Education newsletter

The book case program also in Offenbach: multilingual reading promotion that connects school and home

The coach@school e.V. association wants to get children excited about reading with the book case program and specifically involve families in the process. The core idea: two bright blue book cases accompany a class for the duration of a school year and alternately roll home with a child for a week at a time. The suitcases are each filled with twelve children's books in up to 50 languages.

At home, the book suitcase motivates children to read and tell stories together in the family language and actively involves parents. Children and parents have fun discovering the books together. They feel accepted with their language and identity. The special thing about the Bücherkoffer program is the focus on multilingualism and the diversity-conscious content of the children's books. In this way, all children learn about language diversity in the classroom and are encouraged in their reading skills. A parent workshop and further training for teachers on the integration of multilingualism and parental involvement in everyday school life round off the program. After one school year, the book box rolls into the next class.

Since 2017, the bright blue suitcases have inspired a love of reading in more than 60,000 children and their families across Germany. Currently, 290 schools in twelve federal states are working with the program. In Offenbach, the book cases are already rolling through Goethe and Eichendorff schools. Other schools can take part.

Contact: Nicole Köster, Head of Offenbach City Library, telephone: 069 8065-2339, e-mail: nicole.koester@offenbach.de

If you click on the image or the headline, you will be redirected to the video portal YouTube where you can watch the video about the book case. The provider sets cookies and collects data on your usage behavior.

15 years of Deutschsommer Offenbach

Since 2010, the city's German Summer language promotion project has helped hundreds of primary school children in Offenbach to make up for their grammatical deficits, improve their understanding and ability to express themselves and become more motivated and aware of language during the summer vacations before the start of their fourth school year.

For the 15th year in a row, around 30 girls and boys from the third grade will once again receive daily language and drama lessons in small groups and take part in an exciting leisure program during the first three weeks of the summer vacations from July 15 to August 2 at the Wegscheide school hostel in Bad Orber. Not only do they develop better language awareness and greater motivation to read. They also strengthen their self-confidence and social skills and broaden their horizons. After the summer vacations, around 15 children can continue to "keep track of the language" as German Summer Detectives on two afternoons a week in Offenbach. And during the Christmas vacations, they can further consolidate what they have learned during another language holiday week in the wintry Spessart landscape. Children in need of support are recommended by their primary school teachers to take part in the project. The registration process for the German Summer 2025 begins in October.

For more information, click on the image or the headline.

Orientation. Reflect. Ignite - "zynd" supports career guidance

"zynd" is a new digital portal for career guidance that supports young people in the transition from school to working life and helps educational professionals to organize the transition.

The portal focuses on so-called "playlets", which are playful tools for self-learning that fall somewhere between games and traditional learning opportunities. The interactive click paths offer 360° career field panoramas, reflection and learning modules with playful quiz formats through to application tips. Young people can use a personal dashboard to record completed modules and the insights they have gained from them. This helps them to pursue their professional orientation in a more targeted manner.

To this end, zynd offers a closed area in which the educational specialists stay in contact with the young people via file storage, video conferences and "coaching zones", discuss findings from the modules played and offer individual support. They also receive additional information and materials to accompany the activities, which makes their work easier and enables them to respond more specifically to the needs of young people.

zynd was developed by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). You can access the portal by clicking on the image or the heading.

Everyday fitness test

How fit are you for a self-determined life in old age? The Everyday Fitness Test is aimed at senior citizens aged 60 and over who would like to get more exercise.

On September 02, 2024, between 10:30 - 14:00, the test will take place at the vhs Offenbach, Berliner Straße 77, room 433. Use six simple exercises to find out how independent you can remain in old age! The test with a short discussion lasts approx. 20-30 minutes and is carried out by trained exercise instructors.

For more information, click on the picture or the headline.

Scholarship for students with a migration background

Students with a migration background often face particular challenges: Financial burdens, lack of support and legal hurdles, such as the recognition of school or university degrees obtained abroad, are examples. To help with this, Randstad Personalberatung is awarding a scholarship of 5,000 euros for the winter semester 2024/25.

Applications are open to students with a migration background who have a permanent, official residence in Germany and are enrolled at a German university or university of applied sciences (at least in their 3rd semester). The application with all required documents, including a letter of motivation, must be submitted by July 31, 2024. A jury will then decide who will receive the scholarship.

For more information, click on the image or the headline.

Future paths: exploring energy - tour of the harbor school

Thursday, July 25, 2024
15:00 - 17:00
Meeting point: Offenbach am Main harbor, Blue Crane

Offenbach Harbour is designed as a sustainable urban district for working, living and working. The Hafen-Grundschule elementary school and adjoining daycare center were completed in 2017. The geothermal system installed in it was uncharted territory for a public building in the city of Offenbach at the time. This event offers interested parties an introduction to the development of the urban quarter and access to the technology of the Hafenschule.

Participation is free of charge and the number of participants is limited. Registration via the vhs is required. To register and for further information, click on the image or the heading.

The event series Zukunftswege is offered by the vhs in cooperation with Stadtwerke Offenbach Holding - Competence Center Sustainability.

For further information and to register, click on the image or the heading.

"Educational tour across Offenbach" - city tour by bike with Paul-Gerhard Weiß and Ida Todisco: police headquarters and Buchhügel elementary school

Friday, September 13, 202,
17:00 - 19:30
Meeting point/start: to be announced

Criss-crossing the city for all OF lovers! Together with Head of Education Paul-Gerhard Weiß and author Ida Todisco, visit places of education and culture in Offenbach by bike and discover new things. The third education tour is dedicated to the new Southeast Hesse Police Headquarters and addresses the topic of all-day schooling at Buchhügel Primary School. Participants will gain exclusive insights and meet people who "give these places a face". There will also be interesting information and stories from the "tour guide". The educational tour is free of charge, registration is required. Further educational tours with Paul-Gerhard Weiß and Ida Todisco are planned.

For more information and to register, click on the picture or the heading.

"Creating opportunities: Strengthening families with early reading promotion"

Wednesday, October 02, 2024
09:30 - 16:30
Conference Center of the Berlin City Mission - Marta's Guest Houses, Lehrter Straße 68, 10557 Berlin

"Creating opportunities: Strengthening families with early reading promotion" - this is the motto of the first major Lesestart symposium in Berlin. Participants can expect a keynote speech by Professor Sabine Andresen, childhood and family researcher at Goethe University Frankfurt and President of the Kinderschutzbund, a plenary discussion on "Equal opportunities and accessibility of educationally disadvantaged parents", workshops for exchange and networking and a market of opportunities with practical examples of early reading promotion.

Network stakeholders from Offenbach are also cordially invited to the event. Participation is free of charge, travel costs will be covered as part of the Lesestart 1-2-3 program.

Further information and the registration link can be found by clicking on the image or the headline.

Pupils' skills plummeted during coronavirus

A study conducted by the German Economic Institute (IW) on behalf of the Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) postulates that pupils' skills have declined during the coronavirus pandemic. The reasons for this are the school closures during the pandemic and the heavy use of digital media. Immigrants, especially the first generation, were particularly affected. Younger children were more affected and a lack of German language skills had a negative impact.

For more information, click on the image or the headline.

Education in Germany 2024 published

Education in Germany 2024 - the new national education report with a focus chapter on vocational education and training was published in June. It is published every two years and provides information on current developments and trends in the education system and is intended to help identify educational policy challenges, stimulate political and public debate and provide a science-based data basis. It is compiled by a consortium of research institutions.

For more information, click on the image or the headline.

In the city of Offenbach, the Offenbach Education and Training Report (EBO) provides information on developments in educational areas every three years. The next EBO is expected to be published in December 2024. Further information on education reporting in Offenbach: www.offenbach.de/bildungsdaten

Children's swimming with the vhs - reducing the corona-related waiting list

The number of primary school children who were unable to swim doubled in 2022 compared to 2017. This was the result of a representative forsa survey conducted on behalf of the German Lifesaving Association (DLRG). According to the survey, 20 percent of children between the ages of six and ten could not swim. The pandemic with lockdowns and the closure of (school) swimming pools had exacerbated the situation, and waiting lists for swimming courses were getting longer. The vhs Offenbach bucked this trend. It has now reduced its waiting list for swimming courses.

In January 2020, the vhs took over two seahorse courses (a beginners' course and an advanced course for children aged five and over) from the sports department at Offenbach's Marienschule school swimming pool. After just a few sessions, they had to be discontinued due to the coronavirus and a waiting list built up.

It was not until September 2021(!) that swimming was able to start again at Marienschule with two courses (8 participants each). In 2022, six courses (including three advanced courses) were offered again with a total of 45 children. Thanks to the support of the city's education department, the vhs was able to set up courses before 5 p.m. at the new Fröbelschule in 2023 (two beginners' courses per semester) - in addition to the courses offered at Marienschule. This doubled the number of children taking part to 91 in 2023 compared to the previous year.

The growth continues in 2024: four courses per semester are now offered at the Fröbelschule. Together with the courses at Marienschule, 70 children took part in vhs swimming courses in the first half of 2024 alone. Looking back, a total of 221 children have received swimming lessons in 26 courses since fall 2021. This means that the waiting list at the vhs has been almost completely eliminated.

Six new courses start in the fall. They start at 17:00 in the Marienschule and at 15:45/16:00 and 15:00/15:15 in the Fröbelschule. A swimming course costs 80 euros and comprises 11 sessions of 45 minutes each.

For more information, click on the headline or the picture.