Foreign Education
My school
The school where I personally study is located in the town of Toledo near Madrid. Toledo is a very historical city, there are many fortresses, old churches, and streets filled with ancient elements. All this comes from the fact that the city of Toledo was the previous capital of Spain. It played a big role in the heritage, and in the whole history of the Kingdom. My school is called International School San Patricio Toledo.
The school itself is quite isolated, it is located in a hilly area, a 15-minute drive from the historical center. On the one hand, it should not be noisy, as you might think, but on the other hand, you need to constantly take a taxi to go to a restaurant, meet friends or take a walk in the center. However, a year ago, a large construction site began near the school (on the right side of the picture, it is not yet there at the time). The construction of a large number of houses continues daily. Because of the construction, a huge piece of this slope was torn off from the school, a high wall was built, it became more crowded and dusty. The time this construction process will continue is unknown. It is indeed currently a disadvantage.
There is quite a lot of space both inside the school and outdoors. The classes are not small, and the number of students is significantly less than in the CIS countries. In my class, for example, 24 people are studying, while in Russia, classes were filled up with 44 people. This is a big advantage of studying abroad, classes are never made big so that the teacher has the opportunity to pay more attention to each student and answer their questions.
Around a thousand children and teenagers study at my school, the IB program is available for all ages, from 3 to 18. However, they only take in residents for boarding house from 13 to 14 years old.
For day school students, a shuttle bus to school is offered in the mornings.
There is quite a lot of space both inside the school and outdoors. The classes are not small, and the number of students is significantly less than in the CIS countries. In my class, for example, 24 people are studying, while in Russia, classes were filled up with 44 people. This is a big advantage of studying abroad, classes are never made big so that the teacher has the opportunity to pay more attention to each student and answer their questions.
Around a thousand children and teenagers study at my school, the IB program is available for all ages, from 3 to 18. However, they only take in residents for boarding house from 13 to 14 years old.
For day school students, a shuttle bus to school is offered in the mornings.
Library
The library is a place where dozens of students meet up every day. The library is divided by a large number of tables, allowing students to form groups and work on group homework, project, or presentation. There are sockets on the floor to charge computers, and the ceilings are deprived of air conditioning for the hot summer period. Also, there is a small exit to the street where you can go out to read a book. The most interesting fact about the library is the huge number of books that the school has. This is certainly not a big city library, but there are large collections of "The economist" journals, books for children, a lot of literature, science and even Russian classics!
The library is a place where dozens of students meet up every day. The library is divided by a large number of tables, allowing students to form groups and work on group homework, project, or presentation. There are sockets on the floor to charge computers, and the ceilings are deprived of air conditioning for the hot summer period. Also, there is a small exit to the street where you can go out to read a book. The most interesting fact about the library is the huge number of books that the school has. This is certainly not a big city library, but there are large collections of "The economist" journals, books for children, a lot of literature, science and even Russian classics!
Sport courts
Our school has a lot of space which is separated specifically for sports, tennis, volleyball courts; basketball courts and football fields of several sizes around the entire territory. This is justified by a healthy life and the desire of Spaniards to play football and do sports. During break times, kids of different ages get together to play basketball, soccer, and most other games. It also happens in the evening, at the residence. The boarding house come up altogether to play football or basketball under the setting sun.
Our school has a lot of space which is separated specifically for sports, tennis, volleyball courts; basketball courts and football fields of several sizes around the entire territory. This is justified by a healthy life and the desire of Spaniards to play football and do sports. During break times, kids of different ages get together to play basketball, soccer, and most other games. It also happens in the evening, at the residence. The boarding house come up altogether to play football or basketball under the setting sun.
Study Halls
There is a large number of classrooms for students of different ages and different learning needs. The school has 2 science classes, a large class for 1 DP, classes for French, German, and other multi-functional classes. Each classroom is equipped with air conditioning, double curtains, a radiator, and electronic screen whiteboards. Recently, by the way, the whole school has been working together to save electricity due to the low energy reserves in Spain. Most of the school itself is powered by solar panels installed on the roof of the building. This is a nice fact about it, bringing a contribution to climate change.
There is a large number of classrooms for students of different ages and different learning needs. The school has 2 science classes, a large class for 1 DP, classes for French, German, and other multi-functional classes. Each classroom is equipped with air conditioning, double curtains, a radiator, and electronic screen whiteboards. Recently, by the way, the whole school has been working together to save electricity due to the low energy reserves in Spain. Most of the school itself is powered by solar panels installed on the roof of the building. This is a nice fact about it, bringing a contribution to climate change.
Dining room
Unfortunately, it will be impossible for me to be specific about the food in our school. It is pretty diverse and changes every day. First of all, lunch hours at school are divided between classes. Each class comes at its own time, and cannot have lunch at another hour. On the one hand, it is very convenient for DP students, who have classes starting right after lunch. But on the other hand, junior high school students sometimes wait more than an hour before their turn for lunch. If you're hungry, it is complicated to resist. During lunch we always have a choice of food, it's two second dishes and one first, there is also dessert; fruits, yogurts, or even ice cream in the summer.
Unfortunately, it will be impossible for me to be specific about the food in our school. It is pretty diverse and changes every day. First of all, lunch hours at school are divided between classes. Each class comes at its own time, and cannot have lunch at another hour. On the one hand, it is very convenient for DP students, who have classes starting right after lunch. But on the other hand, junior high school students sometimes wait more than an hour before their turn for lunch. If you're hungry, it is complicated to resist. During lunch we always have a choice of food, it's two second dishes and one first, there is also dessert; fruits, yogurts, or even ice cream in the summer.
Parental Meetings (PTSC)
Twice a year, each student meets with their parents and teacher online, this process is called PTSC (Parent Teacher Student Conference). During these online conferences, teachers have the opportunity to talk about the success of the child, while parents can ask questions about the child's progress. Personally, I think this process is very useful for teachers, parents, and the child himself. It helps to discover the strengths and weaknesses of each subject being studied in the school.
Twice a year, each student meets with their parents and teacher online, this process is called PTSC (Parent Teacher Student Conference). During these online conferences, teachers have the opportunity to talk about the success of the child, while parents can ask questions about the child's progress. Personally, I think this process is very useful for teachers, parents, and the child himself. It helps to discover the strengths and weaknesses of each subject being studied in the school.
If you would like to know more about my school, you can ask me any questions on the forum section or take a look at my school's website at the following link: https://www.colegiosanpatriciotoledo.com/en