Parent Handbook

Students are welcome to bring a treat to share on their birthday.

Instead of running a birthday present buying rota as in previous year groups, it is our tradition to ask that parents pay instead for a trip to a Tivoli at the end of the summer term. If your child wants to invite a smaller number of students (than all the boys/girls or the entire class), to a celebration outside of school time, please coach them on discretion and distribute invitations outside of school.

We have a tradition of making decorations for our classrooms and making our spaces as cozy and festive as possible.

On the last week, some lessons are cancelled so we can enjoy an end of year quiz, karaoke or a Christmas movie together.

On the first day of school, we meet at 9am and have a shared breakfast in our classroom. We spend some time together, catching up and looking ahead to the year. We round off the day in a Kochssamling assembly and class is dismissed at 13:00. Klub is open until 16:00 for those on Green floor (y8 and y9).

Held in spring we meet as a whole school in Risskov. The teachers and oldest students run posts with different fun activities. Class teams go from post to post and compete for points. There are extra points available for their match chant. We start at 9:00 and finish at 13:00.

Y11 and 9. kl celebrate their last day of lessons by arriving in fancy dress and throwing caramel sweets at the younger students. They arrange entertainment for the oldest students and go to a party with all of their peers in Aarhus Kommune. The starting and finishing times of the day are the same as usual for all other classes.

When students are in our lower secondary class (KI5- Years 8 and 9) they will be working alongside the Danish students on the Green floor (the 6th and 7th Classes). They will join with their Danish comrades for a 4-day residential visit within Denmark.

In our upper secondary class (KI6 – Years 10 and 11) they will be working alongside the Danish students on the Blue Floor (the Danish 8th and 9th classes).

In Year 10 they will take part in an exchange visit to our twin school in Holland, along with the Danish 8th Class.

In Year 11 they will take part in a residential visit to a European city, along with the Danish 9th Class.

Held on the last day before autumn holiday in October, we in the older classes meet in Risskov and run as many laps around a track in the forest as possible. The laps are counted and the class with the highest is declared the winner. We start at 9:00 and finish at 13:00.

We meet at 9am. Teachers and the oldest students hold posts around the school building with fun activities. Groups of students across classes and ages go from post to post to try the different activities.

After an early lunch, we assemble together and there is some entertainment, a gift giving ceremony and we sing together.

Our class visit a "Tivoli" (theme park) in one of the last weeks of school. In the past, we have visited both Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus and Djurssommerland further north. The entry ticket is instead of buying presents for birthdays.

Y10 and 8. kl arrange a special day in spring on a Saturday. There are stalls to buy food and drink, second hand toys and clothes, and there is entertainment such as musical performances. There is also an auction of prizes donated by local businesses. The money raised goes towards the trip in the very last year of school.

Report cards

Parents receive two report cards, one in winter and one in summer.

Y10 and Y11 receive "standpunktkarakter", where students are assessed according to the Danish syllabus standards three times per year.

Tests

Classes have regular low stakes quizzes to help reinforce the learning done in class.

We also screen students in maths and Danish. Once per year, we set Cambridge progression tests in maths, science and English. Y9 sit an externally marked Cambridge test to help teachers prepare their planning for Y10.

Exams

Y11 sit leavers exams in April-May. It is possible to take IGCSEs in the subjects taught in English, and the complete range of Danish afgangsprøver. Students and their families can tailor make the exams they will sit according to their future plans.

Y10 sit practice exams to give them a dry run of how the assessments are run.

Parent conferences

We hold two parent conferences per year, where we meet as a class teacher team with you and your child. The second one in spring is optional, and will be held after the report cards come out.

On the Green floor (y8 and y9), breaks are spent outside unless the weather is extremely bad. On the Blue floor (y10 and y11), breaks may be spent inside the classroom and students may leave the campus to visit the shops.

We have no specific dress code. Break times are spent outside, so outerwear and footwear needs to be weather appropriate. Students need to bring a change of clothes and a towel for PE/idræt.

Messages about upcoming events and private messages about students will be on Intra, so we recommend that you check regularly. If you need to get in contact with us over intra, we will reply within two working days.

Information about homework and day to day teaching and learning will be on Google Classroom so your child will need to be in the habit of checking it every weekday. If they need to get in contact with us, they can use the google mail.

If you cannot get intra or google classroom to work, please let us know as soon as possible.

We follow the Danish tradition of nominating a couple of students on a rota to clean up the classroom by sweeping the floor, wiping the tables and turning off the whiteboard.

On Green floor (y8 and y9) students will hand in their phones at the start of the day and get them back at home time. If you need to urgently contact your child, please ring the office at: 87 321 999

On Blue floor, (y10 and y11) students may have their phones on them.

• A pencil case with pencils, sharpeners, erasers, pens, protractor and compass.
• A scientific calculator (Texas Instruments TI-30Xa - scientific calculator is a good option)
• A laptop capable of running Office and Google Classroom, (but not an iPad).
• Students need to bring their charger everyday. If they have an issue with transporting it home, we recommend that they buy a spare to put in their locker.

We also have a possibility to rent a laptop from the school.

Students are taught French and German alongside their parallel Danish class. The language of instruction is Danish.

Teachers will give homework when relevant. This might be tasks such as reading some of their novel, preparing a presentation or studying topics from lessons.

Students should not be spending more than 30-60 minutes on homework tasks per evening, so if your child is spending much longer on homework please let us know so we can troubleshoot and adjust.

We have a locker for each student and a coat hook outside the classroom. Students are welcome to leave their books and school materials in their locker overnight.

Students may use the fridge on the green floor or in the KI6 classroom. Please note: There are no facilities to warm food and we have a school ban on instant noodles.

We have noticed that students find it harder to learn after eating or drinking high amounts of sugar, so we ask you to save sugary treats for celebrations. Sodas and energy drinks are not allowed before or in class.

Students are taught alongside their parallel Danish class. The language of instruction is Danish.

It is important that students bring along a change of clothes and a towel so they can wash after class.

If your child needs to stay home unexpectedly for example due to illness, please put a note on the Contact Book/kontaktbog on Intra in the morning.

If you have some upcoming planned absences such as a holiday or dentist appointment, please inform us in the same way on intra as soon as possible.

We have seven weeks in the school year where we go off our usual timetables and study something in more depth. Where it makes sense, for example the Theatre Theme Weeks and camp, KI will be taught alongside their Danish parallel class. Some theme weeks (such as project week), will be taught without the Danish parallel class.

We have a yearly residential trip for roughly a week. The locations vary. In general, the trips in y8 and y9 are to a place in Denmark. y10 visit Holland on a school exchange and y11 visit a European city.

From y8 to y10, students can choose between three creative subjects. The subject they choose in y9 will be assessed in a Danish school leaving assessment in y10. They are taught alongside their Danish peers, and the language of instruction is Danish.