Getting Started at Rygaards

GETTING STARTED AT RYGAARDS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Welcome. Rygaards is a very friendly school and the International Parents Committee (IPC) are here to welcome you and to help ease you into your new school life.

New students join Rygaards International School throughout the year. However, the main intakes are in August and January.

Corona/Covid-19
We have added a new page in the Wiki with links to the official Covid-19 government help and advice.

The IPC is committed to supporting the families at Rygaards but the pandemic inevitably has required us to respond in a flexible way to changing circumstances, scaling back and sometimes cancelling many of our usual events. When and while circumstance allow it, we very much look forward to seeing you at one of the IPC Welcome Events. We strongly encourage you to join ClassList so that you can receive all the latest notifications.

Welcome Events
The IPC arranges welcome events (e.g. Welcome picnic, Newcomers coffee morning) to introduce the new families to the school in August and January. Should you join mid-term the School Administrator will put you in touch with your Class Parent Representative who will be able to help you settle in.

The School Principals hold welcome meetings are the start of each academic year.

Class teachers will host a welcome meeting within the first few weeks of the autumn term where they will give you an overview of the year ahead. The new Class Parent Representatives for the year will be assigned during this meeting.

All events are listed on Classlist.

Class Parent Representative
There are 2-3 parent class reps in each year group. The main role of the Class Reps is to provide 2-way communication between teachers and parents, to welcome new parents, foster a sense of community within the class by arranging social events (coffee mornings, evenings out, weekend family activities) and to represent the class at two-monthly IPC meetings.

Buddy Systems
The school operates a Buddy System. Each child who starts Rygaards after the official August beginning of term, will be assigned a buddy in their class. The buddy is responsible for welcoming the newcomer and showing them around during their first week or so.

School & Holiday Schedule
https://www.rygaards.com/welcome-to-rygaards-international-school/holiday-schedule 

School Communications
If you need to contact the school /member of staff urgently please call the Main School Office number: +45 39 62 10 53.

If there is an unexpected school closure or emergency the school will post notices on the Parentintra and the IPC app Classlist.

Please make sure the school has up to date contact information for you in case they need to contact you in an emergency. You can update your contact details via ParentIntra.

ParentIntra
Parentintra is the school’s primary and official avenue of communication. It provides and email facility for the school to contact parents, for staff to contact each other and for parents to contact the school staff. The teaching staff and the school management welcome you to contact them directly via Parentintra. It is also a way for parents to contact other parents. The school publishes lots of information on ParentIntra and it is where any announcements are made. Teachers send out class messages, weekly plans and homework, and the school management sends out information, reminders and monthly newsletters. So do make sure you check it regularly. All parents have access to ParentIntra once they have their CPR number. As soon as you have your CPR number go to the school office and request your log-in details. You can then log in via the ParentIntra website or download the ParentIntra app.

Classlist App
Parents or Rygaards International School communicate using a secure digital platform called Classlist. This is the main way the IPC communicates information to parents. It also helps parents to connect with each other.

Classlist acts as a ‘virtual school gate’, where you can make friends, ask for advice and recommendations, as well as arrange play-dates, school lift shares, fundraising activities and social events including private birthday parties. Parents can also use the listings button to buy and sell personal items, such as second-hand musical instruments or to find a babysitter. And all of these services are available on one easy-to-use, modern platform.

Classlist’s key function is to provide a directory of class parents accessible on all electronic devices, including mobiles. Parents can decide how much detail they want to share with other parents and Classlist is data protection registered which ensures we are GDPR compliant.

You will also find lots of useful info on there about general life at school and in Copenhagen. 

School_Map.jpeg
Please note that Rygaards School is an open campus (Corona restrictions in place currently and to be reviewed in the new term). This means that the gates are always open and students and the public have free access in and out of the grounds at all times. However, the GSB building is secured during class times with a lock so that only those assigned a key fob/code can access the building.

Parking
===   === The parking area at the front of the Main Building (Bernstorffsvej) is for school staff ONLY. There is plenty of street parking nearby. Please see the parking map for information on where to park and the ‘kiss and ride’ areas.

Bikes
There are plenty of bike racks inside every entrance to the school. There is also an indoor bike storage area below the main building which is locked overnight. Bikes are left at owner’s risk. Please lock your bike and put your bike helmet into your class locker.

THE SCHOOL DAY
Your child’s teacher will provide you with the class timetable at the start of term and they will also send out the weekly plan with any changes to the coming week on Parent’s Intra. Secondary School Timetable

The Secondary School timetable varies depending on year group, subjects and scheduling, general hours are from 08.00 – 16.00hrs.

Drop off/pick up
Please note only Years 1 and Reception are handed over to a parent/carer at the end of class at the end of each day. Older years are let out of class and are expected to meet their parent/carer in the playground or make their own way to SFO / home. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it!

Lunch & snack
There is no canteen/cafeteria at the school. Therefore, all children are required to bring a packed lunch and mid-morning snack each day. Snack is eaten at first break and lunch is eaten in their class room. The school encourages a healthy lunch box and no waste policy. Your class teacher will inform you if there are any allergies in the class of which you should be aware.

Hot lunches
Every Tuesday and Friday an outside catering company provides Hot Lunches for the children who subscribe to the service. On Tuesdays, a local company Impronta deliver delicious empanadas. You can sign your child up to and pay for this service on https://impronta.dk/school-lunch.

On Fridays, another local company Armando’s deliver Pizza/Pasta/Chicken&Rice .

You can sign up for Friday lunches on the IPC Classlist app.

Sports kit/useful items
Students in Year 2 and above are required to have the School Sports Kit. This can be purchased via the link on the IPC Classlist app.

All children are required to have both indoor and outdoor trainers for PE. Primary school children are required to have indoor shoes/slippers for wearing in the classroom. It is also advised that students have suitable outdoor clothing for break times and for getting to and from school (eg. waterproof trousers, snowsuit, rubber boots, sunhats etc).

SFO
SFO is Rygaards School’s before-and-after school care for students from Year 1- Year 4. The SFO is very popular and usually over-subscribed. Apply as soon as possible and if it is full put names down on the waiting list. Currently there are only 30 places in the before school club and 90 places in the after school club.

More information can be found on the school’s website: https://www.rygaards.com/welcome-to-rygaards-international-school/sfo

From Year 4 on the after school care is at a different location. Your local kommune will provide you with information on your local SFO.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
For children who start school and do not speak English or speak only a little bit of English, the transition can be quite difficult. However, every child is able to pick up the English language, each at his or her own unique speed. It helps if you practise a couple of basic words and sentences before your child starts school, for example: “yes/no”, “thank you”, “my name is…” or “I need to go to the toilet”. In the beginning, your child will be observing a lot in class and will be very tired after a day at school. Our advice is not to plan too many afterschool activities in the first months.

There is no special “English as a second language program” at Rygaards school, but the teachers will, of course, adapt the learning material (for example give the children shortened reading texts with many pictures can help them learn) or provide extra English lessons outside of the classroom.

What else can you do for your child to learn English more quickly? Your child should read as widely as possible. This means reading for pleasure. It doesn’t have to be a novel; it could be a magazine, graphic novel or blog website. Watching English movies is also great for improving listening skills. Then take every opportunity to practise English. In addition, playing, socialising and doing activities with English-speaking friends will help them develop their communication skills quickly.