Svenska Skolan i Phoenix

Vision

To be a haven in the desert where our children can experience their Swedish heritage.

Mission

We want to preserve the Swedish language, traditions and culture and create a kinship between children, parents and families with an interest in Sweden.

Our Classes

The Swedish School of Phoenix (Svenska Skolan) offers weekly classes for approximately 90 minutes. Classes are held on Tuesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. For children who are fluent in Swedish and who have parents who regularly speak Swedish in the home, this is referred to as “supplementary education in Swedish abroad”. The supplementary education is supported and overseen by Skolverket, the school authority in Sweden.

Svenska Skolan is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteer teachers and board members, most often parents of students at the school. We offer classes for children age Kindergarten and up, both for children who are fluent in Swedish and for beginners. We also have an informal playgroup for younger siblings where the parents actively participate.

Goal

For the students who are fluent in Swedish, our goals are that the students will:

Maintain and enhance their verbal skills by learning and practicing new concepts and an expanded vocabulary.
Maintain and enhance their written skills through creative writing and an increased knowledge of grammar, spelling and vocabulary.
Be able to conduct a short presentation in Swedish in front of their peers.
Increase their knowledge of Swedish traditions, history, literature and modern day events.
Have an opportunity to socialize and play with other children of Swedish heritage.

For the students who are beginners in Swedish, our goals are that the students will:

Actively learn useful phrases and every-day, conversational Swedish.
Increase their knowledge of Swedish traditions, history, literature and modern day events.
Enhance their verbal skills by learning and practicing new and expanded vocabulary and, to some extent, begin to learn basic written skills.
Have an opportunity to socialize and play with other children of Swedish heritage.

Being a Student at Svenska Skolan

We highly value the social aspect of Svenska Skolan as we believe it is important for children to connect with other children of Swedish heritage. The classes consist of children of mixed ages and levels of knowledge. We believe it is a positive and valuable experience for children to learn from and with their peers. The school encourages students to speak Swedish as often as possible in the home.

Being a Parent at Svenska Skolan

Svenska Skolan wants to be a meeting place for Swedish families. Being a parent in a non-profit, volunteer organization requires active involvement. We expect all parents to help care for our rented facilities. We have a rotating weekly schedule for snacks and ask all parents to sign up at least once per semester. Any help outside of what is required is greatly appreciated! We need the active participation of our parents in order to continue to operate.

The school uses informal, every day events and topics as a way to increase the students’ interest. We encourage parents to keep Swedish alive in the home by discussing what the students are learning at school, as this greatly affects the students’ ability to successfully retain new skills and knowledge.

Are you interested in becoming a teacher at Svenska Skolan? If so, please see one of the current teachers to find out more. We always appreciate your assistance! You must be fluent in Swedish, but no prior teaching experience is required.

Swedish Culture

We celebrate Lucia and Easter at IKEA, through a long standing and successful partnership. At the end of the fall semester, we do traditional Christmas arts and crafts. We celebrate Midsummer early at the end of the spring semester and we usually have one “field day” per year, when we may play a traditional Swedish game, such as brännboll.

The Swedish National Agency for Education

Svenska Skolan i Phoenix is registered with Skolverket, the school authority in Sweden. According to their guidelines, schools that provide complimentary education in Swedish abroad should set the following goals for their students:

Enhance their creativity and desire for learning by reading literature on their own, by their own interest.
Enhance their linguistic creativity, individually and in cooperation with others.
Enhance their linguistic abilities in understanding and expressing themselves orally and in writing.
Enhance their vocabulary and concepts.
Enhance their ability to express feelings and thoughts about literature to others.
Have the opportunity to learn about Swedish culture, such as songs, traditions, geography, history and literature.
Have the opportunity to learn about events in modern day Sweden.