You would like to teach your children a part of Europe?
You would like to offer your children a school where German and Greek are equally important languages of instruction, then we welcome you to Athene Primary School.
The Staatliche Europa-Schule Berlin (SESB) Athene is a bilingual school where the learning groups are always bilingual. The Athene European School sees itself as a school where, in addition to intensive language acquisition, the emphasis is on the concept of direct intercultural contact between people of different languages and cultures. (Link to the mission statement)
In class, German and Greek are spoken in equal parts (50 per cent each). The rules and regulations of the Berlin school apply to the SESB (e.g. for framework curricula, grades and transitions).
In addition to German teachers and educators, Greek teachers and educators teach German-Greek on an equal footing at the SESB, with the same responsibilities and the same share of the language of instruction. In this way, both Germans and Greeks find a partner in their language and cultural norms and values. The concept of the SESB takes into account, among other things, the realisation that multilingualism and intercultural competence increasingly open up professional and private opportunities.
Mathematics is taught in German for all children, and science, history and geography are taught in Greek for all children. The remaining learning areas are divided between the two languages. In Grade 5, teaching begins with another language as a foreign language, this is English.
Attendance at the SESB is voluntary and requires the consent of the parents. Admission is in accordance with the guidelines of the Berlin European School. The prerequisite for admission to a European class is not the child’s nationality or place of residence, but the child’s command of one of the two languages at mother tongue level.
If more pupils are registered for the first classes of the European School than there are places available, the decision is made by drawing lots. Our European School is an all-day school, which means that participation in the all-day school from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. is compulsory on four days of the week (Mon-Thu). On Friday, classes end at 1:30 pm. Participation in the school lunch, for which a fee is charged, is compulsory (SESB timetable (pdf)).
Mother tongue – partner language
The School Beginning Phase (SAPH) is organised across all grades. Children from the first and second year of school learn together.
In the first year of school attendance, the children learn to write and read in their respective mother tongue; in the second year of school attendance, the written learning of the second language, the partner language, takes place, which has been built up and promoted in the oral area until then.
The partner language is an equal language of instruction. It is not only used in the language lessons, but also, for example, in the science lessons and is thus half of the language of instruction.
An alignment of the levels of the partner language and the mother tongue develops over the course of the school years and takes place at different times for the individual pupils.
The concept of the Staatliche Europa-Schule Berlin provides for an equalisation of levels by the 9th school year. It follows that learning to write and read (literacy) can also extend over a longer period of time (up to the 4th school year). A change of mother tongue and partner language is not envisaged in SESB.
Commonalities
The children of the mainstream classes and the children of the European classes get to know each other through a variety of activities at school. Joint projects are planned and carried out, and school festivals are celebrated. In the free time area, there are inter-class and inter-year group activities (e.g. Greek dance, football and basketball, computer, choir and chess). The children also spend the yard breaks together. In the library, all children have the opportunity to read books in both languages.