Comenius
Let's discover hidden talents
COMENIUS "Let's discover hidden talents"
The fifth meeting in Catalonia
19th – 25th April 2015
2nd Primary School of Paleokastro
A review of our visit to Reus, Catalonia
The pedagogical team of our school has returned home after having visited Reus in Catalonia on the occasion of the European Comenius Programme entitled “Let’s find hidden talents”. This visit left us with memorable experiences. At the same time, we were given the opportunity to engage in several educational activities as well as get together, creatively cooperate with the pedagogical teams of the schools of the other countries involved in this programme as well as get information about different educational systems. The whole Comenius project will be completed in June when our school will hold the last meeting of the Comenius teams.
The Pompeu Fabra School in Reus is a multicultural school with pupils from many different countries such as Morocco, Venezuela, Bolivia, Pakistan and China.
On the first day of our visit we attended a welcoming ceremony. During that event all Comenius teams introduced themselves in the presence of all the pupils of the school. After that, several pupils of the school gave a performance of traditional music and dances. We also watched some PowerPoint presentations about the country and the city. After the event, all Comenius teams went sightseeing in Reus where they saw the modernist buildings and the central square “Mercadal Square”. Finally, we visited the Reus Town Hall where we were warmly received by a town representative who made a short speech about the history, economy and culture of the town. In the afternoon, the pupils of the Comenius teams worked on a webquest and they attended a music class.
The next day we went on a daytrip to Barcelona where we marvelled at Sagrada Familia and other city sights and we walked along the streets of the old town.
On the following day all Comenius teams went to a studio in order to record the Comenius anthem. Then, we went back to the school where we attended an art craft workshop about making bracelets and key holders by knitting coloured strings.
The fourth day was Saint Jordi’s Day, the patron saint of the town. All activities were dedicated to Saint Jordi. In the morning we were introduced to the tradition of Human Towers and we were given the opportunity to take part in building one. We also engaged in a workshop where we made a bookmark depicting the dragon which was killed by Saint Jordi according to the legend. In the afternoon the pupils and teachers of the Comenius teams were taken to Mercadal Square where they watched all the festivities.
On the last day of the meeting we attended a closing event. We watched a Rock Festival where each class of The Pompeu Fabra School sang songs. In the end all participants sang together. Moreover the participants competed in a Catalan vocabulary quiz.
We wish to congratulate the Catalan team on their work. We would also like to thank the families that offered hospitality to our pupils and made them feel at home. In June 2015, we will be the hosting country and we wish to offer back our hospitality- an ancient trait of the Greeks- and organize a successful meeting with the support of the municipal authorities and the Parents’ Association.
Greek review of our visit to Reus, Catalonia
Polish review of our visit to Reus, Catalonia
The fifthpartner visit in Reus in Spain- Catalonia
18th-25th April, 2015.
Saturday, 18th April – Sunday, 19th April - Journey to Reus in Catalonia
Three teachers and twostudents from ourschooltook part in 5th partner visit in Reus in Catalonia.Ourjourneystartedon Saturday, 18th Aprilat 9.31 am. It was verylongjourney. First we went to Warsaw with a change in Poznań. Then we took the bus and went to the airport in Warszawa – Modlin. At 8 pmour team was flying to Barcelona. Fortunatelyit was directlyflight, soat 11 pm we landed in Barcelona. The night we spentat the small hotel near the airport. Nextdayallteams met at the airportat 4 o’clock pm and we went to Reus by bus. Our hosting families and teacherswelcomeduswarmlynear the school.
Monday, 20th April
Ourfirstday in Reusstartedatabout 9 o’clock. At 9:30 am the officialmeeting in schoolstarted. We werewelcomed by the HeadmasterTeresa and the Catalancoordinator-Noelia Pacino Marin. Allteamspresentedtheirmembers. The Catalan team preparedpresentationsabout the City of Reus and the culture. We had the opportunity to seetraditionalclothes and dance and take part in playing as a drums band, conducted by Hector. Afterthat, the organizersplannedsightseeing of the city, calledModernistroute.In Reus was born the most knownarchitect Antonio Gaudi. We couldseeall of the most importantmodernistbuildings. Catalan team haspreparedveryusefulguidenewslatersfor allpartners and Catalanchildrentoldfewwordsaboutthesebuildings.Then we all went to the Town Hall, wheremayorwelcomedusofficially, but verywormly. Afterfinishedvisiting in Town Hall we went to school for musiclesson to write a webquestabout "Europe" band. In the afternoon the teacherswereatGaudi’sMuseum, and the childrenhadmeetingorganized by hosting family.It was reallyinteresting and hardworkingday.
Tuesday, 21st April
Duringthatday we went on a trip to see the capital of Catalonia – Barcelona.Barcelona islocated on the northeastcoast of the IberianPeninsula, facing the Mediterranean Sea.
Ourvisit in the townbegan with the going to FC Barcelona's CampNou, the largest stadium in Europe. All of uswereveryexcited to be there.
The next step of ourtrip was sigtseeing the modernistbuildings in the centre of the oldcity of Barcelona. We werewalkingthroughwidestreets and admirebeautifulbuildings.
Many of the buildingsdate from medievaltimes, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Several of thesebuildingsare World HeritageSites. Especiallyremarkableis the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, whichcan be seenthroughout the city.
Next we went to seehisbest-knownwork, but stillunfinishedchurch of the SagradaFamília, whichhasbeenunderconstructionsince 1882. Itisplannedto be finished in 2026.
Students and teacherswereveryamused and interested, because we hadanopportunity to seethe bestknown place allover the world. It was suchanamazingview.The churchis not onlybeautifulinside, but alsooutside, whereeach part of the walliscovered by fabulousreliefs.
Unfortunately, we were in this place just for 1hourbut we tooka lot of amazingphotos.
Then we startedwalkingthrough La Rambla. Itis a street in central Barcelona, popular with tourists and localsalike. A tree-linedpedestrian mall, itstretches for 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) connecting Plaça de Catalunya in the centre with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. Here it was the end of ourtrip to Barcelona.
We allgathered in front of the Christopher Columbus Monument and we went by bus to Reus. At about 10 pm, the childrencamebackhome to ourbefriendedCatalanfamilies, and the teachers to the hotel. We weretired, but very happy.
Wednesday, 22nd April
Our third daystarted with a visitat the studio, where we wererecording the anthem of the project. Allstudentshadchance to sing in a professional studio. In the end allteachers and studentssang the anthem of the projecttogether and the CD with the anthem and Europeansongs was created.Aftercoffeebreak, the coordinatorsmeetingtook place. Otherteachers and childrenwere on the artcraftworkshop, wheretheyplaitedvariousaccessories with materialropes.
In the afternoon we hadanotherattraction. The members of the Castellers - a cultural and sportingassociationwhosemainobjectiveis to buildcastells (humantowers) wereinvited to the school. Theytoldusabout the tradition of buildinghumantowers and showedushow to buildthem. Some of the memberswereCatalanstudents and theirparents! Castellershaveactivehumantowerbuildingmembers of allages, with no discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, sex orsocial status. Theyshare the commongoal of buildinghumantowers, democraticvalues, cooperation and team work. We hadopportunity to knowhowhumantowersarebuild, to seesometricks and mysteries of building of humantowers . We could to take part in building the small humantower in the schoolplayground. It was a very hard but excitingtask!
Thursday, 23rd April-St George festivity
On thisdayCatalancelebrate the spring festivalday of SantJordi (StGeorge's Day, 23 April), in which men give roses (mostly in a deep red color) to women, and womengive a book to men as a present. Thatdayisalsoknown as "Dia del Llibre"(Book Day), coinciding with the anniversaries of the deaths of William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and JosepPla. The streetsarefull of peoplegatheringaroundbook and flower stands.
So in the morning on the way to school we bought red roses and gave Teresa and Noelia as a symbol of thisfestivity. At school we boughtalso a bookabout Saint George.
About 9 o’clock allparticipantscreatedbookmarksshowing Saint George’s dragon- the next symbol of thisday. A lot of fun we hadduringtakingphotos. Some of ushadpossibility to be a princessorherknight, hidingbehind big, cut out of the carton, figures. Allparticipants of the funweregiven a red rose.
Aftermusiclessonswherechildrenwere learning a very popular song” Knocking to the heavendoors” , coordinatorsmeeting and lunch we went to rest. But itwasn’t the end of the attractions of thisday.
In the evening we met atMercadalSquare to see the maincelebration. One of them was the most spectaculartradition of building a real humantower by groups of enthusiastswho form impressivehumantowers (up to ten people high). Thisisanoldtradition of the Tarragona region, whichhasnowspread to manyparts of Catalonia, and hasbecome a real spectacle, or sport, thatattractsthousands of people. All of uswereveryimpressed. We recognized the people, who we met atschool a daybefore.The final moment of the day was the dinner in the restaurant and thenkarokeevening.
Friday, 24th April 2015
In the morning, we took part in a Festival “Be a rock star”. AllCatalanstudentsweresingingsongsprepared on thisoccasion. Finally, allchildrensangsongs "Carie" and " Haveyoueverseen the rain". Aftercoffeebreak, representants of the teachers and studentstook part in a Catalanvocabulary quiz. The knowledge of Catalanwords and expressions was surprising. Next, it was time for officiallysayinggoodbye and receivingCertificates and doingsome shopping, becauseit was ourlastday in Reus. In the evening, the childrenhadmeetingorganized by students’ parents. Teachersended the visit in Reus the special dinner in one of the Catalanrestaurants . We hadanopportunity to trysometraditionaldishes. After the dinner a typicalCatalan party started , whereeveryonewere dancing, singing and havingso much fun to the morning.
Saturday, 25th April, 2015.Coming back home
It was our last day in beautiful Catalonia. Our journey started 10.40 am, but before we left Reus, we spent a few moments with our friends from Lithuania. After that we went by bus to the airport in Barcelona , from where we had plane at 4.20 pm. We landed in Warszawa at 7.30. We took a bus and we went directly to Piła. Students' parents and our relatives waited for us there, which was a heart touching moment.
The staying in Reus for all of Polishparticipants, especially for students, was unforgettableadventure. Thanks to Catalanfriends we hadopportunity to visittheirfriendlyschool with happy children, to walk streets in theirbeautifultown – Reus, to visit the capital of Catalonia – Barcelona. We hadpossibilities to take part in the Feast of St. George, to knowsometraditions and history of Catalonia. Everyday we hadopportunities to trysometraditionaldishes and to knoweveryday life of Catalanpeople. The most important for us, was possibility to meetourfriends from Catalonia, Lithuania, Turkey and Greece, to talk together, to dance and singtogether, makenewfriendships. We likedallactivities and workshops, every moment we spentatthislovely and picturesquetownReus.
Thank host families and teachers for the warm and friendlywelcomeatschool and athome. Thankyou for yourhospitality, warmth and openness. Thanks for all, whatyoumade for us.
Lithuanian review of our visit to Reus, Catalonia
MEETING ,REUS, CATALONIA
19th-25th APRIL 2015
From 19th to 25th April 2015, it was held the 4th Meeting of our Comenius project “Let's discover hidden talents” which took place in Catalonia. There, our students and teachers enjoyed a programme full of educational activities prepared for all of us!
Lithuanian students and teahcers had a wonderful time thanks to very friendly, hospitable and dedicated Catalan host teachers and families!
Domas’s host family
Saule’s host family
Svaja’s and Evaldas’s host family
Host teachers and students welcomed us with traditional dances and music, Comenius guests played drums themselves. We also visited the town hall where a vice mayor welcomed the Comenius project guests. There was also organised a sightseeing trip around the city Reus. During this sightseeing trip Catalan students became guides and told the Comenius guests about famous places, people and historical buildings of the city.
At the town hall
Welcoming at the school
There were many things to be carried out on the agenda and all the activities were accomplished during this visit: recording the anthem at the studio, preparation for a vocabulary quize, participating in it, discussing about the nearest activities of the Project,festival “Be a rock star” and also exploring Catalan culture, traditions and customs.
Recording the anthem
Barcelona
Our students had a lot of fun of being tought vocabulary by Catalan students and enjoyed participating in a vocabulary contest, having enjoyable music lessons, performing in a rock festival, taking part in different workshops (St George Festivity, artcraft, building human towers).During this visit we all went to a wondeful Barcelona city and got aquainted with its incredible architecture.We also went to Tarragona city which is siuated near the sea. We all tried Catalan cuisine with its wonderful meals. This meeting had a great chance to explore different cultural life, to learn about different educational system and strengthen friendship not only among Comenius students but also teachers.This experience will remain long in our hearts.
Our students’ quotes about this unforgettable experience.
Domas: ‘I liked Sagrada family very much.”
Saule: ‘I will come back to this wonderful city Reus.”
Evaldas: ‘I met so many friends there.”
Svaja: ‘My host family was very nice and I found many friends there.”
Thank you to all of you for such a
great meeting once again!
My experience of staying in Reus
by WiktoriaPocętek
April 18, 2015, a group of five people of "Comenius team " from our school went to Reus on the fifth visit in Catalonia. The whole week we spent in a nice and friendly atmosphere among friends from Catalonia, Lithuania, Turkey and Greece. I really liked the classes in the school. Music lessons, making key chains, bookmarks for books caused me a lot of joy. The great experience was the recording of the anthem of the project in the music studio. A trip to Barcelona, full of attractions and exploring the city was also an unforgettable experience. It was great. The hospitality of Catalan families, in my case, a French family, was a nice touch during my staying in Reus. Thank you Garance and her parents for the care and welcoming me to their home. It was really beautiful moments for me. The trip was successful, and moments I spent with our friends and teachers will remain in my memory for ever.
The report of the fifth visit to Reus in Catalonia by Malwina Grabowicz.
On 18th April, I went to Reus together with the headmistress, two teachers and my classmate Victoria. It was very hard morning, I could not wait until I leave Piła.
About 9.31 we left by train to Poznan. In Poznan we had to change to Warsaw. I arrived to Warsaw tired, but also very excited and happy. I saw the beautiful Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. Then we took a bus to the airport in Modlin. When I arrived at the airport I was more and more excited, because it was my first flight by plane. At 20.00 we flew to Barcelona.
All groups, namely Greece, Lithuania, Catalonia, Turkey and we met at the airport at 4 pm. After the meeting we went to Reus to meet our host families. The first impression which made on me the host family was great. They accepted me and they were really awesome. After the first greeting I already liked Aldana and her family very much. So therefore, it was hard to say goodbye to tchem in the end of the visit. Every day, we met at school in a wonderful place. This school is different from our Polish schools. People in the school and generally in Reus are very kind and loving.
This adventure, because I can call this tour min this way, was a really cool experience. I saw a lot of beautiful places in Spain. Most I liked Barcelona, because I was there the first time. We saw the biggest stadium in Europe - Camp Nou, beautiful Gaudie's buildings, and we were in Sagrada Familia.
I had a realy beautiful time in Reus. I met a lot new friends, I took part in many interesting activities and workshops. I saw how to build a human tower on Saint George's Day and how this day is celebrated.
I would like to thank, first of all Aldanie and her family for welcoming me with such warmth and love, thank you so much for giving me the chance to know another place, another culture and food.
Also I wanted to thank the teachers and my headmistress for the care and for this wonderful adventure that I experienced during that week.
In conclusion, I loved the trip very much and once again I'd like to thank host Family for the care, thank you so much ♥
Malwina
Host students from Reus