Events
End of the 2024/2025 school year (27 June 2025)
As in past years, our farewell with the 2024/2025 school year was full of emotions and giving thanks. Of course there was the traditional “passing through the gate” into the summer holidays. The keys on strings that our principals Dáša and Jiří handed out were a symbolic reminder of the fact that we are all planning to come back in September. We wish you all a pleasantly spent summer, may you get the rest you need, and, above all, have lots of GOOD and BEAUTIFUL new experiences.
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A morning with firefighters (23 June 2025)
On 23 June 2025, two friendly firefighters visited us in the garden, where we could admire their equipment and even their fire truck. They patiently answered all our questions, and thanks to their helpfulness all the children had a truly wonderful time.
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Multi-day and one-day trips (April – June 2025)
From April to June 2025, we went on several multi-day trips to our favorite destinations such as Hojava and Chvalšiny – eight groups of children and adults in all. Everybody came home in good health and in a good mood, and our pupils’ parents could spend a few days catching their breath.
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Graduates’ Full Moon Café (13 June 2025)
With the coming end of the year, our friends from the autism class organized a get-together with coffee and snacks, to which they also invited several recent graduates from their class – young people who had previously completed their primary education with us at Zahrádka. It was nice to see them and their parents again, to reminisce, and to see all the things they have learned.
Living Street – Living Garden (27 May 2025)
In the afternoon and evening of 27 May 2025 we held our traditional garden party in collaboration with the Prague 3 municipal district and both neighboring primary schools. The children and adults could participate in a wide range of activities, such as riding a train or a merry-go-round, watching a fairy tale about Prince Bajaja, playing outdoor games, tasting yummy treats, playing sports, mixing aromatic bath salts, and more. The weather played along, and the whole event went off without a hitch. The garden was overflowing with life, the street belonged to the children, we enjoyed strolling down the street, and anyone who didn’t feel like walking could “climb” through the hole in the fence to the neighbors. Many thanks go to all who helped organize the event and of course to all who showed up as well.
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Spring games with trains (30 April 2025)
Once again, our colleague Robert joined up with several aides helpers to put together his model railroad... and we could admire and watch the various trains as they raced through tunnels, crisscrossed an interesting landscape, and stopped in front of station buildings. Every group had to bring a specially made ticket so that the conductor could admire their wide range of interesting styles. And since everybody worked hard, they were rewarded with a sweet treasure outside by the gazebo.
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Witches’ Night bonfire (29 April 2025)
In late April, we always get together for our first spring sausage roast. We also heard some magic incantations and a few songs on the guitar. Then we roasted aromatic sausages over the fire and enjoyed them afterwards. Thank you for a pleasant Tuesday afternoon.
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Ceramics workshop (16 April 2025)
On the last day of school before Easter break (Wednesday, 16 April 2025), we made things out of clay in a workshop led by Jitka Šimková. We look forward to the magic objects that the kiln will make out of the clay hearts that we plan to give our mothers for Mother’s Day.
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Easter workshop (8 and 11 April 2025)
On 8 April 2025, we all (teachers and pupils) had a great time making Easter arts and crafts: cute little sheep, kitties, bunnies, and colorful eggs that we used to brighten up the classroom and other areas. There even was a tasting of traditional Easter bread, which the children and adults really enjoyed. The entire morning workshop in the classroom with Veronika, Vlaďka, and Lidka took place in a pleasant and creative atmosphere. We met again a few days later (on 11 April 2025), this time with Ondra, Míša, and Radka, and spent all morning decorating sweet treats in a cloud of cinnamon and honey. Can you guess what we were making?
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Blue Day (1 April 2025)
On the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, the team from our classroom for children with autism spectrum disorders once again organized a special event for the whole school, which this year was titled WHERE IT’S BLUE, THERE IT’S GOOD… Pupils and teachers met at the Full Moon Café to enjoy excellent truffle cake, and we got together in workshops to make blue prints of hands and hearts… It was a beautiful blue day.
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Art workshop (7 March 2025)
Because St. Valentine’s Day was during our spring break, we timed our workshop to take place the day before International Women’s Day. Our colleagues Míša and Radka baked cake bodies, which the kids then helped to decorate so they could bring home finished slices to their mothers.
Masopust / Carnival (4 March 2025)
As is tradition, we here at Zahrádka and Zahrada like to participate in the merriment of the carnival season. This year’s event fell on “Fat Tuesday” – 4 March 2025. We danced on the terrace and had a good time during the parade of costumes, learning Brazilian samba, and enjoying carnival-themed refreshments. And everybody savored the traditional doughnuts.
Semester report cards (30 January 2025)
Mr. Ondřej has proven himself adept at organizing report card ceremonies in the past, and he didn’t disappoint this year, either, with his great stage presence and an excellent theatrical performance possessing indescribably artistic value. Thank you!
Post-Christmas concert (24 January 2025)
On 24 January 2025, exactly one month after Christmas, we held a concert of carols and Christmas tunes. At the outset, Robert informed us that the concert was not just post-Christmas, but also pre-Christmas. Everyone had a great time!
Project “Light” (22 January 2025)
On Wednesday, 22 January 2025, we and the children enjoyed a beautiful program as part of the “Light” project. During this event, participants could experience the phenomenon of light with all their senses, not just sight. In the gym and the adjoining hallway, we encountered fascinating lights and lighting effects, all of them interesting and presented in a playful manner. Thank you all who prepared the event and all who set out on the journey toward the light.
Christmas stollen at the café (19 December 2024)
After a longer break, our friends from the autism classroom once again organized the Full Moon Café, this time with the original taste of wonderful Christmas stollen. Thank you, and we wish you all a wonderful Christmas holiday.
Christmas at church (18 December 2024)
Our pre-Christmas gathering with the school’s families took place in a pleasant atmosphere. Father Janík warmed our hearts with a speech, and the Cantina choir with its Christmas songs. Our thoughts drifted to the coming celebration of Jesus’s birth. Our pupils’ siblings shared the light of their burning candles, thus further brightening the church. In the end, we were all part of a small Christmas miracle...
Puppet theater (13 December 2024)
In keeping with tradition, Mr. Jakub Křikava and his puppets visited us during the Advent season. This time, he presented a Japanese fairy tale about a sly merchant and a hard-working peasant. It was a suspenseful tale with (like most fairy tales) a happy ending: a wise judge intervenes, and justice and honesty win out over unscrupulous and dishonest tactics.
A gift from Mr. Lukáš Skála (11 December 2024)
It is a great honor to accept a gift from Mr. Lukáš Skála, whose company, Cukrář Skála s.r.o., organized a fundraiser for the school lasting from just before Easter until the end of November 2024, raising an incredible CZK 78,806! Thank you very much! We truly appreciate the gift, which was immediately used to acquire a resonation cradle and other musical tools for our pupils’ popular music therapy classes.
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Christmas yurt (10 December 2024)
We spent a beautiful Advent morning together in our decorated yurt filled with the aroma of frankincense, pine needles, gingerbread, Christmas bread, warm apple cider, and cinnamon. We perused various Christmas mangers, glass and straw Christmas-tree decorations, wooden doves, and a bird tree that chirped, and all along we could hear angel’s bells ringing. One manger scene was waiting for us to set it up. Kids could also write letters to Baby Jesus, and in the end we all sang Christmas carols together.
An angelic visit (6 December 2024)
Since it was St. Nicholas Day, and he had a lot of work, he sent a delegation of angels to visit our kids. Wherever the little angels went, they brough smiles to people’s faces and filled the room with the Christmas spirit. Please greet St. Nick from us and tell him thank you for all the presents.
Baking Christmas gingerbread (3 December 2024)
The whole school was filled with a wonderful scent as we worked the gingerbread dough, rolled it, shared cookie cutters, put the cookies on the baking sheet, and then – after the cookies had cooled – tasted them, curious about how they turned out. It was a nice way to spice up the Advent season
Ceramic workshop (19 November 2024)
The kids and adults alike really enjoyed working with modeling clay under the loving guidance of Mrs. Jitka Šimková, who helped us make little decorative items for the coming Christmas season, including ornaments, candle holders, carp, and angels. We look forward to finding out what our products will look like after being fired.
St. Martin’s Day (11 November 2024)
As in past years, we celebrated St. Martin’s Day by baking traditional pastries with sweet filling. The enticing scent filled the whole school, and our taste buds savored every bite. And just as St. Martin knew how to share, we too shared our homemade pastries – the goodies that we baked were not just for us, but for the kids from the other classes as well.
A morning with musical instruments (6 November 2024)
One autumn afternoon, when the weather was still nice, we headed out to the terrace with all the musical instruments that we have at our school. The kids could try them out and see what kinds of sound each instrument makes. At the end, they all made simple rattles and we all sang together in a truly joyful end to the day’s program.
Halloween workshop (31 October 2024)
Thanks to an excellent idea from Míša and Radka, we all got together for a fun and intense Halloween-themed stimulation of the senses.
Autumn games with trains (October 2024)
It was our first toy train event of the year, this time held under the sign of steam engines. The kids could watch the train sets go from station to station, occasionally disappearing in a tunnel and reappearing on the other side. The biggest attraction was the steam locomotive simulator, which allowed us to enjoy the action with all our senses.
Walk to School Week (16–20 September 2024)
In the week from 16 to 20 September 2024, we joined the Walk to School campaign, again with very interesting side events. On Tuesday, we organized a scavenger hunt that we called “Find the apple,” during which we followed a marked route around the school in search of chalk apples drawn on the sidewalk white also performing simple tasks with the children. Upon our return to school, we followed a tactile trail that could be walked without shoes, meaning in socks. The most courageous of us even went barefoot. On Wednesday, a colleague from the autistic classroom delighted teachers, parents, and the drivers from Bezba with morning coffee to go. She also helped to spread awareness of our organization by offering hot drinks to parents passing by the school on their way to the next-door preschool. On Thursday, we (mainly the adults) had fun with a crossword puzzle, and next thing we knew it was Friday already, the last day of the campaign. At 10:15am, we met at a predetermined spot in the park for the day’s event, “To school with music,” for which we marched back to school singing songs and accompanied by a guitar. Everybody participated according to their skills and abilities! On foot, hand in hand, in a stroller, in a wheelchair... straight, zig-zagging, fast, slow... walking, brief spurts of running, skipping, forwards and backwards... just being cheerfully together. From Monday to Friday, posters advertising the Walk to School campaign were hung from the fence and songs on the subject of walking played from the speaker on the outdoor terrace.
Start of the 2024/2025 school year (11 September 2024)
We started the 2024/2025 school year together, surrounded by beautiful sunflowers and photographs from last year. As in the past, we were joined by our pupils and their siblings and parents as we walked through the symbolic gateway to the next ten months of school. We firmly believe that it will be a time filled with joy, the learning of new things, and positive energy.
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