Kiaan Maharaj: A Rising Star in International Junior Golf

Grade 4, Teneo student, Kiaan Maharaj has already made waves in the world of junior golf that many seasoned players would envy. Let’s take a look at his incredible achievements from the past season:
 
Tournament Success
 
In the past season alone, Kiaan has participated in a remarkable 25 tournament rounds across 4 different events, achieving outstanding results:
  • 19 Podium Finishes
  • 10 Wins
  • 7 Second Place Finishes
  • 2 Third Place Finishes
These achievements are nothing short of staggering for any golfer, especially one so young.
 
Championship Titles
 
Kiaan has consistently proven himself as a force to be reckoned with in his age group:- He is the UAE Champion for US Kids Golf UAE two years in a row, dominating over 6 rounds.
– He clinched the ‘Trump Junior Order of Merit Series’ for the second time, triumphing over 8 rounds.
– In the DASSA (Dubai Schools League), he swept all 3 tournaments for Primary School.
 
Beyond the Fairway
 
His dedication to golf is matched only by his commitment to academic excellence. Kiaan has been homeschooled to accommodate his rigorous training and tournament schedule, demonstrating an impressive balance between sports and studies.
 
Recognition and Future Prospects
 
Recently featured in Golf Digest Magazine and interviewed by WorldWide Golf Magazine Middle East, Kiaan’s achievements are gaining well-deserved recognition. His passion for golf and his proud South African heritage are evident in every swing he takes, whether on the greens of Dubai or beyond.
 
Looking Ahead
 
For Kiaan Maharaj, this is just the beginning of what promises to be an illustrious journey in golf. As he continues to hone his skills and nurture his love for the game, we eagerly anticipate more remarkable accomplishments from this young prodigy.Join us in celebrating Kiaan’s achievements and wishing him all the best in his future endeavors on and off the course. His journey is one to watch closely as he paves the way for the next generation of golfing stars. 

Kicking to Victory: Teneo Student Makes SA National Kickboxing Team

We are very excited to report that our Grade 8 Teneo student Diphale Kgosietsile Phillips has successfully represented the North West province for Kick Boxing over the last few months culminating in his attendance at Nationals in late April.

 

Diphale participated in the Kickboxing North West Trials earlier this year in January and won first place for the kick light category, and second place for light contact category. He then qualified for semi finals and went to the North Gauteng trials where 7 provinces participated and achieved a gold medal for kick light and bronze for light contact. Then, he was selected to represent the North West province by participating in the National trials which took place on 25th-28th of April in Potchefstroom. At Nationals he competed in the semi and kick light categories, overall placing 4th with the judges recommending him for the South Africa Kick Boxing National Team. While this is an already phenomenal achievement, it is even more outstanding considering he only started in the sport less than six months ago.

 

His parents Kgomotso and Michael Phillips had this to say: “We as parents and his coaches at Red Dragon together with all North West Kick Boxing teams are very proud of his success considering that he has less than six months in the sport. We also thank his Red Dragon team mates for sharing their skills and experience during practice and Xavier for endless weekend practices and coaches for their endless support and guidance. We also thank Teneo for giving us the platform to share our experiences with our online parents and for allowing us time off for the competition.”

 

We’re so proud of you Diphale and we can’t wait to see you left-right-hook and roundhouse kick your way to victory again!

 

We’re always delighted to see our students take advantage of the extra time and flexibility they get with Teneo online school to really push themselves and excel at their hobbies and passions.

 

Sydney Lombard Wins Gold in KZN Athletics Championships

Once again congratulations are due to our Grade 11 student, Sydney Lombard! Sydney continues to excel in Athletics – this time at the KZN Athlietics Championships. held in Pietermaritzburg on the 1 – 3 March. Sydney won Gold in the U17 Javelin event, Silver in the U17 Discus, and Bronze in the U17 hammer event. 

Sydney has been making headlines in athletics events for years now, and it’s just fantastic to see just how well all her training, dedication and hard work is paying off. Her commitment is a real testament to her, and we look forward to seeing where her skills and talent will take her next!

The Teneo family is always so thrilled to see our students achieve great things. As an online school, we understand the importance of fostering a strong community spirit among our students – and so much of that is down to students like Sydney.  It is inspiring to witness so many of our students using the extra time and flexibility you have with online school to train hard and excel at your hobbies and pursuits, win competitions, and be recognised for your incredible talent and skill. We really couldn’t be more proud.

How top online schools in South Africa like Teneo use tech to enhance the learning experience

The merging of live teaching and leading edtech* is making online schools more mainstream. For those who want to study online, South Africa is already ahead of the curve – and Teneo is setting a new benchmark for the benefit of teachers, students and parents.

Today, almost all schools use tech in one form or another. The only difference is that online or e-schools teach through technology while traditional schools teach with technology. It’s an important distinction.

 

For traditional schools, tech is simply a plug-in or add-on tool that doesn’t fundamentally alter the learning experience – think of using a tablet rather than, say, a paper notebook to write in. 

 

For Teneo, the tech is the teaching, with live teacher-led lessons recorded for playback and uploaded to a learning management platform where parents and students can access them at any time. 

 

On top of this, the tech puts the teacher, student and parent in the driving seat, through a data-rich dashboard that enables greater collaboration and control.

How Teneo connects teachers and students

Teneo’s live lessons and lesson recordings are a huge advantage. There’s a set daily timetable with live lessons taught online by a professional teacher, just like in a traditional school. In this space, students can interact, ask questions and get direct support from their teachers.

 

Every live lesson is recorded so students can revisit the lesson as many times as they want, or ‘attend’ the class if they’re absent. Nothing of the lesson is lost – not those spontaneous questions students ask or those impromptu segues where teachers go into richer detail.

 

Students find the recordings make it so much easier to take notes, revise work and go over subjects they struggle with, at a pace they prefer. Overall, this makes for a better online learning experience because: 

 

  • study is self-paced – students can go slow or speed up
  • no learning is lost – students don’t need to rely on a friend’s notes to catch up on missed classroom content
  • exam study is made easier – students can refresh their memory by revisiting the recordings at any time in the year

 

How teachers fit into tech-based online learning

Tech can never fully replace teachers – that human touch makes a huge difference, especially in the deeply emotional and constantly evolving space of learning. 

 

To this end, Teneo’s teachers share the exact same responsibilities as teachers at any other school – they facilitate each child’s unique academic journey and help them complete it successfully. 

 

They create and curate content, evaluate student work fairly and consistently, track academic progress, provide feedback, support and opportunities to meet, and upskill themselves through ongoing professional development.

 

On top of this, when it comes to exam papers, teachers bring critical contextual knowledge to the table. As subject specialists, their knowledge of the curriculum, subjects and students allows them to set exams at the right level, with relatable questions that take their students’ lived realities into account, and with a range of questions that reflect what the students have learnt.

 

But while teachers are irreplaceable, tech can take the online learning experience to a whole new level. Teneo makes sure teachers have the tech tools they need to keep up with their curriculums, catch up students who are struggling, and keep all kids engaged.

 

Every single student has a front row seat – there’s no one sitting at the back of the class missing out on the magic. 

How tech empowers students and enables parental involvement

Teneo gives students a full view of their own work, with a greater degree of control. They have multiple digital tools through which to connect with teachers and peers.

 

Teneo also offers parents a range of tech tools to help monitor their child’s progress. The Canvas Parent Observer app gives parents a 360° view of their child’s schedule, assignments, assessments and test scores, and attendance. 

 

Says Teneo Academic Lead, “Our strength lies in our ability to track participation and progress via the data we capture on students’ attendance and marks. Parents can monitor their child’s participation and encourage them to take proactive steps to improve.” 

How tech can help students evolve, connect and integrate

Teneo parents see dramatic changes in their kids: they’re more independent, better able to manage their time, and generally more fulfilled, as the flexibility of the tech platform allows them to pursue other passions, like endurance sports, TV acting, or even a small side business or hobby.

 

Teneo high school parent comments how their son has flourished personally and academically: “The teaching methods taught him time-management skills, self-discipline and the importance of research. In addition, he’s learnt to deal with challenges beyond his control, by being accountable if his internet connection fails due to loadshedding, and communicating such issues to his teachers and the support team on time.”

 

And when it comes to preparing students for tertiary study and the tech-enabled world of work, online high school seems to set students ahead of their peers – they’re more resourceful, ready for a challenge, and utterly at ease in a world of tech.

*Edtech or education technology is software and hardware used to enhance teacher-led and student-paced learning to optimise outcomes for students.

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