Let's discover hidden talents

Meeting Minutes

 

Date:10th November 2013 – 16th November 2013

 

Tittle of meeting: The first meeting of Comenius project “Let’s discover hidden talents”

Location: Stanislaw Staszic Primary School No 1 in Piła, Poland

Attendees: Representatives of project partners from Turkey, Catalonia in Spain and  Poland.-  according to the list of attendance.  

Unfortunately,  the partner from Lithuania wasn’t able to come to Poland because of delaying in receiving a grant agreement from the Lithuanian National Agency and receiving the money for the project. The Greek partner was  waiting for the acceptation of the project by Greek National Agency.

 

10th November 2013

 

Project partners from Spain and Turkey were met on the airport in Poznań by the headmistress Marzenna Urbaniak and teachers Wanda Wiśniewska and Natalia Węglicka. 

 

11th November 2013

 

Project partners met at the Stanislaw Staszic Primary School No 1   for  a welcoming performance . The  school  was especially decorated with national flags of all partners and posters presented all participating countries. At the beginning of the meeting Polish partner greeted the guests with bread and salt- the traditional welcome greeting. In the first part of the meeting, which started with the dance Polonez, performed by the students from the third class, the official welcoming ceremony took place. All partners  presented their teams and then watched the performance about the culture and traditions of  Polish country titled “  Z biegiem Wisły” prepared by Polish students from 2nd and 3rd class and Students Comenius Team.

Foreign partners could meet the major cities situated on the Vistula River and learn  what they are famous for.

Polish children and teachers prepared a coffee break with a small snacks for guests. Since November 11th is Independence Day of Poland and the Day of St. Martin, all guests  ate traditional Marciński croissants and Polish gingerbread. Then, teachers and students took part in workshops, on which have been made ​​national rosettes and scarves with the project’s logo, which was chosen by voting online two weeks before the meeting. Next all partners presented  their country: city, school, education system. In the afternoon all partners took part  in the celebration of Independence Day, laying of  flowers  at  the Statue of Victory and  they had possibilities to watch  how The National Independence Day was celebrated in Piła. In the ceremony participated the governor of the city and other personalities and representatives of various schools, businesses and many inhabitants of Piła.

All participants of the ceremony heard about our project. The next day, local media reported on the participation of our guests in the celebration of Independence Day. Comenius project and collaboration between the partner schools was widespread among the local community.

 

12th November, 2013

 

In the morning, in the school hall, to the accompaniment of the guitar, Polish children learnt the students from Turkey and Catalonia the Polish song ‘Szła dzieweczka do laseczka’. Foreign children learned this song very quickly and sang it very willingly.  Then all participants of the project went to the Town Hall to visit the vice President of Piła. The vice president Mrs Beata Dudzińska    welcomed the guests in our city, thanked for honoring the Independence Day the previous day and she stressed the importance for residents of Pila was the participation of our guests at the ceremony.   She also stressed how important for the development of a young person is a contact with other people  and cultures. Guests received gifts donated by the City. Guests had the opportunity to go down to the basement and see the shelters at the town hall building.

After the meeting in the Town Hall our guests  visited St. Staszic Museum – House, where a great Polish geologist, humanist and reformer was born and then all participants went for a long walk to see Piła and to take some photos.

After lunch teachers and children participated  in the bowling tournament for the Cup of the  Headmistress  of Primary School Number 1.  The new talents at this kind of sport were discovered. The winners received diplomas and cups.  Awards handed headmistress of the school Marzenna Urbaniak.

 

13th November 2013

 

Polish partner organized the  sightseeing trip to Toruń. The main goals of the day trip was sightseeing of the Old Town, the Old Town Hall, the House of Copernicus, the Leaning Tower. Partners had  an opportunity to visit The Museum of Gingerbread where they took an active part in learning of the recipe and production of gingerbread. Everybody  could  bake    the own gingerbread. For foreign visitors was the magical place  where they  learned about the past and the polish culture.  Then we went to the Planetarium to watch the film show ‘Macrocosmos’. The Planetarium is located in the area of the Old Town. The building is an example of industrial architecture and originates from the second half of 19th century. The Planetarium in Torun presents popular astronomical shows that embrace almost the entire scope of the astronomical knowledge. There are also two interactive exhibition the Geodium and the Orbitarium. The Geodium exhibition is dedicated to the Earth as a planet. Its central element is a rotating and properly illuminated model of the globe with a diameter of 2,15 m. Guests could find there an erupting volcano, the ocean being the cradle of life, a monumental glacier of auroras, and finally a model of human civilization. Orbitarium Hall is the original interactive exhibition, too. Its central element is a model Cassini half the size of the original working in orbit of the planet Saturn. With desktops deployed around the probe, participants could control the devices and also check how they are used. Children could find the answer to many questions about the processes occurring in the Universe. And all this through fun, simple experiments and attractive form.     

 

14th  November 2013

 

The fourth day of the visit was very hardworking. The teachers and the students from participating countries spent at school to know better Polish teachers’ and children’s work and have more contact with them. In the morning students participated in Polish and Maths lessons. Then they went to watch the performance titled “The Little Red Riding Hoods” shown by Drama Club “ Pinokio”. A lot of children from Polish partner school are the members of this club and they took part in this play.  Children had  possibility to see  Little Red Riding Hoods from some countries of Europe and  admire  the wonderful playing  of young actors.

At the same time, the teachers learned about the work of the school, visited classrooms and other rooms in the school, had the opportunity to talk to teaching staff.  Teachers took part in English lesson for second class leading by Catalan Team.  The lesson was an opportunity to share experiences with project partners which is creating the Comenius project.

Children had an opportunity to learn English language using the active methods of teaching.  Also teachers could learn and use the Catalan experience in their work.

 

Then all the teachers and children from partner schools and some Polish children participated in the workshops of painting on porcelain. The results of the workshop presented a lot of very interesting ideas for design on the cups and saucers.   Many of them presented national symbols and related to the topic of our project. Painting on porcelain made everyone a lot of fun. Teachers and children  took their work  to his country as a product of the project. After lunch the students went to a small village Tarnowo on a picnic,  organized by children’s parents. Children spent nice time together. The parents organized  barbeque, fireplace, various games and fun. It was  an occasion to improve language skills.

At school project partners joined to the classes and observed teaching-learning process by observing and participating in activities organized or suggested by polish teachers. The guests also played spontaneously with children and teachers in the classrooms. Polish teachers showed polish traditional and  innovative methods and forms of teaching. The next point of the programme was meeting for  a working on the project.

 

15th November 2013

 

On this day, first, we summarized the first photo contest "We are in Piła."  In the competition participated photos taken by children on Tuesday while walking around the city. Every child can send via email 3 best photos. Commission composed of one representative from each country chose, in their opinion, the best photos. The first and second prizes in this photo contest went to the student from Turkey – a girl called Beyzanur, the third one to student from Turkey as well – a girl called Duru. But the most important thing is that every photo was great and the kids were very proud of them.

After that children  created photo frames for the group photography taken during the meeting in the Town Hall. In a friendly atmosphere, children showed artistic and creative abilities. They demonstrated their resourcefulness and commitment. While working, they talked and exchanged ideas. Their relationship intensifies more and more each day.

Next guests could watch the dancing performance of the regional ensemble  Kakhy. They had an opportunity to admire Polish folk dance and folk songs. The main goals:  learning about different cultures by common conversation, dancing and singing,  sharing knowledge about the folk clothes and songs , developing empathy with teachers.   

During the coffee break were organized a quiz   on knowledge of  basic Polish words and phrases and words learnt during the visit in Poland. Polish participants were very impressed with our guests' knowledge of Polish words. In the competition were awarded the following students – Beyzanur, Alperen and Duru from Turkey and one of teachers – Mr Selahaddin. After lunch we said goodbye at the assembly ceremony.  Students and teachers got the certificates of competitions and participation.

 

16th November 2013

 

Our meeting  came to the end. On Saturday we said goodbye to our partners from Turkey and Spain. It was so difficult to part with them. After their departures we felt emptiness but it was not sorrow, quite opposite we were satisfied with the good job we had done. All our guests sent us thank-you emails  for the time spending in Poland. They were impressed of the people they met, they praised our hospitality, the programme and organization of the visit as well as the charm of the places they saw. We, teenagers and adults altogether, went through the days, which were full of meetings, conversations, events; days full of good and unforgettable impressions.

 

 WORKING  MEETINGS

 

11th November 2013

 

The work on the project we started on the first day of the visit.

As part of the visit, all partner countries presented in the form of a presentation system of education, presented his country and the city. As it was a day off from work and in the afternoon the school was closed, further working meeting was held in the hotel restaurant.

-Project coordinator evaluated project by establishing the level of attainment to desired objectives of the project.

-Participants analyzed the tasks, which were completed before the visit to Poland. All partner countries have established Comenius corner and represent tasks and the course of the project. Children made presentations about themselves and their family. The presentations have been posted on the project website. As a result, children have the opportunity to meet closer before coming  to Poland.

-Partners discussed about project difficulties.  Spanish team concluded that had a difficulty in voting for the logo design. Not all children discussed and solved current problems. have the opportunity to vote via the Internet. All partners like the logo design made ​​by a partner from Turkey. 

- All project partners expressed their opinions about the project website, which was created by Polish partners. Partners from Spain suggested creating a blog project and declared to create it. Blog will be a diary production. We can include all the productions.

-Polish partner offered to organize a photo contest for children titled “ We are in Piła”. Children had to take pictures during the walk and sightseeing Piła and send three best photos by emails in the evening to the project emails.. The winner was chosen on Friday. 

 

12th November 2013

 

After the bowling meeting the teachers all partner schools were discussing on the further tasks of the project.

- At the meeting, the Spanish partner offered to children correspondence by e-mail or mail. Correspondence will start from sending cards at Christmas and New Year. Each country sends 16 cards to each partner country. Christmas cards should be done by the students. Deadline  of sending cards  -   1st week of December.

- In order to establish better contact between the students, the partners decided to e-mail exchange among the children. Each partner is obliged to send 18 email addresses of children. The Turkish partner was responsible for allocating addresses and alert them to all countries.  

 

14th November 2013

 

During working on the project the Comenius team has established the following:

 

1.We had to change the terms of mobility. In view of the fact that Lithuania could not attend the first meeting in Poland, the situation of Greece will be known in December, and Romania has not received the approval of the National Agency, the tasks could not be separated and Comenius team needs the additional meeting of all partner countries  in February 2014. The extra meeting will  be in  Catalonia between the dates of 3th -8th February among the teachers all participants.  Additional meeting of all the representatives of the partner schools is necessary   in order to determine the way of  implementation  the project and incorporate the necessary changes.   Together we must determine the timing of the subsequent meetings and separate duties and responsibilities of the partner schools.

 

2.It was found that the second visit will be in  Reus from 3 to 8 February, and the third will be held from 19 to 24 May 2014 in Turkey.

 

3.We had to change responsibility for the calendar from Lithuania to Poland. All participating countries have to send pictures and names of the months, days, festivals, school events and important days in the year in all participating country language to Polish team. It will be one-year calendar for 2014. The design of the calendar depends on Polish team. Deadline of sending photos – to the end of November.

 

4.We had to change responsibility for the anthem from Greece to  Spain. Spanish team has prepared the anthem. Spanish anthem has been  accepted by Comenius team. Spanish team will send  sound, lyrics and a song on-line. Deadline – January. All countries should prepare the song, record it  and send it to Spanish team. Spanish team will mix all versions  of the songs and it will one common song. Then the anthem will be recorded in a studio with children who will go to Spain. Each country will write the own version of the lyrics in a native language to sing it altogether in all languages of participating countries.

 

5.All countries will prepare a short film in movie maker programme “Christmas time  in my country”. Deadline – 1st week of the January.     

          

6.Each partner should make a short film „All about my country “. Deadline – March It must be a movie maker film lasting about  15 minutes.  We can focus on the city. It should be about architecture, culture, music, food, sport.

 

 

Conclusions:

 

1.The First meeting” Let’s discover hidden talents” was an opportunity to share The coordinator of the project (Poland ) evaluated the tasks which had been done  before the  meeting in Poland with the project partners.

 

2.It was admitted that the first meeting was the great opportunity to create awareness about different cultures and languages, provide European countries to move cooperatively although being different from each other.

 

3.The project participants admitted that the joy of staying at  students’ family houses and living with them together was, among other things, the occasion to improve children relationship. Also making common activities like painting on porcelain, baking gingerbread in Torun or making frames for the common picture, meeting on a bowling competition or a picnic organized by  parents were an opportunity to show children and teachers creativity and getting friends.

 

4.The First Meeting’s Protocol was read by headmistress of Stanislaw Staszic Primary School in Pila Mrs Marzenna Urbaniak and after correction it will be approved and signed by project  participants during The Second  Visit in Catalonia in Spain.  All partners admitted that it had to create a CD with documentation from working meetings, especially photo-relations.

 

5.The common works give the highest value with synergy in different countries. Multimedia presentation  of the schools and educational system by  all participating countries, rewarding the winner in the logo contest, making scarves with the logo, learning the basic words  in Polish, visiting the City Hall, having a picnic and meetings with students, a trip to Toruń,  taking part in some lessons,  learning Polish national songs,  discussing the anthem contest and design of the calendar. Project partners admitted that it had to create a CD with documentation from working meetings, especially photo-relations. During the whole stay we saw many beautiful and interesting places. During the meetings, talked incessantly with our new friends, using every moment to get to know and build personal relationships that are the foundation of a successful project.

 

6.Project partners admitted that it had to create a CD with documentation from all working meetings, especially photo-relations from each country.

 

7.Partners meetings are opportunity to improve language skills

 

8.Observation of teaching-learning process and sharing experience during partner meetings is an opportunity to learn a new innovative methods and forms of working with children in school.

 

9.More integration activities (icebreakers) with teachers and children during partner schools. knowledge and experience among project partners, managements of school and local government, to improve relations between European countries, to introduce European culture to school children and their family.