Võru Kreutzwaldi Kool (VKrK) is a municipal school located in the town of Võru. It is a very new school, which was established at the beginning of 2015 as a result of education reforms.
Võru Kreuzwaldi Kool is situated in a picturesque location on the shore of Lake Tamula in South Estonia. About 700 students aged between 7-16 are going to start studying there since September 2015/16. The number of teachers, assistants and supporting staff is approximately 90. The school has got a newly renovated modern school house.
The school is situated in an area with high traditional values. We have our own dialect and have preserved our old customs. Also, healthy lifestyle, sporting and healthy eating habits, are valued both in the county and at school level. There is a canteen in our school where students can have healthy meals each day (paid for by the government and local municipality). As Estonia has a lot of snow in the winter, our school encourages and teaches cross-country skiing.
Our school is named after a well-known Estonian writer Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, who is also the compiler of our national epic Kalevipoeg (KALEV`s Son). Kreutzwald lived in Võru and worked in town as a doctor for a long time. There is also Kreutzwald Memorial Museum featuring his home and work.
The individuality of each student is appreciated in our school. There are some children whose mother tongue is Russian and Estonian is not their 1st language but who attend our school where studying happens in Estonian. Therefore they struggle to cope with three different languages as 1st foreign language (English) is also compulsory since the 2nd or 3rd grade. In addition, the versatile development of students is supported. Moreover, there are classes for students with low achievement where they get special support from psychologists, special- and specialist educators, speech therapists and assistant teachers. For talented students there are classes specialized on English (have more English classes than regular classes per week) where they can study English more thoroughly. As there usually are 3 parallel classes in every class level, we are also considering turning one parallel into nature and STEM specialised classes.
In our school, study is supplemented with various extra-curricular activities - different projects, competitions, clubs are participated in. Various subject and hobby groups are in action e.g. folk dancing, choir singing, drama club, sporting clubs and even robotics. It is also possible to take part in the work of a student company.
Our school has well-qualified staff and friendly atmosphere. There are also after school classes where younger students can spend time and do their homework under supervision until their parents arrive from work to pick them up. Our school is well-equipped with 3 modern computer classrooms where students` ICT skills are developed. In addition, the rest of the classrooms have a computer and a projector, language classes also have a set of loud speakers and an amplifier. There are also 6 classes equipped with interactive smart boards. Information technology is administered by IT specialists, computer class teachers and an information manager. Students` infotechnological skills are connected with everyday studying. The study process is also supported by a great variety of fiction and textbooks in the school library. There is a branch of Võru County`s Foreign Languages Centre in our school premises, where you can find adapted English language fiction and a lot of language teaching methodology books.
As our new school needs to unite the students of two different schools into one team, then the cooperation on the project tasks will offer additional opportunities to do so inside the institution itself. But at the same time reaching for the common outcomes with our foreign partners will teach our students the value of teamwork, tolerance to differences between individuals as well as cultures and traditions. It will also help us with implementing Estonia's new curriculum which seeks to improve ICT skills, integration between different subjects and to bring our teaching to the European level.
Võru Kreuzwaldi Kool is situated in a picturesque location on the shore of Lake Tamula in South Estonia. About 700 students aged between 7-16 are going to start studying there since September 2015/16. The number of teachers, assistants and supporting staff is approximately 90. The school has got a newly renovated modern school house.
The school is situated in an area with high traditional values. We have our own dialect and have preserved our old customs. Also, healthy lifestyle, sporting and healthy eating habits, are valued both in the county and at school level. There is a canteen in our school where students can have healthy meals each day (paid for by the government and local municipality). As Estonia has a lot of snow in the winter, our school encourages and teaches cross-country skiing.
Our school is named after a well-known Estonian writer Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, who is also the compiler of our national epic Kalevipoeg (KALEV`s Son). Kreutzwald lived in Võru and worked in town as a doctor for a long time. There is also Kreutzwald Memorial Museum featuring his home and work.
The individuality of each student is appreciated in our school. There are some children whose mother tongue is Russian and Estonian is not their 1st language but who attend our school where studying happens in Estonian. Therefore they struggle to cope with three different languages as 1st foreign language (English) is also compulsory since the 2nd or 3rd grade. In addition, the versatile development of students is supported. Moreover, there are classes for students with low achievement where they get special support from psychologists, special- and specialist educators, speech therapists and assistant teachers. For talented students there are classes specialized on English (have more English classes than regular classes per week) where they can study English more thoroughly. As there usually are 3 parallel classes in every class level, we are also considering turning one parallel into nature and STEM specialised classes.
In our school, study is supplemented with various extra-curricular activities - different projects, competitions, clubs are participated in. Various subject and hobby groups are in action e.g. folk dancing, choir singing, drama club, sporting clubs and even robotics. It is also possible to take part in the work of a student company.
Our school has well-qualified staff and friendly atmosphere. There are also after school classes where younger students can spend time and do their homework under supervision until their parents arrive from work to pick them up. Our school is well-equipped with 3 modern computer classrooms where students` ICT skills are developed. In addition, the rest of the classrooms have a computer and a projector, language classes also have a set of loud speakers and an amplifier. There are also 6 classes equipped with interactive smart boards. Information technology is administered by IT specialists, computer class teachers and an information manager. Students` infotechnological skills are connected with everyday studying. The study process is also supported by a great variety of fiction and textbooks in the school library. There is a branch of Võru County`s Foreign Languages Centre in our school premises, where you can find adapted English language fiction and a lot of language teaching methodology books.
As our new school needs to unite the students of two different schools into one team, then the cooperation on the project tasks will offer additional opportunities to do so inside the institution itself. But at the same time reaching for the common outcomes with our foreign partners will teach our students the value of teamwork, tolerance to differences between individuals as well as cultures and traditions. It will also help us with implementing Estonia's new curriculum which seeks to improve ICT skills, integration between different subjects and to bring our teaching to the European level.