POLAND WEEK, 6-10 OCTOBER, 2014

POW Journey went on in Bilcza, Poland in October, 2014. Polish teacher Jagoda Chorzepa and director of ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ W BILCZY (School in Bilcza) Urszula Wroblewska and other  valued members of  Polish POW team had prepared a very warm welcome for us.

On Monday, 6th of October, only Spanish (with 2 teachers and 5 students) and Turkish (3 teachers) had been ready to visit the school. We visited classes, took part in lessons and saw some presentatitons prepared by Polish students.  We were very impressed by the well-equiped classes of Polish school. Jagoda, Polish teacher told that every year they carry out  many projects of which returns and gainings help them to add the school equipment .  Especially the history class which they call “The Chamber”  was very impressive with many old and historical goods gathered together with self devotion of teachers. It was reflecting own history of the region of Polish school. The history teacher had played the biggest role to prepare “The Chamber”  naturally. She had written even  a book about the history of their own region. 
  

On Monday afternoon, Spanish and Turkish teams had visited to fire station of Bilcza and saw how the latest fire station equipments work. Later, POW Team had been to a museum handicrafts museum and craft shop. Students experienced making their own pots.

Estonian team (with  2 teachers and 4 students) and French team (with 3 teachers) had arrived  on Monday evening. Spanish, Turkish, Estonian and French teams had opportunity to meet with all the teachers of Polish school in dinner. Some Polish teachers had prepared short entertaining shows for us. Italian team (with 2 teachers and 5 students) had arrived late on Monday night as well.

On Tuesday morning POW Team had divided into two; students had been to swimming pool and teachers had visited the local government and listened the presentation of Bilcza, presented by Mr Marian Buras, the mayor of Morawica Community. Mr Marian Buras had mentioned about the industry of Morawica and the projects carried out by the local government.  He also mentioned about a detail about our Slovakian partners’ region, Raca which POW Team had visited last year; the mayors of Morawica (Poland) and Raca (Slovakia) had been partners already with many different projects and had been visiting each other for many times.  Polish teacher Jagoda told that the director of Polish school, Urszula Wroblewska had wanted to join our Comenius project with a school from Raca, Slovakia, because of their old friendship and they offered our Slovakian partners to join Piece of a Whole.

After the meeting in local government, POW Team visited the library and kindergarten.  There was a pretty dance show prepared by kids in kindergarten.

On Tuesday afternoon, students and teachers had come together and been to Kielce with a guided tour. After that we had visited Geopark and seen fossils found in that region. We watched an impressing 10-D movie about fossils in Geopark as well.

After Geopark, we turned back to school and POW Team had a meeting about project issues like progress of  activities, participation of students to project twinspace, products made during the acitivities, future activities  and meeting in Spain, while students had participated to sport activities in gym hall.  Slovakian team (3 teachers and 10 students) had arrived the school during the meeting also. 

We exchanged the baby dolls made by students at the end of meeting and it was the end of the activity called “Traditional Dolls” as well.

Polish Night

After the meeting, there had been a traditional Polish dance that all the Polish teachers and POW Team members had joined in school. And later we had dinner consisting of very delicious Polish cuisine prepared in school.

We had watched a funny theater play prepared by Polish teachers also. The scenario of the play had been consisting of several different fables.

On Wednesday, Spanish team had departure and others had been to Krakow and visited Kościół Mariacki, Old Town and Podziemia with a guided tour.

 On Thursday, POW Team had watched the concert and the presentations about Polish school prepared by students and they learnt us a bit of Polish as well. We watched a theater play prepared by Polish students. French, Slovakian and Italian teams visited the classes and joined lessons. Spanish and Turkish teams had already visited classes on Monday. POW Team had opportunity to make some sport activities in gym hall and students from Estonia, Slovakia, Turkey and Italy had joined a volleyball tournament in school gym hall as well.

 On Friday POW Team met in school for the final meeting and said farewell to each other. 10th of October was  the Teachers’ Day in Poland and Estonian team was the only POW member who could stay for Teachers’ Day activities in Polish school. Estonian teacher Kristel Kook Aljas had been given a Teachers’ Day certificate also.

Below are some view from Poland. Enjoy!

POW TEAM IN ESTONIA

The third mobility of Piece Of A Whole took place in Estonia, Kose from 4^th-11^th of May in 2014 with the representatives of France (2 teachers and 4 students), Italy (2 teachers and 4 students), Poland (2 teachers and 5 students), Slovakia (3 teachers), Spain (1 teacher, 2 parents and 4 students), and Turkey (3 teachers and 3 students) - all together 35 people. 

This time students from Italy, Poland and Turkey were accommodated in Estonian students' families.

On Sunday French and Spanish team had a guided tour in Tallinn Old Town as Spanish team had to leave on Wednesday morning.

On Monday the teachers and students from France, Spain and Turkey visited the school's library and library's exhibition and had a handicraft lesson. Kristel taught to make bead animals (a crocodile). 

In the afternoon the children spent some time in the youth centre. There was a half an hour long concert where students form Kose Music school played and sang Estonian traditional music.

Finally, all the partner of POW met at the dinner in Bo:ka.

On Tuesday, the day began with the formal welcoming by the local educational representative and the headmaster which was followed by students presentations about Kose Gymnasium, Kose parish and Estonia. POW team was divided into 7 different groups and were given a guided tour around the schoolhouse by 8^th grade students.

The day continued with a concert in the Kose Cultural Centre where different choirs, soloist and folk dance groups performed.

In the afternoon there was a guided tour in Kose. The priest of the local Lutheran church introduced the history of the church and everyone could climb into the bell tower and have a look at Kose.

The long day was sealed with the Estonian evening – parents and teachers had prepared Estonian traditional food. 

Bulent and Serdar from Turkey organized a spontaneous song contest like Eurovision where students and teachers from every country sang in their own language. Sadly we had to say goodbye to our Spanish team. And below there are some videos from the Spanish team's point of view.

On Wednesday POW team visited the play-school (2 oldest classes),  the primary school and the local library. The day continued in Tallinn where a music teacher Heli gave a guided tour in the Old Town.  The last attraction in Tallinn was a TV Tower. The dinner took place in the Viking Village.

On Thursday, when the weather was still a bit chilly and it was drizzling, Kristel was determined to take all the guest to the bog. After a nice lunch Kristel had a surprise – in Valgehobuse mägi (White horse hill) there was a watchtower and everyone could climb to the tower and see that Estonia is covered with forest.

In the evening the families entertained the children but the teachers were introduced to the Estonian sauna traditions.

On Friday the students visited the lessons and it was time to say goodbye. Eventhough Estonians are considered to be very reserved, several students were crying when their new friends left. Some Estonian students went with their parents to the airport to see them off.