Strong points of our school:
• Character of emphasizing nature and adventure
- Nature and the forest are the starting point in teaching as often as possible
- The teaching emphasizes adventure, experience pedagogy and learning by doing
- Functional nature trail at the disposal of the pupils and the residents
- Along the trail, there are informative signboards about different forest types, estimation of growing stock, decomposition experiment, observation of the lakeshore and different seasons
- A lean-to and a campfire site for recreation and teaching purposes
• Green flag school
The Green flag in our flagpole indicates that we take into account the environmental and nature issues in all our activities.
The themes have been sorting and reduction of waste, water and energy, nature experience and enhancement of the pleasantness and functionality of the surroundings.
- Sorting of the waste: we have made guiding signs, according to which pupils learn to sort waste into correct bins. We have placed separate sorting bins, including paper and energy waste, in every classroom. At our schoolyard we have, at the disposal of the whole village, a waste shed divided into separate segments.
- Water theme: water conservation and diversity in usage for recreation purposes, visit to the water purification plant of the Metsä Tissue mills in Mänttä, shore research projects and a water guide for homes.
- We studied the Energy theme e.g. through energy adventure. The pupils also took part in energy surveillance, on basis of which we made a programme of measures to cut consumption of energy. The eldest pupils made measurements concerning consumption of energy in the beginning and the end of a school year. The pupils measured consumption of heating oil and electricity, and their prices.
- Small deeds: the light out during breaks, coffee machine in the teacher’s room switched off in time, efficient but brief ventilation. Each pupil also made a measurement of their ecological footprint together with their parents both before and after studying the energy theme. Pleasingly many homes had taken measures to save energy during the school year.
• Cooperation with homes, school and the surrounding society
Educational goals have been agreed upon together with the parents. The school gives versatile information about its activities. We cooperate with the local schools, societies and companies.
• International connections
Our school has taken part in the international Comenius project. Our cooperation schools were from England, Austria and Norway. We were able to induce the cooperating school to take part in the Green flag –operation.
Comenius-project brought about the Imagine art project for the spring of the year 2005. British artist came to our school to teach art for a week and the product was exhibited in September in Oxford Modern Art Museum. www.oxonart.org
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