Welcome to the New Academic Year Dear Parents and Learners, The new academic year is about to begin. Before we get started, I want to take a moment to reflect on what Inventum achieved during the past year and share some of what lies ahead. Inventum continues to grow from strength to strength. None of this would have been possible without the trust and support of our parents, the commitment of our staff, and the hard work of our learners. Thank you for the part you play in our community. This year brings improved systems, better access to information, more opportunities for learner leadership, and several changes designed to make flexible learning work even better.
Inventum Is Cognia Accredited Inventum is proud to be Cognia accredited. This accreditation confirms that Inventum meets rigorous international standards for educational quality and is committed to continuous improvement. It provides independent recognition of the quality of our programme, our leadership, and the learning experience we provide. Cognia described Inventum as a "warm and friendly learning environment" with a culture of "belonging and emotional safety for all." It also found that our learners feel "encouraged and inspired."
Inventum has always been a
The accreditation team affirmed a high sense of digital safety and
forward-thinking school. We offer
mutual respect across all stakeholder groups, and recognised
flexible study pathways because
Inventum's commitment to inclusion for learners with diverse
learners do not all learn in the same
needs, including athletes, artists, and highly mobile families.
way or at the same pace. What
Inventum was further commended for strong stakeholder
mattered most during the Cognia
engagement through consistent communication, regular surveys,
accreditation process was that this
and staff involvement in decision-making.
flexibility has not come at the expense of connection, support or
For an online school, those words matter. They reflect the school we
belonging.
have worked hard to build: flexible, personal, academically rigorous and human. From this academic year, every report card issued by Inventum will carry the Cognia accreditation seal. This is a very proud achievement for all of us.
Our Growing Team As Inventum grows, so does our team. Each appointment strengthens the range of expertise and support available to our learners. We are pleased to have them as part of Inventum.
Yolande Lalla Joining this academic year, teaching Economics and Accounting.
Melindi Naude Teaches Physics and Mathematics, welcomed during the previous academic year.
Nadine Mynhardt Teaches Business and Economic and Management Sciences.
Jana Joubert Joined our Admissions Team, supporting families through enrolment.
Meet Our Teaching Staff Name
Subject(s) / Role
Annie Parenti
Success Coach
Bernadine Gerntholtz
Success Coach
Brendon Vice
Geography (Years 7–13) and Environmental Management (Years 10–12)
Carrie Theron
Psychology (Years 10–13) and Sociology (Years 10–13)
Chanel Stolz
Computing (Year 5), Mathematics (Years 5–6), Science (Years 5–6), and Travel and Tourism (Years 12–13)
Danera Scrooby
Success Coach
Hamood ur Rahman
Business (Year 13) and Economics (Year 13)
Johlene van Schalkwyk
Mathematics (Years 7–10) and Chemistry (Years 10–13)
Juliette Bradshaw
English (Years 6–9), Geography (Year 6)
Kayo-Fay Tilley
Computing (Year 9), English (Years 10–13), and English Literature (Years 12–13)
Luiza Dos Santos
Afrikaans Second Language (Year 10), French (Years 7–13), German (Years 7–13), Portuguese (Years 7–9), and Spanish (Years 7–12)
Melindi Naude
Mathematics (Years 11–13) and Physics (Years 10–13)
Nadine Mynhardt
Computing (Year 8), Economic and Management Sciences (Years 7–9), and Business (Years 10–12)
Natasha Todd
Science (Years 7–9) and Biology (Years 10–13)
Sahir Masroor
ICT (Year 10), Computer Science (Years 10–13), and Information Technology (Years 12–13)
Yolande du Plooy
History (Years 5–13)
Yolande Lalla
Computing (Year 7), Economics (Years 10 and 12), Accounting (Year 12), and Business (Year 12)
Meet Our Admin Staff Our dedicated administrative team works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth operation of Inventum, supporting both learners and educators. Their expertise is crucial to our success, handling everything from academic oversight to student support and operational logistics. Name
Role
Edwin Thijs
Head of Academics
Nikita Thijs
Head of Learner Success
Felix Tikkanen
Head of Admissions
Jana Joubert
Admissions Assistant
Klaudia Tikkanen
Finance Assistant
Live-Lesson Timetables If your child is subscribed to live lessons, you can access the relevant timetable below.
Prime Timetable
Please open the timetable before lessons
Inventum 2026/2027 Timetable
begin and bookmark the page for easy
Please click on the link. You will find all the
access. You will also have the timetable in
year group classes on the left.
The System (explained below). Teachers will invite learners to live lessons using Google Meet invitations. All Live Lessons are recorded, and uploaded on Canvas the following day. Live lessons are conducted with cameras on, and more information can be found on our Learner Handbook.
All times are indicated as South African Standard Time. South African Standard time is constant and it gives Inventum the best reach for our global community. While we realise that in some cases, learners will have early or late lessons, it is unfortunately not something we can remedy at this stage.
A Clearer View of Your Child's Learning Parents will now have access to our new management system. We call it The System for now. The system brings important information about your child's learning together in one place. It will give you a clearer view of your child's progress and help you identify earlier where support may be needed. The Platform gives parents and learners an up-todate view of progress whenever they log in.
What The System Offers Progress tracking in one place Earlier visibility of where support is needed Timely information between formal reports A clearer picture of your child's
You can see current grades, a fully weighted report card, page
learning journey
views, participation and whether work is being submitted on time. The Platform also includes feedback on what is going well, where
To access the system, learners can use
improvement is needed, practical suggestions for the next steps,
the "Student Login" function from the
and comments from each subject teacher.
website. Alternatively, parents can click below
Because the information comes directly from our learning platform and gradebook, families see the same information the school sees. You no longer need to wait for the next report card to find out how your child is progressing. This will help us identify concerns earlier, recognise good progress and have better-informed conversations about each learner’s learning. This forms part of our commitment to giving families accurate, useful information without requiring them to wait for the next formal report.
dashboard.inventumonline.com
Learner Management - Inventum Internal tool for managing learner data.
School Calendar The school calendar contains the important dates for the academic year, including term dates, holidays, examinations, parent meetings and whole-school events. Please use the calendar as your main reference and add the dates relevant to your family to your own calendar. Date
Event
1 September 2026
Start of Live Lessons
14 September 2026
In-Service Training Day
21 September 2026
Term 1 Clubs Start
24 September 2026
School Holiday Day
21–25 September 2026
Mock Exams for October/November 2026 Series
8 October 2026
Success Coach Webinar
20 October 2026
In-Service Training Day
19–25 November 2026
Mid-Year Exams
30 November 2026
Young Leaders Whole School Event + Last Working Day for 2026
December 2026
Christmas Holidays
4 January 2027
First Working Day for 2027
11 January 2027
Term 2 Clubs
13 January 2027
In-Service Training Day
4 February 2027
Success Coach Webinar
18 February 2027
In-Service Training Day
18–24 March 2027
Mock Exams for May/June 2027 Series
22 March 2027
School Holiday Day
26 March 2027
School Holiday Day
29 March 2027
School Holiday Day
7 April 2027
Young Leaders Whole School Event
9 April 2027
In-Service Training Day
27 April 2027
School Holiday Day
4 May 2027
In-Service Training Day
14–25 June 2027
End of Year Exams (Mid-Year Exams for Cycle 2)
16 June 2027
School Holiday Day
More Flexibility, Better Progression From this academic year, we are removing fixed due dates from our course modules. This gives learners greater flexibility to manage their time, work around
This approach will: Keep learning in the correct sequence.
personal circumstances and spend longer on material when they need to. However, flexibility cannot mean completing lessons randomly or skipping important work. We have therefore introduced prerequisites and module requirements. Learners must complete the required
Prevent learners from skipping foundational work. Reduce gaps in knowledge and understanding.
work in one module before the next module becomes available. Ensure that new work builds on material A flexible school is not an unstructured
already completed.
school. The new system gives learners greater
One point must be clear: removing due dates does
control while keeping the academic structure
not remove responsibility. Learners still need a
needed for effective learning.
consistent weekly routine and must make steady progress throughout the year.
Learner-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences
Learners Present Their Own Progress
Teachers and Parents Still Guide
Building Reflection and Agency
Instead of the conference consisting
Teachers and parents will still
This approach will help develop
only of adults speaking about the
provide guidance and support, but
reflection, confidence,
learner, learners will present and
learners must understand and take
accountability and learner agency
reflect on their own progress —
responsibility for their own learning
— skills that will serve learners well
identifying what they have
journey.
beyond the classroom.
achieved, where they have struggled, and what they need to work on next.
Young Leaders Programme What the Programme Offers Structured opportunities to lead and organise Collaboration across the Inventum community Planning and hosting two whole-school events
Our Young Leaders Programme will give learners structured opportunities to lead, organise, collaborate and contribute to the Inventum community. As part of the programme, our learners will help to plan and host two whole-school events during the academic year. They will work in teams, take on defined responsibilities, make decisions and learn from the outcomes.
Defined responsibilities within teams Real decision-making and learning from outcomes
We will share further information about the programme and the two events during the year.
A Final Word Inventum was built on a simple belief: education should adapt to the learner without lowering the standard. Education needs to be rethought, as the current model is no longer fit for purpose. Technology should be embraced.
The changes we are introducing this year follow that principle. We are giving learners greater flexibility, families better insight, and learners more responsibility for their own progress. We have achieved a great deal, but we are not standing still. Thank you for trusting Inventum with your child's education. I look forward to working with you during the year ahead. Welcome to the new academic year. Let's make it a good one!
Kind Regards, Jacobus Steyn and Kaisa Sorjonen Founding Directors