CULTURE OF OPENNESS

Boarding School Life

The Ntare Louisenlund Rwanda community welcomes all new members. There is a culture of openness, and the strength of the community is reflected in its ability to integrate new members. The adults are particularly aware of their role model function in this context.

New students should feel at home at Ntare Louisenlund School from day one and be able to acclimate to this new living and learning environment. Students and their families receive a “welcome pack” to help them. This includes learning materials (e.g. iPad, textbooks), information about the school, about life and the possibilities offered as well as personal meetings with important members of the school community. At the beginning of each school year there is an orientation week, which culminates in a large school festival (“Oktoberfest”).

Eight students form a dormitory community. The members of the dorm community are of different ages and will comprise up to three years throughout the age groups (except seniors). 100 dorms are required for this purpose. The senior students (Grade 12) will be assigned a special living area. These dorms will consist of only a single year. To ensure that the revision phase in preparation for the examinations is as efficient as possible, 4-6 final-year students will form a dorm community. 30 dorms are required for this.

Building A is reserved for girls and Building B for boys.

80 students from the same year group (e.g. plus-STEM class) are be assigned a form head, who will assume the role of a ‘head of school’ for this group. The form head is responsible for the students’ academic development as well as their wellbeing in the boarding school from their date of entry in the school until they receive the IB Diploma.

Mentor groups consist of ten students each. The mentor has the task of personally overseeing the students. This includes drafting individual timetables and activity schedules, providing advice on the extracurricular programme, and holding consultations with the parents.

The Ntare Louisenlund Rwanda boarding school comprises six larger groups that are mixed across all age groups. Each group consists of 160 students. They will be headed by a boarding school officer. Each boarding school group will be assigned a further five house parents, who will be responsible for looking after the group.

This means that each student is a member of two smaller and two larger communities:

The dorm community (eight members) and the mentor group (ten members) as well as the year group (80 members) and the boarding school group (160 members). All students will be encouraged to see themselves as members of the larger Ntare Louisenlund Rwanda community.

Healthy nutrition is a prerequisite for a healthy life. Breakfast (8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.), lunch (1:00 p.m.) and dinner (6:30 p.m.) are served in the school dining hall. All meals are compulsory. Additionally, the dining room is open 12 hours a day to offer healthy snacks and beverages.

Get a better insight

Our Guidebook for Students and Parents gives you a comprehensive and detailed insight into boarding school life at Ntare Louisenlund School. Please feel free to download it here.

School Year Calendar Term One 2024/25

There's always something going on at NLS. To give you the best possible overview of exam dates, events, weekend activities and other important events, you can download the current school year calendar for Term One 2024/25.

IDEAL LEARNING ATMOSPHERE

Our Campus

The 60-hectare campus located in Rwanda’s Bugesera District, a forty-five-minute drive from Kigali, can accommodate up to 1000 boarding students. The campus is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, modern classrooms and learning studios, IT rooms, a creative design workshop, and impressive, newly constructed sports facilities. These include soccer and handball pitches, a swimming pool, and an Olympic-sized track. Our dining hall can accommodate up to 1000 students, staff, and guests.

STRONG COMMUNITY

Our Student Body

Ntare Louisenlund School is both a Rwandan and an international school. As such, we value cultural diversity and a spirit of mutual understanding and respect. Half of our student body hails from Rwanda’s four provinces and the capital city, Kigali. The other half are international students, coming mainly from the East African region. In Ntare Louisenlund we affirm and promote cultural diversity and celebrate our Pan-African and East-African heritage. Each year group has approximately 160 students, half of whom are global plus-STEM scholars and half of whom take part in our main diploma stream with its focus on social entrepreneurship. Teaching and learning in Ntare Louisenlund are inclusive and culturally responsive.

VARIED DAYS FULL OF FUN

Our Daily Schedule

A day at boarding school is full, fast-paced and fun. Our daily schedule includes a balance of academic, co-curricular, and social activities which enables students to develop as healthy, confident individuals within a strong community.

  
7:30-7:45Wake-up
7:45-8:15Morning warm-up (jogging, swimming, calisthenics, football, handball, etc.)
8:30Breakfast
9:00*-13:00Academic learning experiences (course seminars, Studio Time, lab days)
13:00-14:30Lunch and mentor-mentee meetings (as needed)
14:30-16:30Academic learning experiences
16:30-18:30Co-curricular learning / Service as action
18:30-19:00Dinner
19:00-20:00House community time (house activities, workshops, individual reflection)
20:00-21:00Free time / Co-curricular learning
21:00Curfew (grades 7 & 8)
22:00Curfew (grades 9-12)

 

*Every Monday morning begins with “Mentor Checkin”, a reflective meeting time between mentors and ‘mentees’ for planning, goal setting, and reflection on learning progress and achievement. 

REACHING GOALS TOGETHER

Culture of Togetherness

Ntare Louisenlund School is a safe learning environment, allowing all members of the community to develop and grow without fear. We will foster an attitude of looking out for, helping, and empowering each other. We do not tolerate any form of violence, bullying, insults, contempt, or exclusion. This also applies to any activity in virtual social networks.

We are particularly committed to the protection of children and adolescents at Ntare Louisenlund Rwanda. A Child and Youth Protection Officer is employed by the school and, together with all staff, ensures the enforcement of the Child Protection Policy. At least one adult per boarding school group will be qualified in school social work. Boarding school standards and practices comply with the quality framework for boarding school activities adopted by the German Boarding School Association (Deutsche Internate Vereinigung).

At Ntare Louisenlund we strive to create a culture of positive reinforcement that rewards hard work, dedication, and good results. We will develop appropriate criteria that are transparent and readily comprehensible. We will foster a culture of mutual respect, appreciation, and praise.

Learning to take responsibility for oneself and others is an important educational goal at Ntare Louisenlund. In this spirit, we will offer privileges for students who wish to take on more responsibility and prove themselves as young leaders.

We will resolve conflicts in a spirit of mutual respect for different opinions. We will rely on mediation and arbitrators to settle disputes. There is a transparent set of rules and, in the event of any misconduct, clear and transparent consequences.