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.
This bulletin brings messages 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.
Student exchange in Houten.
Two weeks ago, there was a student exchange with the Openbare Daltonschool de Plantage in Houten. The team, parents and students led by director Diana Brouwer have set up an excellent program and have done their utmost to ensure that the guests from Malta, Spain,Germany and France had a great time.
You can read more about this later on our website when the participants publish their reports. The guests were very enthusiastic about their pupils exchanging week in the Netherlands and the host parents got compliments too.
Survey.
All participating schools must complete a survey about their visit. They receive this when their visit is registered via the Beneficiary Module. This does not take much time.
About contact with guest pupils and host parents.
Prior to the visit, the teachers of the visiting school send a form in which the host parents are informed about their guest students. It is preferred to make it digital, not handwritten.
It has been agreed with all participating schools that they will have extensive consultation with host families about the children in their care for a week. The host parents are also requested to contact the parents of the children after they have received the student’s information. That is why an email address of the parents is also mentioned. In special situations, the teachers of the visiting children are also expected to contact the host parents.
It has also been agreed that the children can call their parents before dinner. This generally works fine. It goes without saying that every school has agreements about the use of mobile phones, in fact they are mainly used for taking photos and as a translation machine.
In former meetings, we made the appointment with all partner schools that we will have two pupils at one host family, in this way our experience is that the children feel hardly homesick and they can have support of each other. In the last year, we noticed that the children could be feeling well and luxury is not necessary. They felt also well with an improvised camping bed or a matrass on the floor. They enjoyed to be at families and had the experience of enjoying the culture and the host friendly of the family and the buddy (the child in the school).
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.
A small request.
A small request to visiting teachers for job shadowing: contact the school you are visiting at an early stage.
This of course also applies to visits with students. This allows the host schools to prepare to find host schools and suitable hotels or B&BS.
Request information.
During the Meet in Houten we looked at the website, every school is asked to look at their part of information; sometimes it is not up to date. That is why everyone is asked to look at it and if needed to send the new changed text in Word + one photo (pdf) before the new school year to Diana Brouwer and Anton Verwey.
During our Meet we agreed the schedule as send to you. The information of the school in Coincy France, the two schools in Italy and Kolindros Greece can be expected later.
Final schedule for exchanges in the scholastic 24/25 that is accepted:
Jobshadowing 2024 2025:
| Country: | Week: | Date: |
| Austria-Vienna | 46 | 11/11/24 till 15/11/24 |
| Italy- Piedimonte | 50 | 9/12/24 till 13/12/24 |
| Germany | 3 | 13/01/25 till 17/01/25 |
| Netherlands | 5 | 27/01/25 till 31/01/25 |
| Spain-Canóves | 7 | 10/02/25 till 14/02/25 |
| Malta | 11 | 10/03/25 till 14/03/25 |
| Spain Alpedrete | 19 | 05/05 till 09/05/25 |
| Portugal-Braga | 21 | 19/05/25 till 23/05/25 |
Pupils exchange 2024 2025:
| Country: | Week: | Date: |
| Spain Alpedrete | 41 | 7/10/24 till 11/10/24 |
| Malta | 43 | 21/10/24 till 25/10/24 |
| Spain Canóves | 46 or 7 (in combination with jobshadowing) | 11/11/24 till 15/11/24
10/02/25 till 14/02/25
|
| Portugal- Braga | 11 | 10/03/25 till 14/03/25 |
| Austria-Vienna | 13 | 24/03/25 till 28/03/25 |
| Netherlands | 15 | 07/04/25 till 12/04/25 |
| Germany | 20 | 12/05/25 till 16/05/25 |
| Italy Piedimonte * | – ??? | – ??? |
The two schools of Italy had a remark about the number of pupils and they had at the last moment one week that was already planned for Malta some month ago.
We also agreed to use the weeks for jobshadowing only for jobshadowing and not in combination with pupils exchanges. For jobshadowing, the teacher must send the learning agreement before traveling to the host school. Coordinator or director will subscribe it and signs it after the week.
In the beginning of our project, we made the appointment that the host school will help the teachers and pupils to find host families and a hotel or pension with acceptable prices and that is clean. It was mentioned to have the hotel for all participant teachers to have a better collegial contact with each other. It was also easy to assist teachers if there was a problem with one of the pupils in the host families. In the visits this year, we had this situation in Steinheid and we could act efficiently.
With jobshadowing teachers can be expect help at finding hotels, but they have to book themselves we suppose.
During our Meet in Houten we discussed the visit to the Plantage, our colleague Mr. David from Malta made minutes, we thank him for making them:
Points discussed for feedback on our Erasmus trip to the Netherlands 12/5/24 – 17/5/24
Persons present: Anton, Diana, Gunter, Peter, Ann Marie, Cynthia, David, Alicia, Daniel Juliette, Jessica and Sandra
Person taking notes: David Tedesco
Question made: Are there any closer hotels? Reason for the question is so that teachers can be closer to host families and less travelling time with trains. He referred to appointments made earlier in the project with all partner schools. Anton told us that we are free to choose any hotel but we have to make arrangements ourselves. Anton reassured us that if anything happens, he will be at our hotel in a few minutes and solve any problems we may have.
Comments:
1) Maltese educators asked that there will be an educational outing during school hours. However on Friday, there was an outing at Madurodam. Maltese and German educators and students had to leave on this day. It was pointed out that in the future, they stay 5 days. It was also pointed out that these left since there were no flights available after. A point made was if the outing could have been made not on the last day. Anton said that it was not possible to do so because we had also to have the final official meeting with presenting the certificates by the management.
2) Point made that activities were lovely but insect hotel activity was too short. Barter market was lovely too but it was a bit too short and shy children didn’t find it that easy to barter.
3) Point made was how interesting that older students help younger students.
4) Point made that mobile phones are only allowed for some time to be used by visiting students but they rarely used it since they were enjoying themselves so much.
5) There was a misunderstanding about job shadowing and pupil’s exchange and Anton remarked that some teachers working in the school questioned why we were asking them about their class.
6) Point made was that students had very good experiences with host families and that they will really miss them. Kids played with each other after school so they felt no homesickness.
7) Point made was how interesting and beneficial it is that elder students help the younger ones especially in the break.
8) Point made that when the students went to the gym, visiting students didn’t have a bike and this made them feel left out. It was said that this will be thought of next year
More info….
If you would like more information about our project, please look at our website www.seps-project.eu or contact your coordinator at your own school. A look at the previously published four Bulletins can also be revealing.
We wish everybody nice experiences wish all the coming traveling’s next year and the information out it.
The last student exchange in Malta starts on May 26. Given all the preparations and the good contacts with the school and the host parents, it promises to be a success. Everyone can see the report afterwards on our website.
We wish everyone a fine summer vacation and a good rest so that everyone can start fresh next school year.
Diana Brouwer (Director of de Plantage in Houten and Anton Verwey (Coordinator of de Plantage).
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