How to prepare for your first day at Amity Amsterdam?

Summer break is coming to an end and the back-to-school period is right around the corner. Time to go buy new school supplies, a new backpack or to double-check whether the school uniform from last year still fits nicely. While some children are more excited than others, they are probably all counting down the days until they get to see their friends again after the summer holiday.

At Amity Amsterdam, we welcome new students from around the world at the start of each academic year. Through consistent communication before the start of the school year, we try to ensure a smooth and fun start for our students on the first day of school. To make everything goes well and to avoid last-minute stress, we provide you with a few recommendations on how to prepare for your first day of school!

1. Order the school uniform on time

Being a best international school that requires its students to wear the correct uniform for their age group, it is important to us that all students wear the Amity uniform. Although there is no problem if your child shows up without their uniform on their first day of school, we encourage parents to order the school uniform in good time to avoid later complications. Parents should allow for 2 to 3 weeks for the uniform to arrive from the day of the purchase. For further information, please consult our website.

2. Read the welcome pack

About two to three weeks before the beginning of the school year, new families receive a welcome pack which includes all necessary information concerning the first day of school, transportation to and from school, lunch options, the uniform, the academic calendar and more. As this welcome pack contains everything that parents of new students need to know, we strongly recommend reading it thoroughly. Nevertheless, in case of questions our reception is happy to help out and direct families to the required information.

3. Get more information from the teacher letter

Right before the start of the school year, all parents receive a letter from their child’s class teacher or coordinator, depending on the child’s year group. In this teacher letter, the class teacher or coordinator will introduce themselves and list their contact details as well as their preferred way of contact. Through this letter, parents should gain a better overview of the upcoming academic year and learn what to expect from the school.

4. Visit the school one time before the actual start

In order to make your child as comfortable as possible on their first day at Amity International School Amsterdam, it might be beneficial to bike, drive or take public transport to the school once before the actual start of the school year. While this might sound silly at first, it should give your child some sense of familiarity and security before their first school day.

5. Talk about using the student planner (only for Senior School students)

Having a child in Senior School means that they have to take on more responsibilities than in Primary School. Students will be asked to deliver homework and presentations on time, which means that they must invest some time in their free time to work on school projects. To keep a clear overview of homework and other tasks that need to be completed, we will provide our senior school students with a student planner where they can take note of their assignments.

Hopefully, this short blog post gave you a few ideas on how to best prepare your child for their first day at Amity International School Amsterdam.

If you’d like to learn more about Amity’s approach to guiding students and parents through the transition to our school, why not get in touch or register for a virtual tour?