Every parent is concerned about their child’s future. Apart from a good education, it is also very important for the child to enter adulthood with proper ideas and ethical principles. Generally, many children find it difficult to follow the discipline of school life: getting up early, following schedules and doing homework, so I was very surprised when a friend of mine told me that her daughter was looking forward to another morning to go to school. She attends our convent school IKHVIS.
The new school building was completed not long ago. It seems that we have just finished enrolling children in the first grade, but now there are more than a hundred children in our school already. The school itself is located in the immediate vicinity of the monastery. It is a lovely, spacious and well-lit building, in the lobby and corridors of which there are amazing works by its talented students. The school’s classes are small, with an average of 12-15 students each. There is a small chapel on the third floor where the Divine Liturgy is celebrated on a weekly basis.
Ikhvis Kindergarten and Secondary School is a place where children acquire knowledge in all disciplines of the curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education, but they can also choose any of the clubs and elective courses: classical dance studio, drama studio, church art workshop, martial arts; chess; individual classes in violin, piano, and flute; Aniolak Art Studio, and animation studio. In addition, the children start studying English since the first grade.
The school day lasts from 8.30 to 18.30. The kids receive three meals of tasty and healthy homemade food. The primary schoolchildren are expected to have a nap (for the first grade pupils), take a walk in the open air, and do their homework with the support of teachers.
Professional teachers of IKHVIS school are empathetic to each pupil, help them to discover themselves, unleash their talents, and identify their vocation.
It is important to note that the school offers optional classes on the Basics of the Orthodox Faith, which all students attend with enthusiasm.
The environment in which children grow and develop is very important, but it does not mean that our school places the child in a greenhouse environment. It’s just that here children are taught mutual aid, mercy and compassion, love for the Homeland and respect for the elderly – in other words, the teachers show them true spiritual and moral guidelines, and sow good seed, which will surely bear good fruit in the future.
The school is self-sufficient and exists thanks to donations and the assistance of caring people. We do not always have enough money for additional technical equipment. Our friends from the UK have launched a Christmas crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the purchase of equipment for our school, in which anyone can participate.
