Voltaire Comprehensive School Potsdam

Headmistress: Karen Pölk
Deputy Head: Annette Groß
Senior grade level coordinator: Dieter Urban
Member of the extended school administration: Christoph Ries

Subjects and electives
Foreign languages: English, French, Spanish, Latin, 3rd language beginning in class 9,
projects including compulsory subjects like languages, natural sciences, art subjects, music, sports
workshops: choir, school journal, theatre, art, mediation, photography, sports, dragon boat, basketball
profile: languages, communication, modern media

School structure – “everything under one roof“

• A-Levels after 12 or 13 years (decision in grade 8)
• Talented class (grade 5)
• All-day-care for grades 5-10
• School development – a necessity for school of tomorrow
• Cooperation with the Potsdam University (innovation union – school – university)
• Model project: “Strengthening the independence of schools”
• Mentoring: university students provide support to students of the Voltaire Comprehensive School

Individualized learning - “The key to the development of intelligence and methodical competence”
- strengthening language and personal development and social skills
through: initiative and creativity, analysing individual level of development, self-directed learning,
open teaching-learning arrangements, working with the learning schedule and competency grids

Media and communication – “Fit for the future”

• Optional basic courses in the senior grade levels, regular subject in grades 9/10
• Using and applying media: media competency as a key qualification
• Pilot school for the model project for the Federal-State Commission and the Ministers of Education and Arts Conference (KMK) – “Media and communication“ (1998-2003)
• Media projects in all subjects and senior grade levels – “The path to university education”
• Advanced courses in the subjects of art, computer science
• Project-orientated approach to education
• Theme-related project trips (grade 12)

Special electives and offers:

• Media and communication (print, audio, video, multimedia)
• Psychology, philosophy, economic sciences, drama, propaedeutics in collaboration with the University of Potsdam – acquiring skills aimed at preparing students for studying at a university
• Skiing courses (grades 11/12)
• Multimedia projects in all grades
• Competitions – “We present what we can”
• “Voltaire reads” and “Voltaire makes music”
• “English Poetry Contest”
• Ballads contest, German Olympics
• Mathematics: “kangaroo”
• Siemens Competition: “Join multimedia”
• Sudoku Competition

Cooperation and partnership – “The Management of a modern school”

• Active cooperation with parents and support association (Förderverein)
• Student exchange with Finland, Israel, France, Poland, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
• ALBA Berlin – basketball, Voltaire school prom
• Cooperation contracts including the “Museum of communication” in Berlin
• Participation in the IVB (innovation group School-University Brandenburg)

Feel comfortable with Voltaire – basis for successful learning

“What is the most important thing on earth? Tolerance”
François-Marie Arouet Voltaire