woman with a calling to love, teach and train learners from all walks of life.

This is followed by a daily reading of school rules to ensure that learners are reminded of the dos and don’ts of the school for purposes of order and safety.

Learners often look forward to Wednesdays. They love driving out of the school to Paresis Show Ground. They get a chance to join their sister school Good Success Pre-School for sports activities. They also train with a fitness, soccer and sports coach popularly known as Coach Father. With him, they run, stretch and dribble a ball.

Academically, SSS ranks among the top preschools in Otjiwarongo. Upon graduating, most SSS learners are well received at competitive schools such as Vooruit Primary School, Donatus and Edugate Academy.

This is because of the excellent foundation given in maths, English, social studies, science and discovery, physical education, information technology and Bible studies as well as music and art. All these subjects are learnt through play, which makes children engage as much as possible.

The school is known for celebrating birthdays, fun days as well as termly school tours.

This department is headed by Teacher Lulu who is a fun, loving individual. In November 2019, learners had a memorable experience going to see the airplanes landing and taking off at the airport in Windhoek.

Most parents happily support the school. Open communication is maintained through their open-door policy where parents are free to come in any time to check on the welfare of their children.

On top of that, parents’ meetings are held frequently to get feedback from parents for purposes of progress and accountability.

The future looks bright for SSS with plans underway to open a successful primary school.