We arrived at the school and we are welcomed by Fadila Zoranic, the school counselor. She has prepared a visit around the school with three pupils: Karla, Anna and Tea who are our tour guides. In a perfect English, they show us classes, laboratories... The classes are organized according to areas, but they had to rearrange some classes and areas have to share classrooms because of lack of space. As remarkable points we have seen: a pair of Venezuelan emigrants students taking classes in Croatian. They do it four hours a day. They attend the rest of the classes they can but their priority is to learn the language. We also saw two children with remarkable special needs who only attend classes with their class group in physical education, music, arts and technology.
We have been really surprised by the way they have organized term exams. On a bulletin board, at the entrance they have planned all the exams of the quarter. Teachers have to decide their dates before the school year starts. They cannot have more than one exam per day or more than four a week. This is fixed by law and it is made in all Croatia in the same way. They only have two terms, by the way. |
Guided visit |
ICTs |
|
It is a school which is very interested in improving new technologies. We attend a class where thet are beginning to computing. They are making it with a program called Irim Croatian makers. It is funded by private entities if schools apply for them. They were sent a kit in a box which sys "Micro bit: BBC". In class they are creating a program to make that a traffic lights work. It is an optional subject but the school is very interested that students get aware and motivated and there is an optional subject in the last year which is very important for this school: Robotics. Two teachers attended a training course to offer this programme.
|
Classes begin at 8: 00 and end at 13:30. They have 5 minutes between class and class, and a 15-minute break. In the afternoon after school , they have extracurricular activities of cinema, craft, first aids ,workshop activities.
Today they have organized anaerobic activity so students and teachers can relax and of course, we have joined the class. This week they have a special schedule in which students make different activities (competitions, talent show, excursions,..) Although some regular classes are held. |
|
Our school, our care
|
The Center has a project called "Our school, our care". They make different crafts in an optional subject and workshops in the afternoon. They are also helped by parents and other members of the school, not just students. They do things like bags, hats, earrings... which will be finally sold. They have two markets a year, one at Christmas and another this weekend. They open the doors of the school and anybody can come to buy. The earnings of these activites collaborate on improvements of the school, for example, the reform of a bathroom, as we have seen that it has been done on the ground floor. Sometimes, they make products that are takes to NGOs and orphanages.
|