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Kärla Basic School is one of the biggest rural basic schools in island Saaremaa. We educate children from the Kärla area but also those from other areas in Western Saaremaa. There are 140 students in total. In other words, 9 classes of students, 7-16 years old. We also have 20 Ukrainian students from refugee families. We have 30 staff members, including 22 teachers. Our school is located in Kärla village, which means we are very close to all our partner organizations like the play school, sports hall, service centre, cultural house, the family doctor, youth centre and a music school.
The fundamental values of our school are the following:
- I learn while I teach, and teach while I learn.
- I know who I am and who I want to be.
- I feel joy in all that I do.
Our mission is to raise future world stars and world champions. We emphasise the importance of working together and being a community. We want our students to be arbiters of change, to properly value themselves and to continue learning for the rest of their lives.
Our school consists of four environments:
- the schoolhouse,
- the sports hall with cantine in it,
- the cultural house where our music lessons take place and
- the outdoor area.
The learning environment is important to us. We continue to strive towards making sure that students are engaged in the lesson with the help of active learning methods, and that students are able to carry over skills and knowledge from one lesson to another. We also try to connect what we learn at school with everyday problem solving, and to make sure that students can feel a sense of discovery and joy.
One thing our school wants to achieve is to awaken the entrepreneurial spirit in our students. In other words, in our students, we want to develop a way of thinking that actively seeks out change rather than waiting to adapt to change. It's a kind of mindset that makes people want to get out there and change the world. And in order to develop this mindset within our students, we actually have a lesson dedicated to that. This has given our students the courage to try and experiment with new things, and has given us many chances to work together with parents, with the community, and with actual entrepreneurs. Our school has had many different fairs and small cafes that students have actively participated in, and this is to give them that first taste of entrepreneurship.
Our school also has a media and photo club, and they have written some colourful articles about our new teachers and their past. To develop social competencies in our students we are part of many different networks such as Entrepreneurial Schools and Network of Health Promoting Schools. Kärla BS joined the initiative called TORE (movement of supporting students). In this framework supporting students provide support (being friend and mate) to other students; enhance the cooperation between students and adults; improve the coping of themselves.
Our surroundings and the nature of Saaremaa provides a good environment to develop our students competence in natural sciences, such as having different study trips and other various ways of interacting with nature.
For decades we have tried to put more focus on developing digital competence, and to do that we use many different online apps, websites and devices. Teachers have taken several courses; the educational technologist instructs teachers on digital education practices.
Developing cultural and social competencies in our students is something that happens daily in our school. All of our joint events and our lessons work towards instilling good cultural and social values in our students. Regarding the joint events, our students have, for example, participated in what we call Reading Day, taking part in a reciting competition and participated in various Christmas workshops.
February is known as Science Month at our school. The goal is to study what science is and promote learning.
Since 2021 we have implemented several changes in our teaching arrangements. For example, instead of 45 minute lessons, we now have 80 minute lessons. We also have a longer break in the middle of the day where students can go eat, talk with friends, go outside, or just have a bit of a rest. Our primary school teachers have also adopted a more general learning plan. Instead of having specific lessons according to the school timetable, there is more freedom for the teacher to decide how much time to spend on a subject or when to do it. Lastly, we are taking steps to make sure that our teachers know how to use active learning methods in the classroom.
The curriculum of Kärla BS is freshly renewed and it covers all 8 key competencies for Lifelong Learning set by European Reference Framework.
One of the most highlighted topics is to manage the organization and approaches of inclusive education (including of SEN - Special Educational Needs). We have students with special educational needs, we try to include these students to classrooms together with other students.
Kärla BS has very strong community and parents’ support. The board of guardians meets often to help school and be part of school activities.
Kärla BS is constantly developing its quality management system, based on PDCA, by fixing up the procedures and documents. Self-evaluation is part of students’, staff’ and organization’s everyday routine.