The Month Of Love is here! Thank you for an amazing January Melville. So many subscribers have hopped aboard the Melville Untold train. Well, buckle up and enjoy the ride because it's choo-chooing on and not stopping anytime soon. Welcome to issue #18! 🤯

In today’s Melville Untold,

• The Melville Montessori Way 🤝 🛝 

• Valentines Market 😍

• Shocking News About Westpark Cemetery! 🪦

  Let’s go. 

— Aubrey Moloto, 

The Digest

Resilience, Community, and Love: The Melville Montessori Way 🤝

Let's take a cute little detour down Tolip Road. Tucked right behind the Boulevard lives a true Melville gem that's been quietly influencing and raising some of the brightest children in our community and country for decades: Melville Montessori Preschool. This school has a rich history built by a close community of teachers, children, and Melville families who deeply care for one another.

The Founding Story The school's story starts way back in 1930, the moment the property was bought by the founder Jacqueline's grandfather when her 92-year-old mother was only 13. The mammoth Jacaranda tree that umbrellas the school was fully grown but only a shadow of the giant it is today.

Born in 1965, Jacquelin Oosthuizen Sinner would spend her school holidays at her grandfather's house in Melville. She reminisces about when her grandfather would take her by bus to town and swim at the Melville pool. She also fondly remembers Mays Pharmacy playing an integral part in the old Melville landscape. Young Jacqui boldly told her grandfather that she would own this property someday!

After high school, Jacqui studied at the Johannesburg College of Education and then decided to move to the UK. With South Africa under apartheid sanctions, the only way Jacqui saw to stay there was by studying. Her passion had always been working with children, so she decided to study the Montessori method. While living in the UK, Jacqui completed her Montessori diploma, Red Seal diploma, and later her international diploma.

After completing her studies, she got an opportunity to start a school in the UK but felt homesick. Her grandfather had also passed on, so her childhood dream property was now available. He left the house in a trust to his three children: Jacqui's mom and her brothers. After initially leasing the property from her family, with a little help from her father, Jacqui shrewdly bought the brothers out and inherited her mother's portion of the property trust. Thus, Melville Montessori was born.

Early Trials and Tribunals

The early days of Melville Montessori Preschool were a mix of Jacqui's own personal history and community challenges, topped off by the implementation of the Montessori method.

Jacqui was in love with her grandfather's classic Melville house and was proud to now own it. She marvelled over the vintage feel, pressed ceilings, wooden floors, chandeliers, homely atmosphere, and the gorgeous century-old Jacaranda tree that spans its width above it.

Jacqui built the house next door for herself and used her grandfather's house to run the school.

The community initially gave her a hard time. Her neighbours, particularly Mrs Lawson across the road, were not happy to hear that a school was being built on their street. They tried to petition against it. However, Jacqui is a shrewd businesswoman. She found that she had the primary right to start a school with 20 children without needing consent (don't try this at home).

A culmination of conflict with community members who opposed the school's establishment had a very pregnant Jacqueline facing a community tribunal. The tribunal eventually took place in 1998/99. Jacqui describes this as a particularly difficult time for her, with the pregnancy and troubles in her marriage. Being the fighter she is, she faced the tribunal head-on and 'swept her worries under the rug.'

Sandra Prinsloo, a then-famous actress who lived at the bottom of Tolip Road, initially also opposed the school. But after getting to know Jacqueline, she started to back her up. Sandra said that she loved an entrepreneurial story. Just like that, other neighbours started to withdraw their opposition as well. Mrs Lawson eventually became one of Jacqui's best friends! Jacqui won the tribunal, and the school was a go!

After that, Melville Montessori went through a period of growth and challenges. They rapidly grew through word of mouth, which is how they continue to grow today. No advertising was done to attract students. People fell in love with the school and then told everyone else about it. Montessori quickly became an integral part of the community and a safe space for Melville's children.

Implementing The Montessori Method

The school was built upon the principles of the Montessori method, which emphasises hands-on learning, independence, and a prepared environment. They create a unique learning environment for the children.

Here are some key ways that Jacqui's preschool implements the

Montessori Method:

Emphasis on Child-Led Learning: The school follows a child-led approach, meaning that children are encouraged to explore, discover, and learn at their own pace. The learning is tactile and involves hands-on activities rather than formal teaching methods.

Prepared Environment: The school provides a thoughtfully prepared environment, with materials organised by subject area and accessible to children. The environment is homely and safe, making it less intimidating for the children. The equipment is designed to be eye-catching and prompts children to explore and make up games.

Mixed-Age Classrooms: The school has mixed-age classrooms, allowing younger children to learn from older ones and older children to develop leadership and mentorship skills. This also fosters a sense of community among the children.

Focus on Independence: The school places a strong emphasis on independence and views children as naturally eager for knowledge. Children are allowed to choose their activities within a prescribed range. They are encouraged to do things themselves and develop independent thinking.

Long Blocks of Work Time: The school provides uninterrupted blocks of work time, allowing children to fully immerse themselves in their chosen activities.

Specialised Learning Materials: The school uses specialised educational materials that are often made out of natural and aesthetic materials like wood. These materials are designed to teach specific abstract concepts through hands-on manipulation.

Trained Teachers: The school has trained teachers who are experienced in observing children's characteristics, tendencies, talents, and abilities. The teachers guide and consult students individually, allowing each child to create their own learning pathway. The teachers are passionate about what they do, love the children, and are very attentive to their needs.

Integration of Culture: The school incorporates cultural materials and activities. For example, teachers who speak Zulu will speak to the children in Zulu in a non-forced way. This helps foster a sense of cultural diversity within the school.

Community-Oriented Approach: The school is deeply integrated into the Melville community. It's described by a current parent as a central hub for socialising. They seek to include parents and encourage them to be a part of how the school moves forward. Parents get to know the teachers well, and there is a lot of interaction between the parents and teachers.

Holistic Development: The school focuses on the holistic development of children, encompassing social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. It aims to create confident, inquisitive, creative, and friendly children.

Individual Attention: The school focuses on each family, with an individual focus. Each family receives individual attention, and there are constant updates and pictures sent to parents to keep them informed about what and how their children are doing.

By implementing these core tenets of the Montessori method, Melville Montessori creates an environment where children can thrive, develop a love for learning, and grow into confident, well-rounded individuals. They have many success stories to show for it.

Current Challenges In Melville's Evolution

Speaking to the current principal Arifa Banday, we learned about the school's current state, challenges, and how they stay alive in such an evolving landscape.

Arifa has been with Melville Montessori as a teacher for 16 years and became the the principal in 2018. Jacqui has relocated to Portugal and left the school in Arifa and her teacher team's very capable hands.

Both Jacqui and Arifa note how much Melville has changed in the last two decades. They see the balance between family residents and students tipping towards the student side, and both feel that over time, families have been moving out of Melville. Homes are getting transformed into student accommodation, resulting in more students living in the area.

More students and fewer families mean that fewer children need preschool in the immediate area. This trend is felt in the dwindling numbers of students coming to Melville Montessori and other preschools in the community. Even though Arifa thinks that their teaching style is suited to fewer students and thrives on an intimate setup, it gets harder and harder for them to balance the books.

Another huge challenge that they've had to overcome, like many businesses we've covered before, is COVID-19. I am learning through these interviews just how much COVID actually affected businesses. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. has a pandemic story. And this one has a heavy one too.

Arifa expressed how hard the teachers tried to keep the concept of school alive for such little children. They did one-hour-a-day classes, did their best to incorporate parents, and equipped them with materials and methods to keep the children's minds active and learning. They also employed YouTube.

The teachers came up with novel ideas like a Father's Day family baking class where parents were given recipes and instructions, and families came together for a fun and interactive day. One major advantage that came out of these challenges was that families spent a lot more time and bonded with their children. Jacqui applauds the effort parents put in and was grateful for how much they did to help facilitate this toddler distance learning.

A major disadvantage was finding ways to justify that parents keep their little ones in preschool while their kids stay at home and parents themselves do a big chunk of the teachers' work.

It took a balancing act and another flex of business smarts for Jacqui to keep the teachers' salaries coming and pay business expenses while urging parents to continue with their fees and do all they can to justify these fees to children and parents. While she barely accomplished this, the teachers all got COVID. But Jacqui did what Jacqui does: handle the situation in front of her promptly and "sweep any worries under the rug."

They made it through that tumultuous period and found that COVID's biggest impact was actually on the children's social skills - "they didn't know how to interact with each other, they were looking at each other like aliens."

Vision For The Future

After all these times, good and bad, Jacqui hopes the school "grows from strength to strength." She wants the school to continue its legacy and positive impact in the community. She values the teachers immensely and acknowledges their dedication and hard work. She hopes that no matter what happens in the future, they will always be a part of the school.

Jacqui also hopes that families will start buying in Melville again so that the community and local schools can flourish. She hopes that Melville Montessori will continue to impact the lives of young children and families in the community and maintain its reputation for providing quality education and supporting the community.

I Love Melville

We couldn't wrap this chat up without asking this Melville icon what she loves about our hood and what her most memorable moment was.

She answered with a bold "I am patriotic to Melville!" Jacqui says that she loves Melville so much and will always vouch for it. She had a moment at her daughter's school once when other parents questioned the safety of Melville but dismissed that notion instantly and said, "Melville is Jo’burg's best-kept secret!" She loves the trees (specifically the jacarandas), the pressed ceilings and wooden floors in our homes, the vendors, and local businesses, especially Mays, our local pharmacy. Melville is her "happy place."

She has tons of memorable moments! She says she had "grand memories" in Melville: dancing at Roma (the pizza place that was next door to Cool Runnings) and their garlic bombs, partying at Cat's Pyjamas and Question Mark, Saturdays at the Koffiehuis, and all her childhood memories visiting her grandfather.

If you enjoyed today’s thrilling story about Melville Montessori Preschool, consider buying us a coffee.

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

February begins with a bang! So much to do, so little time. Our picks of the bunch are the Mindful Creative event happening at Chiesa on Saturday and the Melville Mudroom's First Thursdays - Fun and wholesome! 😊

Melville Weather For The Week 🔥 

Tuesday

29° 🌡️ 16°  | 🌩️ |  🌧️ 57% | SSE 22 km/h 💨

Wednesday 

30° 🌡️ 17°  | 🌩️ |  🌧️40% | W 9 km/h 💨

Thursday  

28° 🌡️ 17° | 🌩️ | 🌧️ 55% | N 13 km/h 💨

Friday 

24° 🌡️ 15° | ⛅️ |  🌧️ 40% | NE 7 km/h 💨

Saturday 

27° 🌡️ 16° | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 40% | SSE 6 km/h 💨

Sunday

29° 🌡️ 14° |  🌤️ |  🌧️ 56% | SSE 9 km/h 💨

Monday 

26° 🌡️ 13° | 🌩️ |  🌧️ 25% | E 13 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

Good music and good vibes beckon! Lots of lovely jazz events as usual, DJs partying it up at Smoking Kills, Coca, and more, then Drum 'n Bass at Jo's on Sunday. How can you possibly be bored? Januworry is over!

Tuesdays | 7 pm - 10 pm | Xai Xai Lounge | Eric Miyeni & Richard Jones playing live music | Free entry

Tuesdays | 7 pm - 10 pm | Coca Lounge | Artist open showcase/performance | Free entry

Wednesdays | SIX Cocktails Bar | Live Jazz Sessions | 8 pm til late | Free entrance 

Thursdays | 7 pm - 10 pm | Coca Lounge | First Thursday Student Night - DJ’s | Free entry

08/02 Saturday | 7 pm - 2 am | Smoking Kills Bar | Reload - Xerowan, Format, Instate, CMS19, Lost Serpant, Konklave Kollektive (X-Korp, Cannachris, Kropz) DRVGGS | Tickets R150

07/02 Saturday | 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm | Chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | Keenan Ahrends Trio - Benjamin Jephta (Bass), Sphelelo Mazibuko (Drums) | Tickets R200

07/02 Friday | Smoking Kills Bar | Thursgay’s | Nahledi, DJ Gatvol, DJ Danger Ingozi | R20 door donation

Sundays | 4 pm | Jo’anna Meltbar | Sola Vida Drum & Bass | 1/2 price cocktails | Free entry all day

Sundays | 8 pm - 10 pm | Coca Lounge | Vynil Sundaze | Every Sunday

If this comprehensive weather and gig guide helped you, consider buying us a coffee.

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our instagram page @snapson7th

Melville Koppies Check-in ⛰️

This week at Melville Koppies Central 🌿

The Run Zone Race appeared to significantly disrupt Koppies activities this past weekend. This serves as an important lesson for future events that might block local routes. However, Koppies exploring continues uninterrupted! This coming Sunday offers the usual range of fun things to do up there:

• Free roaming

• Bird-watching

• Photography

• Meditation sessions

Gates open 8:30 AM - close 11:30 AM

Pricing:

• Adults: R100

• Under 18s: R50

• Under 5’s: Free

Want a private tour? Reach out to Wendy at 079 532 0083 to arrange your own guided experience.

Consider supporting our urban oasis. Scan the code below to see how you can help the Koppies keep going!

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

An Informative And Proactive MRA Meeting!

The MRA meeting was well attended and productive. It was great to see a diverse group of residents, especially young, concerned individuals bringing fresh perspectives. Melville seems to be in good hands.

Key topics discussed included:

• Illegal property rezoning from residential to business

• Liquor license applications

• Business license audits

• Noise complaints

• MSI's Safe Streets project (updates expected in March)

• New MRA website launch

• Student accommodation issues

• Neighbourhood cleanup with CRUM

• Homelessness management strategies

• Collaboration with neighbouring residents associations

• Complaint reference portal

• Businesses hosting events without amusement licenses

• Melville Boulevard updates

• Water supply issues

• Financial year-end review

Attend monthly MRA meetings to gain deeper insights into local civil issues and learn how you can contribute.

The Chairman's Advice on Homelessness (As Per SAPS and CRUM)

1. When disposing of large items, do not leave them on your sidewalk. These items often get used to build informal settlements and shelters, which can inadvertently deepen the homelessness issue in our community.

2. Instead of giving money or food directly, donate to organisations specialising in homelessness support or purchase food vouchers from such organisations. (Refer to our "Forgotten Citizens" article)

The MRA's New Complaint Lodging System When logging a complaint with JMPD, Beagle Watch, the municipality, or similar entities, always obtain a reference number.

The MRA has built a portal on their new website to collect these reference numbers. This system will help address repeat offenders more effectively by maintaining a comprehensive record of complaints, making it easier to resolve community issues

Markets Watch 🎪

Melville Artisanal Market's Valentine's Special!

The Melville Artisanal Market invites you to find that one-of-a-kind special something for your loved one this weekend! Vendors are gearing up to help you serve up some love with Valentine's Day themed products, including:

• Handmade gifts

• Indoor plants

• Crocheted stuffed toys

• Preloved books

And so much more locally produced products for your Valentine! 🥰

Melville Market

The Melville Market now offers certified organic fresh produce, from farm to table brought to you by Vida Naturale.

You can preorder and collect at the market every Saturday. Contact 063 235 1082 to place your orders!

Icing On The Cake  🎂

Smoking Kills is Turning 6! 🎈

Smoking Kills Bar turns six this week! A big bash is on the horizon, but for now, they're inviting the community to join a fun celebration on Sunday, February 9th. Expect jumping castles and slushies! Service industry professionals get an extra treat: 35% off your bar tab.

Westpark Cemetery is Closing Down

Attention everyone: Westpark Cemetery is closing down. The landscape is changing, and another iconic location is set to disappear.

Key details:

• The cemetery will stop accepting new burials at the end of March

• Danny will meet with Muslim and Jewish burial societies in March

• More information will be shared after these meetings

This marks another significant transition for our community. Stay tuned for updates.

Thank you! 🙏

Thank you so much for tuning in! If you loved this week's Melville Untold, consider rewarding us by buying us a coffee.

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These little bits of support make it possible for the newsletter to sustain itself giving us more time and resources to work on making it better and more impactful.

Thank you for reading Melville. Forward this email to a friend who cares about our hood.

'Til next Tuesday,

stay alert, stay passionate, and never stop discovering the extraordinary in our ordinary. ✨

Hasta luego! ✌️