The school strongly believes that bringing up children is a collaborative task, which requires shared values and understanding between homes and the school.

In the Q.F.I. School, we believe that the responsibility of learning is shared between students,teachers and homes. Whilst the parents are primarily responsible for the upbringing of their child, we support them by taking responsibility for the child’s education at school. Parents are always welcome to our school to join classes, to talk to staff and to contribute to our community building after negotiating this with teachers. We hope that parents will be active partners in supporting all aspects of their children’s learning, in and outside of school.

All of our teachers are willing and happy to talk with the parents about their children’s learning or any school matter that they might have in mind. However, this is not done during the lessons or other duties.

Home-school collaboration is enabled through following structures:

• Parents receive a weekly letter from teachers with general information of the class (special events, tests, things to remember), topics that are being taught during the week  and some pedagogical guidance on how to support the child at home.
• The school year is divided into three terms. Students receive a report card at the end of each term. Prior to this the parents have a possibility to meet teachers in a Parent-Teacher Conference or a Student-Led Conference.
• The school has a Parent Assosiation (PA). PA is a parent-led group that supports the school in its primary task according to the school values. PA meets on last Thursday of a month 7:30am in the Canteen. There is Principal’s Morning coffee at every first Thursday of the month at 7:30am. Each class has a Class Representative who acts as a link between PA and Class Teacher. The school point of contactis Vice Principal.

The aims of PA are:

• to enrich the children’s education by promoting parental involvement in supporting school policies and programmes in a constructive way
• to maintain and foster a constructive partnership between  staff and parents in the interests of the school and children
• to act as a vehicle for discussion, learning and positive action
• to enhance programmes offered by Q.F.I. School
• to work toward achieving these aims through fundraising and other activies

• Morning supervision 06:30 – 7:30
• Grade 0 – 2
  • 07:30 – 13:00
  • Snack 13:00 – 13:15
  • ECA 13:15 – 14:00 (School busses leave 14:00)
• Grade 3 – 7
  • 7:30 – 13:45
  • Snack 13:45 – 14:00
  • ECA 14:00 – 15:00 (School busses leave 14:00)

Every child that applies to our school goes through the admissions assessment. We assess the students in order to place them in the most appropriate grade level based on their skills.

Assessment is based on holistic evaluation of the child’s learning and his/her performance during the test. The school looks into academic, social, emotional and motoric skills as well as behavior and attitude since they all are equally valuable in child’s holistic development. Low performance in any of these areas might be a reason for a refusal of an applicant.

At the beginning of the school year the school pedagogical staff prepares a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) for each student. The mentioned aims come from the school curriculum. The PLP gives a holistic overview of child’s strengths and weaknesses, and sets some objectives for and tools for the ongoing term. The PLP is reviewed for every term.

The most important data for student assessment comes through continuous teacher observations and continuous formative assessment. In these processes the teacher is able to collect information about student progress through versatile sources. Observing student’s daily work and using continuous formative assessment on daily bases gives the teacher realistic and up-to-date information about student’s academic level, working skills and behavior.

For example the following documentation is used:

• teacher’s notes, photos, videos
• student test results
• student portfolios
• student self-evaluation documents
• group self-evaluation documents

The school year is divided into three terms. Students receive a report card at the end of each term. Prior to this the parents have a possibility to meet teachers in a Parent-Teacher Conference or Student-Led Conference.

In the early education (grades 0-2) the evaluation is written and descriptive. Starting from grade 3 student assessment follows numeric scale from 4-10 (4 being failed and 10 being outstanding) with a descriptiove text.

The children are taught to use peer- and self-evaluation as a natural part of daily routines and group activities. The use of these methods enhances the understanding between learning and assessment and promotes the construction of stronger and more realistic self-image.

The school has a Health & Safety & Environment Team whose responsibility is to coordinate safety related topics inside the school and in relation with relevant stakeholders. The staff has been trained for first aid and fire safety.

The school has a full time nurse. School nurse is available in the school every school day for emergencies and other health matters. Please contact the nurse for appointment or enquiries
(4012 7896).

The school organises evacuation drills each term. The school has a Health and Safety Plan.

We kindly ask you to exercise extreme caution while driving in our drop-off / pick-up areas. The pedestrian crossings (zebra crossing) are no parking zones. Please, educate your children to use these marked crossings.

Our focus is on early intervention in a flexible manner with solid co-operation between the different stakeholders. In order to prevent the emergence and growth of problems we offer support in three categories: general, intensified and special support.

Everyone is entitled to general support. It is a natural part of everyday teaching and learning process. Intensified and special support categories are based on careful assessment and longspan planning. If general support is not enough, further care is planned by multi-professional Student Welfare Team. The team consists of Vice Principal, School Counselor, Special Needs Teachers and School Nurse.

School nurse is available in the school every school day for emergencies and other health matters. Please contact the nurse for appointment or enquiries (4012 7896).

Please, do not bring your child to school if he/she is ill.

In general the school encourages and supports the educational use of technology at school. The difference between the educational use and the recreational use is often ambiguous. The educators in school decide the best possible use of technology at a given time. All students are guided for correct, moral and ethical use of technology.

The school offers students devices to be used during the lessons (iPads, desktops, laptops). However, the students can also bring their own devices from home. The general policy regarding the possession and use of these devices (iPads, laptops, phones) is as follows:

• Human interaction is more important than the use of technology however they shouldn’t be seen as two competing sides but rather combining the best features of each approach
• The technology is a natural part of life and students should learn to use it for their learning
• We remember good manners also while using the technology
• The students are allowed to use their own devices in the morning before the beginning of school (before 07:30) and/or in the afternoon after school hours (grades 0-2 after 13:00, grades 3-7 after 13:45)
• Students are not allowed to use their own devices during the breaks
• Student’s own devices are stored in student’s school bag when they are not in use
• Students are not allowed to take any pictures or recordings during the school day
• The materials used in student’s own devices must be according to the values of Q.F.I. School
• During the school hours the permission to use technology always comes from the pedagogical staff – otherwise the students do not touch their devices (school’s or own)
• In case student misuses his/her own device, the school staff has the right to confiscate the device which will be given back only to student’s guardian
• The school has no responsibility and will not cover any loss or damage of devices brought from home

• Students must wear the school/sports uniform at all times, unless otherwise stipulated by the Principal (ex: Free Dress Days).
• If you are to wear a jacket in school, it must be a Q.F.I. School jacket.
• All students are to wear black enclosed shoes with black socks.

For more information, please see the Uniform Policy PDF-document at the bottom of the Admission page.

The school year is divided into three terms. Students receive a report card at the end of each term. Prior to this the parents have a possibility to meet teachers in a Parent-Teacher Conference or Student-Led Conference.

In the early education (grades 0-2) the evaluation is written and descriptive. Starting from grade 3 student assessment follows numeric scale from 4-10 (4 being failed and 10 being outstanding) with a descriptiove text.

The children are taught to use peer- and self-evaluation as a natural part of daily routines and group activities. The use of these methods enhances the understanding between learning and assessment and promotes the construction of stronger and more realistic self-image.

The aim is to create an atmosphere where the student can experience continuous positive learning environment. However the emphasis is put on creating the inner motivation mechanism contrary to outer reward mechanism. The positive reinforcement should come through a realistic picture of one’s actions. This picture is build based on reflection coming from the child himself, the teachers and peer group. Actions used for positive reinforcement might be:

• Student appraisal – noticing and appreciating good behaviour continuously
• Student rewarding methods – individual recognition of good behaviour at group, class, module and school level
• Group rewarding methods – recognition of good behaviour at societal level promoting the sense of shared responsibility in the group. This is extremely important when guiding children towards effective group skills.

The gate opens at 7:00 am students and parents are requested to use the Student drop-off/pick-up zone to enter the school.

The school gates open 06:30 in the morning. After this there is supervision in the Assembly Hall. There are two official drop-off / pick-up areas both with entrance and exit gates. Side entry and exits are only for school busses. The main entry parking and the new parking areas outside the school gates are for private cars. Please, note that the main entry parking is a one-way drive area. Use consideration and caution when parking your car so that it doesn’t obstruct the traffic and cause dangerous situation. The pedestrian crossings (zebra crossing) are not parking zones. Please, educate your children to use these marked crossings.

We ask you to pick-up your child promptly after school or Extra Curricular Activities. The responsibility for student supervision is transferred to school security after 15:00.

The school cooperates with Safari Transport. Transportation Office is located at the bus gate. All inquiries concerning school transportation should be addressed directly to Safari Transport

Telephone: 5007 9317
Email: registration@safaritransport.com

We urge you not to have the students bring money to school. The responsibility for any money that students might possess lies on the family.

Library is a versatile learning environment, where our students can read, study, research and do projects alone and in groups utilizing the modern technology. Students may borrow books for a specified time using their student ID cards. In case there is any damage or loss of the library materials, the parents are liable for covering the costs before the student is able to borrow more materials.

Students are requested to have a healthy pack lunch with them and they get to enjoy the lunch at 10:20-10:45.