Page 28 - C.A.L.L. #36 - Summer 2013

Daily routine in the school

Teachers wake up at about 6:30am and gather at 7am for prayers. Some teachers then
prepare breakfast, whilst the rest tidy the school or the dorms. At 8am children wake up and
make their beds and tidy their rooms. Some children also peel potatoes for lunch. At 8:30am
we have breakfast followed by a morning prayer. Cars bring that mornings milk from the
farm, together with other milk products and pastries which are prepared there. Some
teachers (i.e. our history and music teachers) live and work mostly in the farm location and
come to lessons from there. Lessons start at 9:15am and we have lunch at 1:15pm. Teachers
who have no lessons that day
prepare the meal. Lessons
end at about 3pm. Then
children have free time or
they can go to the farm
location if they wish, to do
some work there. At 4:30pm
we have a light meal and then
the children do their
homework under the
supervision of the teachers.
At 8pm we have an evening
prayer, and then we go to

bed. Washing up and other Community school building
small chores are performed
by students. For bigger jobs we mobilise everyone. For example, potato harvesting is the
biggest task of the autumn, and everybody participates. Harvested potatoes are then sorted
into 3 categories: for consumption; for animal feed; and for replanting next year. Students
can participate in any work and thereby learn many useful practical skills. When our children
leave school, they are not afraid to wield an axe, use a chainsaw, a drill or a scythe and
various other tools. They also can learn to drive tractors and cars. The bigger children, as
well former school graduates, help with hay bailing.

We celebrate Christian holidays - Christmas, Easter, Pentecost. Also summer
solstice/midsummer (most important Latvian holiday) is celebrated.

We have many friends in foreign countries - mostly Europe (Germany, Norway, Sweden,
Finland, Denmark, Russia, the Netherlands) who help us financially, materially and spiritually.
Recently a truck from Germany brought us new and used clothes, shoes, personal hygiene
products, washing powder and more.

Making music is an integral part of the commune. We sing in both morning and evening
prayers. We have a brass ensemble which participates in brass camps and festivals. Children
learn to play brass instruments (tuba, trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn) or the drums,
accordion, guitar, recorder etc.

Jekabs (or Jacob) Strazdins
jekabss@gmail.com

www.kdskola.lv (it’s mostly in Latvian, but I can translate upon request if Google translate
can't!)

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