The school day
School doors open at 8:20 am. The children come in independently as much as possible and start with reading or in groups 1-2 with an activity at the group table.
In groups 1 and 2 we work with meaningful themes that are in line with the experiences of young children. Learning through play and discovery and creating a rich play-learning environment are the starting points of our actions. The kindergarten groups are divided into corners, where each corner focuses on a specific developmental area. We have, among other things, a theme/role play corner, creative corner, math corner, language/reading corner and a building/construction corner. By working with a work card for each child, we stimulate the children in a positive way to choose the different angles.
In groups 3 to 8, our education is organized in year groups, but we also regularly work across groups. This can take place in parallel groups (two groups from the same grade) or within a cluster (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8). We work across groups in order to tailor the curriculum and instruction as closely as possible to the educational needs and developmental level of the students. We assume a basic program that all students follow and it is examined for each discipline whether and at what times cross-group working is of added value. In the morning, attention is mainly devoted to the main subject areas: arithmetic, reading, reading comprehension, language and spelling. From group 4, an iPad is used for the math subject. This, in combination with working in a notebook, is used to better attune to the child's zone of proximal development. In addition to moments of independent work, there is also learning and working together.
Thematic, discovery and collaborative learning
In the afternoons we work as much as possible thematically and include subjects such as nature and technology, world orientation, history, drawing and handicrafts.
In addition to providing a broad knowledge base, attention is also paid to teaching (21st century) skills that are necessary for self-discovery and collaborative learning. Because we attach great importance to the quality of our education, we ensure a good balance between teacher-driven and self-discovery learning. At a number of times, cross-group work takes place in the cluster. The iPads are used in the afternoon to look up information or make a presentation.
(Co-)ownership and self-management
We are increasingly making students aware that they are co-owners of and responsible for what they learn. We do this, among other things, by talking to the children about goals they are going to work on. We make the learning objectives transparent by means of: among other things, working with work cards and target notebooks to actively involve children in their learning process. This promotes ownership and intrinsic motivation and has a positive influence on learning. We pay a lot of attention to the quality of our education, because: Good education matters!
Groepsdynamisch onderwijs
A safe environment and a pleasant atmosphere are prerequisites for learning. To achieve this, we work according to the principles of Group Dynamic Education. In concrete terms, this means that each group will talk to each other on Friday during the social circle. The atmosphere in the group, the free play, the interaction with each other and possible conflicts are discussed. Every week an improvement rule is chosen that the whole class can work with and there are also school-wide improvement rules. Attention is paid to joint responsibility for a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom and at school. Part of Group Dynamics education is effective conflict management. We teach the children how to resolve a conflict according to the school-wide approach and that verbal and physical violence is not accepted at our school. For more information, please refer to the Group Dynamic Education brochure.
Global Citizenship
Our population is a reflection of society: Children from different cultural backgrounds and beliefs attend our school. Students, parents and colleagues, we are all citizens of the world. We treat each other with respect, regardless of origin, language or religion. We expect the students at our school to participate in all lessons and activities organized by the school.
Sports and culture
In addition to developing knowledge and skills, sports and culture also form an important part of what is offered at school. We have a specialist teacher for gymnastics and music and participate in the Cultural Education with Quality project. Once every two years we organize a spectacular theater day in the Parktheater in Eindhoven. We rent the main hall and each group gives a performance. Parents and/or other family members or friends are of course welcome to come and watch. We also have a school band “Startrock” which consists of a number of students and teachers. They practice every Wednesday afternoon.
Science and technology
Science and Technology education is a structural part of our offer. We shape this in collaboration with the Make-o-Theek Foundation. Every period (from vacation to vacation) we work school-wide on the same technology theme. The lessons we give and the Make Boxes with materials we use are based on the didactics of Inquiry, Design and Entrepreneurial Learning (3-O learning). Where possible, we link the technology themes to other (school-wide) themes.
Collaboration Brainport
We are an aspiring Brainport school. This means that we participate in the process to obtain the Brainport label. We expect to become an official Brainport School in the 2023-2024 school year.
Brainport schools are a partnership of schools, companies and organizations from the Brainport region. They share one goal: to provide future-oriented education. With this, the network wants to stimulate the self-development of students even more. The focus is on creativity, technology, entrepreneurship and internationalization. But more importantly: a Brainport school ensures that students can develop their talents as well as possible.
