11 May 2006 - Comenius Group off to Germany...
Four members of the school went to Schwabisch Gmund today to take part in the latest Comenius meeting. Mr Grabowski (overall co-ordinator for the project) and Mrs Lunn went with two students, Jodie Collins and Asad Khokhar (both from 8VM).
The objectives of the meeting were to share something of England's Easter traditions with our partner schools (through a Powerpoint presentation) and to gain some experience of the way of life in Germany. The teachers also had to prepare a report of all the activities we had carried out in our four schools (Poland, England, Finland, Germany) and to prepare some of the activities for our second year of the project.
The objectives of the meeting were to share something of England's Easter traditions with our partner schools (through a Powerpoint presentation) and to gain some experience of the way of life in Germany. The teachers also had to prepare a report of all the activities we had carried out in our four schools (Poland, England, Finland, Germany) and to prepare some of the activities for our second year of the project.
The two students stayed with host families who looked after them brilliantly and were happy to take them all over the area for the planned experiences and visits. Here is a brief diary of what we got up to:
Thursday 11th May - After a long journey (Barnsley to Manchester Airport, then Manchester to Schipol (Amsterdam) and Schipol to Stuttgart by plane, followed by Stuttgart Airport to Schwabisch Gmund by train) we settled in to our accommodation. On the first night the teachers were guests at a local pizzeria for a meal and welcome. The students were entertained by their host families.
Friday 12th May - We started school at 8.00 am (the children had to travel in by public transport or were brought in by host families), with a short meeting to greet everyone. The students were then taken out to the town centre and had to work in groups in order to complete a "Town Rally Quiz" as an Ice-Breaker activity. Meanwhile the teachers were treated to a grand tour of the host school, St Josef's School for the Hard of Hearing. We saw several lessons from primary to secondary level and then had typical Swabian pretzels with our morning coffee. The Polish school then gave us a presentation of some details about life in their region and their Easter customs. Once they had finished, we all went into town again to meet the Deputy Mayor, Herr Blase, who talked to us about the local Easter custom of the Palm Donkey. The local press took pictures and these appeared in the weekend editions of their local paper. Once we got back to school, the students went off home (they finish early on a Friday) and the teachers went off for lunch followed by a series of project meetings that lasted the rest of the afternoon. The evening was free of meeting commitments, so the teachers went into town on a balmy evening to soak up some of the local atmosphere. Our students were again entertained by their hosts.
Saturday 13th May - We all met again at school for a quick walk into town and a guided tour of the town which took about an hour and a half. We saw lots of very interesting sights, met the Oberburgermeister (the "proper" Mayor) and experienced the sounding of trumpets that mark the 20th, 40th or 50th anniversaries of weddings - a special Gmund celebration! The town tour was followed by a swift lunch (Swabian ham roll) and a one and a half hour journey to the Laichinger Caves. The warning on the entrance told us that "Fledermaus" - bats - lived in the caves, though none were seen. The 55-metre deep caves were amazing; water dripped from the ceiling as it soaked through the porous limestone rock leaving cauliflower shapes on the walls and baby stalagmites on the cave roof. Once we returned to Gmund, the teachers set off to explore Stuttgart, taking the train. Having travelled through one of the worst downpours ever experienced by our group, we strolled through the old city and had a meal in a restaurant that overlooked the old palace and the house where Schiller (a famous German poet) lived.
Sunday 14th May - Following Mass at the Minster in town, we set off for a walk on the Kalte Feld (Cold Field) where there was a gliding club and a steady climb up into the woods for a BBQ lunch. The smell of the fresh wood fire and the clear sky belied the fact that we had experienced dreadful weather the night before. We thought we had missed the rain, but it came back with a vengeance so we had to shelter for an hour in the Knorzerhaus, a log cabin replete with restaurant and homespun music making. When the sun eventually came out again, some of us went for a ride in either a powered glider or one of the planes used to tow the normal gliders into the air. That evening, after saying goodbye to our Polish contingent (who had to fly back at the crack of dawn next day) the teachers went back into town for a bite to eat and, tired and full, retired early so we could be in school for our final full day.
Monday 15th May - After an early breakfast, we all gathered in the school for presentations about our schools and our country's Easter traditions. We talked about the glass and mining industries, then presented a coal figurine and a glass paperweight to the head of our host school. The final group to give their presentation were the Finns, who then took us down to the gym to learn two Finnish games and a Finnish dance. It was great fun with lots of laughter. After lunch, the children went off to class and to make their farewells, whilst the teachers finished off the business of sorting out plans and reports for the European Union. We were then treated to a gorgeous meal at a restaurant in the countryside, and made our farewells to each other.
Tuesday 16th May - The Finns departed first; their flight was in the late morning so they left by train at about 8.00 am; our train was at midday so we had time to return to the school, do some last minute shopping for souvenirs in the gorgeous sunshine and have a final coffee in the square. After a trouble-free journey back to England, we discovered that Manchester Airport was experiencing a thunderstorm. Our taxi driver told us it had been pouring ever since we left and the motorway certainly looked to be close to flooding. Exhausted from the non-stop five days of immersion in German culture and life, we were glad to be back home but not without a few moments of sadness when we reflected on the great friends we had made in such a short time. We'd all like to go back - maybe one day we will.
Thanks for a fantastic time, St Josef's; we look forward to greeting you with a typical Yorkshire welcome in Barnsley next January for our opportunity to repay the generosity and kindness you showed us.
Thursday 11th May - After a long journey (Barnsley to Manchester Airport, then Manchester to Schipol (Amsterdam) and Schipol to Stuttgart by plane, followed by Stuttgart Airport to Schwabisch Gmund by train) we settled in to our accommodation. On the first night the teachers were guests at a local pizzeria for a meal and welcome. The students were entertained by their host families.
Friday 12th May - We started school at 8.00 am (the children had to travel in by public transport or were brought in by host families), with a short meeting to greet everyone. The students were then taken out to the town centre and had to work in groups in order to complete a "Town Rally Quiz" as an Ice-Breaker activity. Meanwhile the teachers were treated to a grand tour of the host school, St Josef's School for the Hard of Hearing. We saw several lessons from primary to secondary level and then had typical Swabian pretzels with our morning coffee. The Polish school then gave us a presentation of some details about life in their region and their Easter customs. Once they had finished, we all went into town again to meet the Deputy Mayor, Herr Blase, who talked to us about the local Easter custom of the Palm Donkey. The local press took pictures and these appeared in the weekend editions of their local paper. Once we got back to school, the students went off home (they finish early on a Friday) and the teachers went off for lunch followed by a series of project meetings that lasted the rest of the afternoon. The evening was free of meeting commitments, so the teachers went into town on a balmy evening to soak up some of the local atmosphere. Our students were again entertained by their hosts.
Saturday 13th May - We all met again at school for a quick walk into town and a guided tour of the town which took about an hour and a half. We saw lots of very interesting sights, met the Oberburgermeister (the "proper" Mayor) and experienced the sounding of trumpets that mark the 20th, 40th or 50th anniversaries of weddings - a special Gmund celebration! The town tour was followed by a swift lunch (Swabian ham roll) and a one and a half hour journey to the Laichinger Caves. The warning on the entrance told us that "Fledermaus" - bats - lived in the caves, though none were seen. The 55-metre deep caves were amazing; water dripped from the ceiling as it soaked through the porous limestone rock leaving cauliflower shapes on the walls and baby stalagmites on the cave roof. Once we returned to Gmund, the teachers set off to explore Stuttgart, taking the train. Having travelled through one of the worst downpours ever experienced by our group, we strolled through the old city and had a meal in a restaurant that overlooked the old palace and the house where Schiller (a famous German poet) lived.
Sunday 14th May - Following Mass at the Minster in town, we set off for a walk on the Kalte Feld (Cold Field) where there was a gliding club and a steady climb up into the woods for a BBQ lunch. The smell of the fresh wood fire and the clear sky belied the fact that we had experienced dreadful weather the night before. We thought we had missed the rain, but it came back with a vengeance so we had to shelter for an hour in the Knorzerhaus, a log cabin replete with restaurant and homespun music making. When the sun eventually came out again, some of us went for a ride in either a powered glider or one of the planes used to tow the normal gliders into the air. That evening, after saying goodbye to our Polish contingent (who had to fly back at the crack of dawn next day) the teachers went back into town for a bite to eat and, tired and full, retired early so we could be in school for our final full day.
Monday 15th May - After an early breakfast, we all gathered in the school for presentations about our schools and our country's Easter traditions. We talked about the glass and mining industries, then presented a coal figurine and a glass paperweight to the head of our host school. The final group to give their presentation were the Finns, who then took us down to the gym to learn two Finnish games and a Finnish dance. It was great fun with lots of laughter. After lunch, the children went off to class and to make their farewells, whilst the teachers finished off the business of sorting out plans and reports for the European Union. We were then treated to a gorgeous meal at a restaurant in the countryside, and made our farewells to each other.
Tuesday 16th May - The Finns departed first; their flight was in the late morning so they left by train at about 8.00 am; our train was at midday so we had time to return to the school, do some last minute shopping for souvenirs in the gorgeous sunshine and have a final coffee in the square. After a trouble-free journey back to England, we discovered that Manchester Airport was experiencing a thunderstorm. Our taxi driver told us it had been pouring ever since we left and the motorway certainly looked to be close to flooding. Exhausted from the non-stop five days of immersion in German culture and life, we were glad to be back home but not without a few moments of sadness when we reflected on the great friends we had made in such a short time. We'd all like to go back - maybe one day we will.
Thanks for a fantastic time, St Josef's; we look forward to greeting you with a typical Yorkshire welcome in Barnsley next January for our opportunity to repay the generosity and kindness you showed us.