Reinette Lombard has a Teaching and Honours Degree in Special needs education. Reinette specialised in Autism Spectrum Disorders and was mentored by Maggi Golding and subsequently became one of 12 Makaton tutors in SA, did TEACCH training with Maggi and worked and consulted for several NPO’s to create ASD specific teacher, therapist and parent training. Reinette worked in both public and private school’s as deputy principal, had a large remedial practise before taking a sabbatical to start a family. Reinette now owns and runs an educational consulting company that assists corporates to establish Specialised Educational services.
Together with Jose Palmer, they developed the acclaimed Tippie Learns to Read reading series and the Tippie Does Maths series for Grade R-3 learners and teachers. Tippie is a quadrilingual – speaking Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa and isiZulu! He can also do maths in both Afrikaans and English.
In close collaboration with Sally Goldman and Penny O’Toole, Reinette played a key role in shaping the Berlut Maths Grades 4-6 series. Sally and Penny developed the mathematical content, while Reinette conceptualised and structured the layout and directed the image selection and placement, establishing the series’ cohesive visual identity.
The next 10 Tippie adventures are proudly South-African, interesting and builds on the skills acquired in the Level 1 books. The text is supported by colourful, engaging illustrations to support comprehension and practise short vowel sounds and simple consonant clusters. Tippie learns and explores alongside his friends whilst staying true to typical child development. These sequential reading books were designed with a focus on sound development, linking sounds and letters as well as continuing building success and self-confidence in reading. The Level 2 books still focus on short vowels, simple consonants, sight words and final position consonant clusters. This big book is a teacher's guide with additional classroom resources for group reading and active participation.