BULLETIN 5 – November 2023
SEPS + EPIE
SEPS about Sustainability for European Primary Schools – SEPS is a child friendly project about sustainability for European primary schools and EPIE is an European project for Primary schools about Inclusive Education.
Good day dear colleagues, parents and pupils from all our partner schools.
Message for all our partner school pupils, parents and teachers.
Dear students and colleagues from the schools who are interested and who already participate in our project on inclusion and sustainability.
Our partnership and our progress.
In recent months, several schools have asked if they could participate in our collaboration. Unfortunately, also a few paused because they have not yet received a message from their national agency.
During our Meet in September, it became clear that we should not grow too big because it has already become a major task to coordinate everything.
It is very pleasant that a number of schools that are awaiting their accreditation continue to participate in our partnership and are open to receiving job shadowing teachers or children who come for an exchange. There is a lot of appreciation for that.
It is remarkable that the directors and/or coordinators find it quite a difficult task to take care of the project in addition to all the administration and coordination via the National Agencies. Fortunately, we find a lot of support together and not just with the applications.
The workload for these colleagues is quite significant, which is why we also receive a compliment from this side!
We hope that they will also receive support from colleagues within their institute. After all, we want to benefit and enjoy this accreditation period.
Accreditation as a consortium or as an independent school?
There are both advantages and disadvantages to both.
A consortium often has a board over a number of schools and often has a large administration. The management of this consortium determines whether the objectives of the project and divides the available finances among the posts. This allows them to determine which and how many participants can participate in mobilities, for example. The participating schools are then more or less dependent on this administrative management. It saves the school management a lot of work.
An independent school, on the other hand, can operate much more independently; they determine their own objectives and can align them with their own school curriculum and planning. They often have more independence when requesting budgets for the coming school year and can discuss and coordinate this internally.
They do have to fulfill a heavy administrative task, such as accountability in the Beneficiary Module and conducting surveys in addition to the entire financial administration. Not all schools have their own administration for this purpose, which means that this task falls on the shoulders of coordinators and especially directors.
Our website.
It would be appreciated that all teachers, parents and other interested parties are informed of our Website and Bulletins, as it is our task according to the Grant to share information (dissidence obligation) about our project.
Our website now also contains some video clips of activities at our partner schools. Unfortunately, it took a while before this could be technically realized. With the help of Tomash and Eva, some more clips can now be presented. It’s worth checking them out. Send the video recording to to Diana Brouwer and Anton Verwey.
Examples of lessons about sustainability.
During our last meeting in Houten and Meet with coordinators and directors, we agreed that every school would send some examples of the lessons about sustainability for our website. We hope to have examples from all groups of all ages. That can also be about presentations of a few pupils or a demonstration. Worksheets for pupils can also be given. Pictures or illustrations are more than welcome! The meaning of this part of our cooperation is that teachers support their colleagues from partner schools by sharing ideas. Please send pictures and English text separate for the site. Do not forget to give your name etc. so that a colleague can ask questions or even better make you a compliment. About Job shadowing.
The aim of job shadowing is for teachers to work with a colleague from the partner school to get to know the host school and in the education system. The objective for the visits is also inclusion. The visiting teacher makes a learning agreement in advance and sends it to the host school. The intention is to have contact with each other in advance about that agreement. Afterwards, the participating teachers complete a survey about their visit.
Visiting teachers also receive assistance with their travel and accommodation, as well, as during their visit to the host school. These teachers are expected later also to help in welcoming foreign colleagues.
We ask colleagues that will have a jobshadowing soon to inform the host school in time!
Christmas activities.
It is understandable that all participating schools are already getting into Xmas mode. It will hopefully be a pleasant and busy period at the school.
It is therefore nice if every teacher and staff member then enjoys a nice Christmas holiday!
We ask if it is possible to send our partner schools a Christmas or New Year’s wish. We hereby propose to send a poster wish made by the students on A5 to the partner school. You can find addresses on the website. Of course with a wish or text in your own language (possibly with a translation) and the name of the makers and their school. It will be great if those posters hang in our schools all over Europe.
We hope everyone will enjoy it, both makers and recipients.
Best wishes for a fine and peaceful Christmas and all the best for 2024 from Diana Brouwer (Director), Gunter Wild (Head of school in Steinheid) and Anton Verwey (Coordinator).
As usual, stay safe and keep in touch,
Anton Verwey.
Questions or remarks do not hesitate and contact Anton Verwey.
+31613698777 Whats App, call or mail afc.verwey@planet.nl