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Month: June 2020

The Anne Misonne School

The Anne Misonne School is a unique structure, recognized by the Belgian French-speaking community as “home schooling“. It provides primary education adapted to children with learning disabilities, who do not find their place in ordinary or specialized education. The goal is to lead the children to the maximum of their ability by offering an entirely individualized education.

In 2018, the school received financial support from the “Fonds Alcuin pour l’École” to purchase learning tools appropriate to each individual as well as to finance some work in the school.

The Anne Misonne School is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1956 by Anne Misonne in Auderghem. In the early 1950s, Anne Misonne was a psychologist working in a centre for children from the juvenile court in Rixensart. She was struck by the lack of training for teachers working with struggling children, who were seen as ignorant. She decided to try to help them in another way, taking charge of a small school for dyslexic children with teaching limitations, which she led in accordance with her principles for more than 20 years.

Anne Misonne primarily advocated respect for children and her goal was to help them with their emotional, personal and family problems through school education. “Every child, whatever their problem, has potential and we must keep all doors open.”

Today, the school is headed by Ms. Foulik de Meeûs and a Board of Directors consisting of three people. It hosts around 24 students, aged 5 to 13, divided into classes of a maximum of 6 children who have various problems and specific needs, and who require a personalized approach and adapted method of teaching. These children have a learning potential but may present difficulties in the following areas: attention disorders, school phobias, autism, learning disabilities such as dyscalculia, dyslexia or language disorders, as well as family disorders.

A team made up of qualified teachers, psychologists, speech therapists as well as some enthusiastic volunteers strive day after day to understand, teach and stimulate the children both intellectually and socially, so that they can build or rebuild themselves, in order to let them participate in their own way in the world around them.

The school does not receive any subsidies from the Belgian French-speaking community. It is financed by private donations and by the parents’ fees, which allows for the implementation of certain activities such as music therapy, art therapy, occupational therapy, and access to a swimming pool as well as the purchase of equipment for children such as games, art therapy equipment, educational equipment or the purchase of furniture.

The proposed pedagogy is adapted to each child in order to lead them as far as possible with objectives and a precise and individualized school programme, building and restoring the child’s confidence through a positive valuation of their work. The school makes every effort to ensure that the child progresses with confidence according to her/his needs and abilities.

Each teacher sets up an individualized educational project using active methods as well as daily monitoring of learning with homework and lessons. Assessments and reports are organized for parents after each period and the team regular reassesses the child’s needs. The reputation of the Anne Misonne school is gradually being built on the basis of both the children’s academic as well as emotional progress.

More information is available on the website. 

School for Dialogue

The School for Dialogue is a private school, located in Anderlecht, which welcomes 100 students from 3 to 18 years old.

The school’s ambition is to give access to a full contributive citizenship. The mission of the School for Dialogue is to show that every motivated child naturally surpasses himself or herself both in academic results and in emotional, relational and social intelligence. It allows the child to be the actor of its own learning from the earliest age, while using kindness and mutual aid.

Today the school is runned by John Rizzo and has a board of directors of 7 people. In addition, contributors and volunteers help the school throughout the year. In 2019, the Alcuin Fund gave them financial support to purchase furniture and sports equipment and to offer free school fees to a child in need.

The approach of the School for Dialogue is based on a minimum of collective explanations, but it is the pupils who explain the subject to each other and thus develop their relational skills. They naturally become autonomous and empathetic.

All children are encouraged to help each other in one way or another. By allowing the child to be an actor in his own learning from an early age, he has the tools for the rest of his life, to become more autonomous and increase his potential to the maximum. If the child is happy to come to school and has self-confidence, he will learn faster.

The essential values of the school are : excellence (surpassing oneself, valuing the effort to reach a desirable goal), instructive error (one must accept an error as feedback allowing one to improve rather than as a mistake, which implies willingly acknowledging one’s mistakes rather than victimizing oneself) and autonomy (learning independently, being able to mobilize, getting out of infantilization and assistance), self-help (collaborative learning, helping others to achieve their goal) and caring (caring for others in a selfless and understanding way). Pupils feel creative in making decisions in their school.

Every “type” of learner profiles is welcomed in the school, and the school practices HP friendly pedagogy due to a pedagogical model based on cognitive neuroscience.

Here, everyone learns at his or her own pace, with the freedom to dig and explore according to his or her motivation, enthusiasm, need for challenge and surpassing oneself. Each student is free to learn in the way that is most effective for him or her. Children are encouraged to engage their creativity in the development of a personal and group project.

The daily practice of traditional martial arts is part of the curriculum of the School for Dialogue. Martial arts has an effect on concentration, posture, self-esteem and self-respect, stress, self-control, autonomy and inspiration, all leading to better academic results.

The school is also the coordinator of the School Transformation Lab Project, which links different successful and innovative schools to help traditional schools to transform themselves. This European project proposes a pedagogical transformation in 52 steps over 3 months to adapt to a level of heterogeneity of pupils : help them to  pilot their learning, encourage them to help each other, learn faster,  provide accessible activities to surpass themselves, and to cope with large classes.

 

News :

  • In September 2018, opening of the Ecole du Dialogue for 8-18 year olds.
  • Takeover of the 1st grade of the Don Bosco Institute (public school) with a larger team involved.

More information is available on the website. 

Sainte Bernadette School

Saint Bernadette School is located in Tarbes, France. It is a non-contractual school that was created in 2016, with 15 students in two classes.

Today, it has 60 children in three classes of double level, 2 professional teachers and 2 voluntary teachers. The main objective is the blossoming of each child, as well as the development of his moral and spiritual qualities. An individual follow-up is proposed to the child who presents a particular or temporary difficulty.

In 2019, the Alcuin Funds granted a donation to this project for the acquisition of new premises and its adaptation and renovation work, in order to create classrooms and two dining halls.

More information can be found on the website.

Agnes School

Agnes School was founded in 2002, initially offering French-Dutch immersion education. Building on its reputation based on a commitment to excellence, the school encountered a fast-paced success. It now totals more than 320 students, about 40 teachers and now offers the choice of a language course, in the French-Dutch section or in the French-English section. The aspiration of families to see the school grow more is such that a high school project is under study.

The specificity of Agnes School lies among other things in its unique educational project in Belgium – a project based on three main pillars. The first one: To apprehend the child through all dimensions of his person: Intellectual dimensions of course, but above all and also social, emotional, artistic, sporty, and musical. The second is an education of values in harmony with a Christian vision of life. The third is the very close partnership between parents, students and teachers. Not only has the school set up a coaching system, which allows for individualised follow-up of each child, but it also organises numerous events and trainings in support of parenting throughout the year, in addition to the traditional parent-teacher meetings.

As part of its pedagogy aimed at excellence, Agnes School recently introduced a series of innovative pedagogical activities into its students’ daily lives that complement and support learning. It is the “ANA” workshops which mean “natural learning in autonomy”. The added value of the workshops on the Agnes School community as a whole is great: Students, parents and teachers all derive from it immediate benefits, be it in terms of the anchoring of learning, autonomy, concentration, personal development, or the new teaching posture required.

It is typically during these thematic workshops that Agnes School students were able to mature and implement a new educational initiative. Between 2018 and 2020, thanks to the Alcuin Fund, they implemented a project that was close to their hearts: “Living Nature in School”. The purpose of the project was to reconnect children with nature, stimulate their creativity and sense of observation throughout the seasons; To admire the beauty of life; To familiarise themselves with the rhythm of nature, to understand its rules, to respect the environment and to care for it. Substantial work (green roof, vegetable garden, insect hotel) as well as the purchase of educational materials could be financed for the creation of a greener space.

More information available here.

Lycée Molière

The Lycée Molière is an international francophone school with an English immersion program. Our goal is to give each student the means to succeed in a warm and demanding environment.

The Lycée Molière is a non-subsidized institution that provides general secondary education (full cycle), based on the official program of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation which approves the diplomas (CESS) issued to graduating students.

Our reviewed curriculum aims to appeal to our teenage students’ interests and teach them, individually and specifically, to meet current challenges: this is achieved through a wide choice of options, an emphasis on art (music, visual arts, theater) and sports, an English immersion program starting from the first secondary year, a rich cultural and extracurricular program, computer courses for all students, as well as the possibility of international exchanges. Our outward-looking perspective is reflected in the diversity of our students: in 2019, there are 23 different nationalities amongst our 90 students!

In order to enable all students to meet the curriculum requirements and develop the underlying interpersonal and intellectual skills, we provide daily support after school at the Ecole des devoirs (Homework School)  where they are assisted by their teachers. In each class, one hour per week is specifically devoted to acquiring an effective work method, which will be an invaluable asset in life.

The Lycée Molière welcomes all students, respecting their individuality and identifying their specific needs. Our specific assistance for students with learning difficulties (dyslexia, dysphasia, ADHD …) and additional support at the Homework School aim to put each student on the path to success and optimal personal development.

Beyond its academic vocation, the Lycée Molière is dedicated to being a school of life: the family atmosphere, the small classes and the teachers’ determination to pass on their passion all contribute to a positive learning environment where students can develop their openness to others, responsibility and autonomy. Our ultimate goal is to help our students grow into independent, confident and generous persons, open-minded and interested in the world about them.

News:

  • Creation of EEBA (Ecole Européenne de Bruxelles-Argenteuil) in 2016. From September 2021,the Lycée Molière will move alongside its partner school, EEBA ! 
  • Creation of the Bilingual French-Italian school in 2016.
  • Student Art Academy
  • Rock School

More information is available on our website.

Mon école extra-ordinaire

MEEO is a project that aims to give back to “school dropouts” the desire of learning. This school, located in Annecy-le-Vieux in France, is a transition for young people with neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorders, severe learning disabilities), the time to heal, to get to know themselves better in order to find the strength and motivation to go back to ordinary school life.

The MEEO Association was created by its founder and director, Félicie Petit Hergott, in December 2015, to compensate for the lack of adapted solutions for children that suffer from school difficulties.

A first opening period was organised in September 2016 with 16 children. In September 2019, a secondary private school was opened, with 22 young people aged between 10 and 16 years old.

Financial support has been requested from the Alcuin Fund for start-up assistance.

Today, only a few schools offer comprehensive and effective long-term support for pupils who are in a delicate psycho-affective situation. Only 20% of autistic children attend school in France. And 12% of pupils are in difficulty within the ordinary school environment. The latter mainly present neuro-developmental disorders such as autism, learning disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia…), intellectual precocity, attention disorders with or without hyperactivity.

This is why Félicie Petit Hergott, motherof 4 neuro-atypic children, has decided to engage in family education and founded Mon École Extraordinaire.

Mon École Extraordinaire (MEEO) is a community project bringing together parents and students, members of the Association, teachers, educators, doctors, paramedical staff, outside artists and therapists, administrative and maintenance people.

It is a place where everyone feels respected, where each child will blossom in order to acquire autonomy and self-confidence. Mutual trust and transparency between the different partners of the community are important factors that will contribute to the success of this task.

The two entities, primary and secondary, adapt to the needs of each child, whatever his or her profile and difficulties, while maintaining the school’s general expectations.

In order to encourage autonomy and help the teachers, collective school life Help is provided in each-class. In addition, a Specialised Educator will offer young people access to a “Self-Regulation Class” such as can be found in the ARAMIS devices.

You can find more information here.

Collège Notre-Dame au Coeur d’Or

Notre-Dame au Coeur d’Or is an independent catholic boarding school for boys tucked away in the midst of the Belgian Ardennes. It is however easily accessible by car or by train (on the direct line from Brussels).

We believe in providing a rounded education from Year 6 onwards, fostering the intellectual development of each child, their sporting achievements and artistic talents while at the same time nurturing their spiritual life.

Set up as a non-profit organization (ASBL), Notre-Dame au Coeur d’Or has benefitted from the financial support of the “Fonds Alcuin” which enabled us to recruit a sports instructor in 2019, as well as to carry out renovations in the boarding house in 2020.

To find out more about us, please visit our website.

Our vision:

Notre-Dame au Coeur d’Or offers a comprehensive education to all its students.

Spiritual and intellectual development:

Our aim is to provide our students with a rigorous and structured intellectual education. We value teaching in small class sizes, overseeing the individual progress of each child, supervised independent study as part of a structured lifestyle.

The school is divided into Houses, nurturing a strong spirit of solidarity and loyalty, and encouraging sensitivity to the needs of others.

Under the joint patronage of Our Lady of Beauraing, St Thomas Aquinas and St John Bosco, the school seeks to assist each of its students in their journey of faith, within the framework of a safe and inclusive environment. We are supported in our mission by the brothers of the community of St John.

Co-curricular activities:

Rugby is an integral part of the life of the college for the values it promotes such as team spirit and physical and mental stamina. It is coached in English.

Our students’ artistic talents are encouraged through regular choir practice and drama.

Thanks to the unique location of the college, the students can enjoy outdoor activities such as gardening, listening to the call of the deer, jogging, …

Sint-Ignatius College

Sint Ignatius College is an independent public school located in the Flemish region (Overijse) in Belgium. It is a unique school that provides quality Catholic education in a small structure. It also offers a boarding school, which has a capacity of more than 60 students. After a start in September 2015, the college continues to grow and establish itself as a permanent structure.  The school is recognised by the Flemish government (and therefore issues full secondary school diplomas) but is not subsidised, so it depends directly on donations and contributions from others. Financial support from the Alcuin Fund was granted mainly to ensure the supervision and animation of the boarding school.

The school was opened in 2015 on the initiative of some Belgian Catholic parents, in collaboration with three priests of the Servants of Jesus and Mary. The splendid buildings of the “Oude Klooster” are available for the school and the boarding school.

Sint Ignatius School is an ASO school (Dutch-speaking general education) with the options Latin or Social Sciences. It is a deeply rooted, open-minded and good-hearted Catholic school.

The teaching is given in Dutch, with a the general college agenda. The 32 hour per week programme is concentrated over five days, with Wednesday being considered a family day.

More information about the school can be found on the website.

 

News :

Barbecue, Open Day, St Nicholas visit …. The school has no shortage of activities.

Saint-Dominique Savio

Saint-Dominique Savio is a private school (ASBL Relay Group) which welcomes pupils in difficulty (+ or – 75 %) and children from Christian families. Situated in Mouscron, there are around seventy children enrolled in the nursery and primary school, thanks to the hard work of its seven teachers and many volunteers. The school, which is neither recognised nor subsidised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, is under the direction of Mrs Marie-Dominique Hillewaert. The project began in 1991 as a school in an attic, then one thing led to another until fifty children were being schooled under one roof, both those with schooling difficulties and without. Today one of the objectives is to welcome children who have failed or dropped out of school in order to help them overcome their difficulties and succeed in their schooling, whether their failure be due to a particular difficulty (dyslexia, high-level autism, physical disability, high potential, illness, cultural poverty…) or to the way in which our school system is currently organised. The school is also open to those families desiring an education for their children which respects Christian values. A financial aid was obtained from Alcuin Funds to assure the salary of three people working part-time. (We have received a part-time salary for three years.)

The Saint Dominique Savio school seeks to provide every child with a quality education in an environment which invites each child to give the best of themselves. The pupils are taught to respect one another, to accept each other as they are, to accept themselves with their own limits and talents. To ensure an individualised teaching which respects the rhythm of each child, every year is split into ten modules. The “normal” rhythm followed by most pupils corresponds to one module per month.

The school wants to give each pupil a good level of study: not only to acquire the required base skills that we rigorously strive to attain, but also to study systematically certain subjects such as spelling and conjugation and to drill certain others such as mental arithmetic. It is perfectly possible to help every child succeed, avoiding the detrimental impact that an unnecessary failure at school would entail. Each year all the pupils of the sixth year of primary school pass their official exams (CEB) with great results. The same can be said for the results of the second grade of secondary school (CE1D). The school does not cater for students any older than this.

The children are also given opportunities to acquire learning strategies, notably thanks to the practice of N.L.P (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Far too little-known, N.L.P is a very effective tool for helping children to succeed.

Singing, dance, music and circus skill workshops are organised at the school and plays and performances are put on. Every morning at 8am the children go to the kitchen to help with the preparation of the meal. Sport (swimming, psychomotor skills) is equally important in the curriculum.

 

                         News:

 

  • A high-quality musical theatre production is put on every three years (cancelled in 2020.)More information on the project is available on the website: (www.ecolesaintdominiquesavio.be)

Blanche de Castille Classes

Blanche de Castille Classes is an initiative association (ASBL) stemming from the desires of a group of parents to give a complete and personalized education to their children. The project, in progress since 2016, began officially in September 2018. The idea is to maintain a small structure, in order to remain halfway between a standard school and homeschooling. The goal is to have an important impact on the education of the children by giving them the academic and human tools so that they become responsible, engaged, and well-informed adults.   Currently, 18 children are educated in a home situated in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. The school received a donation in 2019 from the ‘Alcuin Funds’ for its arrangement and equipment.

The principal motivations since the project’s launch are: a high level education (personalized education), an alternative education (small groups which facilitate the responsibility, autonomy, and initiative of the child), education through artistic and musical activities, as well as manual activities.

A complete education is what is pursued, while respecting the personality of each child. The education proposed is structured and structuring, and respectful of the cerebral and neural functioning of the student.

For each academic level, a program of knowledge is prepared. This program is maleable as it needs to be adapted to the circumstances and the personality of each child.

The students learn to communicate with their surroundings, in a composed manner. The rules of comportment and discipline are forefront. A weekly resolution permits the establishment of good habits. The development of liberty is favorised by « the preventative method » of Saint Jean Bosco which weighs on the benevolent surveillance and mutual confidence between the adults and the children.

The classes are inspired by the Montessori Method as well as the pedagogy of Charlotte Mason (“living books” and narration). These two pedagogies emphasize contact with nature, manual work, as well as the autonomy and respect of the child :

The blending of ages is prioritized, which is very enriching and creates a familial atmosphere : the older children care for their younger counterparts, and the younger children learn from their elders.

Music classes occupy a large part of the schedule of the children. (music theory, instrument lessons, music history, choir, and voice). The teachers are formed according to the musical pedagogy WARD.

French occupies a choice position as it is important that all of the students speak, read, understand and write perfectly. It is an indispensable condition to an intellectual, rich and free life. The learning of reading begins in the maternelle simultaneously with writing following an alphabetical and syllabic method. These teachings are perfected thanks to daily phonological, phonetical and graphical recognition exercises, of graphism, copying, and reading. The acquisition of spelling is made through the practice of written dictations, or the manipulation of mobile letters.

The students have several seances of a second live language (choice of English, Flemish, Spanish) leaving the priority to French. We begin with essentially oral learning to transition to written beginning in Primary 4th.

Maths begin with the concrete and quickly necessitate abstraction. The link of real-abstract is developed from the beginning, through visualization. All rules and properties are explained and demonstrated before being applied, thanks to observation, manipulation, and reflection exercises.

The teaching of History is chronological, that of geography, descriptive and physical. The natural sciences develop the capacity of observation, manipulation, and reflection. These materials develop the general culture of the child and nourish their curiosity.

The artisanal workshops proposed , like chocolate making, sewing, wool working, or the art sciences. The manual works are often in relation to the geography, science, and history lessons. They permit the development of, among other things, the fine motor skills of the children. Excursions or workshops at the school are organized so that the children become familiar with techniques and careers so that they better understand the world in which they live.

The proper development of the children and their good coordination are also developed through physical exercise and in particular dance and sport classes. Psychomotricity is proposed to the youngest, especially for those who have particular needs. A weekly sport class permits the children to exercise their vigor, agility, and endurance in joy and good humour. Ballet and flamenco are also proposed for girls starting at 4 years old.

News :

  • A beautiful library is under construction in order to furnish reading material, a cultural base, and to stimulate the desire for learning in the students.
  • An expansion project in the coming years all while maintaining a small structure.
  • In September 2021, the opening of 4th and 5th primary grades.

 

To learn more, join our website.

  • INFORMATION LETTER

    • © Fonds Alcuin pour l'école, sous l’égide de la Fondation Roi Baudouin
        Photos : Fondation pour l'école / François-Régis Salefran - website by 8TRUST