Details of new international school in

Mondorf
Heledd Pritchard—22.03.2018
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State-run accredited European school to open 12 hours a day, offer three language sections
A temporary container building will be used from September (image: Shutterstock)

Details of the new state-run international school due to open in Mondorf-les-Bains from
September have been revealed.

The school, which will open with two classes in primary and three classes in secondary, will
have an English and French section for all ages and an additional German section for
secondary only.
It is one of three free-of-charge European-accredited schools planned to open for the coming
school year, alongside those in Junglinster and Clervaux, preparing pupils for the European
baccalaureate.

Details of the Mondorf school – to be named the Munnerefer Lycée (Ecole Internationale de
Mondorf-les-Bains) – were the last to be revealed, as it was undecided whether it would
include both primary and secondary schools.

The Education Ministry was also tasked with finding a suitable space to home the school.

The building has not yet been built, but a temporary container-style structure will initially be
placed next to the football fields near route de Remich.

A cycling stadium and swimming pool are also due to be built in the area.

A headmaster, Camille Weyrich, and deputy, Stephan Dumange, have been appointed, and a
number of teachers from "a mixture of backgrounds" have been selected, according to
Weyrich.

Open 12 hours a day

The school will be open from 7am to 7pm and throughout school holidays, with the exception
of bank holidays and between 27 and 31 December.

"There is a need for a lot of families to have their children cared for at school for a long time,
so we will open for 12 hours a day," Weyrich said.

Lessons will run from 8am to 4pm every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays for primary
school pupils, who will finish at midday.

For the moment, secondary school will end at midday on Thursdays, but Weyrich said this
could be moved to Friday.

Activities and homework supervision will be arranged during opening hours outside of
classroom times, and students will have a two-hour lunch break, from midday until 2pm.

"We chose to have a long lunch break because we want children to see the school not only as
a place of learning but also as a place of living," Weyrich said.

"They can explore new talents through activities and develop new friendships with other
children all over the school."

European curriculum
Munnerefer Lycée will follow the European curriculum and be an accredited European
school, meaning it will have to meet the pedagogical requirements of the European School
system but be governed by the Luxembourgish Education Ministry.
Students are enrolled into a language section and choose one foreign language – from a
choice of English, French or German – at primary level and a second foreign language, from
the same list, at secondary level.

Luxembourgish will also be taught throughout primary and until third year of secondary.

Weyrich said it was of "primary importance" to the school to offer Luxembourgish for two
periods a week given that a number of children attending the school would be unable to learn
Luxembourgish at home.

The school follows the European curriculum, and students take the European baccalaureate –
a choice Weyrich argues will "give them access to universities across the European Union".

Future plans
From September, the school will open five classes – one English and one French for the first
year of primary school (P1) and one English, one French and one German for the first year of
secondary school (S1).

Each year, an additional year class will be added.

In future, the school hopes to also add a preparatory class, first arrival class, a general
Luxembourgish secondary school to give pupils the option of sitting the European
baccalaureate or the Luxembourgish system exams, as well as vocational training in health
and wellbeing.

Weyrich emphasised that some of the principles would include e-learning, open spaces and
democratic participation.

"What we need is that young people can participate in the community, and that should start
from school," he said.

"We will set up a school parliament where a class delegates two people, and we will hold
weekly conferences where they find solutions to any issues.

"If we really want to have a school that is thriving, we need the possibility for every pupil and
staff member to contribute to the development. It's the most important principle for us."

The permanent building, yet to be constructed, will be an open-space structure.

The school will also encourage e-learning and mobile-learning.

Applications
Parents can complete an online pre-inscription form, and the school will contact families by
the end of April to discuss options and the final inscription.

If demand outweighs the 20-student-per-class cap, priority will be given to those living near
the school.
For more information about the international school in Junglinster, click here.