Hieke
Treasurer
Hieke is mother of three children at the TTSA and also sits on the school council (MR). She brings strong expertise in school finance. She handles the foundation's banking and bookkeeping.
We're six parents at the Theo Thijssenschool. Our children are spread across the school, from group 1 to group 8 (ages 4–12). We got to know each other through class WhatsApp groups, schoolyard conversations and school council (MR) meetings. We all have a job and a life that's busy enough already. We'd rather not have to.
But when it became clear that cultural, physical and enrichment education were coming under pressure from the cuts, and how little the parent community knew about it, it seemed better to do something than to wait.
Three board members — chair, secretary, treasurer. Three operational team members. All parents, all unpaid.
Hieke is mother of three children at the TTSA and also sits on the school council (MR). She brings strong expertise in school finance. She handles the foundation's banking and bookkeeping.
Tessa is mother of Stach (group 2) and is a lawyer. She handles the incorporation, the articles of association, and the legal side of things.
Alexander is father of two children at the school and is an entrepreneur. He coordinates the whole thing. Manages this website together with Christina.
Christina is mother of a child at the school, a graphic designer and internationally oriented. She makes the visual identity, the posters, the fundraising letter, and helps us connect with the international parents at the school.
Isabelle has a son at the school and works at a communications and campaign agency in Amsterdam. She advises us on audience strategy and political contacts. She's not on the formal board, but she is our regular sparring partner.
Marlou is mother of Hugo (group 6) and a tax specialist. She provides the foundation with tax advice.
Over the past few years the school council (MR) noticed that a little more had to be cut every time. And each time the school's leadership came up with an inventive plan, so that we could still offer all the cultural lessons — slightly less, or slightly differently. The school introduced a "0-class", for instance, allowing us to admit more children to the Theo Thijssenschool. A good idea, given that many children in the city centre move away around group 3 or 4. That way we could offset the outflow.
When we then heard at the MR meeting in December that, despite all those efforts, the school still had to cut €200,000, and it became clear that important parts of the cultural, physical and enrichment programme were coming under pressure, the idea of De Gelukkige Klas slowly took shape.
In January 2026 the school newsletter ran a short item: cuts are coming, and we could use some help. A handful of parents came forward. We started talking.
Visual arts, gym for kindergartners, the cultural programme — things we took for granted — turned out to be on shaky ground. And at the same time most parents knew nothing about it.
Over the past few months we've worked on three things:
This website is part of the last two. We want you to know what's going on, what we're doing about it, and how you can join in.
We believe that culture, creativity, movement and other enriching activities are an important part of children's development. The foundation wants to contribute to keeping these activities accessible to all pupils, regardless of their parents' financial means.
"Promoting and financially supporting the quality of education at the Theo Thijssenschool in Amsterdam, particularly in the areas of visual arts, the cultural programme and other enriching educational activities." — from the policy plan
In plain language: a happy classroom for every child. Not only for children whose parents can pay extra.
Stichting De Gelukkige Klas was set up for the Theo Thijssenschool, a public primary school in the Jordaan with about 422 pupils. The school is part of the Stichting Openbaar Onderwijs aan de Amstel (OOadA) umbrella organisation. The head teacher is Stefan Roskam.
The foundation is legally independent of the school. We work closely together, but we're not part of the school organisation.
The name comes from the book De Gelukkige Klas ("The Happy Classroom") by Theo Thijssen, published in 1926. A classic about a class where children don't just learn, but feel seen — and where teacher and pupils move forward together. The book gave the school its name, and ours too. And it's exactly what we want to keep.
Questions, ideas, criticism: all welcome. Email info@gelukkigeklas.nl and we'll match you with someone on the team.