Last week was the annual Winter Project Week at AMADEUS Vienna. This is the favorite week of many students – and teachers – as it means that they get to combine academic learning with fun outdoor activities!

Ice Skating on a rooftop in Vienna

Engelmann, the ice-skating rink in the 17^th district, has hosted the AMADEUS Winter Project Week for our young students for a number of years. As it is a rooftop ice skating rink, it makes the experience even more exciting.

The Early Years students were very happy when they found out that they will go ice skating for a whole week, as for most of them, it was their first time. They were eager to write and share a list of the things with their parents that they needed for ice skating.

On the first day, the students were a little hesitant, as even walking in their ice-skating shoes can be difficult. But by the second day, it seemed as if they had learned how to skate overnight. They were very happy that they were able to skate from one side to the other of the ice-skating rink. One of the students explain: “I love that they were giving us lessons, because when I fell down and I knew how to get up and skate again.”

Thanks to the great teaching team, the students left with lots of great memories and anticipation for next year’s Winter Project Week.

Skiing in Mariazell

Our Grade 3-5 Primary students went to Mariazell, which is a two hours bus ride from Vienna. For the young students this is a particularly big event, as they have to leave their parents for five days. However, every night the programme was packed with activities such as swimming, pool party, bowling, disco nights with kids cocktails, joke competitions and games, so there was no time to be home sick. As for the parents, the AV staff made sure that they could follow their little ones with online “live” updates from the excursion.

During day time the students were skiing in the morning and afternoon, with a lunch break in a hut on the slope. In addition to learning how to ski, the students also got to practice their independence and responsibility. For example, they got to organise themselves for breakfast, skiing, room cleaning, and packing.

Last but not least, the trip was about community. By skiing in different groups and different levels, students were automatically making new connections across the grades, and new friendships could flourish.

Skiing in Radstadt

The Grade 6-10 Secondary students returned to Radstadt in the Salzburg region of the Alps. This beautiful location hosted us last year and lived up to our expectations once again. The students enjoyed four days of excellent skiing and snowboarding, with some truly exceptional weather. We received snowfall at night, with the sun coming out in the morning. This allowed every student and teacher to enjoy the slopes and improve their abilities.