A round-up of project meetings local schools have recently taken part in with the support of EU funding under the Comenius Multilateral Action under the Lifelong Learning Programme
The Art of Living
A group of Junior College students participating in the project, The Art of Living, recently travelled to Rome where they met and worked alongside students from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
The project meeting hosted by Liceo Scientifico E Torricelli, mainly focused on eating habits in the context of 21st-century challenges. Students were in-volved in workshops, discussions and presentations.
They were further introduced to concepts such as genetically-modified organisims, fair trade and organic produce, with the aim of enabling the participants to make conscious and impartial choices with regard to the consumption of sustainable food.
Train 4 Europe – the Comenius Express
Teachers from St Thomas More College’s Żejtun Primary A recently joined peers from schools from Wales, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark and Poland at Sønderbroskolen school in Aalborg, Denmark, for a meeting of partners in the project Train 4 Europe – the Comenius Express.
The project’s aim is for teachers and pupils to learn how the schools in each partner country teach and learn about personal hygiene, sports activities, cultural heritage, about the need to exercise and eat a healthy diet. Teachers were also given opportunities to learn about the Danish educational system.
Penelope Fitzgerald, Rainer Borg, Polish engineer Krzysztof Trzewicarz, Marinella Farrugia and Angele Pulis visitng a sewage treatment plant in Poland.Harmony for Earth, Life, People
Two teachers and two students from Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School, Naxxar, recently visited a sewage treatment plant in Zawiercie, and the concentration camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau, Poland, as part of the fourth meeting of the two-year Comenius project, entitled Harmony for Earth, for Life, for People (Help).
On the one hand, the project is focusing on environmental themes such as biodiversity, the ozone layer, waste management and alternative forms of energy; on the other hand, it is looking at how people can achieve personal harmony through interpersonal tolerance, eat-ing healthy food, exercise and avoiding addictions.
The Maltese delegation was composed of assistant head of school Angele Pulis, Biology head of department Penelope Fitzgerald, and students Rainer Borg and Marinella Farrugia. Other participants came from the other partner schools in Romania, Turkey, Poland, Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Slovenia.
Building Bridges Through the Five Senses
A group of students and teachers from San Andrea Senior School, L-Imselliet, recently visited Tuscany, Italy, together with peers from partner schools in Italy, France, Poland, and Bulgaria involved in the Comenius project Building Bridges Through the Five Senses.
The project’s aim is for students from the various countries to learn about each other’s cultures and values, and to find connections between them through the senses, such as the sense of taste, whereby different types of traditional dishes are tasted. It also aims to promote the students’ personal development and communication skills by sharing the project experiences and videos on a blog.
In Pisa, the students visited Piazza Dei Miracoli, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Duomo and the Battistero. They also went on day trips to Florence and San Gimignano.
It’s Fun to be In and Green
Members of staff from St Theresa College’s Birkirkara Primary recently took part in an exchange visit to San Giovanni Suergiu in Sardegna, Italy, as part of the Comenius project It’s Fun to be In and Green.
Together with the other participants from Slovakia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Italy, the Maltese participants were hosted with a programme of cultural and eco-friendly activities. One remarkable activity was watching Italian students taking part in a fashion show with clothes made from recycled material.
During the project the participants plan to undertake various eco-friendly initiatives, including sharing examples of re-cycling in the respective countries and schools.
Daniela Sacco and Joseph Tanti (front row, centre and right) with other participants at the meeting.Olympic Spirit Uniting Europe
Daniela Sacco and Joseph Tanti from Maria Regina College Boys’ Secondary School, Mosta, recently visited Poland for a meeting of teachers from partner schools involved in the Comenius project Olympic Spirit Uniting Europe. The other schools were from Germany, the UK and Poland.
The project aims to foster cooperation between students and teachers from the various countries in activities related to sport, promoting a healthier lifestyle and greater awareness and respect for the environment. Student visits to partner schools are due to take place next year.
The Mosta school has held sports days, clean-up campaigns and invited sport personalities to talk to students regarding sport as part of the activities related to the project.
The school hosted a similar project meeting in February.