Thanks to the fact that our school is set in a beautiful natural environment, our children spend a great deal of time outdoors — during regularly scheduled outdoor lessons for all classes, during gardening and educational farm workshops, and of course, during break times.
Across more than five hectares of parkland, there are numerous outdoor play facilities: slides, large swings, rope structures, and even a climbing wall. All the equipment is made from the highest-quality natural materials.
We also have a well-stocked library. The books are available to all children, who regularly visit with their teachers and can easily borrow and return books using a dedicated app.
In our music room, every student has the opportunity to explore the wonderful world of instruments, including all types of the percussion and string variety and of course, the piano.
At Northlands, we use a wide range of tools, from books to computers, from interactive whiteboards to microscopes. Technology and nature form the foundation of our educational approach. We teach our children to make the best use of technology and show them how it can enhance their ability to learn and work, by promoting a balanced and mindful approach.
We believe that learning should not be limited to the school context alone, which is why, starting from the first term of the first year of pre-school, we organise trips that are real educational outings.
School trips are one of the best expressions of experiential teaching, which is based on action and concrete experimentation of concepts and offers students tools that allow them to learn while having fun through cognitive, emotional and sensorial experience.
From an educational point of view, school trips improve the level of socialization between students and between students and teachers, develop a sense of responsibility and autonomy and stimulate curiosity.
Four school trips are organised each year, and for children in the third year of pre-school, an overnight trip is also planned.
Throughout the year, Northlands International organises and promotes various initiatives and events, some of which have now become regular fixtures.
Winter Fair: held between the first and second week of December, our winter fair has a large market where there are stands of different products, crafts, services and associations as a food and drink area where you can taste delicious typical dishes from different parts of the world. At dusk, adults and children excitedly await the lighting of our unmissable bonfire, whose brightly blazing flames create a truly magical atmosphere. Many games with prizes are organised for all ages and everything is accompanied and enlivened by live music and circus performers.
Summer Fair: held in May along the same lines as the winter fair, with a market and an area dedicated to food and drinks; games with prizes are organised, including treasure hunts. Watermelon, lemonade, sangria, piña colada and ice cream are always available to help cool off, and thanks to the music of the DJ set, adults and children can dance until sunset and beyond.
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) also organises various initiatives throughout the year such as its Bake Sale, Movie Night and more. For more information see the dedicated PTA section (PTA.).
Northlands International has an extensive after-school programme designed to complement the curriculum and encourage students to participate in a variety of cultural and sporting activities through which they can have fun and learn new skills. This option also allows families to plan their children’s extracurricular activities in a familiar location, avoiding travel and at a low cost.
To promote physical development we are committed to providing students with the opportunity to move, play, interact and develop their coordination and movement.
During the week, educational activities include various sports activities, art workshops, vegetable garden, educational farm and forest school, all held outdoors.
Forest School: Since September 2024, an area of our park has been set up where pre-school children can enjoy outdoor education. During these special lessons, children observe the natural, animal and plant environment around them, with binoculars, magnifying glasses and many other tools and materials. The aim of the Forest School is to create an environment where children can learn through activities in nature, a real “inspiration process” that offers children the opportunity to build a relationship with the outside world, manipulate natural materials, increase team spirit and acquire manual skills.
The school year runs from September to the end of June, divided into terms:
Midterm, held in the middle of the first two terms (approximately at the end of October and the end of February), are weeks in which the school remains open but normal curriculum activities are suspended.
The midterms are more than a time of pause: they are days that children perceive as light and happy but which mainly have the objective of making them recover their energy, and prepare themselves to conclude the term with newfound energy and enthusiasm.
The midterms at Northlands International are dedicated to the theme “Cultures and Traditions” when these special weeks are dedicated to one or more countries. All the activities are designed and structured in order to discover through books, food and games, the habits and customs of different countries thus giving us the opportunity to focus on the value of diversity and to “travel” to discover difference, multiculturalism and comparison.
The midterm point in the summer term coincides with the Easter holiday, and the school is closed.
