The British School Warsaw PTA Information booklet for new and returning families 2020 2021 - Nord Anglia Education

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 – PTAchair.tbs@gmail.com

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.

5. EATING AND DRINKING
Warsaw has a vibrant and varied restaurant and bar scene. There are far too many fantastic
places for us to recommend them all here. Instead, we encourage you to use the following
websites where you will find details of restaurants, cafes and bars throughout the city.
http://www.warsawinsider.pl/
https://www.inyourpocket.com/warsaw
https://www.likealocalguide.com/warsaw
https://www.zomato.com/warszawa

6. EATING IN
The four main take-away delivery companies that operate in Warsaw are Room Service,
Pyszne, UBEReats and Wolt.

You can order a variety of cuisines from many restaurants within Warsaw and have the food
delivered to your door for a location dependent delivery charge.
https://roomservice.pl/en/
https://www.ubereats.com/en-PL/stores/
www.pyszne.pl
https://wolt.com/en/

7. ACTIVITIES WITH KIDS
There are plenty of activities available in Warsaw to keep your children happy in summer and
winter. Favourites include the wide range of outdoor spaces and parks, indoor trampoline
centres, soft play centres and child friendly museums.
A great place to start is the web site kids in the city http://kidsinthecity.pl where you can find
details of things happening in and around Warsaw including locations of several parks and
gardens and museums.

To find soft play centres simply enter ‘sala zabaw’ into google maps and take your pick.
Popular ones near The British School include Funpark Digiloo and Fikolki.
Wodny Park is a great swimming pool complex with a 50m training pool, a baby pool, two
slides, a small outdoor area and two crazy rivers. There is also a bowling alley and café within
the building. It is adjacent to Funpark Digiloo. www.wodnypark.com.pl.

If you are looking for an English speaking swim teacher, Anthony Schulz from Learn to
Swim the Aussie Way is a great option. www.anthonySchulz.com
In the summer, there are a few outdoor swimming pools, including one at Szceszliwicki
Park near Blue City and one in Powsin Park.
Hangar 646, Airo and Stacja Gravitacja are popular indoor trampoline centres.
In winter, a number of Ice rinks open across the city.

8. BABYSITTING AND NANNIES
Nanny Express are a popular babysitting provider. You can find out more about them at
www.nannyexpress.pl

Babysitters and nannies are often passed from one family to another when they relocate.
Word of mouth is a very good way of finding reliable babysitters, so ask around the people
you meet.

9. BANKING
Most of the major banks offer accounts to expats. You can get both debit and credit cards.
Payments in shops are made via contactless terminals. Transactions under 50zl are accepted
without a PIN number. For transactions above 100zl you will be asked to enter your PIN.
Polish banks do not provide cheque books. Payments need to be made via online bank
transfers or credit card payments. You can also pay household bills at the post office.
If you want to transfer money between your home and your Polish account, Transferwise is a
popular service, though it is by no means the only one available.
Revolut and other similar online banks offer accounts where currencies can be exchanged
easily.

10. INFORMATION FOR PET OWNERS

Please be aware that ticks are a potential issue for any pets that spend time outside. Please
do your research and make sure they are properly protected. Current advice with the mild
winters is not to take a break from tick medication. Please consult your vet.
Kennels and catteries
Popular ones include
Dog Inn – www.doginn.pl
Hotel dla Kotow – www.hoteldlakotow.pl
Petlandia -www.petlandia.pl/en/

English speaking Vet surgeries include
www.wila-vet.pl and www.animalcarecenter.pl/en/
A useful facebook group for dog owners is www.facebook.com/groups/warsawdogowners/
An English speaking dog trainer – Krzystof Zatorski 501626640

Dog groomers
www.fivestardog.pl/

11. ORGANISATIONS AND GROUPS TO JOIN

There are several expat groups and organisations you can join. Here are some of the most
popular ones.

IWG (International Women's Group): https://iwgwarsaw.com. A women-only group. They
have a lot of weekly/monthly activities, language learning, book club, group trips, etc. They
also have some good online resources.
IFW (International Friends of Warsaw): https://www.ifwarsaw.com. This is similar to IWG,
except that it is family-oriented. They organise trips, parties and many other events.
Mums and Tots of Warsaw Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/199055965404/about/ A useful group, where you can find a lot
of information. Either ask a question and wait for other members of the group to answer, or use the
search function.

12. POLISH HOLIDAYS

Poland has many traditions and you will find the majority of official holidays are still family
orientated. Major holidays include:
Sylwester (New Year’s Eve) - December 31. (January 1 is the official New Year’s Day holiday.)
Three King’s Day (The Epiphany) - January 6.

Tlusty Czwartek (fat Thursday) Last Thursday before the start of Lent. This is the last chance
for Poles to eat to excess before Lent. The more donuts (pączki) you can eat during this day,
the luckier you are in the New Year.
Wielkanoc (Easter Sunday)
Smigus-Dyngus or Lany Poniedzialek (Easter Monday)
Mother’s Day - May 26
Children’s day - June 1st
Wszystkich Swietych (All Saints Day) - November 1. Poles congregate at cemeteries to
commemorate the dead. Graves will be decorated with flowers and candles, and many people
will travel long distances to visit the graves of their beloved.
Wigilia (Christmas Eve) - One of the largest celebrations in Poland. An extra place is always
laid at the table for an unexpected guest. Christmas trees are decorated and the gifts are

hidden from the children until the first star appears in the sky, and then festivities begin.
Tradition says that there should be 12 dishes served and no meat. The traditional fish is carp.
Boze Narodzenie - December 25.
OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS
Official Public Holidays
1 January                                               New Year
6 January                                               Epiphany
March/April                                             Easter Monday
1 May                                                   Labour Day
3 May                                                   Constitution Day
May/June                                                Pentecost (7th Sunday after Easter)
May/June                                                Corpus Christi (9th Thurs after Easter)
15 August                                               Assumption Day
1 November                                              All Saints Day
11 November                                             Independence Day
25 & 26 December                                        Christmas
Most, but not all, of these holidays are observed by shops and businesses. Certain
holidays may affect the schedules of public transportation.

13. OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES AND GUIDES
Below is a list of websites and guides where you will find information on various aspects of
life in Warsaw and Poland.
https://warszawawarsaw.com/en/

http://warsawtour.pl/en

www.spottedbylocals.com
https://www.oddurbanthings.com

https://www.eventim.pl/

http://filharmonia.pl/strona-glowna_en/

http://teatrwielki.pl/

http://www.ztm.waw.pl/?l=2

http://www.warsawinsider.pl/

https://www.inyourpocket.com/warsaw

https://www.likealocalguide.com/warsaw

We hope this guide is useful and informative. If you think we have missed anything important or have
any other comments, please let us know.

Thank You

The British School Warsaw PTA