2023-08-27 18:07:00
A small steep path a few hundred meters from the school, on the right of the road… We climb, we climb once more (not easy with heels…) to finally end up in front of a gate opened by the director Hélène Fastré. Barely the barrier crossed, we discover with happiness the large land developed for three years already (it is the fourth year which starts this Monday) by the Sacré-Coeur school in Huy. Where school children do “outdoor school” one day a week, where they discover the riches of nature, where they fully blossom.
The Sacré-Coeur school is this small nursery and primary school straddling Huy and Wanze. “The entrance by the main door is on Huy, by the back and the playground is on Wanze”explains the director, who came a few hours before the start of the school year to prepare for the return of the 170 students who have chosen to follow the teaching provided by the fifteen teachers.
What makes this school special? Her outdoor school that she develops year following year for all her students, from 1st kindergarten to 6th grade. The director and the teachers were interested in this pedagogy, they went to visit other schools of this type. “The school outside allows you to develop a lot of skills outside”, explains Hélène Fastré. Lessons in written expression, size, ability to speak, etc. All these skills can be discovered in connection with nature.
School luck? Land was for sale a few steps away and a member of the PO, Alain Dirick, also convinced of the merits of the project, did not hesitate. He bought the land and made it available to the school for 15 years. “It had to be arrangedcontinues the director. We responded to a call for tenders from Brico. We got €10,000 which allowed us to build the fence and set up a chalet for teaching materials.” Another Queen Paola call for projects and there, it is a new sum of €10,000 per year for five years which makes it possible to develop the educational project. Mr. Sandro, agricultural engineer and teacher, brings his skills and takes the schoolchildren to the field every Thursday for outdoor activities. Over the months, the land developed in several parts. There are dry toilets, an enclosure for sheep, a table, a brazier, a tunnel of brambles, a willow hut, and trees. Lots of trees.
“Every Thursday, we take the children to the fieldexplains Mr. Sandro. We work with Serge, Mrs. Christine, Mr. Mickey. We make three groups. One works on emotions, a second on improving the pitch, the third develops learning lessons with the pitch.” And director Hélène Fastré adds: “Each teacher can use the land at their convenience for their lessons. Over the months, we notice an evolution in the children’s vocabulary, in terms of their well-being too. They feel confident.” The school also equips each child with overalls and boots. “And we have a brazier. In the winter, when it’s cold, they’re by the fire with a hot chocolate.”
The outside school is part of the school’s objectives contract. “It is clearly defined and everyone adheres to it”, says the director. The parents too, who sometimes come from afar to enroll their child at the Sacré-Coeur school. Moreover, this year, there is a waiting list for entry into 1st primary…
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