Primary School

Welcome to our eco-friendly primary school where the earth is managed with care and respect. Our school is inspired by the Jena Plan concept which focuses on the holistic development of children. We believe that education is not just about academic achievement, but also about nurturing children’s social, emotional, and physical well-being.

We apply a child-centered approach where we focus on the needs and interests of each individual child. Our teachers take the time to get to know each child and to create a supportive and nurturing environment where they can thrive.  As we also apply project based learning, we mainly learn through projects that we believe can help our students develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills.

We are using Indonesian Curriculum K-13 with Project-Based Learning (PBL). In Taruwara School’s early years, students go from learning to read to reading to learn. We believe critical and creative thinking are valued equally with the ability to think with empathy; to cultivate positive thoughts, knowledge, and actions. Students start to apprehend the world and become active members of their community through social contribution aspects.

We are a children-centered school and we are using a couple of approaches to help students to gain knowledge and different skills through various subjects. We incorporate PBL, SPL, and Adaptive Learning in our approach. Through PBL, students will have the chance to develop their critical thinking skills and respond to a question or a problem that may arise around schools or their daily life.

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Jenaplan

Jenaplan is a teaching approach centered around the concept of community life, where schools are not isolated institutions. This approach prefers a multi age group and they value differences among children. The unique idea behind Jenaplan pedagogy is that all activities are pedagogically-intended situations. Situations are planned, but the personal choices of students, and their answers, cannot be anticipated. In pedagogically-intended situations this personal existential answer is essential, and therefore, a lesson plan is more of a plan of what might happen instead of what should happen.

Dialogues Dialogues
Dialogues

Where everyone in the class sits in a circle and has conversations, discussions, or even brainstorming. This is a safe place for everyone to express their ideas, feelings, arguments, and concerns. In Taruwara, we do dialogue every day. We have morning dialogues and afternoon dialogues. During this time, we will talk about things related to current events, event planning, rule discussions, and other topics.

Play Play
Play

Students have the time to play creatively every day either outside or inside. Playtime helps students to improve their social skills and problem-solving. Sometimes teachers incorporate play before the class starts to boost engagement and communication during class.

Work Work
Work

During work, we practice basic skills, gain knowledge, improve communication skills through group work, practice organizing skills, and many more. First, students will get instructions from the teacher, then they will have tasks with different levels where they can choose the level by themselves. This will encourage independence and self-reflection.

Celebration Celebration
Celebration

We celebrate the beginning and the end of the school term. The idea of celebration is to appreciate students’ effort and process. We also celebrate birthdays, big holidays, and other events. Celebration is to remind all of us to enjoy life after hard work.

Weekly Timetable Weekly Timetable
Weekly Timetable

We are encouraging students to be responsible and to make their own choice regarding their studies. Students are learning to manage their time and choose the activities they want to do that week by doing the weekly timetable. They will choose tasks for each subject and note them in the tasks section. Students are able to check their tasks daily and they are responsible to finish the task within that week.

Project Based Learning

In Project Based Learning students will gain knowledge and skills by working for a certain period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex problem, question, and challenge. The way we see PBL is that the project is the vehicle for teaching important knowledge and skills students need to learn. We believe students will develop their critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills when they are doing projects together.

View More Projects
Bazaar “Fun Market” Project
Project Student • 18 Apr 2023

Bazaar “Fun Market” Project

We start the first term of the Academic Year 2022-2023 by having projects inspired by students. The project itself is inspired by students playing house with cardboard and teachers pick up on that and expand the ideas for year-long projects. We decided to do camping and related this project to our school events and subjects. Hence the Bazaar Project, our school has its birthday in September and we start planning to contribute to the bazaar event by selling some stuff in order to raise some money for the camping. For the bazaar, students were divided into 3 different groups that will prepare their own stands. The groups are green stands, healthy food stands, and art stands. Students were doing mind maps from the beginning, so they know the connection between each subject and why they need to learn certain topics. Students were really involved from the beginning, during preparation, and on the day. They had a lot of discussions and made decisions themselves. We see a lot of beautiful collaboration between students during preparation and they work their hardest to make this event go smoothly.  Before the bazaar, students learned about measurement, time, and money. These topics are to equip students during the bazaar since some of them are in charge of being the cashier. In Science class, students learned about hygiene and healthy food. Students learned about it and built the menu themselves for the healthy food stand. In Art class, students had the chance to make something from clay and some made some drawings. Overall, students were very involved and excited to have the bazaar. We have had great support from parents during this event and almost everyone participates. For the Green stand, we had a big donation from one of our parents and it is one of the most successful stands. At the end of the bazaar, all stands were able to collect almost Rp. 3.000.000 to support our camping project. Students were really happy with the experience and they worked really hard to count the money themselves.  Next, we are going to prepare for our Camping project. Students may divide into 3 different groups according to the 5 main subjects we have, such as English, Science, Math, Art, and Thematic. They will learn all the necessary topics to support them during camping. We are excited to create great memories on our school grounds through this camping project! Stay tuned for our next project! Documentation: Fun market without fun games is not fun Primary children prepared small craft to be sell at the event The children are tasked with preparing orders with the assistance of their teachers. We invited the Bali Smile Foundation to liven up our event Fun Market vibes We also had face painting stand Green stand's team Parents bought something from art & craft stand Healthy Food stand's team

Guinea Pig Project
Project Student • 18 Apr 2023

Guinea Pig Project

Children love animals, and for good reason having pets at school has been dreamed of by our students. Our "pet project" started with creating an egg incubator, so that we can hatch our own chick. But unfortunately, it failed after three trials. Haven't given up yet, we discussed and decided to continue the project by adopting another pet. It wasn't an easy decision to decide which pet we would like to adopt. Finally, we agreed to adopt a guinea pig and our guinea pig project began. To support our project, we need to prepare everything thoroughly. We learnt many theories about guinea pigs in each class. In science, we learnt that guinea pigs are rodent animals. We got to know their natural predators and foods. It helps us to take care of them. Inviting guinea pig owners is also on our list. We would like the experts to share their real experiences in order to take care of guinea pigs. We also got a chance to ask some questions regarding guinea pigs. As mentioned before, we learnt many things in order to support our project. We learnt measurement in math so that we can design and create the best guinea pig cage. In order to take care of our guinea pig, we set up a duty schedule and took turns giving food and cleaning the cage. A mind map helps to visually organize all the records of ideas about a project. It also helps us to track back all information or steps to enhance creative problem-solving skills. In order to conduct our guinea pig project, the students record every piece of information they have learnt on mind mapping. They also add more information they wish to enrich. It also shows the steps and goals of their project. Documentation: Q&A with guinea pig expert. All kids were very passionate to know more about guinea pig before they can adopt them They were learning about guinea pig and how to take care of them The first time they met a guinea pig. Guinea loves carrot and vegetables Workshop about guinea pig Primary children loves to spent their free time with our Guinea pigs Lovely Sugar & Oreo Snowy Daily duty to feed guinea pigs Student on duty to take care of guinea pig The first time they met a guinea pig. Mind Map for Guinea Pig Project Team work with school staff to bring their design ideas to life We made the cage from bamboo Guinea Pigs Cage Maker The process of making a guinea pig cage

Egg Incubator
Project Student • 03 Apr 2023

Egg Incubator

Background One day, Miss Ima found an egg laying on the carpet inside the classroom, and she moved the egg to the top of the cupboard. In the afternoon, Micol found the egg and asked “Where did you get the egg miss?” and Miss Ima told Micol where she found them. A few days after that, Miss Ima found another egg on the carpet and moved it to the cupboard. Not long after that, Micol found a couple of eggs inside the cupboard and she came up with an idea “Miss, why don’t we make an incubator for these eggs?”. Miss Ima agreed to the idea and shared the idea with the others. The discussion started with a question “Who likes animals?” and all students raised their hands up. During the discussion, they also try to find out how to make an egg incubator and how to take care of an egg until it hatched. We were using the internet as our source of information. The discussion happened for another couple of days, we also asked students to discuss this project with their parents. After we have gathered all the information, try to make the incubator and calendar in the class. We use the incubator to lay the eggs and warm them until they hatch. Inside we have rice husks, some cloth, water inside a bowl to keep the humidity balanced, and a fluorescent lamp (20 watts). Other than the incubator, students also made a calendar as a reminder of the days, because based on the information they found, it took 21 days for the egg to hatch. After the incubator is done, all students are asked to take care of and be responsible for the eggs. Based on the information they got, they are supposed to rotate the eggs 90 degrees 3 times a day, in order to give an even warmth on all surfaces, so the embryos can grow healthily. Based on the egg needs, students came up with a duty schedule to share the responsibility together. This project was their second project. The first project was not successful, because the egg didn’t get enough warmth, they were using a 5-watt lamp. Another thing that played a part in the failure was they moved the egg around during checking time and moved it to the darker side inside the box. Learning Resources Internet           : Tutorial on how to make an egg incubator, How to make a good egg incubator Resources       : Teachers, Parents, Poultry Expert (Bali Bird Park Team)           Learning Orientation Student-oriented learning. In this project, students are directed to become subjects and objects that they learn from the egg incubator project. Children are encouraged to think critically about the problem they face and find solutions to problems during the process. The teacher’s role in this project is as a facilitator and helps students get a real and authentic learning experience. Learning is considered and adapted to previous experiences and students’ intellect because each student has different learning experiences and potential. Research Stages a.      Research on how to make a good egg incubator. b.      Research about how long it takes for an egg to hatch. c.      Research on how to treat eggs properly. d.      Prepare the tools and materials needed to make an incubator. e.      Make the incubator and calendar as reminded. f.        Routine inspection. Documentation Documentation activities are carried out by the teacher at each stage of the activities carried out by students starting from the preparation stage, making the incubator, to the routine inspection stage which is carried out entirely by students with assistance from the teacher. Discussion about egg Prepared the necessary electricity and lighting for the egg incubator The children prepared some husk and placed the eggs inside it to keep them warm The students listened carefully to the teacher's instructions The process of making an incubator Learning more about an egg before we start the project Decorated the incubator Children took turns on duty to check the eggs The students placed the eggs in the incubator.

Camping
Project Student • 03 Apr 2023

Camping

Finally, the time that we have been waiting for is here, CAMPING at SCHOOL! The students have been preparing themselves for camping at school for months. They learned about water purifying and earth rotation (day and night) in Science class, about scouts and campfires in Thematic class, about 3D shapes and tents in Math class, and procedure text (for recipes) in English class. Students arrive at 2 PM with all their stuff and they have to check in by writing what they bring for camping, after that they get their new uniform! After everyone arrived and changed into the new uniform, we sat down and had circle time to start our camping. In circle time, we talked about the camp rules and the schedule, all students did very well and some students asked a couple of questions to clarify some things. The first activity they have to do is to set up their own tent. Students were divided into groups of 3 and 4, they got one tent and a couple of futons. We were going to set all the tents outside, but the weather was not on our side, it was drizzling and not promising. So, in plan B, we decided to set up the tent inside the building. The girls did very well setting up their own tent, teachers helped them a little bit. The boys also did well, only one team felt demotivated during setting up their tent. With encouragement, they finally set up their tent successfully! After that, they prepared their dinner. Students were divided into 3 different groups, which were the main course, drinks, and snacks. They happily worked together to make their own dinner! Due to the bad weather, we had to come up with a plan B, because a campfire was not going to happen. Before dinner, they had a treasure hunt, which was really interesting and entertaining. Kids were working in groups with the help of one teacher. The winner got a present from the treasure chest! We also needed to fill the gap in the schedule, where we were supposed to do a campfire, so we decided to watch some movies. Lastly, we said farewell to our Korean friends and we gave out the badges as well. Some kids didn't manage to get all four badges and were quite understanding after hearing the explanation. We see some students overcome some challenges, some make good friends, some get demotivated and get back up, and some work together happily. Overall, it was a great experience for students and teachers, and for parents as well. Until next time! Documentation: On the camping day, the children received their new school uniforms and took photos together Children still need help from their teacher to build their tent Primary girls's tent They were hungry after build a tent Treasure Hunt In the evening, they enjoyed the snacks they brought from home They enjoyed snack after finish building tent Girl team prepared onigiri for their dinner Took turn for delicious onigiri A brief but memorable campfire We decided to build the tent inside the room due to rain all day long Our morning breakfast prepared by teachers Boys group prepared for dinner Preparing for dinner

Mix Age Group

Mix Age Group

According to the idea of inclusion, Jenaplan School is organized as a comprehensive school for all children independent of their social background, and mental or behavioral disabilities. Instead of the traditional arrangement of school subjects, students of the same age in classrooms, and teaching units of 45 minutes, the Jenaplan School is characterized by mixed-age learner groups and open and individualized learning situations in various innovative learning environments. 

We have a mixed-aged class, from 6–9 years old and 10-12 years old. We believe by having mixed-age classes, students will be able to learn and help each other. They also will have a chance for better social skills. According to research, composite classes provide the following benefits for children such as children will have the chance to better social skills, learn at their own pace without being compared to peers their age, they will have the opportunity to act as friends, mentors, or teachers for their classmates, and they are more likely to cooperate than compete. This spirit of cooperation and caring enables children to help each other as individuals, instead of seeing each other as competitors.

Self Progress Learning

One of our teaching approaches is through Self-Progress Learning (SPL). Where students are able to learn based on their own pace and without any pressure to catch up with others. Students can understand and practice one topic until they are ready to move to the next one. Other than that, students can collaborate in helping each other to understand certain topics and work on the problem together. We believe when children can explain something to others that means they have fully understood the topic!

Self Progress Learning
Coding

Coding

Coding is one of our subjects at Taruwara Primary, where students learn the basics of programming in a fun and engaging way. We use a curriculum developed by Timedoor Indonesia that introduces students to the basic concepts in computer science. Learning how to code is also a creative process that helps students develop valuable skills like problem-solving, logical thinking, and creativity. 

Our curriculum and teaching methods will vary depending on the age range or grade. Coding classes for kids often use visual programming languages like Scratch, which use blocks or drag-and-drop interfaces to make it easier for children to learn programming concepts. 

Some classes may also use game-based learning, where students learn coding concepts by playing games that require them to write code, and we use some robots from Wonder where students learn to control them using code. Some classes may also cover more advanced topics like how to make a website and make 3D games. We have coding class once a week, starting with the first graders (six years old). Offering this class will give your child an advantage in an increasingly digital world.

Holiday Camp Program

Dive into an unforgettable Holiday Camp experience, held during term and semester breaks! Specially designed for primary kids, our camp is the perfect blend of fun and learning. Imagine your child exploring the outdoors, unleashing creativity in art and craft sessions, mastering life skills, conducting hands-on science experiments, and even whipping up delights in our cooking classes and many other engaging activities—all while making memories that last a lifetime. Each activity is thoughtfully planned so that while your child has fun, they’re also learning valuable skills.

Upcoming Term Break Plans for Taruwara:
* March Holiday Camp: 24, 25, & 26 (total 3 days)
* June-July Holiday Camp: Starts on 19 June and runs until 30 June, then resumes from 1 July until 15 July (total 18 days)

Please note, registration is required to join the camp. Get ready for an adventure that’s as educational as it is exciting!

For the most up-to-date information and any changes to the schedule, please check our Instagram account: taruwaraschool.rumahkecil

Holiday Camp Program
Holiday Camp Program
Holiday Camp Program