Joep and Niek
"Everyone in the class is friends with each other."
How much homework would they get? Would it work out with bilingual education? That's what Joep van der Putten and Niek van Laarhoven (12) found most exciting when they came to Sondervick College. Fortunately, everything turned out better than expected. "During the introductory week you already get to know the school very well," Joep says.
Joep and Niek are in the havo/vwo bridge class. They follow bilingual education. Niek: "I was curious if it would work out, speaking so much English. But actually it's going very well." "That's because the school does it step by step," says Joep. "In the first week you don't have to do everything in English yet. After that, you build it up quickly."
Introduction Week
The Sondervick College makes sure that bridge students get used quickly. Before the summer vacations Joep and Niek had an introduction day. They got to know the class and their mentor. They also received the booklet 'A good start', with tips for the first weeks at school. "The introduction day was already a lot of fun," says Joep. "The first week after the summer vacation was our introduction week. I thought the school handled that well. Everyone in the class was nervous, but our mentor acted as if nothing was wrong. After two days it wasn't exciting anymore and I was just happy."
Fine mentor
The introduction week is all about students getting to know each other. All new havo/vwo students participated in the Green Games. There was also a scavenger hunt through the school. So they could get to know all the classrooms. Furthermore, they took a walk to 't Geitenboerke. "Then we saw how nice our class is," says Joep. "A classmate is in a wheelchair. The whole class helped him during the walk. We still do that now." Niek: "Everyone in the class is friends with each other. By the way, our mentor is also very good. If there's anything, we can go to him." "He feels like a good friend," says Joep. "We are really lucky with that."
Autumn Ball in the Cherry
Sondervick College also has a fun tradition. Just before the fall break, the fall ball is held for students in the lower grades. Everyone then celebrates together at the Cherry in Oerle. A fun way to make even more new friends!
