A caring environment
In a small close-knit school every child is cared for as an individual and gets the attention he/she needs. If behavioral issues arise, parents are immediately informed and are closely associated to the remedial measures. If the child has learning problems, or dyslexia or any similar difficulty, we will closely follow his/her progress, with the help of a professional person chosen with the parents if necessary. We endeavour to keep a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in school, where the children are happy to learn and where they develop their social and moral competences harmoniously.
Holidays
The school follows the official holidays of the Canton de Vaud (with one extra week at Christmas). However, we are aware of the fact that many families have international ties, and that some holidays are too short to organise long trips. Therefore, you may take one week of leave from school without any cost (typically the week before Christmas or Easter). If you need a second week, your child will be followed by the teaching team, either by internet, or when he comes back. In order to avoid disturbing his schooling, we ask you to refrain from taking him out of school for more than two weeks.
Full-day activities during the holiday are organised, based on demand, with carefully selected partners. This could be a sport camp or a circus week or a week of vacation at the farm.
No homework before age 8
For the primary children, homework is included in the school time (they have 27 hours of school per week, compared to about 20 in other schools). The main points are that they learn how to organise themselves efficiently both practically (where do I start?) and within a timeframe (how will I become efficient?)
The no-homework policy allows children who stay at school to participate in the “After School Activities” (handicrafts, music). Others take music lessons in the nearby Conservatory of Lausanne (3 mn away), or at school; thus they have the necessary time to practice their instrument. Other children take up sport practice.
A central activity during free time has to remain reading and learning. The point of the no-homework policy is certainly not for video games! If there has to be time for TV/video games, this should be clearly restricted to week-ends, so that the children have the time and the energy to read when they come back from school.