“Did you know that this school started as a Volksschule?” I ask. Today, we’re standing in front of the Grundschule Kirchdorf. It’s located in Wilhelmsburg, on Hamburg’s Elbinsel. The Grundschule Kirchdorf has a rich history.
Back in 1967, the school board decided to create the Schule Prassekstraße. It was a Volksschule. Volksschule meant it included Vorschule and Grundschule. It also had an observation level for classes 5 and 6. In the spring of 1968, they moved into the new rooms.
In August 1979, the Schulen Neuenfelder Straße and Prassekstraße joined. They became Gesamtschule Kirchdorf. The Prassekstraße location remained the Grundschule section. Later, the upper level was added. Classes 5 to 10 mostly stayed at Neuenfelder Straße.
Since August 2010, the Grundschule is independent again. It is now called Grundschule Kirchdorf Prassekstraße. The Grundschule Kirchdorf is in a diverse area. Many residents come from different countries. The area around Schwentnerring features multi-story apartments. These are social housing buildings. There are also small houses with gardens. It’s near the S-Bahn station and a shopping center.
The Grundschule Kirchdorf is a four-track school. It includes a Vorschule. The student body has diverse backgrounds. The teaching team includes 42 educators. Many students have different learning and language skills. Some families face language barriers and educational challenges. The school addresses these challenges early. It provides support from Vorschule to secondary school transition.
The Grundschule Kirchdorf works with the Landesinstitut. They have developed concepts to help. The Vorschulkonzept (VSK+) is one example. Grundschule teachers work with children in small groups before school. This boosts language and math skills. Children get to know their future teachers early. This builds trust with parents over the years.
The school focuses on academic learning. It also emphasizes reading skills. The school developed a daily reading time concept. This was in collaboration with the BiSS project. The goal is to improve reading fluency and habits. It also boosts reading motivation. Many Hamburg Grundschulen now use this concept.
The Grundschule Kirchdorf encourages thinking and discussion. Students share their thoughts. In German class, they have reading discussions. In math, they hold regular math conferences.
Recently, the school joined BiSS-Transfer networks. This supports early literacy skills. It also helps improve writing fluency. The school is part of the Begabungs-Co-Pilot project. This supports high-achieving students.
To improve the learning environment, the Grundschule Kirchdorf focuses on social skills. In grade 3, students get weekly social skills training. For the next 10 years, the Grundschule Kirchdorf will participate in the “Schule macht stark” research network. This will help develop the school and its teaching methods. The goal is to improve language and math skills. It also aims to boost student motivation and social skills. The aim is to improve school and teaching. It wants to share experiences from eight years of “23+ starke Schulen”.
The Grundschule Kirchdorf is a reliable school. It offers all-day programs. Currently, about 250 children attend. There are three classes in each grade. The school employs 18 teachers and a special education teacher. Five educational staff support care and teaching. A caretaker, a secretary, and a school social worker are also part of the team.
The Grundschule Kirchdorf even has a “Trauerrucksack”. The religion department bought it. It is used in religion classes and for pastoral care. It offers many design options.
Young adults from the Bweranyange church district in Tanzania visited the Grundschule Kirchdorf. The third grades visited the Kreismuseum Syke. They learned about “Körner, Stroh und Mehl”. The second grades took a field trip to the Tierpark Ströhen. It sounds like the Grundschule Kirchdorf is a great place to learn and grow.