A.S. 2023/2024
ERASMUS ONCE, ERASMUS FOREVER
Let's start with a new project! Bring it on!
Conference at Vaccina School
Genially presentation to disseminate the Erasmus projects
23/10/23 Parents' meeting at school
In our school auditorium, an Erasmus meeting was held to provide information about Accreditation and the project we have started in cooperation with the Spanish School "La Paloma". The Erasmus Team and the headteacher joined the meeting and welcomed a lot of parents, interested in the mobilities activities. It was also the occasion to disseminate what we did in the previous projects, thanks to the presence of two of our former students who talk at the conference.
Great enthusiasm and participation in yesterday's meeting from parents who have chosen the Erasmus experience for their son or daughter. Behind the desire to learn customs and habits of a people other than the Italian ones, there is the desire to broaden one's horizons and open mind to a comparison that allows one to enrich oneself and grow culturally and socially. Also this year the Vaccina school is preparing for an experience of mobility with a Spanish school and parents, teachers and students are ready for the exchange which will see our children leave at the beginning of March for the Spanish school CEIP LA PALOMA in Madrid and at the beginning of May we will welcome the Spanish boys and girls to our institute. We are certain that this year we will experience an international climate and innovations that will lead to cultural but above all human enrichment in an increasingly globalized world. An experience that will allow us to open your horizons and welcome new ways of thinking because "Diversity between cultures is something to be valued, not feared" (Kofi Annan).
27/11/23-01/12/23
Job-shadowing in Spain: a new exciting experience for teachers!
Learn about the Spanish school "CEIPE LA PALOMA"
On the first day, we were warmly welcomed in this modern, colorful and joyful Spanish school, called CEIPE LA PALOMA, in Azuqueca de Henares, close to Alcalà, in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, 30 km from the capital city of Madrid.
It is a bilingual school in which students learn Science, Art and History in English working in small collaborative groups and using IWB and tablets. The classrooms are comfortable, personalised with many drawings and posters. Both teachers and students look calm, supportive and happily involved in their activities. The main teaching methods used are learning by doing and cooperative learning.
When we arrived, we introduced ourselves and gave the Spanish headteacher some gifts to thank for the hospitality in her school and make her learn more about our Apulian region. We spoke about Spanish and Italian school system and the projects our schools carry out about environment, healty lifestyle and gender equality.
A group of pupils took the Italian group around the school for a walking tour. In a class we listened to some songs played by the school music band. Each pupil explained in English how the school is organised and showed the different rooms of the school. We visited the gym, the music classroom, the head teacher room, the secretary, the teachers room. Upstairs pupils let us see the classrooms and the art room. Each class is provided with a white interactive board and teachers let pupils use the tablets during the lesson in a collaborative way. We noted that every student was involved in the activities and the learning was facilitated by these tools. The first day ended with the visit of the gym where the PE teacher and the music teacher experienced a kind of mixed lesson where they listened a classical music piece by Mozart playing basketball. As teachers we were involved in the activity to try our sense of rhythm. After the visit, in the teachers room, we enjoyed a pleasant moment of buffet meeting the other colleagues, sharing and tasting different kind of local food and talking about our experiences as teachers.
On the second day, we visited the elementary classes from first to fifth grade. Every lesson starts with assembly during which pupils call their names one by one. They count how many of them are in class and the pupils who stay at home. After a warm-up activity they sing and play in a natural way speaking in English. The yoga lesson for eight years old pupils was very interesting to observe. The teacher gave instructions in English about stretching, breathing and meditation activities. These activities are good chances to relax, to meditate and to combat anxiety. We also enjoyed a STEAM lesson consisting in dividing activity of a castle-building step by step. The lesson is all in English and pupils are involved in making a castle using cards and felt tip pens.
On the third day, we were involved in a school trip to MADRID with sixth grade classes and some teachers. We visited the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Sol guided by pupils. In Plaza del Sol a group of pupils played a Christmas concert with instruments. It was beautiful to go sightseeing in the capital city getting to know each other better. The city is so elegant, modern and rich in art and architecture! We enjoyed the moments spent there a lot!
On the fourth day we enjoyed a very interesting lesson of Science. Pupil learned about the solar system in a very pratical way. With a lamp at the centre pupil learnt the revolutionary and rotation turn of the earth around the Sun. Pupil at the end took picture to define the seasons and send them to teacher through google classroom. Then we had another walking tour in the playground to appreciate the wall art exhibitions. The drawings are all about important topics such as gender equality, friendship, sustainability, disability, inclusion, healfhy habits, respect of environment and so on. A very interesting aspect to notice is that each pupil, drawing from four years old to eight, has noticed the progress he/she has done over the years.
In the afternoon, Spanish teachers guided us in Alcalà where we visited the gritest Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes' house, well known for his popular novel Don Quixote and the ancient University, UNESCO World Heritage. Such an amazing visit!
We really appreciated the student-centred approach this school apply in teaching as well as the cooperative and supportive setting in the classroom. We also noticed how students can learn better through peer tutoring.
DEAR SPANISH COLLEAGUES, THANK YOU A LOT FOR INSPIRING US IN THESE DAYS SHARING THE SAME EUROPEAN VALUES. WE LOVED EACH MOMENT SPENT TOGETHER AND WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU AND YOUR PUPILS IN ITALY.
OUR SCHOOL IS READY TO EXPERIENCE A NEW ERASMUS WEEK WITH YOU!
19/02/24-23/02/24
Welcoming Spanish teachers in our school: such an amazing week!
Job-shadowing of two Spanish teachers in our school in Andria!
This is the speech written by the teacher Marianna Montenero and the Erasmus pupils and read by two students at the welcoming ceremony organised for our guests.
NO BETTER WORDS COULD REPRESENT OUR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS WHEN IT COMES TO ERASMUS PROJECT! 🇪🇺
"Good morning teachers,
with joy and gratefulness, we welcome you to Vaccina school.
As group of Italian students who are taking part in the current Erasmus project, we are happy to start this great experience welcoming you, teachers coming from the Spanish school La Paloma, partner in this learning adventure.
We understand that the Erasmus project is a very hard effort for schools, so in this occasion we want to thank you personally for all the job made by your Spanish Erasmus team and school principal. Also with the Italian team and the principal Mrs Attimonelli you all have worked to create good projects, receive funding from Europe and carry them out, all the school year long.
Thanks to your engagement, we and your students together will be able to live this new European opportunity.
We can’t wait for leaving for Spain in March and for hosting our Spanish mates to our homes in May.
We are aware that meeting Spanish students, sharing our time and food, habits and tradition will be one of the most important “friendship experiences” during the life of all of us. We will not forget it!
We are about thirteen years old students, but we know Erasmus can be a great learning experience for improving not only our language skills (so important), but also our social and cooperation abilities.
It’s not easy to understand each other speaking a different language and coming from different countries. But this is the aim of Erasmus plus: growing together,finding cooperation solutions, and getting to know each other, until we feel as we
are the same people and culture, despite all differences. In these difficult times of war and fear, it is still more important to walk this way of mutual understanding.
Spanish and Italian students will walk this educational path thanks to you and all teachers.
Of course, our common history will help us through this. Looking at the past, we see that Spanish and Italian cultures have many common roots. From the ancient Roman Empire, we have a cultural heritage from Latin in our modern languages. Our countries were important centres of the Renaissance and Baroque artistic periods.
We cannot not to mention our special cuisines made of genuine and delicious ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. Moreover, music, dancing, and religious ceremonies tell us of our past legacy and testify the common vitality and vibrancy of Spanish and Italian people.
We hope you will find this atmosphere during all your stay in Puglia region.
In the end we want to wish you a nice “job shadowing week” at Vaccina School, spending time observing Italian school activities and visiting our town and surroundings, full of sightseeing and Unesco sites.
Our music teachers and the school choir have prepared a musical tribute for you, dear teachers.
Enjoy this week and music with us!"
03/03/24-08/03/24
Let's fly to Spain!!! Students' mobility at Azuqueca de Henares
L’ERASMUS, un’esperienza unica!
Testo di Piergiorgio Fuzio, 3^G
Sono Piergiorgio, uno degli undici ragazzi fortunati della Scuola Vaccina a partecipare al progetto Erasmus, quest’anno in Spagna, a Madrid.
Non ho mai avuto dubbi sulla grande importanza e il valore di questa esperienza; infatti quando qualche mese fa mi è stato chiesto di decidere tra la partecipazione alle gare regionali di Matematica e l’Erasmus in Spagna, non ho esitato: Erasmus!
Adesso, dopo aver vissuto pienamente questa esperienza, posso consapevolmente confermare che l’Erasmus è un’esperienza formativa straordinaria, la più interessante che un ragazzo della mia età possa fare; è un’esperienza che ti porta a superare ogni limite, mentale e fisico e ad aprire te stesso al mondo, alle culture diverse, a metterti alla prova.
Ritengo che, finché rimani nel tuo ambiente circoscritto, la mente resta ancorata ai conformismi, agli schemi della società in cui vivi, ma quando si ha la possibilità di fare un’esperienza simile, qualcosa dentro di te cambia e ti predisponi alla vita con più semplicità e leggerezza, con maggiore tolleranza, curiosità e apertura verso gli altri.
È stato tutto “hermoso”, come avrebbe detto Alex, il mio amico spagnolo; bellissima la scuola, bellissima la gente, strepitosa la famiglia che mi ha accolto come un figlio, donandomi affetto, attenzioni e cure. Anche in questo mi reputo un privilegiato, in quanto ho avuto la possibilità di conoscere in poco tempo due culture diverse, quella spagnola e quella rumena, dato che la famiglia alla quale sono stato affidato è di origine rumena, ma residente da 20 anni a Madrid.
Dal punto di vista della lingua, la totale immersione in una terra straniera mi ha permesso di mettermi alla prova, di testare le conoscenze della lingua inglese acquisite a scuola. So già che, tra qualche mese, mi mancheranno le fresche, innovative e frizzanti lezioni di inglese della mia professoressa Rosaria Di Ruvo, alla quale sono grato per aver sempre creduto in me, per aver contribuito a farmi superare quella timidezza che mi bloccava e per avermi dato questa grandiosa opportunità.
La Spagna rimarrà sempre viva nel mio cuore e insostituibile nel mio bagaglio di ricordi e di emozioni, e sogno in futuro di fare altre esperienze Erasmus più lunghe.
READ IT IN ENGLISH!
I am Piergiorgio, one of the eleven lucky pupils from the Vaccina School to participate in the Erasmus project, this year in Spain, in Madrid.
I have never had any doubts about the great importance and value of this experience; in fact, when a few months ago I was asked to decide between participating in regional mathematics competitions and Erasmus in Spain, I didn't hesitate: Erasmus!
Now, after having fully lived this experience, I can consciously confirm that Erasmus is an extraordinary educational experience, the most interesting that a boy of my age can have; it is an experience that leads you to overcome every mental and physical limit and to open yourself up to the world, to different cultures, to put yourself to the test.
I believe that, as long as you remain in your limited environment, the mind remains anchored to the conformisms, to the patterns of the society in which you live, but when you have the opportunity to have a similar experience, something inside you changes and you prepare yourself for life with more simplicity and lightness, with greater tolerance, curiosity and openness towards others.
It was all “hermoso”, as Alex, my Spanish friend, would have said; The school is beautiful, the people are beautiful, the family is amazing and welcomed me like a son, giving me affection, attention and care. Even in this I consider myself privileged, as I had the opportunity to get to know two different cultures in a short time, the Spanish and the Romanian, given that the family to which I was entrusted is of Romanian origin, but resident in Madrid for 20 years .
From a linguistic point of view, total immersion in a foreign land allowed me to test myself, to test the knowledge of the English language acquired at school. I already know that, in a few months, I will miss the fresh, innovative and lively English lessons of my teacher Rosaria Di Ruvo, to whom I am grateful for always believing in me, for having contributed to helping me overcome the shyness that blocked me and for giving me this great opportunity.
Spain will always remain alive in my heart and irreplaceable in my baggage of memories and emotions, and I dream of having other longer Erasmus experiences in the future.