Secondary 7 students are based on the main campus and Secondary 8–11 students are based a short walk away at Slotsgade 15. Buildings open at 8:00 and the first lesson of the day starts at 8:10. The majority of school days last until 14:45.
Most mornings, our school day starts with a morning assembly. This lasts for 15 minutes or so and is run by the Principal of Henriette Hørlücks Skole, Henrik Jørgensen, Monday through Thursday in Danish.
On Fridays, Odense International School enjoys its separate morning assembly in English. Students are welcome to perform or co-host morning assemblies at OIS. Friday assemblies usually have a theme, and we conclude our assembly with a thought for the day.
Lessons are 45 minutes long and organised into two-lesson modules. We have a 15-minute break between modules and a 40-minute lunch break.
Students are provided with their own lockers inside the classroom.
Students eat with their classmates in their classroom. Most students bring a packed lunch. We do not have a refrigerator or a canteen.
We have a small food booth that sells buns, cheese slices, yogurt, and juice boxes daily on the main campus. Secondary 8–11 students may leave their campus with parental permission to purchase food in town. Unhealthy foods, such as soda, crisps, and cakes are not allowed at school.
There is no after-school care for students in Lower Secondary, but there is a youth centre at Østre Plads, which is run by Odense Municipality and is free of charge. The wide range of activities help children develop their creative and athletic talents—everything from cooking, to styling hair, to dancing and playing board games.
Denmark is known for its bicycling culture, and Odense is routinely hailed as the best bicycle-friendly city in the country. In Secondary 7, students can take a bicycle safety test. For students ages 12 and up, it is not uncommon for classes to cycle off campus for class outings, pending parental permission. We always wear bicycle helmets when biking for school events or during school time.
In Secondary, students are requested to bring the following items every day:
a laptop which can handle Microsoft Office programmes (a free download is provided),
a fully-equipped pencil case including two black or blue pens,
a compass, protractor, ruler, and triangle,
a scientific calculator (Texas Instruments TI 30XS, MultiView is recommended, but if you have doubts, consult with your mathematics teacher),
a packed lunch, morning break snack, and a water bottle,
we also ask that students have access to a printer at home for their assignments