Your child enters Geneva’s public school this year? Parentville’s got you covered!
The first thing to know: 1P aka 1st grade stands for the 1st grade in the primary school in Geneve.
Just remember: as everything in Switzerland depends on the canton, the school is even more detailed: everything depends on the teacher. Differences from what is described below may happen.
PREPARE
You’ll need: slippers, basanes, painting apron, a change of clothes. Also in some school: a box of tissues
You don’t need to buy any books, notebooks, crayons, glue, scissors etc. – such equipment is provided by the schools.
Does your child need a backpack?
Yes. But not a big backapack for heavy contents. Any light backpack that can easily hold an a4 folder will do!
Things that they will carry in the backpack are:
- a snack-box,
- a water bottle aka “la gourde”,
- and the a4 sized folder aka “la fourre”.
- a communication notebook (carnet de l’élève)
- All books, notebooks, crayons etc. stay at school.
You will get a teacher-parent communication book also called a students book (carnet de l’élève) with all necessary explanations, addresses, and phone numbers. Further pages constitute an agenda. Each day of the school year has its place, where teachers and parents can put important information. At the bottom of the page you’ll find space to request a meeting with the teacher (or teacher’s request to meet with you). You’ll need to sign the book every week. I promise, It will become clear once you get it in your hands.
In the first weeks of the school year you will also receive some forms to fill (mainly asking about address, phone numbers, special health issues, languages spoken etc). Nothing complicated.
INDEPENDENCE
Kids are expected to be diaper-free, and independent when it comes to all toilet-related issues. They should also know how to dress themselves, put on their shoes, etc. Of course, teachers will occasionally help if needed, but the expectation is for kids to be independent. For that reason it’s best to, for example, avoid shoes with laces until the child can tie them without adults’ help.
You may have heard that children in Switzerland are required to walk to school alone from the age of 4. It is not the case in the canton of Geneva. Some teachers may suggest it (but not to 4yo) but nobody will require it ever. You can walk your kid to school till they’re 18yo or more.
IT’S IN FRENCH
Don’t be afraid if your child doesn’t speak French.
Most probably, he/she won’t be the only one in the classroom. Teachers in Geneva are experienced and used to working with allophone children (allophone is french for not speaking French).
Grades 1-3P are very playful year, perfect to learn the language! Those joining later will be for half a day in their regular class, and half a day at a French-for-foreigners class.
If you do think your child will do better with some additional help, you can try a kids’ French course in one of the language schools, for example playful Spell Languages (offering both group and private lessons, as well as full weeks during school holidays).
PLAYTIME
1-2P focus on socializing, board games, songs, and as my daughter put it “that damn coloring”. Coloring is boring for many kids but the thought behind it is to master the pincer grasp, to better work with the pencil the following years. They get to learn their abc’s, count to 12, and write their name. But again, everything depends on the teacher. My daughter’s teacher added a bit of German to the mix.
1-2P classrooms are filled with toys, games, and colours. There’s usually a library corner, and a separate space for different kinds of pretend play scenarios.
It’s not really school yet. It’s a kindergarten in school’s building.
LEARNING 101
Don’t expect any reading or proper writing happening in Geneva 1P or even 2P classes. This won’t happen till the 3P. To many of you it might come as a shock, but actually according to a ton of research (example of an article summing it up: here), it is a great advantage of the Swiss system. The same is done in many Northern and Eastern European countries, especially those renown for their educational systems, eg Finland and Sweden.
(By the way, did you know there is a Swedish School in Geneva, offering an English-French language program based on Swedish methods)
They’ll do some math exercises in a form of mazes, solving easy logical tasks. They’ll have basics of geography – starting with their school setting, and maybe naming the streets around. But again, it all depends on the teacher.
They’ll also have science with experiments and learning about plants or animals. There will be a music class with singing. In other words they will be well occupied, and learn a whole bunch of things in a playful and engaging way.
THE DROP OFF: 8h00-8h45
Drop off is from 8:00 till 8:45. Provide your child with a small snack for the morning recess (la recrée): a sandwich, a fruit, dry fruits, a bit of cheese or whatever you want. You’re completely free to choose, unless the school decides otherwise (eg nosweets on certain days).
In some of the schools parents can walk in with their child only for the first 2 months of the school year (upon drop off, and to collect them). Other schools let parents in the full 1P and beyond. But in most, as of 2P you will be asked to stay outside, and your child will enter the school on their own.
THE LUNCH BREAK: 11h30-13h30/14h00
The lunch break is long. It lasts from 11:30, and finishes with an afternoon drop off from 13:30 till 14:00.
During lunch break, children from 1P eat their lunch, have a relax time (they lie down for 20-30 minutes, it is not a nap time). They can bring a cover, a pillow, and something to cuddle.
They can eat lunch at school with « parascolaire » (paid option) or be brought home to eat.
SCHOOL’S OUT
Schools out at 16h:00 every day. There is no school on Wednesdays for 1-4P. From 5P kids go to school on Wednesdays but only till 11:30 (there is no lunch or parascolaire option on Wednesdays).
After-school care, « parascolaire », exists in all schools in canton Geneva. Children are taken care of from 16h till 18h. Parascolaire is managed in most municipalities by GIAP, not by schools. The activities during these two hours vary a lot from one municapility to another, and even between schools in the same municipality in the canton.
HOLIDAYS
Holidays outside the set school breaks? You have to ask the school for approval and it is decided on case by case basis. If it’s less than 4 days of school leave, the teacher will decide, if it’s more the director of the school will make the decision. You should hand it in, ideally, at least 14 days in advance.
Exception: Jeûne genevois, that always happens in the beginning of the school year – you can hand in the request in the first few days of the school year to have a long weekend.
