Some facts about Germany and our school GGS "An der Burg" Hückelhoven
Germany
- Capital Berlin
- Official EU language(s): German
- EU member country: Germany was one of the 6 founding members 1951
- Currency: euro
Germany consits of 16 federal states:
- Baden-Württemberg – capital Stuttgart
- Bayern – capital München
- Berlin – capital Berlin
- Brandenburg – capital Potsdam
- Bremen – capital Bremen
- Hamburg – capital Hamburg
- Hessen – capital Wiesbaden
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – capital Schwerin
- Niedersachsen – capital Hannover
- Nordrhein-Westfalen – capital Düsseldorf
- Rheinland-Pfalz – capital Mainz
- Saarland – capital Saarbrücken
- Sachsen – capital Dresden
- Sachsen-Anhalt – capital Magdeburg
- Schleswig-Holstein – capital Kiel
- Thüringen – capital Erfurt
We are located in Nordrhein- Westfalen (NRW) near Düsseldorf.
GGS "An der Burg"
The GGS “An der Burg” is located in Hückelhoven. We are a public school and have around 300 students (5 to 10 years) divided into 12 classes and a total of 30 members including our teachers, special education teachers, social workers and afternoon program staff (called OGS). Originally coming from 18 countries, our students’ backgrounds are very diverse and international. A fact that is reflected in their language levels that range from native German speakers to children who do not speak or understand any German. Our school’s motto is “We belong together”. Therefore, and by the appreciation of their backgrounds, we support our students’ first languages with different programs like language classes with native speakers of Turkish, Russian, Spanish and Arab and QUISS (Quality language work in multilingual schools). Included in QUISS are the following language programs: - KOALA (coordinated alphabetization in the first years), - Demek (Learning the German language in multilingual classes), - Rucksackprojekt (concept for language support and parent engagement), - Sprachfördercamp (language camp during the spring and fall breaks which focuses on grammatical aspects of the German language) We are also one of three schools in our state to belong the BISS network (Education through language and writing). Outside of the curriculum we offer activities such as soccerclub and a theater group, in which the students are invited to participate in writing and creating their own stage play. The schools motivation to join this project is the fact that although we have experience in the area Children and Literacy we want to share with different partners in a contrasting perspective and learn more with them. That way we will be able to enable our students with the knowledge, skills and competences that are deemed essential in today's world. In believing in the European Union's objectives and strategies, e.g. greater cooperation on curricula development, we plan to improve our international relationship and strengthen the European bond. Key people: - Schella Ennulat is a classroom teacher for a third grade. She studied English and Religious Education. Furthermore she is responsible for internships of University students of Elementary Education at our school. - Kristina Price is a classroom teacher of a first grade. She studied English and Science. - Dirk Gröbert is the headmaster/ director of the school. He also teaches Computer lessons to grades three and four. He is the official representative and contact person of the school. - Gabriele Krause is a Specialist in teaching Arts and is in charge of the yearly theaterclub and fall break Sprachcamp. She will be involved for creative tasks. We do not expect people to leave their post in the future, but if it happens they will be replaced by staff that are also involved in our project.