2020/2021

Start of the 2020/2021 school year (September 2020)

We threw ourselves into the new 2020/2021 school year – however it may turn out – with great courage, hope, and thoughts of community and all-important togetherness. We welcomed five new first-graders among us and wish them a carefree start to their school life.

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Day of Caretakers (2 October 2020)

On the morning of 2 October 2020, the Zahrada Integration Center’s social worker Pavla Pospíšilová prepared a sweet gift for all parents, assistants, drivers, and colleagues who arrived at the building’s front door. And what were we commemorating on this day? Why, it was Day of Caretakers and Guardian Angels – i.e., a day that our institutions could left unnoticed. Caring for others deserves great thanks.

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Project day “In the Mood for Advent” (2 December 2020)

On 2 December 2020, our classroom had a project day titled “In the Mood for Advent.” We spent the morning hours decorating the whole room with Christmas decorations, including the ceiling, the ...

St. Nicholas 2020 (4 December 2020)

What a surprise that was today! When we arrived at school, it was angelic.

Everywhere lights, a decorated tree, and music, music... Just beautiful. And as if that wasn’t enough, while we making St. Nicholas Day art, somebody knocked on the door, a bell rang, and at the door was a real-life St. Nick. And they say that there are no miracles during Covid.

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P.S. The devils must be in quarantine, since none of them showed their faces this year.

Project day “Winter with Animals” (7 December 2020)

We began our project day with singing and playing the guitar. We sang songs about animals: Swallow, Orangutan, Little Kitten, Three White Crows, The Cowher, Aesop and the Ant. Later in the morning, ...

Project day “A Christmas Story” (8 December 2020)

On 8 December 2020, our school held a project day on the subject of the biblical Christmas story of the birth of Jesus and the entire coming holiday season. We were visited by actors from the Studna ...

Mid-year report cards, in spite of the coronavirus (28 January 2021)

Since special education schools have continued to remain open even during this time of Covid, on Thursday 28 January 2021, Zahrádka handed out its mid-year report cards in person. We have had to give up some of our favorite educational activities, but there still were things worth evaluating. The report cards reflected all the things that we managed to do in the first semester, and they certainly did not hold back on praise. We can now enter the second half of the year joyfully, like running into freshly fallen snow...

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Non-traditional online Masopust 16 February 2021

On 16 February 2021, we held our first-ever online celebration of Masopust – Czech carnival. Almost everybody took part. Working in the classrooms a couple days before, we created a wide range of traditional and non-traditional masks: princes and princesses, birds, bats, bears – even the Addams Family and a frog king with a sun queen. Photographs of the masks were then exhibited in the form of a collage that we placed in the lobby so that parents could see them as well. Another part of the festivities was an online gathering of all the classrooms. Each group sang songs and danced in their room, with their friends in the neighboring rooms watching them on their computer screens. Everybody was awarded with tasty jelly doughnuts. Our original celebration was a great success and made us all happy.

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Project day: Merrily to School, Merrily to the Library (29 April 2021)

Our project day “Merrily to School, Merrily to the Library” was planned in cooperation with Mrs. Berenika Haladová, a librarian for the Prague library and an expert on children’s literature. Our goal was to introduce our pupils to various kinds of books, including what books are currently available for children and adolescents. Another objective was to increase the motivation to work with books. The entire morning took place in a pleasant atmosphere. All the pupils were excited, especially by audio books that could be controlled with a pencil or buttons that emitted a certain sound when pressed. The books were captivating. In one example, a special pencil started telling a story when the reader touched a particular picture in the book. The books In the Woods and In the Savannah reproduced sounds when you pushed buttons: for instance, the rustling of leaves, or the sound of the wind, the rain, animals. Pupils with vision impairments were especially interested in haptic books such as Learn by Touch, where they could learn about the oceans or about farm animals. All the children surprised us and made us happy: The books were an enormous source of motivation, their attention never wavered, and they were in a great mood and really interested. We look forward to visiting the library with the whole class.

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Witches’ Night 29 April 2021

On 29 April 2021, we gathered around an unusual (imaginary) bonfire made using colored crepe paper and electric fans and burnt an ugly witch to mark the end of winter. Naturally, we had real roasted sausages. The children took pictures of each other in their witches’ costumes, enjoyed witches’ herbs from our garden, and took home their witches’ report cards. Everybody had a great time, although a real bonfire would have been nicer. We already can’t wait for next year.

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Hooray for the holidays (1 July 2021)

They say there’s a good view of us from the branches of the tree, says our director Dagmar Rosecká. The end of the school year and the presentation of report cards was again non-traditional, beautified by donated roses. We bid a touching farewell to our recent graduates. But that’s life: One thing ends, something else begins. We wish everyone a beautiful summer and good health.

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