Welcome to school!
Dear guardians! Around 600 first-graders will start their basic education at schools in Vaasa next autumn. The school year for basic education in Vaasa begins on Friday 9th of August 2024. This guide presents important things to know when going to school.
Familiarisation day Preschool children come to see their future school in May. Schools and pre-school teachers inform the homes about the time of the visitation day. If possible, a meeting will also be arranged for guardians before the start of the school year. Basic education year and holidays 2024-2025 • Autumn term 9 August - 21 December, 2024 Autumn holiday 14 – 18 October, 2024 Christmas holiday 22 December, 2024 – 6 January, 2025 • Spring term 7 January – 31 May, 2025 Winter holiday 24 – 28 February, 2025 At the beginning of the academic year, the pupil’s personal timetable is sent home, which shows the start and end times of the school days. The school staff will help and guide families in all questions regarding the start of school and going to school.
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Teaching in Grade 1 A Grade 1 pupil has 20 hours of teaching per week.
Subjects in Grade 1:
• mother tongue and reading & writing skills • mathematics • environmental studies • religion or ethics • A1 language (English in Finnish-language basic education, Finnish in Swedish-language basic education) • handicrafts • fine art • music • physical education The school also teaches multidisciplinary learning modules, where pupils learn about themes and phenomena that cross subject boundaries.
Language studies Basic education in Finnish: • Grade 1: English language study begins (A1 language) • Grade 4: A2 language study begins: you can choose another national language, i.e. Swedish or a foreign language (French, German, Russian). The choice of language is made during Grade 3, and guardians are informed about it separately through Wilma. Basic education in Swedish: • Grade 1: Finnish language study begins (A1 language) • Grade 3: pupils can start studying English as an optional subject • Grade 4: pupils continue studying English as an A2 language
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Curriculum and objectives The school works according to the city’s curriculum, which follows the principles of the national curriculum. The teacher chooses the teaching methods and working methods that are the most suitable for the class to achieve the curriculum goals.
Meals School meals are provided during the morning. Educational aspects are taken into account during school meals: we taste all the dishes and learn good eating habits. At schools in Vaasa, pupils are offered food according to a special diet, if there are clear medical or ethical reasons for doing so. For a special diet, please fill out the notification of a special diet form, which can be obtained from the school health nurse. Read more: www.teese.fi/ruokapalvelut (in Finnish and Swedish)
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School transportation A child must learn the safest way to school together with a guardian. Pupils attending basic education in the City of Vaasa are entitled to free school transportation provided that the school trip in one direction is: • more than three kilometres for pupils in Grades 1-2 • more than five kilometres for pupils in Grades 3-9 Read more: www.vaasa.fi/en/living/early-childhoodeducation-and-schools/basic-education/schooltransportation
Morning and afternoon activities Morning and afternoon activities aim to reduce the time children spend alone, away from the presence of a responsible adult, before and after the school day. The City of Vaasa arranges morning and afternoon activities for pupils in Grades 1 and 2 as well as for pupils in other grades who are eligible for special support. Activities are voluntary and paid for by the families. Morning and afternoon activities are organised during school days from 8am to 4pm. Read more: www.vaasa.fi/en/living/early-childhoodeducation-and-schools/basic-education/morning-andafternoon-activities
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School club activities School club activities are free and voluntary hobby activities for pupils in Grades 1-9 in basic education. The school’s club activities are defined in the Basic Education Act and the core curriculum. Club activities can be organised by the schools themselves, clubs, associations or other units of the city (e.g. sports services, basic art education). Families are informed about the clubs through Wilma.
Cooperation between school and home Successful school attendance is based on confidential cooperation between the home and the school. The most important forms of cooperation are parents’ evenings, short parent-teacher meetings, evaluation discussions as well as Wilma. Wilma is an online service intended for communication between the home and the school. The school can also have a parents’ association, which consists of representatives from the school and parents. Basic school education is public, so parents can familiarise themselves with school work if they wish. You should get in touch with the teacher or principal and agree on a familiarisation visit in advance.
Kiva school Bullying is not accepted at school. Every school has a plan to prevent bullying. Schools act according to the plan if bullying occurs. It is worth asking at home too about how things are going with friends at school and journeys to and from school. Contact the teacher immediately if a child talks about bullying.
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School and class rules Schools in the City of Vaasa have common rules of order. Schools also have their own comfort rules, as well as class rules agreed upon by classes. A pupil must take care of the textbooks and other equipment they receive. If a pupil loses a book, the home can be obliged to replace the book with a new one. Recycling textbooks is common.
Absences A guardian is obliged to notify the school if a child is absent from school due to illness. A guardian must request permission from the teacher (maximum 5 days) or the school principal (more than 5 days) if the reason for the absence is because of something other than illness. Absence requests can be made electronically in Wilma.
Support for learning and schooling Every student has the right to receive guidance and support in their learning and schooling immediately when the need arises. Read more: www.vaasa.fi/en/living/early-childhoodeducation-and-schools/basic-education/support-forschooling
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Pupil welfare Pupil welfare refers to the promotion and maintenance of matters related to a child’s good learning, good mental and physical health, and social wellbeing. Every child in preschool and basic education is entitled to pupil welfare. Each school has access to a: • school psychologist • school councellor • school nurse • school doctor • school dental care Read more: www.vaasa.fi/en/living/early-childhoodeducation-and-schools/basic-education/pupil-welfare
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Contact us! Basic education administration Basic education in Finnish
• School Director Kari Nummela 040 754 7702 • Regional principal Johanna Olsson (Region 1: centre and northern region) 040 510 0717 • Regional principal Anne Kärki (Region 2: eastern region and Vähäkyrö) 040 196 2843
Basic education in Swedish
• School Director Marianne West 040 777 3225 • Head of education Ann-Sofie Nygård, 040 592 8709
Morning and afternoon activities
• Service planner Sari Kivelä 040 127 2699
Secretarial services
• Administrative secretary Therése Kangas 040 647 5611 • Administrative secretary Annika Härkönen 040 520 4516 e-mail: firstname.lastname@edu.vaasa.fi or firstname.lastname@vaasa.fi