BUSYMINDS Crèche, pre-school and primary Enrollment Booklet
Dear Parent, we are extremely pleased that you are considering Busy Minds as the Educational Partner for your child(ren) and we look forward to working in close partnership with you. This booklet is provided to give you information about our school and our admissions process and to serve as a guide though the entire admission process. You would find answers to questions you may have about the enrollment process in "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Busy Minds as well as serve as a great resource for needed information concerning our programs. Busy Minds is a school that has been created for the child, your child and all our process and our classrooms have been planned for your special bundle of joy. We are set up for children aged three (3) months to eleven (11) years and we offer a beautiful delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum for our Early Learners. In our Primary classroom (5 and up), we teach using a Hybrid of British Curriculum within the Nigerian Cultural Context. Thus, all our children work within the structure of our core curriculum, they experience the interactive and hands on learning experience the Montessori philosophy offers and explore the depths of the Nigerian Culture. This results in a truly rich learning experience. Our curriculum supports hands on and activity based learning and thus it is compatible with recent trends in 21st Century education, Montessori Method, Jean Piaget's developmental psychology, the Common Core Standards in the United States and the High Scope Approach. We nurture our students through varied learning experiences and expose them to several skills knowing that they are versatile enough to absorb all of these experiences. Our one – on – one approach to child education provides the personalized support that your child requires to blossom whilst discovering themselves. Hand in hand, step by step is our motto, ensuring that no child is left behind. We appreciate your interest in our school and trust that as you take time to read this booklet, you would make the decision to bring your special treasure(s) to us. For additional assistance, please email info@busymindscenter.com or helpdesk@busymindscenter.com. Alternately, you may call 0703 124 1085; 0808 744 4764; 01- 3425235 Thank you for your time and we look forward to welcoming your family to our dynamic school.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Statement of Purpose/ Vision We are educators who believe that inside every child is the future, a unique future; We are convinced that to nurture the child is to protect our future and we are committed to doing this. BusyMinds will provide the highest level of safe, affordable, high quality service and developmentally appropriate programs to all learners and strive for excellence in the child care field by maintaining a curriculum and an educational model that encourages and supports active and involved learners. We are committed to the children and families we serve.
Mission Statement Our Mission is to provide an environment that develops children and adults with active and creative minds. We create an enabling environment by helping all our learners develop a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and give them the depths they need to nurture the courage to act on their beliefs. We stress the total development of each child: spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical.
Our Promise We understand that the first years of a child's life is by far the most important, helping to lay the foundation for all intellectual and emotional development to follow. Through nurturing and personalized attention, we take great care to provide a warm, friendly, and fun environment for your child, while ensuring they receive the guidance and structure they need. We strive to nurture your child's ideas and imagination, acknowledge each child's individuality, and validate each personality.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Our goal Our goal is to provide a place where children know that they are accepted, loved, wanted, and will be protected; helping to instill in each child a strong sense of selfworth and purpose. Our job is to make sure that each child has numerous positive experiences and interactions throughout each day. It is our hope that when the day is done, and children go home, they feel happy and proud of themselves; eager to express the happenings of their day to you.
Our Motivation Every single day we feel privileged to have the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a child, to join in their laughter, help them get over theirs hurts and to be included in their games. This is how we have chosen to spend our days. The joy we experience each day coupled with our love for children makes us the first choice for child care and educational needs. In addition, some of our staff have children of their own or have been working with children for many years; hence they understand how difficult it must be for you to leave your child in someone else's care. We appreciate the trust you must put in BusyMinds on a daily basis. Therefore, our goal, as educators and care providers is to build your trust by being professional, dependable, honest, and most importantly caring for your child the same way we would want our own children to be cared for. We at BusyMinds view our chosen profession as a Passion, and not just a profession. Therefore, we look forward to keeping children smiling and safe for many years to come.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Philosophy We believe that children learn through self-discovery and play. Thus, we surround the child with opportunities to learn through caring relationships, language, literature, music, early math concepts and nature appreciation. As we mentioned before the early years of a child plays a huge role in the development of a child’s values and self-esteem hence, our goal is to provide an atmosphere of reciprocated respect, stability and trust where children can take part in developmentally suitable cognitive, physical, social, emotional activities. Our primary program builds on the foundations of the Early Learning thus, preparing the child to take on the future.
Why choose Busy Minds? 1. An uncompromised, rich, nurturing and well-prepared environment setup to cater to the needs of your child. 2. Education for the future, with the total child as our focus not just parts of the whole. 3. We put the wellbeing of your child at the top of our priority list. 4. Each child is given an opportunity to develop to the best of their abilities.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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5. We provide safe, affordable and high quality service whilst providing developmentally appropriate programs to all children. 6. We strive for excellence in the child care field by maintaining an enhancing curriculum that encourages and supports active and involved children. 7. We will champion an excellent child care center by encouraging family involvement. 8. We have low child:adult ratios. 9. We are committed to the children and families we serve. 10.We have well informed staff with respect to educational and child development trends
Our Programs
We have 4 program modules: 1. Early Learners – Little Learners and Early Learners 2. Elementary Learners – Grade 1 – Grade 6 3. After School Care and Recreational Program (ASCARP) 4. Music School
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Early Learning – This comprises of our 3 Months to 5 years group and the children are split into 3 different groups with over lapping ages. We invite you to come and look around the airy, warm and welcoming environment at BusyMinds, and see how thrilling the world is through the eyes of your child. Our Low adult to child ratios ensure that your child is constantly being looked out for and encouraged to express themselves freely. 1.The Little Learners’ program is our crèche and the children’s ages vary between 3 months to 24 months. Infants and toddlers are enthusiastic about observing and exploring their world and at Busy Minds, we provide an uncompromised environment that allows them the freedom to explore as they grow. When the children are new at Busy Minds, they have to take sometime to adjust to the increased activity they get engaged in and the change in schedules. Thus, they sleep quite a bit in the first few weeks, they gradually adjust and get used their new daily schedule. It is important to note that, sleeping is part of the children’s developmental process. Thus, should the children feel sleepy, we will not stop them from sleeping. The crèche stays open most of the year and we are open from 7:00am till 7:00pm. We are closed in observance of all state and national holidays. Some of these closures cannot be pre-determined but we promise to make every effort to give you at least 2 days’ notice when possible. Our holidays schedule as listed below, is not inclusive of the holidays subject to ratification: 1. Easter – 2 weeks Holiday 2. Christmas – 3 weeks Holiday.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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1. Our Early Learners consists of 2 groups of children; I.
Early Learners’ 1 - 2 years to 3 ½ years class
II.
Early Learners’2 - 3 years to 5 years class.
Both classes are prepared with beautiful age appropriate learning materials that keep your child engaged and learning throughout their day. In the Early Learners’ 1 classrooms, most of their work is hands on with very little paper work giving them the chance to experience each subject area in a way that causes it to stick in their minds thus leaving a lasting impression. We work with your child within the framework of our adopted curriculum, preparing the children for the future by equipping them with the skills they need for more advanced learning challenges. Throughout work time, the children transition between different periods and subject areas seamlessly, due to our carefully planned activity schedule. We have noticed that when the children use the first few weeks adjusting to the increased activity they are engaged in and the change in schedules. Thus, they sleep quite a bit in the first few weeks, they gradually adjust and then get used their new daily schedule. It is important to note that sleeping is part of the children’s developmental process. Thus, should the children feel sleepy, we will not stop them from sleeping. In addition, every child below the age of Four is expected to take a nap and when they do not feel like sleeping, sometimes, we encourage them to lie down. Our Early learners’ 2 classroom is our transition class and the children are exposed to increased levels of paper work in preparation for the primary years. Pre-School signifies an extremely important milestone in a young child’s life. It is a time of transition from dependency to independence—a period of learning, marked growth and amazing transformation. Our Early Learners’ community is a wonderful blend of older and younger children, providing a dynamic learning experience for each child. From 7:00am till 2:00pm each week day, we know your child would have an enjoyable and memorable learning experience with us. "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Elementary Learners – This comprises of our 1. Key stage 1 (5 years – 7 years) group 2. Key stage 2 (7 years – 11 years) group The children receive instruction based on their key stages and their ability levels. Our Elementary learners receive instruction within the structure of the British Curriculum; the children are introduced to new concepts in small or large groups and each introductory lesson is hands-on thus, improving the children’s understanding and keeping their interest during the instruction period. Some of the subjects our Elementary Learners are exposed to include: 1. Science
2. English
3. Mathematics
4. Art and design
5. Social studies
6. French
7. History/ Current affairs
8. Religious Studies
9. Information and communication technology
10.Physical Education
11.Geography
12.Music
We also have a rich science laboratory, an arts program and a vibrant music program thus ensuring that the children have a well-rounded education across all the key stages. Our Elementary learners are expected to wear the approved uniforms (see table 1 below) every week day. On Fridays, the children have Physical Education and they dress in the appropriate uniforms on these days.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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School Uniform Information ITEM
GIRLS
BOYS
PE FRIDAYS
TOPS WEAR
Sky Blue or White
Sky Blue or White Shirt/
Red Collared Tees
shirt/collared Tees
Collared Tees
BOTTOM
Dark Blue or Black Pinafore,
Dark Blue or Black Trousers
WEAR
Skirt, Trousers or shorts
or shorts
FOOT WEAR
Black or Dark Brown Closed
Black or Dark Brown Closed
Toe Shoes and white socks
toe Shoes and white socks
Dark Blue shorts
Sneakers
Please ask our administrative staff for more information and associated costs. The Elementary experience in BusyMinds is like no other and should be experienced by every child – From 7:00am till 3:00pm each week day, they enjoy a perfect blend of structure and hands on expressive learning. We invite you to come and look around our facilities and talk with our staff about what we do.
Assessment at BusyMinds At BusyMinds, we acknowledge that assessments are not the true test of a child’s knowledge; however, we believe that a child who is knowledgeable should be able to express that knowledge if presented the opportunity in an enabling environment. This is the belief that underlies our testing and recurrent assessment system. Our Elementary learners and to a lesser degree our preschool are exposed to the several assessment cycles during the term. Some of these are oral and some are a combination of oral and written assessments. You may request for our calendar which has all the dates of our assessments.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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After school program This is fondly referred to as “Beyond the Classroom”. We offer an array of extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for children and young adults to probe deeper into particular interests, dabble in unfamiliar techniques or pastimes, and embark on entirely new ventures. Each term, we include some extended multisession activities offering a chance for sustained engagement, as well as shorter programs to try something new. Our Beyond the Classroom program is open to all children, whether enrolled at BusyMINDs or elsewhere. Our approach to engaging young people in learning is very hands on and we give the children time and space to explore. But for some of us, there is never enough time to pursue our passions or to explore the promise of new ones. Thus, giving children and families time beyond the classroom complements the daily work of our learning community. It is a wonderful avenue for the children to just BE! Some of our offerings are below: I.
School and Home Work Support – We call this our school bonus package. We work with your child to understand the concepts taught at school. We also, work with children towards special exams and general knowledge. Please contact our administrative staff for more information and associated costs.
II.
Extended care – Some children require extended care after normal school hours and we take care of the child(ren) in a fun and loving environment, till their parents pick them up. Please contact our administrative staff for more information and associated costs.
III.
After school clubs – Our after school clubs hold in a fun and stimulating environment away from normal school. Some of the after school clubs include: Scrabble, Chess, Sewing, Dancing, Writers club, Green heart, crafts, Lego Club, Reading theater, Floral Arrangement, Kitchen craft, Craftinz, Elocution and public speaking and Hair Making.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Please contact our administrative staff for more information and associated costs.
Music School - We offer music/instrument facilities for Instrument practice 3 times weekly for students of all ages. The sessions are either 30 minute slots or 1 hour slots. The instruments our student train with include – Violin, Guitar, Saxophone, Recorder, Clarinet, Keyboard. Please contact our administrative staff for more information and associated costs.
Child Meals at BusyMinds At BusyMinds, we encourage parents to pack their children’s’ meals. We have a refrigerator to keep the meals fresh and a microwave oven used in warming the meals just before lunch time. The option of school provided meals is open to parents who need this service. Please ask the frontdesk staff for more information.
BusyMinds Schedules Yearly schedule BusyMinds runs four (4) terms. These are: First term
September to December
Second term
January to March/April
Third term
April to June.
Summer term (Optional)
July - August
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Weekly Schedule Monday to Friday
7:00 am through 2:00 pm/3:00pm
Extended care
7:00 am to 5:00pm/7:00PM
After School Program
2:00pm to 5:00 pm (Monday through Friday)
BusyMinds will also be closed in observance of the following holidays: New Years’ Day, Independence Day, Easter Holiday, Christmas Break and some other holidays. The exact dates that we will be closed for holidays will be communicated as soon as we have confirmation and notification will be sent out prior to the dates.
Admission Policy Busy Minds, admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin into our school programs; activities generally accorded to or made available to students at the school, are open to all enrolled students. BMLC does not discriminate against any family in administration of its policies. We keep an application schedule and prospective families are placed on a firstcome, first-served basis. If you are on the application schedule, you will be contacted as soon as there is an opening that fits your child’s needs. Arrangements for your childs’ pick up must be made in advance of the child’s first day of attendance. We require the following forms to be on file before the first day of attendance: 1. Duly completed registration form 2. Birth Certificate 3. Immunization records 4. Evidence of payment of entry fees and other fees Families with multiple children at the center receive a 5% discount per subsequent child’s tuition.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Application requirements It is important to us that, all our prospective families have a parent meeting with an administrative staff. The meeting should be attended by BOTH PARENTS (exceptions will be made at the discretion of the principal) and at the meeting, we discuss your educational goals for child and communicate our goals and ideals as an educational partner to you. Children who are above 2 years old may need to come into our school for a play day as outlined in the admissions process below. Students coming from other schools may gain admission based upon our classroom observations and official records from the previous school. Students whose records give insufficient information or show areas of specific concern may be required to come for further admissions screening prior to an admission’s decision being made. All intending Elementary Learners will be expected to come in for an assessment. An additional parent interview may be required before admission decisions are concluded.
Admission Process We are extremely happy about your interest in BusyMinds. Every prospective BMLC family must take the following steps to complete the application process:
1) Visit: It is vital that Prospective parents begin the admissions process with a private tour of the school. Private tours of the school can be scheduled directly with: Busy Minds Learning Help Desk: helpdesk@busymindscenter.com or by calling 0703 124 1085/ 0808 – 744 – 4764.
2) Application form After the tour, the interested parents will be given a Busy Minds Application Form. The filled form should be Submitted to our Help Desk and addressed to admissions.
3) Parent-Principal meeting/Student Visit This is applicable to applicants to the Busy Minds programs. "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Prospective parents and students meet privately with appropriate management staff or class teacher for an informal discussion of classroom procedures, expectations, and objectives. After this, prospective students visit in the appropriate classrooms for 20 min to 1 hour while prospective parents meet with the Principal or Admissions coordinator.
4) Notification Decisions for admission are made continuously throughout the academic year. Parents will receive a response approximately two weeks after all required application materials have been submitted.Once the decision to enroll is taken by the parent upon receipt of the admission letter, the entry fees will have to be paid. At this stage the application forms are ready for collection.
Student Placement It is our wish to place all students in appropriate grade level as determined by our guiding philosophy; In the case where this is not possible, we shall place the student on a class wait list. It is required that all financial requirement be fulfilled or the student will not be eligible for the class wait pool. As soon as a space becomes available the student is absorbed into the system.
Academic Records where applicable. A minimum of two (2) years of the most recent school records (where the student is old enough to possess them), showing subjects taken and results. School reports from non-English speaking schools must be officially translated into English.
Admission Timeline Dear Prospective Parent, we strongly advice that applications for admission are submitted as early as possible, as the center may be at capacity in certain Year levels. "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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An application for admission will not be processed until all the necessary documents, as outlined in the “Application Requirements” and “Application Process” section are duly completed. The expected processing time is two (2) weeks whilst we are in session. Within this period you will receive a notification that your application is being processed and regular updates with respect to your application status.
Management Summary Our Management philosophy is based on responsibility, accountability, creativity and mutual respect. People who work at Busy Minds™ want to work here because we foster an environment that encourages creativity and achievement. We believe that every member of the BusyMinds’ team brings their uniqueness to the team thus fostering diversity and self-expression. All of our members of staff work towards staying at least 2 steps ahead of the children, so that we can keep them engaged and positively challenged all day long; thus channelling their beautiful energy into positive behaviour patterns. We believe that a Busy Mind is a happy mind; and by busy we mean being lively, productive, and profitable in all daily activities. We like our children and staff to get up every day and know that they will face new challenges and experience new opportunities to learn and grow in different areas of their lives. All our teaching staff have a Bachelor degrees or a post Graduate Diploma in Education or a related certification. We believe that a well trained teachers is an effective teacher thus, our staff are constantly engaged in teacher education programs. In order to stay informed about current trends in education, we enrol our staff for online certification courses with trend setting Educational institutes, for example, the Harvard graduate school of Education. The Adults who work with your child are experienced teachers and teaching is a passion not just a profession.
Meet some members of the BusyMinds™ team: "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Okeyinfu Dimowo - Ajayi Managing Director/ Principal Ajayi, Okeyinfu (Mrs) is our Managing Director and the founder of the Institution. Okeyinfu got her first degree from the University of Benin and she graduated with Second class Honors, Upper Division. Okeyinfu has additional professional Certification from the following schools: 1. Rutgers Management development center, The State University of New Jersey (In View) 2. Harvard Graduate School of Education, Boston 3. Curry School of Education, Virginia State University Okeyinfu runs her own school in Lagos and she has a huge bouquet of bespoke training and school improvement models aimed at nurturing an effective educational sector that lovingly assists each student towards their full potential. She has an intense passion for helping adults teach effectively and providing invaluable support to schools. ”Kaykay” as she is typically called, has various years of experience in performance monitoring and improvement, business development, supply management and Educational Management. These experiences, have been garnered due to the fact that she has worked successfully in a variety of industries including an Educational institution, consumer manufacturing companies, printing & publishing services. Her last job was as Director of Administration in a school in Lekki phase 1, where she worked for about four (4) years. After she stopped active employment, her plan was to take some time off work, and devote herself to her family but her passion for children and working with their families got in the way. This passion and deep love for children, led her to birth her dream in Busy Minds™; a decision she is eternally grateful she took.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Kaykay’s passion runs deep when it comes to children and this amongst other things, should make her your first choice when it comes to taking a decision concerning in whose care you should leave your child(ren). You may contact her directly using kaykay@busymindscenter.com.
Ubani Amune Vice Principal - Child Care and Creativity
Ubani Amune is our Vice Principal - Child Care and Creativity. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Benin and she took training on Site Specific Dance technique with the California University of Art. In addition she is slated to undergo training with: 1) Teaching for Understanding: The Harvard Graduate School of Education (Wide World Unit) 2) Coaching skills: The University of Dubai (In View) “U.B” has various years of experience in the educational sector especially with respect to direct child instruction, care and the creative side of learning/teaching. She got most of her experiences from working with children in the classroom environment and from the many nieces and nephews she is blessed with. U.B is a joyful person; she is creative, boisterous and very playful with the children and adults in the environment. She has a keen mind when it comes to discovering a child’s passions and quite creative about how she channels each child’s unique passion into a key learning element thus keeping the child interested and happy. Thank you once again for taking time out to review this booklet.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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Contact us Please feel free to contact us using the details below: Address: Number 5, Kusenla road, off Oando – Conoil fuel station round about. We are right at the junction of the first right turn on the road. Email: 1. info@busymindscenter.com 2. helpdesk@busymindscenter.com 3. admissions@busymindscenter.com 4. ub@busymindscenter.com 5. kaykay@busymindscenter.com Web Address www.busymindscenter.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Busy-Minds-School/1433305563566817 Cell: +234 - 703 - 124 1085/ +234 – 808 – 744 – 4764 We look forward to welcoming your family to BusyMinds Creche, Pre-
school and Primary School.
"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
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