We begin developing skills from the first grade. During class meetings and project days, students regularly engage in activities focused on specific skills. Consistency and regularity bring visible results – students are more confident and collaborate better. They share information more willingly, communicate more effectively, and negotiate more easily.

We emphasize developing students’ ability to reflect on their own progress and learning process. We use simple but effective self-assessment tools that support independence and responsibility for their own learning. One commonly used method is oral reflection, where students express what they’ve learned, what went well, and where they see room for improvement. This fosters open communication between teacher and student and develops self-reflection. In the lower grades, motivational stickers in student diaries are a popular tool. These serve not only as visual rewards but also as feedback for parents. They help children better recognize their achievements and progress in various areas. Self-assessment also includes personal journals where students write about their learning experiences. These journals support deeper reflection and allow students to track their own progress. They may take the form of free writing, guided entries, drawings, or diagrams.

Each month, students are introduced to one skill that becomes the focus of activities aimed at strengthening and practicing it. The chosen skill is developed across subjects and year groups. For example, in February, we focused on “creative thinking” – students designed their own bridge constructions using tape and skewers according to specific rules and presented them to their classmates.

Skills are part of everyday teaching. Regular practice and reinforcement of skills often take place during personal and social education lessons. At the beginning of each lesson, the principles of the skill being worked on are reviewed and reinforced.

Our school actively collaborates with the local community. The student council regularly organizes events for seniors, such as baking gingerbread or cultural performances. A Christmas market is held at the school every year. Students from both lower and upper grades participate in preparations – they make products, set up stalls, serve visitors, and guide them through the school. Ninth graders run the school café, where they bake, prepare refreshments and drinks, and sell them. Part of the proceeds from the market is donated to charity. Before the event, students discuss which skills they will need – from communication and organization to teamwork. This helps them realize that what they learn in school is meaningful in real life. The school also organizes project days based on the “buddy” system – older students, specifically ninth graders, help first graders adapt to school, prepare a special one-day program for them at the beginning of the year, draw a keepsake picture in their first reading book, and organize a program for Children’s Day. Similarly, eighth graders work with preschoolers during school enrollment and guide them through the school. During project days, we offer students excursions to companies and organizations where they learn about real work environments and the importance of essential skills – such as the recycling center, city library, cultural center, city hall, labor office, bank, insurance company, and local newspaper. Based on these visits, students complete worksheets and later present their findings to their peers. As part of the history project “Stories of Our Neighbors,” students meet with eyewitnesses to learn about important historical events of the 20th century.