While many children pack their bags for a holiday in the sun, Mahsa, Rafat and Katie May are just in school. Not because it has to be, but because they want it herself. “You get to know new words and new girlfriends,” says Mahsa laughing. She and others children go to the Summer School in Waalre this week.
The Summer School is an initiative of Scholenkoepel Atalenta and is organized this week (7 to 11 for children from childcare up to and including group 7. According to Gerry de Bruyn, regional director of Scholenkoepel Atalenta, the Summer School is desperately needed: “For children at home no Dutch is spoken at home, we often see a little latter in the summer vacation.”
In the municipality of Waalre, part of the Brainport region, the number of expat children and children of migrants is increasing. “We have to coordinate our educational offer. The Summer School is a good example of that,” said De Bruyn.
“At the summer school you do fun things and you learn from that,” says Rafat. He is in class with the oldest children. “You can draw, play games and even do some shopping to cook something with later.” Whether he would rather have had a vacation at home? “Actually yes, but this is fun too. Next year again? Yes, actually. Because you can do fun things and learn. I love that.”
Katie May is also enthusiastic: “At home we don’t speak Dutch. My mother comes from Algeria and my father from Ireland. Here I learn Dutch better and I can play games and meet new children. I like to bake. And now I have to read recipes here. I learn new words from that.”
Teacher Piet thinks the nice job is: “It is set up to give children who hear little Dutch at home. But it should also be fun. We find recipes together, do groceries, cook. This way they learn a lot of new words. I think it is important to contribute something this way. That is nicer than a week earlier.”
The class is now busy playing a quiz. “At the quiz I learn words. The master helps us with the words we don’t know. And you also learn from each other. I like that,” says Mahsa. “And it’s fun, because I made new girlfriends!”
The Summer School in Waalre is the first of its kind within the municipality, although there have been similar initiatives in Eindhoven for some time. “That it is now here too is a nice step forward,” concludes De Bruyn.