Karellen



Parental Guide

Welcome to Grænuvellir

Here we have gathered some useful information
for you to read about the school




Principal of Grænuvellir:
Sigríður Valdís Sæbjörnsdóttir
siggavaldis@graenuvellir.is
Phone:464-6157
GSM: 847-4766


Vice principal of Grænuvellir
Helga Jónsdóttir
helgaj@graenuvellir.is
Phone: 464-6158


Opening hours

Grænuvellir opens at 7:45 am and closes at 16:15 (4:00 pm). We kindly ask you to respect those hours. It is important that a member of the staff is notified when the child arrives, as well as when it leaves.


Our day in Grænuvellir

7:45 The School opens—quiet play, book reading, puzzles etc.

8:15-8:45 Breakfast is served

9:00–11:30 Group work/spontaneous play/outdoor activities

9:30 Midmorning snacks– including fruits and vegetables

11:30 Lunch

12:00 Sleep/Rest/Quiet time

13:00 Playtime—in-or outdoors

14:30 Afternoon snacks

15:00 Playtime

16:00 School is out for the day

N.B The schedule may vary depending on classes/children’s age.


The kindergartens policy

The school Grænuvellir operates according to Act no. 90/2008, Regulation on Nursery schools, nursery school curriculum, the Nation curriculum and school policy of Grænuvellir Norðurþing.

The preschool works with Positive Discipline, which is a discipline model used by schools, and in parenting, that focuses on the positive points of behavior. Positive Discipline is a program developed by Dr. Jane Nelsen. It is designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their communities. Positive Discipline teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful and encouraging for both children and adults.

Dewey strongly believed that children learn best through their own interest, activity, and experience. Personal experience is a prerequisite for understanding the environment. The child is in a sense the main figure in the school, not necessarily as an individual but as part of a group that works together on projects under the guidance of teachers. Dewey stressed a lot about dialogue and circle time (group sitting) which is based on social instinct, wanting to investigate and discover, interest in performing and in artistic expression. The play is a very important tool in children’s education and development. The children are an active and a creative participant in their own play and therefor they learn from experience rather than teaching. John Dewey said that the most important attribute that can result from playing is the desire to continue learning. According to him, teachers are responsible for the environment to be inspiring, stimulating and organized with variety of materials. The motto of John Dewey is „learning by doing” which means that children learn from their own experience rather than from being taught. The school is an opportunity for children to develop as both individuals and citizens.


The rules of the school

The school Grænuvellir operates according to Act no. 90/2008, Regulation on Nursery schools, nursery school curriculum, the Nation curriculum and school policy of Grænuvellir Norðurþing.


Housing

Grænuvellir has eight different classes. In the middle of the building is a big hall wich each class has access to once a week.We have a large garden around the house that we use every day. In addition we have access to Holt, an area we use foroutdoor education and cooking.


Useful links

http://graenuvellir.karellen.is/– The kindergartens website

tungumalatorg.is

mcc.is – Multicultural Information Centre

modurmal.com

https://graenuvellir.karellen.is/upplysingar/gjaldskra- Fees


Grænuvellir emphasizes on

Respect, friendship, and wellness with a focus on:


  • motor skills
  • social skills
  • play
  • Outdoor education
  • Literacy, Music
  • Democracy
  • Positive discipline.



Good to know

Summer Holliday

Grænuvellir closes for 4 weeks during the summertime. Other holidays are marked in our calendar e.g. planning days, holidays around Christmas and easter.

Resting

After lunch the children rest for a little while and because of that we recommend you don´tpick up your child or bring it to the kindergarten from 11:30-13:00.

Language development

It is important for the child´s language development to nurture their native language and that is their parents´ responsibility. It is also important for the child´s wellbeing to help it learn the new language, to strengthen their social skills. The child and it´s parents could learn a new language together.

Special education

In Grænuvellir the bilingual children receive special language education designed for the need of each child. The children get their own little dictionary “Ljáðu mér orð” which has photos of everyday activities in the kindergarten and pictures of the teachers with their names. There are also pictures of clothes, food, toys and events.

When a Child is sick

In case your child gets sick it must stay at home until it is well again, 1-2 days without fever.Please inform the staff if the child is not attending.



Clothing
It´s important for the children to wear comfortable and appropriate clothes at the kindergarten.

We recommend the following type of clothes should be in the childs bag:
Extra set of clothes: underwear, pants, sweater, socks.

Good outdoor clothing including raincoat and trousers, rainboots, warm sweater, two set of hats, at least two sets of mittens, woolensocks, woolen/fleece pants, snowsuit and snowboots in the winter.


Applications

The following rules apply to the application, enrolment and charge of the School. Applications for stay at Grænuvellir is on the school´s webpage: www.graenuvellir.karellen.is, under applications. Parents/guardians receive an email with confirmation that the application has been received. You can apply for the school if your domicile is in another municipality, but to be accepted you must be domiciled in Norðurþing. The allocation is subject to a parent / guardian not being in debt with the school. The school receives applications all year long, but we ask for applications for the fall to be in place before April 1st of each year. Children are registered on the waiting list from the age of one year old and are checked in according by date of birth. Therefor older children will have priority over the younger children.

Parents/guardians should receive a confirmation for their child being accepted approximately with one months notice. When a child has been accepted into the school an email will be sent with information about when and in what matter the child´s adaptation will be.

When a formal confirmation from the school´s principal has arrived the child has been accepted and that will not be undone even though older children may be applying after the confirmation arrives. The older children applying, will wait the next acceptation.

If there are complication which demand the child having a priority over older children in being accepted to the school, an appropriate certification from a certified specialist/doctor must be in order.


Group adaptation in Grænuvellir

All new parents are invited to a meeting in the hall, usually at noon the Friday before the Childs first day. In the meeting parents are presented with the schools activities, schedules, practicalities and the Childs adaptation to its new environment. The adaptation takes at least five days, sometimes more if the Child needs it.

In Grænuvellir the Children are adapted to the kindergarten in Groups about four times a year. In group adaptation Children and their parents learn to be in the kindergarten and get to know him together. The Teachers get to know the Child as a part of family and as a part of a bigger group. In the adaptation week, the parents take full part in everyday activities with the Child. The parents tend to the Childs needs while the Teacher learn to how to attend to the child the way it is used to.When the parents are active participants in the school daily schedule and activities from day one, they will feel more secure. When parents know the teachers and the kindergartens daily schedule and feel secure, it is more likely that their Children feel secure when they start to stay without their parents in the kindergarten.With group adaptation the parents get to know each other which makes the class stronger as a group of parents, children and teachers.

When the Children move to a new class, usually in the fall, their teachers take care of that adaptation. Usually a teacher from their old class stay with the children in the new class for a week or so, until they feel secure in the new environment. Later in the fall the parents are invited to introductory meeting in the new class.


School fees

School fees are prepaid and will be charged from the 1st of each month. Fees take mid of the child´s contract; duration of stay and meals. The fees should be paid by the 20th of each month to avoid extra costs. The school charges for 11 months per year. The fees are deceided by the local government. The school´s general operation costs are for the most part paid by Norðurþing. Any changes regarding fees are reported to parents by the school. There will also be updated information on the school´s website as well as Norðurþing´s website.

If fees haven´t been paid three months in a row parents are recommended to negotiate about payments to maintain the child´s place. Otherwise, it is the principal´s duty to resign the child´s contract.


Discount

Married couples or couples in a registered union pay a regular fee, single parents can apply for a discount at the principal´s office but in order to do so, one must be registered as single. If at some point single parents start a registered union they will have to pay a higher fee from that point of time.


Sibling´s discount is as here says:
With 2nd child 50%
With 3rd child 100%

Parents that are studying can get a 20% discount of the school´s fees as long as their education is fully compatible to the Icelandic Student Loan Fund. Applications for that discount is to be delivered to fræðslufulltrúi at the beginning of the school year. There is also to be handed in at the beginning of every semester, a certification from the school saying that the parent is signed up for the semester.

There is no discount available for meal fees but if a child is away for 4 weeks or longer, parents can ask for the fee being fully dropped.

If a child is sick for 4 weeks or longer, parents can apply for all fees to be dropped. In order to do so a certification from a doctor needs to be delivered.

Parents are obligated to report to the school´s principal if there are any important changes of the child´s environment, such as new address, new phone number or changed relationship status of parents.


Changes regarding the child´s stay

Both parties can terminate the contract with one month´s notice. The contract will then end on the 1st or the 15th after a one month has passed.


Opening hours and planning days

The school is open from 7:45-16:15. Every child´s contract of stay is by the whole hour and charged accordingly. In addition parents are given 15 minutes extra both before and after the negotiated time to bring their child to school or to pick it up. Those 15 minutes given are for the ease of the parents who need to get to or back from work . Parents and children are expected to have left the school when those 15 minutes are out. The school closes at 16:15 and every child has to have left the school by that time.

If the child is picked up after it´s negotiated time parents will be charged of 1000.– kr each time.

The school is closed on December 24. and December 31.

The planning days of Grænuvellir are 4-6 each year. The school´s principal organizes those days entirely and seeks to plan them in a compliance with the elemantary school as much as possible. The planning days are visible on the school´s calendar and are advertised with one month notice.

Every child needs to take at least 4 weeks continuous summer holiday each year.


Special needs service

Grænuvellir offers special needs service in cooperation with Félagsþjónusta Norðurþings. They provide services from psychologist and speech pathologists if and when it is needed.

Their professional´s job is to give advice, training and support of students, staff and parents. If there is a need of a professional support, the school will ask the parents for a written consent to apply for it. Also if needed, the school will seek professional advice for infants from the local health care.

In Grænuvellir the bi/multilingual children receive special language education designed for the development of each child. The children get their own little dictionary “Ljáðu mér orð” which has photos of everyday activities in the kindergarten and pictures of the teachers with their names. There are also pictures of clothes, food, toys and events.


Confidentiality

Each and every staff member of Grænuvellir signs a confidentiality sheet and that agreement is continuing even if the staff member no longer works at the school.

The school´s requirement to report to child services goes beyond the laws and agreements of confidentiality according to the laws of Child service Act. No. 17 80/2002.


Treatment of disputes

If there is a dispute about the practice of these rules it is possible to refer the case to fræðslufulltrúi which handles the matters of the school. If already done so and there is still a disagreement, then the case should be referred to fjölskylduráð. A decisions of the local government about a case of a single child can be appealed to menntamálaráðherra according to school´s laws no. 90/2008, chapter 10.

Agreed by fræðslu– og menningarnefnd June 10, 2015.

Confirmed by the town council June 16, 2015.



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