Sudervė. A dream about Polish kindergarten came true

Sudervė is rejuvenated. Young families are coming back to the land of their fathers and grandfathers and building new houses. For that reason, the lack of Polish kindergarten in the village was noticeable – said the headmaster of Marian Zdziechowski Prmiary School in Sudervė and the director of the newly-built nursery-kindergarten Teresa Młyńska.

The new Polish kindergarten in Sudervė village near Vilnius (Vilnius County) has been opened for a month now. A modern, spacious and comfortable kindergarten in an extension of the local building of Marian Zdziechowski Primary School.

An investment worth over a million

Polish community of Sudervė has been waiting for a long time for the establishment in which children would learn in their mother tongue. It is not the fault of local authorities. It took a lot of time to find an available land for construction and to plan out the investment.

„When I found out that the authorities are looking for a free land, I offered the 7 hectares of school territory. We decided to build the kindergarten next to the school. In that way, we fitted a wonderful, modern space for the kindergartners under the common roof.” – said for our portal Teresa Młyńska, the headmaster of M. Zdziechowski Primary School in Sudervė.

The construction of the kindergarten was financed by The Vilnius County Municipality and the „Polish Community” Association. “The cost of the building amounted to 1,5 million euro. The equipment cost additionally over 80 thousand euro. These are huge amounts of money, we are very grateful to those who initiated and funded the construction of the Polish kindergarten in our village.” – said the headmaster.

The new kindergarten building was ready at express pace. Its construction, started in 2014, lasted for a year. As Młyńska emphasised, the contractor of the investment – construction corporation „Mūras” which has built many schools in Lithuania – did a great job.

Three groups were created

On 19 October, the kindergarten greeted first kids. A celebratory welcome of children and their parents took place. Three groups were created – for children attending the nursery, kindergarten and a preparatory primary school classes. There are 40 kids in all three groups.

A group of the oldest children, 5-6 years old, is the biggest – 16 people. The groups of two- and three-year-olds hold 13 people.

„Every group can use two rooms: a playroom and a bedroom. Kitchens and bathrooms are also available” – said the headmaster. The kindergarten is supplied with new furniture, toys, equipment and teaching aid.

The area of the new kindergarten amounts to a total of 550 square metres. The kindergarten can accommodate 52 children. “A lot of parents want their children to attend the new establishment, I am already worried whether we can take them all in.” Mrs. Teresa told us. 22 children are already on the waiting list.

Full of ideas and ready to work

Teachers are already chosen. However, the headmaster does not hide the fact that she had trouble with finding form mistresses who are in high demand.

„We hired five form mistresses and their helpers” – said Młyńska. Moreover, we hired a third Deputy Headmaster specialising in kindergarten education. We announced that we have a position open, it was filled by Renata Starenkienė who gained her experience working as a form mistress in nuresy-kindergarten in nearby Maišiagala. A psychologist and other specialists are also available.

„We have just stared working. We have many plans for the future. Many task and projects are ahead of us. Our form mistresses are full of ideas and ready to work with the kids. A new and comfortable kindergarten obliges us to good work” – Starenkienė told our portal.

Getting ready for the first performance

The kindergarten is open from the early morning until the evening – from 7 to 6.30 p.m. The establishment has been open only for a month so, as the headmaster pointed out, the kids’ adaptation period is still underway. Especially the youngest children sometimes cry or are sad or distressed.

However, dancing and singing classes help to make all the worries go away. “We hired an artistic director for a half time job. In the future, we will think about broadening the educational offer of our kindergarten” – Młyńska emphasised.

Now, children are actively preparing to their first performance during the official opening of the kindergarten which is going to take place in a couple of days – on 19 November.

Future first graders

Along with the building of the kindergarten the surroundings of the whole school have changed. “New playgrounds, pitch and gym were built. The whole surrounding was fenced and developed” – the headmaster said proudly. A parking, paths and geothermal boiler were also constructed. The kindergarten is located in a very picturesque and green place. The windows of the room where the classes take place face the pond and an orchard. In the spring and autumn one can see swimming swans there. “Amazing charm” – stressed Młyńska.

The construction of the long-awaited Polish kindergarten in Sudervė provides future first graders for the local school. As the headmaster informed, the positive outcome of the construction of the new kindergarten is already visible. “This year, the number of students in high grades of our school increased by 22 people. It is due to the fact that parents who intended to send their young children to the new kindergarten decided to send their older children there as well.” – said happily Mrs. Teresa.

Sudervė is rejuvenating

Children from Sudervė and nearby villages are attending the new kindergarten. According to the data of Vilnius County Municipality, there are around 2500 people living in the Sudervė District. The centre of the District – the Sudervė village which constitutes the centre and the biggest village of the District is inhabited by around 600 people.

“Sudervė is rejuvenated. Young families are coming back to the land of their fathers and grandfather and building new houses. For that reason, the lack of Polish kindergarten in the village was noticeable.” – emphasised the headmaster. Because of the lack of Polish kindergarten, the parents were forced to send their children to Vilnius kindergarten or to local Lithuanian one. “Now parents take their children from there and send them to our kindergarten. We even managed to encourage one form mistress who used to work in Lithuanian kindergarten to come to us.” – said the interviewee.

A bautiful gift to the people of Sudervė

In the kindergarten, parental meetings have already taken place. All conditions for the admittance and stay of the children were discussed.

On the behalf of herself and the young families of Sudervė, the headmaster of M. Zdziechowski Primary School would like to warmly thank the Vilnius County Municipality and the „Polish Community” Association for „the new kindergarten which is such a beautiful gift for the people of Sudervė”.

During the last couple of years, the Municipality has built 6 new kindergartens: in Nemenčinė, Lavoriškės, Mickūnai, Rudamino, Avižieniai and Sudervė.

The Municipality does not stop at that. Soon, the construction of the kindergarten in Riešė is going to start. Within this project, an unused building of the old kindergarten is going to be renovated. The building is going to be adjusted to the children’s needs.

Iwona Klimaszewska