The British School Warsaw PTA Information booklet for new and returning families 2020 - 2021 Welcome to The British School Warsaw’s Parent Teacher Association. Every parent of an enrolled student is automatically a member. We collaborate with staff, families, and the Warsaw community to enrich the educational experience for all. The PTA organises school events, fundraisers, and activities for students and their families as well as raising money for charity through various actions throughout the school year. For further information on upcoming meetings, events, and volunteer opportunities, like us on Facebook and join one of our closed parent communities. These are great places to have your questions answered by other TBS parents and to discuss current happenings. We look forward to welcoming you! Email us – [email protected] Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tbswarsawpta/ Second Hand Uniform Shop The PTA second hand uniform shop is located at the far end of the basement corridor at Limanowskiego. We sell school uniform that is donated when children out-grow it or leave the school. We also hold samples of the school sports kit for sizing purposes. We are open: Every Monday – 7.55am to 8.15am We also hold regular sales at Dabrowskiego. Note: Due to Covid restrictions, we will not be able to run the second hand uniform shop in the normal way. Please check our Facebook pages for information on how to access the shop. COVID-19 Information For general information relating to COVID-19 in Poland, please visit the Polish Government website where you can find information in English. https://www.gov.pl/web/coronavirus For information on Covid-19 measures specific to school, please refer to the school reopening plans. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the PTA may not be able to offer the usual spectrum of activities. However we will ensure that we maintain our communications and connections with our parent body by virtual means wherever possible. Please follow our facebook pages for updates. We understand how stressful moving to new city can be and how overwhelming it can feel trying to complete seemingly simple tasks and errands. The aim of this guide is to provide you with useful and practical information to make your life easier. It also contains details of several other websites, Facebook groups and organisations with the same purpose. We hope that you find it informative and helpful. INDEX 1. EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS 2. MEDICAL SERVICES 3. TRANSPORTATION 4. SHOPPING 5. EATING OUT 6. EATING IN 7. ACTIVITIES WITH KIDS 8. BABYSITTING 9. BANKING 10. ORGANISATIONS AND GROUPS TO JOIN 11. POLISH HOLIDAYS 12. OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES AND GUIDES 1. EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS Police – 997 Fire – 998 Straz Miejska (Municipal Police) - 986 Mobile phone emergency telephone number – 112 Ambulance Poland’s national ambulance – 999 Medicover Hospital emergency hotline – 500 900 999 Falck Medyczna - 1-9675 or 22 535 91 51. Direct line to Warsaw dispatchers (English dispatchers). Falck has over 200 fully equipped ambulances operating in major metropolitan areas throughout Poland. You do not have to be a member to call for ambulance. LUX MED (English dispatchers), 22 430 30 30. Lux Med Medical Centre has ambulances available 24 hours a day. You do not have to be a member to call for ambulance. For more information call their info line: 22 458 7000 2. MEDICAL SERVICES PHARMACIES You can recognize a Pharmacy, or ‘Apteka’ by its green cross. You may find that some products you can buy over the counter at home may require a prescription and vice versa. Even some products that do not require a prescription must be asked for at the counter. DENTISTS Popular dentists include Astermed (Ul. Sw. Bonifacego 92) and Villa Nova (ul. Przyczółkowa 219) DOCTOR’S SURGERIES Healthcare International – Ul. Chorągwi Pancernej 50. T: 22 858 01 01, 604 774 744, emergency: 606 336 677. English speaking family practice offering comprehensive medical care, prevention programs, prenatal and neonatal care, house calls. Wilanow Family Practice- ul. Kosiarzy 37/90, T: 22-642-7404 www.Wilanowfamilypractice.pl 3. TRANSPORTATION DRIVING IN WARSAW Polish driving regulations differ in many ways from those of other countries. Please familiarise yourself with the rules of the road before driving in Warsaw. In particular, be aware of rights of way at junctions, right filters onto roads with pedestrian crossings and the priority given to Trams. TAXIS Taxis in Warsaw are plentiful and reasonably priced. Here are a few of the main providers. Eco Car 123 456 789 iTaxi 737 737 737 Sawa Taxi 226 444 444 Ele Taxi 228 111 111 FreeNow Taxi via app UBER and Bolt also operate in Warsaw. PUBLIC TRANSPORT Public transport in Warsaw is very good and reasonably priced. An extensive network of trams and buses operates throughout the city and there are two Metro lines, M1 and M2. M1 runs North to South from Mlociny, through the city centre to Kabaty. M2 runs from East to West from Dworzec Wilenski, through the city centre, to Rondo Daszynskiego. The best way to plan your journey on public transport is by using the Jakdojade web page or app www.jakdojade.pl. Select your city and your language and then you can plan your trip by entering your destination address as well as optional information about the time of your journey, preferred mode of transport etc. School children can apply for a Warsaw City Card through the school which entitles them to free travel on all public transport in the city. Please enquire at the school office for details. BIKE AND SCOOTER RENTAL Verturilo bicycles are available to rent throughout the city in the warmer months. They have smaller bikes available for children and even some tandems. https://www.veturilo.waw.pl/en/ You can rent electric scooters from Lime https://www.li.me/ and Hive https://www.ridehive.com/ TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF WARSAW Trains Information on train timetables and routes can be found at www.pkp.pl Tickets can be purchased online at www.rozklad.pkp.pl Coaches Flix Bus is a popular coach company travelling to a wide range of destinations. www.flixbus.pl 4. SHOPPING Supermarkets Warsaw has a large selection of supermarkets. Stores range from large hypermarkets though to small express shops. The main large supermarket chains are; Carrefour – Branches in Sadyba Best Mall, the basement of the Royal Wilanow complex, Galeria Mokotow, Arkadia and Zlote Tarasy Biedronka – Branches of Biedronka can be found all over the city. There is a large store at Ul. Syta 87. Other branches can be found at Ul. Sobieskiego 18, Aleja Rzeczypospolitej 23a and Dolna 3, to name but a few locations. LIDL - Vogla 45, 02-990 Auchan – A large Auchan can be found at Pulawska 427. In the same building is a kids soft play called Sala Zabaw Lider. L’Eclerc – Ciszewskiego 15 Tesco - Aleja Komisji Edukacji Narodowej 14 There are also a number of smaller convenience store chains such as Aldi, Zabka, Freshmarket, Lewiatan and Spolem. A number of supermarkets offer an online shopping and delivery service. The main ones with an English web site are Tesco, Auchan and Frisco. https://ezakupy.tesco.pl/groceries/en-GB/ https://www.auchandirect.pl/auchan-warszawa/en https://www.frisco.pl Shopping Malls Warsaw has several large shopping malls, where you will find a wide variety of shops all under one roof. The main malls are listed below. Arkadia – Al. Jana Pawla II 82 - A very large mall with several large stores including a Carrefour supermarket. In addition to a wide range of shops, it has a multiplex cinema, a large food hall and an excellent kids play centre, Fikolki, where you can leave your children (age 6 and above) while you shop. https://www.arkadia.com.pl/en Promenada – Ostrabramska 75c – a large shopping mall with cinemas, skating area. www.warszawa.promenada.com/en/ Blue City – Al. Jerozolimskie 179 – A wide range of shops including Toys R Us. Blue City also has a large childrens play area, and a number of children’s party venues. https://en.bluecity.pl/ Centrum Janki – Ul. Mszczonowska 104/122 – A retail complex where you can find IKEA, Castorama and a number of other large stores as well as smaller shops within the centre itself. http://chjanki.pl/en/ Galeria Mokotow – Ul.Woloska 12 – A large shopping mall with shops selling a wide range of things from designer labels to electrical goods. There is a large food court, a cinema and a kids play area. https://www.galeriamokotow.pl/ Klif – Ul. Okopowa 58/72 – A mall consisting of mainly designer clothing shops. http://klif.pl/en/ Sadyba Best Mall – Ul Powsinska 31 – Sadyba mall is a two minute walk from The British School. There are a number of shops selling a wide range of items. There is also a small food court and an IMAX cinema. https://www.sadyba.pl/ Zlote Tarasy – Ul. Zlote 59 – Next to the central train station. There are many shops selling a wide range of items. There is also a cinema, a gym, and a large selection of restaurants. http://zlotetarasy.pl/en Other smaller malls include Mysia 3 - https://mysia3.pl/en/o-nas/ Panorama - http://www.galeria-panorama.pl/ Promenada - http://www.warszawa.promenada.com/en/ Plac Unii - http://placunii.pl/en/ Vitkac - https://www.vitkac.com/pl Online Shopping Amazon UK and Amazon DE deliver to Poland. Zalando is a great online clothing and shoes website that offers free delivery and returns. For school uniforms, next.pl offers quick delivery on many basic school items including shoes. UK shops such as John Lewis also offer international delivery to Poland.