The nursery school began on 24 January 1956 with two children, the numbers grew and by the end of February there were eleven children enrolled. Sr Amarantha and her little class were accommodated in one of the rooms of the convent. From the very beginning a school building was planned: a double storey with small rooms upstairs and a big classroom downstairs. It was built behind the sisters’ house by the Benedictine Brothers of Inkamana. In 1957 the new building was ready to be used as a school. Upstairs was class one with five pupils. Sr Modoalda was their teacher and principal. Downstairs was the Nursery School. Thirty-five children had been enrolled. The only existing kindergarten in Vryheid closed down and Nardini Nursery School became Vryheid’s only nursery school.

Grade by grade, a class was added to the new school. In 1958 there were two classes and in 1959 three. The townsfolk slowly began to trust the sisters and to enrol their children in Nardini Convent School. They stated that the sisters taught well and didn’t mind putting exemplary effort into the care of the children.

After Sr Amarantha took over Class 1 in 1961, Sr Hilbalda, newly arrived froom Germany, was put in charge of the little ones. The number of children kept on increasing and it became necessary to build a new nursery school. Sr Carmelina Zinkl became teacher and principal of the nursery school, a position she held with distinction until 1972 when Sr Marlinde took over. Another classroom was added and, by 1976, there were 98 children attending our nursery school. To be affiliated to the Education Department, necessary alterations and additions had to be made. The school was then recognised by the Education Department as a Pre-Primary School and registered for 80 children.

Numerous happy hours of learning through play were spent here on the grounds of our Nardini Nursery School.

Sr Marlinde left lasting memories with each of the children who passed through her hands. She will always be fondly remembered as “My first teacher,” by many of them. In 2003 Sr Dolorosa took up the position of principal in the Pre-Primary School.