Newsletter No 5

June 2015 No. 5

End of the school year ESCAPE online

Inside this issue: ESCAPE online

1

Best Practice Presentation

1

Rainbow over the Danube

2-3

New Beginnings

4

Maturita in Czech Republic

5

Excursions Our Man in Brussels

6-7 8

All project partners work and meet online in TwinSpace, web space provided by eTwinning platform. Both the teachers and students have their own accounts, which enables them to access the web, upload materials, communicate and collaborate. We´re 8 teams working here, thanks to eTwinning Plus the Ukrainian school from Khust joined the online activities as well.

In the course of the whole project life cycle international online student groups will be working together on a number of topics such as eGovernment, eNature, eTravel, eTransport, eSchool or eJobs.

During the first year we focused on four of the topics. eTravel group compiled a tourist guide and gave an insight into „must see places“, „must do“ activities and „must explore“ events . eNature group described

natural areas, animals and plants typical for our regions. eGovernment group concentrated on all necessities which are needed for acquiring a driving licence in partner countries. By the way it was quite interesting to compare prices of driving schools! eTransport group worked prepared a comparison of motorway tolls and brought useful information for all of us.

For creating common outputs we used cloud tools, namely Google slides and documents that are easy to use and enable to share work online all the time. As feedback we make use of Kahoot! quizzes.

That´s it, owing to TwinSpace we´re in touch also in between the project events.

Public link: twinspace.etwinning.net/1769 Czech team

Best Practice Presentation  Partners contribution  First Teen Festival  End of the school year activities

Elisabeth Hasiweder and Michael Huber-Kirchberger were invited to present ESCAPE at the eTwinning Danube Region Conference in Vienna on 18 and 19 June 2015. The eTwinning website, especially the online groups, were presented to about 50 teachers from 11 Danube region countries who had come to team up with new partners and register new projects.

As ESCAPOE is still the only Austrian Erasmus+ project that has got a label from the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region, a copy of

this year´s report about activities at Linz International Business School were handed over to Mr Jürgen Schick from the Austrian Ministry of Education, who presented opportunities for schools at the Conference.

The 54-page LIBS-NEWS 2015, which also includes reports about ESCAPOE and CLYDE, our other international project, will be distributed at the next training event

in Sturovo.

A report about the project was also printed in the Annual Report 2014 of our National Agency.

On top of presenting a project most teachers found very interesting, it was also possible to start 3 new projects that might also complement ESCAPE in the future.

Austrian team

Page 2

E S C A P E

N E W S L E T T E R

FIRST TEEN FESTIVAL "Rainbo European Commission Erasmus + Key Activity 2 "Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practice” and is carried out in partnership with schools from Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and

„The Danube region is attractive with its common history and traditions, culture and arts reflecting the diverse communities in the region, as well as its remarkable natural heritage“

FIRST TEEN FESTIVAL "Rainbow over the Danube" - Vidin 2015 took place during the period 2830 May 2015. Initiator and symbolic host of the event was Vocational School "Prof. Dr. Zlatarov "- Vidin and organizers - Municipality - Vidin, Regional Information Center - Vidin and Regional Inspectorate of Education - Vidin.

The aim of the festival is to promote the cultural heritage of the European peoples through real and virtual travel.

The topic which high school students worked on is: Danube - European memory!

The festival is an activity of the project "Improvement of skills and competencies and best practices for the economy." It is financed by the

Romania for 3 years. Project activities are related to the study of the Danube and the practical application of the priority areas in the Danube strategy, including investment in people and skills.

The purpose and theme of the festival provoked the commitment of Bulgaria in implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Administrative areas along the Danube, in particular Vidin, have the opportunity to work in 11 priority areas.

Educational institutions are entered in the Axis 9 Investment in people and skills, as well as Priority Area 3 Promotion of culture, tourism and contacts between people.

The Danube region is attractive with its common history and traditions, culture and arts reflecting the diverse communities in the region, as well as its remarkable natural heritage. By applying a common and sustainable approach to improving and promoting these opportunities the Danube Region should become a European and world "brand".

Our contribution in two priority areas is the first Teen festival "Rainbow over the Danube".

The festival was attended by over 200 high school students from 10

European countries: Bulgaria - Vidin, Bregovo, Belogradchik, Lom, Svishtov and Silistra / Austria - Linz / Hungary Papa / Czech Republic Tabor / Slovakia Sturovo / Slovenia Ljubljana / Romania - Bucharest and Lugoj / Croatia - Ogulin / Estonia -

N O .

5 /

J u n e

2 0 1 5

Page 3

bow over the Danube" - Vidin 2015 Narva / Serbia - Nis and Aleksinac /.

They competed in two thematic categories: 'Performing Arts' - individual and group and "Digital Art" - photography and

with the ship "Balkan Princess" and a trip the with electric school bus.

According to the regulation, the festival does not require fee and allows parttime involvement with photography and multimedia, which certainly expand the circle of participants.

40 students sent over 100 photographs, 17 people prepared linear multimedia, 150 high school students participated in stage shows.

The festival was covered multimedia. The festival by the local media, website aimed to provoke students' and Facebook page of the interest in the topic of Da- school. nube, to arouse their curiosity about the history of the Danubian nations to sharpen their observation, develop their interests in the field of ICT, language, geography, history and literature and invite the audi- On the first day of the ence on a journey along the festival competitions in the Danube - real or virtual. categories of A tourist educational tour "Photography", was organized for the par- "Multimedia" and ticipants to get acquainted "performing arts" - individwith the rich cultural heri- ual participation were held. tage of Vidin - a visit to the The demonstration took fortress "Baba Vida", the place on the open stage of Art Gallery "Nikola Pet- the Art Gallery - Vidin in rov", the Museum the Danube Park.

"Konaka", the Cathedral During the second day of "St. Demetrius", the Trian- the festival continued in the gle of Tolerance - Me- Drama Theatre - Vidin tropolis, Mosque and Syna- with competitions in the gogue, a stroll along the "Performing Arts" - group Danube River, a cruise participation.

All festival participants received certificates and awards in the competition categories provided by the

co-organizers.

Electronic photo album nominees for participation photos can be viewed at: http:// www.youblisher.com/ p/1158649-GALLERYFESTIVAL-VIDIN-2015/ Photos from the festival “The festival was and links to multimedia attended by over page "FIRST TEEN FES- 200 high school TIVAL Rainbow over the students from 10 Danube" in the electronic European platform eTwinning: countries� http:// twinspace.etwinning.net/17 69/pages/page/28215 Eli Cvetanova - Vidin school coordinator

Page 4

E S C A P E

N E W S L E T T E R

New beginnings

„a warm "Goodbye" which symbolises the end of one's childhood, but which also points one towards new beginnings.“

As yet another eventful school year was swiftly coming to an end, the puppils and teachers of "Coriolan Brediceanu" National College were diligently preparing for the first closing ceremony that was to come - the graduation of the 12th grade students.

This year, some of us got to be more involved in the preparations for the festivities as we surprised the soonto-be graduates by decorating their classrooms before they came and said a last "Farewell" to the place filled with so many memo-

ries of the past 4 years.

After leaving the high school building and walking through a passage made by puppils of all ages holding flowers, the 12th grade students headed to the town's "House of Culture" to get their graduation certificates and listen to the heartfelt words of their

sors the next year.

Throughout the years, this graduation ceremony has become one of the many traditions of our high school, a warm "Goodbye" which symbolises the end of one's childhood, but which also points one towards new beginnings.

Andra Soreg, Romania

teachers and principal who wished them the best of luck. Before the closing ceremony ended, the former head of the class handed over the school's key along with his best wishes to the students of the lower grade who will follow in the steps of their predeces-

N O .

5 /

J u n e

2 0 1 5

Page 5

Maturita Exams in the Czech Republic Czech secondary students have their written maturita state exams every May. They sit for two compulsory tests in the Czech language and a foreign language or Maths.

After two weeks or so they také an oral part which consists of languages and two other exams, set by the school, eg. sciences, social sciences, biology, history etc. In most schools

students take their finals in four subjects. This year in the Czech Republic did graduation about 99 thousand students.

This year final exams in our school were from 4 May to 27 May and were divided into two parts.

Written exams started on 4 May and finished on 13 May, then the second part oral examinig started after a break during which students had more time to prepare.

The exams are different in

business academy and in economical lycee of our school. In business academy jthe graduation consists of the Czech language, accountancy, economics and maths or English/German/ Russian/French. In lycee they do exams in the Czech language, economics maths or English/German/Russian/ French and one subject which they can choose. Oral exams are public, which means other schoolmates or even family/friends can watch them.

We made a short interview with two schoolmates about their feelings for the graduation: “How did you cope with stress?”

Radka and Lucie: “Really badly, we cried every day and we ate a lot of chocolate.“ “How was the night before the exams?”

Radka: “It was good, because I slept best in the whole month. “ Lucie: “This was the worst night in my life, I didn't sleep enough.“ “Did you use a talisman?”

Radka: “Yes, I had a four- leaf clover from

my mother.“ “When did you prepare for oral exams?“ Radka: “After the written exams, It was about 11 May.“ “What was the hardest?“ Lucie: “Accountancy, for both.“ “How would you rate the graduation?”

Lucie : “As very hard, there were a lot of questions, about 20-25 from too many subjects.

And everything in one day. It was really exhausting. Never again.“

Anna Dalihodová, Denisa Hanzalová Czech team

„there were a lot of questions, about 20 -25 from too many subjects. And everything in one day. It was really exhausting. “

Page 6

E S C A P E

N E W S L E T T E R

Excursion to the Danube

„From Kehlheim to Sulina the Danube can be used by ships, the distance is 2414 km.“

At the end of the school year 2014-2015, we went on a brief excursion to the Danube. The students had to look for the marking stone 2135 ab Sulina, which indicates the distance to the estuary of the Danube. As none of the students knew where it was, it needed the help of the teachers to find it.

There the students were given some pertinent information: The Danube, which is 2783,4 km long is marked upstream, that means that the stones are counted from Sulina upwards. The distances from Sulina to Galat

are marked in nautical miles, and from there in kilometres.

From Kehlheim to Sulina the Danube can be used by ships, the distance is 2414 km. The ships can also use the Rhein-Main Danube canal and can go down the Rhein to the North Sea. After that short lecture, the group also had a look at the marks for the floods in 1954, which can be seen at a pillar of Nibelungenbrücke.

Austrian team

N O .

5 /

J u n e

2 0 1 5

Page 7

A trip to Vávrovka

At the end of our school year all classes go for a two-day trip. We travel to different camps in our area. Our trip started at 7 o’clock at the railway station. The journey lasted about 1 hour. When we came to the camp of Vávrovka we got a sheet of paper with pictures of places and we had to found those places in Vávrovka. After the game we had lunch and some rest.

After that we visited a climbing centre. It was amazing and exciting.

We really enjoyed it.

In the evening we followed a trail courage which was scary, interesting and exciting.

The groups had to return at 12 hours at the latest, but the last group came at 4 am, because they couldn’t find the way.

„ At the end of our school year all classes go for a twoday trip. “

The other day we played games and we grilled sausages. The trip ran very fast. We really enjoyed it.

Czech team

Our Man in Brussels Our man in Brussels paid a visit to us.

Christian Strasser graduated from our school in 1982 and works in Brussels for an environmental department. He is in charge of examining projects about electric taxis or the renaturation of a lagoon that has been destroyed by mining.

Mr Strasser comes to other every other year as part of the project “Back to

With the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union

School� that encourages graduates who work in Brussels to go back to their school and talk about their work About 160 students in 2 groups took part in that event at our school.

Austrian team

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi-ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.