Start of school in Salzburg

Children on their first day: “We’re looking forward to learning”

Welcome on the Smartboard in the 1A class at the Praxisvolksschule Salzburg(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Some of the school bags were bigger than the children themselves and there was a good deal of excitement: On Monday, 200 children, including almost 50 Taferl class pupils, were given a warm welcome at the Praxisvolksschule in Salzburg's Nonntal. An exciting school year also awaits the pupils at the Akademisches Gymnasium. 

It is pouring with rain as parents make their first pilgrimage to the practical elementary school with their Taferlklass students. "Today is not only the first day of school, but also the first rainy day," says one girl later, but doesn't let the gloomy morning dampen her energy. Principal Bärbel Linsmeier shakes many hands: "The atmosphere is important to us. Children can learn well if they feel comfortable," she says, emphasizing the importance of a functioning school community.

A whole new phase of life begins for the first graders.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

In the 1A class, first-graders hang eagerly on the lips of teacher Johanna Stecher. She organizes the first day with great attention to detail: arm chains with the words "Schoolchild" are ready, flower pots on the tables have different ribbons. And then a mascot has to be found: Nils is a hippopotamus. Several children point out where Nils can sit. Teachers like Stecher know how to make children have fun and develop ambition at the same time.

Full of anticipation: little Ella with her parents Brigitte and Helmut(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

200 primary school pupils start the new school year at the site: the majority attend the extended form of all-day care, where leisure time is incorporated alongside learning time in the morning. The cell phones remain switched off in the school bag. With 22 teachers, all positions are filled. "We are in a fortunate position," says principal Linsmeier. Trainee teachers also complete their school practice here. Should there ever be a teaching bottleneck, the school can draw on resources within the school.

Start at the Akademisches Gymnasium in Salzburg
On Monday, 608 young people started the new school year at the Akademisches Gymnasium in Salzburg. 65 teachers are teaching. There were no problems filling vacancies.

Back at the Akademisches Gymnasium after the vacations: Florian, Felix, Luise and Jana, all in seventh grade(Bild: ANDREAS TROESTER)

As many as ten people applied for a chemistry teacher position. In the new school year, the transition to the new mode for pre-scientific work, which is now voluntary, is particularly challenging.