Ongoing school year

Autumn term: Wed 6 Aug – Fri 19 Dec 2025 

• Autumn holiday week 42; 13 Oct – 17 Oct 2025 

• Christmas holidays 22 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 

Spring term: Wed 7 Jan – 30 May 2026 

• Winter holidays: week 10; 2 Mar – 6 Mar 2026 

• Holidays:
  Easter holidays 3 Apr – 6 Apr 2026
  May Day 1 May 2026
  Ascension Day 14 May 2026 

Grades 1–2 

1st 8:00–8:45 

• Outdoor break 8:45–9:00 

2nd and 3rd 9:00–10:40 (lunch during the lesson) 

• Outdoor break 10:40–11:10 

4th 11:10–11:55 

• Outdoor break 11:55–12:10 

5th 12:10–12:55 

• Outdoor break 12:55–13:10 

6th 13:10–13:55 

Grades 3–6 

1st 8:00–8:45 

• Outdoor break 8:45–9:00 

2nd 9:00–9:45 

• Outdoor break 9:45–9:55 

3rd 9:55–10:40 

• Outdoor break 10:40–10:55/11:10 

4th 11:10–11:55 

• Outdoor break 11:55–12:10 

5th 12:10–12:55 

• Outdoor break 12:55–13:10 

6th 13:10–13:55 

• Outdoor break 13:55–14:10 

7th and 8th 14:10–15:40 

Grades 7–9 

1st 8:00–8:45 

• Outdoor break 8:45–9:00 

2nd 9:00–9:45 

• Indoor break 9:45–9:55 

3rd 9:55–10:40 

• Indoor break 10:40–10:55 

4th 10:55–11:40 (9th grade 11:15–12) 

• Indoor break 11:55–12:10 

5th 12:10–12:55 

• Outdoor break 12:55–13:10 

6th 13:10–13:55 

• Outdoor break 13:55–14:10 

7th and 8th 14:10–15:40 

Lunch periods 2025–2026 

At 10:15 2abc 

At 10:20 1abc 

At 10:30 3ab 

At 10:40 4b 

At 10:45 5abc 

At 10:55 9abc, 4ac 

At 11:10 1–3d, 4–6d 

At 11:30 6abc* 

At 11:35 7abc 

At 11:45 8abc 

Lunch menu 

Compass Group Suomi Oy (Amica) is in charge of the school lunch service. At cafeteria Lumikello, lunch is served daily also to the students completing their teaching practice as well as the pupils and staff members. 

Special diets should be reported to the class teacher/instructor with a report on a special diet (available only in Finnish). The school must be immediately informed of any changes in a pupil’s diet to ensure the pupil’s well-being and safety.  

Snacks 

The school offers pupils a supervised snack in cafeteria Lumikello’s premises during the break from 13:55 to 14:10. 

Good table manners are complied with during the snack break. The pupils may bring their own snacks to the dining hall or buy snacks from cafeteria Lumikello. Supervised snacks are not offered during any other breaks. If there’s a need for another supervised snack, it should be agreed with the teacher. 

Sick leaves 

The guardian is responsible for reporting their child’s absence to the designated teacher on the same day before school starts by recording the absence in Wilma. The teacher will contact the guardian during the day if the guarding fails to report a pupil’s absence to the school. The child can’t be absent from school due to their parent’s illness. 

The Teacher Training School of the University of Lapland complies with the regulations on limits for absences that have been formulated together with the city of Rovaniemi. All absences are recorded into the Wilma system. 

Our school uses Wilmoittaja, a system that notifies teachers of absence notices. 

Discretionary absences 

Absences due to matters other than illness will be requested from the class teacher / instructor beforehand (1–5 days) or the rector (absences of more than 5 days). Pupils collect the assignments they missed during the absence period on a form. 

Absence request grades 1–5 (only in Finnish) 

Absence request grades 6–9 (only in Finnish) 

Teacher Training School’s rules and regulations (only in Finnish) 

Learning environment support package (only in Finnish) 

School public health nurse Siiri Kantola acts as the public health nurse for grades 1–9 in the school year 2025–2026. Siiri Kantola is present at the training school from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 16:00, and on Fridays from 8:00 to 14:00. The school public health nurse can be reached in Wilma or by phone (+358 40 7162416) from Mondays to Fridays. The school public health nurse has an open reception from 10:45 to 11:30. Psychiatric nurse Mervi Hiukka is available on Tuesdays from 8:00 to 16:00. The psychiatric nurse can be reached in Wilma and by phone on Tuesdays. 

The school doctor’s health checks are part of an extensive health check on grades 1, 5 and 8. The city is responsible for the pupil’s dental care. Public health nurses inform us of their work through Wilma. 

Close call reports must be done in all cases of accidents, and it’s possible to do it with the help of the school secretary. Accidents that occur during free time are not part of school health care. 

Liikuntakalenteri yläkoulu

Information about PE lessons 

In winter, the temperature limit for outdoor PE lessons is -17 degrees (+/- 2 degrees). The teacher decides whether the lesson is arranged outdoors or indoors when the PE lesson is about to begin. 

Pupils in grades 1 to 6 proceed to the PE grounds under the teacher’s supervision. In grades 7 to 9, pupils go to the designated location independently, following the PE teacher’s instructions. Dual PE lessons scheduled at the end of a school day don’t include a break, which means the school day ends earlier than usual (e.g. at 13:40 or 14:40). 

If a pupil does not participate in sports due to health reasons, as a rule, the pupil must follow the lesson from the side.  

Outdoor PE equipment 

The pupil must have sports-specific equipment (please check that the equipment is the correct size at home, e.g. ice skates), as well as sports clothing and a bag for indoor equipment in case of rain or freezing temperatures. 

Indoor PE equipment 

Indoor PE equipment includes shorts, sweats, a thin shirt and a towel. After indoor PE lessons, we always have a wash. If you forget your towel, you can borrow one from the school. Wash it after use and return it as soon as possible. 

Trip-centred education is a thematic entity that is part of the training school’s curriculum, and it’s intended for all pupils in our school from grades 1 to 6. The goal of trip-centred education is to offer pupils positive nature experiences, to increase their nature knowledge and to develop various outdoor skills. Additionally, it aims to develop the pupils’ relationship with nature so that they learn to take nature into consideration and behave in an environmentally responsible manner. 

School events, curriculum-based trips, celebrations and days that differ from the norm are planned as part of the school’s annual well-being plan. Events are accepted in a joint staff meeting and presented to the management for information at the autumn meeting, as part of the school year’s work plan. The school’s insurances are in effect in activities and events organised by the school. Guardians are informed of such events both in the school’s shared school year announcement and through Wilma. 

All grades can go on trips in the Rovaniemi area and get familiar with the possibilities the city has to offer. Classes’ own trips in Finland and possible participations in competitions are part of the school’s trip activities. 

The Finnish Model for Leisure Activities project aims to offer comprehensive school pupils a possibility to participate in leisure activities organised during the school day. The leisure activities are free of charge and are based on the pupils’ wishes. In the school year 2025–2026, leisure activities are arranged for pupils from grades 2 to 9, and the activities will start on week 39 in a total of 24 schools around Rovaniemi. 

The leisure activities offered by the Finnish Model for Leisure Activities are free of charge and based on the pupils’ wishes. 2,200 pupils responded to the leisure activity survey that was conducted in spring 2025, and among the most requested activities were various ball games, visual arts and handicrafts. The leisure activities that are based on pupils’ wishes are organised in collaboration with societies, organisations, associations, businesses, youth workers and teachers. 

The leisure activities are held within the school premises or nearby, either before or after the school day. Instead of focusing on competitiveness, the leisure activities focus on the joy of movement, creativity, learning new things and doing things together. 

Registration to leisure activity groups 

In the school year 2025–2026, leisure activities are primarily arranged for pupils in grades 2 to 9. The leisure activity offering and the schools’ leisure activity timetables are published in the registration system on Monday, 1 September. The groups are meant for the pupils of the school that arranges the activity. Registration to leisure activity groups opens on Monday, 8 September at 12:00 (noon), and the activities start on week 39. Registration instructions will be sent through Wilma to guardians of pupils studying at schools that are part of the project. 

Registration system: https://uusi.kuntapalvelut.fi/rovaniemi/en/ 

Rovalan Nuoret RY is in charge of the afternoon activities of the training school. Afternoon activities are subject to a charge, and they are intended for 1st and 2nd graders. The payment covers the organised activities, a snack and insurance. The afternoon activity facilities are located along the hallway leading to the school cafeteria. 

The school yard is reserved for use for afternoon activities in the afternoons until 17 o’clock (5 pm). Changes in afternoon activities are announced to the following phone numbers: +358 45 154 5932 (afternoon activity instructors) or +358 40 735 4600 (person in charge of afternoon activities). 

FCLAB V / lecturers Tiia Ansas and Sanna Illikainen 

The FCLAb.fi project (Future Classroom Lab) develops new learning environments, teaching technology and pedagogy in its units around Finland. The network promotes the use of teaching technology and develops new study practices. 

The FCLab.fi network organises regional and national training (development of learning environments, technology, programming, maker activities etc.), collaborates with businesses and participates in different kinds of seminars and events in Finland and abroad. 

Finnish FCLabs are located in universities’ teacher training schools. The network covers ten towns and covers nearly the whole country, geologically speaking. 

The FCLab in Rovaniemi is focused on promoting digitalisation by creating learning paths that take the curriculum and information strategy goals into account, tailored for various external learning environments outside of school.  

The Rovaniemi unit acts as a regional expert in Finnish Lapland in developing the digitalisation of external learning environments outside of school, and it also supports the national FCLab network and participates actively in the international sector. 

The operations of the network are coordinated and managed by the project leader, Finnish FCL Lead Ambassador, which acts as the representative of our country in the FCL network in cooperation with the experts of the Finnish National Agency for Education. 

Sinni – Multi-actor local environment as the consolidating force for youth decision-making during educational transition phases / Special education teacher Toni Berg, Lecturer Timo Lakkala 

The project supports the self-efficacy and future orientation of youth, in addition to supporting the construction of strengthening multi-actor local environments during transition phases. The experience-based information of youth and their guardians as well as the expertise of guidance and teaching personnel are cross-cutting principles in the project. The project is organised in collaboration between the University of Lapland and Rovaniemi municipal education and training consortium / Lapland Education Centre (REDU). 

Promotion of equality / Special education teacher Toni Berg 

Our goal is to build flexible groupings and tailored learning paths for grades 8 and 9 in order to prevent social exclusion of children and youth. The aim is to offer pupils extra support for learning and school attendance, as well as to especially consider children who aren’t attending school. The objective is to decrease pupils’ need to change schools due to insufficient support. In addition, the project enables our university students to conduct research or theses from a new and timely perspective. 

TIPOTE – towards inclusive and practical teacher training in Mozambique / Lecturer Timo Lakkala 

The main objective of the TIPOTE project (2024–2026) is to strengthen inclusive pedagogical expertise and by doing so, better the quality of teacher training at two higher education institutions in Mozambique. Maputo Pedagogical University educates subject teachers in the capital and ISET One World focuses on training teachers in a country-like operational environment. Regarding questions about inclusive training, the project seeks to find practical solutions for teacher training, teacher trainers and teachers working in schools. From Finland, the University of Lapland and Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences participate in the project. 

Collaboration with LUMA centre Lapland 

The LUMA centre’s aim is to inspire and motivate children and youth into mathematics, science and technology (STEM). To achieve this goal, the centre develops new methods and activities of science and technology education based on research. Furthermore, the project supports the life-long learning of teachers working on all levels of education from early childhood to universities and strengthens the development of research-based teaching. Anna-Maija Partanen acts as the director of the LUMA centre Lapland. The Teacher Training School participates in the science events held in Arktikum and the University of Lapland, arranged by the LUMA centre Lapland.