Introduction to the the Middle School

At Birralee we aim to provide a stimulating and caring environment where your child can happily learn and develop. We are confident that together we can ensure a smooth and secure introduction for your child to our school.

The Middle School years are essential times for learning in a child’s life.  During these years, important study skills are reviewed and reinforced and children are guided toward becoming efficient and effective students to ensure success in further education.  In addition, Birralee constantly strives to foster an enthusiasm for school and a love of learning in its students to help motivate them for high school, university and beyond.

We hope that before starting at Birralee, you and your child will be able to spend some time visiting us in class. Please contact us to arrange a suitable time and date. In addition, new students are invited to attend "Changeover day" which takes place in June.  Here children are offered the opportunity to get to know their new surroundings, teachers and schoolmates prior to the start of the school year.

School Hours
The school day is from 8:30 to 14:45.  The students have 7 teaching lessons per day, a total of 35 lessons
a week. Two of these lessons are Study Halls where the students organize their own time to effectively meet the demands of their classes.

School Holidays
You will find an overview of the school holidays in our school calendar.
                       
Lunch
The children eat their lunch together at 10:45 each day. All students should bring a packed lunch, which should include healthy food. The school will offer a selection of catered foods, for example fruit, milk and yoghurt, as determined by the Student Council at the beginning of each year.

Activity Days and School Trips
The students will take part in whole school outings like beach day, ski day, forest day, sports’ day, etc. There will be school and class trips to museums, libraries, art galleries and other places of interest. The students will also have the opportunity to participate in activities and events at the elementary school. 
Each year group will arrange an overnight trip and the classes will all work toward a special international trip at the end of Year 11.

School rules: “How we behave at Birralee”
All students are responsible for keeping the school rules. Please read and discuss the rules with your child. Rules are also discussed in the classes. Each class will arrange a set of rules for behaviour within the classroom environment. Students are encouraged to take on responsibilities for maintaining a good, clean learning environment.

Gym
Your class teacher will inform you when gym classes take place. Please bring appropriate clothing (t-shirt and shorts) and indoor gym shoes. Students will need towels and supplies for personal hygiene as they shower after the lessons. If, for some reason, your child cannot take part, please write a message to the teacher.

School Equipment
In addition to gym equipment, the children will need a school bag and a pencil case. The pencil case should include, at a minimum a ruler, a compass and a protractor. The School provides all books and other writing and art materials.  All students must have indoor shoes or slippers for use in the classrooms.  Lockers will be provided for safe storage of personal belongings during the school day.

Mother tongue teaching
Students of foreign origin who do not speak Norwegian and where both parents are non- Norwegian are entitled to mother tongue teaching organised through Trondheim City Council.
The school will provide more information and also make all necessary arrangements. There is no extra charge for Mother tongue tuition.

Sickness
When children are unwell, please keep them at home until they are fully recovered. This safeguards the health of your teacher and the rest of the class. Please notify the school before 9.00 if your child is to be absent. It is also important to inform the school about the reason for their absence, especially in the case
of an infectious illness.

Leave of Absence
For other absences longer than a day, an application must be sent to the principal prior to the leave. We do not encourage families to take holidays during term time. This can be very disruptive to a child’s education. We undertake to publish holiday dates and other dates when the school is closed well in advance so that holidays can be planned.

Parents’ Meetings, Conferences and Report Cards
The School arranges a Parents’ Meeting/information meeting in September and another one in February/March. There will be parent/teacher conferences twice a year (autumn and spring term). Each child will receive a written report at the end of each school year. Naturally, the teaching staff is available to discuss issues outside of standard meeting times should you have any concerns.

Grading at the Middle School
Students in our Middle School receive a report card twice a year, in December and in June.  They are graded in the following subject areas:  English, Norwegian, Spanish, Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion, Art/DT, Music, ICT, Home Economics and Health, Physical Education, Organization and Homework and Behaviour.

Grades should be used as an indication of the level of competence that the student has achieved in that subject according to the specific written curriculum. 

The grade of 6 is conferred to students who have achieved extraordinary levels of competence in the subject and grades are scaled down to a grade of 1 for students who have demonstrated very little competence in the subject.  The grades of “Excellent”, “Good” and “Needs Improvement” are used for the sections on Organization/Homework and Behaviour.

Homework at the Middle School
Homework is an important component of the class programme, allowing you as the parent to share in your child’s education and also allowing your child to demonstrate skills learned at school in an independent setting. 

It is also important for children of this age to begin to develop the necessary skill of time-allocation and responsibility.  Two-week homework plans are issued with details and information about assignments and upcoming events. 

The amount of homework that parents expect children of this age to receive varies widely.  We try to give a reasonable amount – about an hour a night.  If you and your child wish for him/her to have more homework or you feel your child is spending far too long sitting with homework in the evenings, we will reach an arrangement on an individual basis.

Exams at the Middle School

Tentamen Exams
Every December and April, students in Years 9, 10, and 11 take Tentamen exams.  Tentamen exams are a chance for them to practice the study skills, exam preparation processes and exam-taking techniques that are relevant in higher education in Norway.  They are modeled after the avgangsprøver which are the Middle School Exit Exams that are taken by all students in Year 11 throughout the country.  Tentamen exams are graded and counted as part of that subject’s overall achievement level.

The exams are in English, Norwegian and Mathematics.  Each exam takes 5 hours. 

The Mathematics Tentamen in the fall of Year 9 is in English so as to limit the number of variables in their brand new tentamen experiences but after that, the mathematics tentamen is in Norwegian to more truly represent the mathematics avgangsprøve.  Care is taken to ensure that students have a complete and flexible mathematics vocabulary in both English and Norwegian.

Mock Oral Exams
Every May, the students participate in a mock Oral Exam to gain experience and learn tips and techniques needed for success with such exams in further education.  In Year 9, students are assigned a topic for a 5 minute speech in front of the class.  They have one evening’s preparation time.  Year 10 and Year 11 students receive an exam question and have one school day to consult with subject teachers and prepare a presentation.  For these years, the follow-up reflective discussion with the exam proctors is also implemented and practiced.

Avgangsprøver – Middle School Exit Exams
All students take a written and an oral examination at the end of Year 11 as required by the Norwegian government.  The written examination is either in English, Norwegian or Mathematics.  Its format is similar to the Tentamen exams.  The written examination is a national exam provided by the government.

Students also take an oral exam.  The subject and subtopic are drawn 48 hours before the exam.  The exam can be in English, Norwegian, Mathematics, Social Studies, Religion, Science or Spanish.  Students have 48 hours of preparation time to create a 10 minute presentation followed by a 10 minute reflective discussion that allows them to expand upon the knowledge they have presented.

Both exams are evaluated and graded by outside proctors.

University of Cambridge Exam Center (IGCSE)
In addition to the above Birralee International School Trondheim is pleased to announce we have been approved as a University of Cambridge exam center.  Our students will be able to take the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations starting in June 2009. Read more...