Mobility to Galway . 22nd - 26th Maj 2023

 Delegates from Varzdin (Croatia), Jordanstown (Northern Ireland), Heide (Germany), Vienna (Austria) and Ptui (Slovenia) gathered at St. Joseph’s Special School on May 22, 2023 at the start of our Galway mobility.

The theme of this mobility was an introduction to how PECS, TEACCH and Social Integration occurs in our school.  The week began with a workshop given by Mr. Patrick McGinley, psychologist, highlighting the importance of visual cues and aids for people with developmental difficulties.  Following the workshop, the following events occurred to illustrate and reinforce the concepts of PECS, TEACCH and Social Integration.

·       A treasure hunt around our school to find examples of PECS and TEACCH in each of our classrooms and general areas within the school

·       Attendance at a performance by pupils from schools across the city of Galway which also included pupils from St. Joseph’s Special School.

·       Classroom observations to observe PECS and TEACCH used by pupils and classroom staff.

·       Attendance at workshops within the school in cookery, woodwork and music – where lessons were given using the principals of PECS and TEACCH.

·       A visit to an adult service to observe how PECS and TEACCH principals are carried with our pupils to their adult services when they graduate.

·       Visits to different special classes within a variety of main stream schools within the city – Scoil Chatriona – senior and junior schools, Colaiste Iognaid, Claddagh School and Educate Together School.  Delegates had the opportunity to observe further examples of PECS and TEACCH being implemented in these schools.

·       On our last day, Friday, 26^th, May 2023, the mobility ended with a demonstration and lessons in Irish Dancing in the school hall.  Guest dancers performed a number of set dances to music performed by school staff and parents.  Following the demonstration, pupils and delegates had the opportunity to practice dancing themselves.  This was to illustrate the opportunities of Social Integration offered to our pupils, on a regular basis, within the school.

During the mobility, the delegates were offered a number of cultural experiences relating to the west of Ireland.  These opportunities included:

·       A guided tour to Connemara.  The tour included - Cong, Co. Mayo, Killary Harbour, Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park and Clifden.

·       A guided walking tour of Galway City

·       “Trad on the Prom” – an evening of Irish music, song and dance

·       An evening of folk music

                         

                         

                         

                         

Family Day - OŠ Tomislav Špoljar - Varaždin, Croatia

Students of the Centar Tomislav Špoljar and their family members celebrated Family Day on May 19. That day, students came to school with their families and switched classes with games. Some participated in only one and some in several games. The teachers prepared eleven games aimed at cooperation and dexterity. The end of the gathering ended with a dance to the sounds of tamburitza songs of the tamburitza band "Biseri", led by music teacher Nevenka Pandža.

 

Wiener Kinderlauf do. 9 -11. May 2023- Schulzentrum im FIDS Quellenstraße

The Vienna Children's Run took place on May 9 in beautiful weather conditions. The ALA class was represented in the strongest line-up at this running event (team classification). The distance was about 800m and the competition was fierce. All runners of the FIDS10 completed their respective runs completely and left some competitors behind. In the team classification of the fourth school level, the first overall place was taken and thus the victory was achieved.

Hassina achieved an outstanding performance. Already in the lead after the first loop, she did not give up the lead in the second loop either and thus landed a start-finish victory. With a starting field of 67 runners a remarkable performance!

On May 11, the Vienna Kids' Run took place in beautiful weather conditions. The ALG class was strongly decimated at this running event (team classification). The course length was about 800m and the competition was fierce. All runners of the FIDS10 completed their respective runs completely and left some competitors behind. Unfortunately, no top place could be achieved in the team ranking this time.

Nevertheless, Mojahed achieved an outstanding performance in his heat with an excellent 7th place (among 90 starters!). Still among the top 5 after the first loop, he had to slow down his high initial speed a bit in the second loop. With a starting field of 90 runners a remarkable performance!