Odense International School - OIS

OIS is seeking a full-time Primary and Physical Education specialist from the 1st of August.

Follow the link below to our website for more information about the position and how to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!

https://odenseinternationalschool.com/contact/seeking-p5-and-pe-teacher/

This year, MUN defended the value of water. Although it seems straight forward, the topic can get deep. Island life means water is all around us, but it is easy for the ways in which water is used to fly under our radar.

MUN’s starting point is workshop day. Stations are planned and plotted around the Slotsgade campus to introduce students to the pool of water-driven global issues. Nahl from S10 commented, “I found all the workshops very interesting and interactive, very relevant to the topic of water. I learnt a lot about what is going on with the world and water.” The workshops are the preamble to committee work, and “…give a good impression of what committee would be like,” S10’s Arul added.

Among the favourite workshops was ‘Holding Big Tech Companies Accountable’, ‘Water: Human Right or Commodity?’, and “’Indigenous Waterways’, because Theo gave a quite passionate speech about them. You felt this was a serious topic with many peoples’ livelihoods at stake.”

With topics chosen, position papers were prepared. Research time is focus time, because after positions are penned, debates ensue. To curry favour and gain support, each country must defend their position and convince members that their solution is beneficial and realistic. This is called the “unmoderated caucus”, and this is where information is gathered, plans are laid, and promises are either kept or broken. Cause and consequence are intimately known after the unmoderated caucus. Another representative from S10, Samuel, shared his experience, “there was a lot of backstabbing and trickery and scheming behind peoples’ backs, leading to quite the chaos.” Nischal echoed the experience, “Yes, it was lively. An internal member of our delegation leaked classified information to another country.” For some, this is part of MUN’s natural tides, and others “…saw it as betrayal.”

When it was general assembly time, delegates were ready to present and answer questions in front of the whole MUN body, their teachers, and a few parents. S10’s Victor described the general assembly as, “very tense.” “It was very exciting and suspenseful to hear everybody’s ideas and to see how it was taken by other countries.”

For all involved, the takeaway was quite unanimous. New connections were made between students across the departments. A better understanding was gained of human nature and intrigue. And the ever-present METAskills were challenged and fine-tuned, “I improved on using certain METAskills such as collaboration, hearing out other people’s ideas… Everybody’s collaboration was memorable this year, as this MUN, everybody seemed prepared and very interactive.”

In the end, two countries’ resolutions tied for the top position and will make memories over a meal together at Storms Pakhus.

It is no coincidence that while Denmark blazed a trail of victory in the European championships of men’s handball, our gym is busy with a lunch-time tournament of our own. Our chief handball tournament coordinator, Kenneth, mixed and grouped P4, P5, 3 kl, and 4 kl into 16 fierce teams.

After two weeks of particularly peppy preliminaries, the quarterfinals start today. If prelims were any indication of the midday atmosphere, we are in for four intense matches!

It’s Chess Day! Today marks “Skolernes Skakdag”, where Danish schools across the country dedicate the day to exercising their rapid problem-solving skills, among other things.

Chess has been a daily activity in the after-school care programme (SFO) for some time now. Jens, leader of the chess initiative, explained why chess is so important in schools:

“Skak har en evne til ekstraordinært at tilgodese mange børn, i forhold til selvværd og socialliv, som i forvejen har svært ved at indgå i både skolemæssig og social sammenhæng.”

In other words, ”Chess has the extraordinary ability to positively affect the self esteem and social skills of children who are already struggling academically or socially.”

Thank you to Dansk Skoleskak for organizing such a fun and unique nation-wide event!

Our preschool program, which starts March 2026, is accepting applications. If your child turns 5 years old by 1 September 2026, they are eligible to start preschool with us.

Visit our website for more information:
www.odenseinternationalschool.com/primary-school/preschool/about

We look forward to connecting with you soon!

As the winter season blankets the city, traditions of light and colour spark joy. We are equipped with many ways to come together as a community, be creative, and spread the winter hygge. On Thursday, the classrooms were filled with bustling chatter, and students were focused but pleasantly unhurried.

One of the biggest traditions we observe is the school-wide “klippedag”. The class spend the day with their class teacher and make decorations (and such). Some classes focus on making something for their family, some make a community project for their classroom, others figure out ways to repurpose the bin of cardboard and paper, and some work out ways to be kind to each other all month long through crafts! No matter the end result, we spend quality time together.

We ran straight into the Autumn break at the annual Fun Run! The whole-school event took us off campus and into the greenery on a sunny Friday.

P1–P4 trekked through the city to Munke Mose, where having fun and running around the pond were on the docket. Themed teams competed to see how many laps they could collect (little hands filled with tallies quite quickly!). With parents cheering from the side lines, it was another community event with the right amount of hygge!

P5 and up headed in the opposite direction—into the forest and through the woods, to a secret location they went. Scattered throughout the forest were obstacles and games. Each station required out-of-the-box thinking, some adaptation, full concentration, and a penchant for silliness.

After a beautiful morning, we called it a day, packed ourselves up, and strolled back to school reminiscing about all of the funny and unforgettable moments.

Before the break, P1 and P2 were getting into the autumn spirit by engaging the senses!

The exploration started with sight, as students drew colourful still lifes of apples.

They couldn’t resist what came next—taste testing an array of apples. They learned about the different flavours and textures apples have to offer (and that the store-bought varieties weren’t quite as delicious as the home-grown, scrumptious yellows).

Apple exploration brought them into the café to dabble in a hands-on activity. Pairs cut apples into tiny pieces, readying them for the next phase. Into the slow cooker they went, along with the quintessential autumn spice: cinnamon. With a little criss, and a little cross, they had applesauce!

To end the week of apple activities, it was time to taste one more time. With the cooker on, the sweet scent of apples and cinnamon saturated the halls. Everyone in Badestuen drooled while P1 and P2 feasted on their hand-made dish.

Last Thursday was another beautiful day in Odense, with DISNAC cross country races underway. We welcomed international schools from across Denmark to spend a day at the stadium.

Primary were the runners in the all-hands-on-deck event, but secondary played an important supporting role. On the run, secondary students shepherded runners through the forested course, encouraged runners to keep doing their best, and were the keepers of time. On the sidelines, enterprise students sold snacks and drinks and manned the first aid booth. Regardless of the task, there were smiles and helpful hands ready to make the event run smoothly and successfully.

Thank you to our fellow international schools and parents for joining us for a great day!

The morning of 16 May was reserved for celebrations. It was the last regular school day for our S11s and a few S10s, and the school’s tradition is costumed, paraded, and synchronized. Each year, Henriettesalen becomes the centre for spectacle, where the student body and its parents gather for the show.

When the music starts, a packed room turns to the green doors and out pours a flurry of pumped-up graduates bounding with enthusiasm. A catwalk ensues, which could also be considered a “catride”, “catrun”, or “catgallop”—they are a creative bunch after all. They dance a highway through the crowd, and after a few trips through the clapping, dancing supporters, something a little more elegant begins.

The highway expands to make room for more tradition—a dance routine that they have put plenty of practice into. Paired up, partners step, spin, twirl, bow, and switch (not necessarily in that order).

And when the dance is done, reality peeks its head in through those green doors to remind everyone that responsibilities await. They were swiftly back to class for the last of their IGCSEs.