On Friday, June 2, 2023, Center Day was solemnly
celebrated at the Croatian National Theater in Varaždin. The students prepared
a performance in which they showed their acting and dancing abilities. The
numerous audience rewarded all the performers with strong applause.
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, 26th,
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
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.
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!
In ideal
outdoor conditions (sunshine and 21 degrees), "Athletics light 2023"
took place on April 27 at Ernst Happel Stadium. The ALA class was represented
in the strongest line-up at this athletics event. Standing long jump, 30m
sprint, steeplechase and howler throw are the four sub-areas in this
competition. All the participants/athletes of FIDS 10 gave their best and
scored a proud 226 points, beating the ALG by 2 points.
Since in
the last years a total score of more than 220 points was sufficient for the
first three places and at the present time the scoring has not yet been
officially certified by the organizer, a place on the podium can already be
expected. The actual final ranking (1st, 2nd or 3rd place) will therefore be
submitted later.
Under ideal
conditions (sunshine and 19 degrees) "Athletics light 2023" took
place on April 25 at the Ernst Happel Stadium. The ALG class was represented in
the strongest line-up at this athletics event. Standing long jump, 30m sprint,
obstacle course and howler throw are the four sub-areas in this competition.
All participants of FIDS 10 gave their best and achieved a proud 224 points.
Since in
the last years a total score of more than 220 points was sufficient for the
first three places and at the present time the scoring has not yet been
officially certified by the organizer, a place on the podium can already be
expected. The actual final ranking (1st, 2nd or 3rd place) will therefore be
submitted later.
On Friday, April 21, students of the Centar Tomislav
Špoljar and their teachers marked Earth Day with the action of cleaning the
school's yard. After an hour, all the papers, bottles and other
"gifts" left by the users of the school playground were picked up.
Flowers were planted in the jars in front of the school.
This year, the students and employees of the COO Tomislav Špoljar showed a big heart and collected a lot of food and hygiene items for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association. Groceries and necessities were painstakingly collected, sorted, and finally handed over by students attending Civic Education classes. This is a valuable volunteering experience for them.
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