Comenius project Similarity in Variety First project meeting Belgium 12th – 16th October

Most of the teachers landed at the Brussels Charleroi airport . The first project meeting was in October 2011( 12.10 – 16.10). The meeting took place in Belgium. On Thursday 29th September we got the invitation to the meeting from the headmaster of the school Ecole Comunale Mixte Maternelle Et Primare Most of the teachers landed at the Brussels Charleroi airport . Mrs Marie Labrassine – the school coordinator from Belgium took us from the airport to the hotel in Nivelles. Nivelles is a town very near Arquennes where the Ecole Communale d’Arquennes is situated.

On Thursday 13th October we were visiting the school On Thursday 13th October we were visiting the school. We saw the classrooms, the school canteen and playground.

Ecole Comunale Mixte Maternelle Et Primare

At 10. 30 we had a meeting at the Seneffe Town Hall At 10.30 we had a meeting at the Seneffe Town Hall. Then we visited the castle of Seneffe. Masterpiece of classical architecture, the grey- stone castle of Seneffe is a must see in the industrial region of Louviere. The château of Seneffe with its magnificent park and annexes offers a very fine example of a mid 18th century noble residence. In general it follows the example of French noble and royal residences.

We were shown the collection of silver tea but also hot chocolate pots. After the presentation of the rooms in the castle we were also shown how to prepare hot chocolate as Belgium is famous of chocolate. Everyone had also the chance to try the hot chocolate.

On Friday 14th October we visited the children at school. We saw the French reading lesson. The teacher used lots of active methods and techniques. The children were really active learners. What we liked the most was the arrangement of the pupils’ desks – all the children sat in a circle. During this lesson the children did not use any books or notebooks. After the lesson we were once again taken to the Town Hall to discuss the dates of the next project meetings.

All the teachers agreed on the following schedule : The second meeting in Spain – 11. 01. 12 – 15. 01.12 The third meeting in Wales ( Great Britain ) - 14. 03. 12 – 18. 03. 12 The fourth meeting in Poland – 16. 05. 12 – 20.05.12 The fifth meeting in Portugal – 26. 09. 13 – 30. 09. 13 The sixth meeting in Greece – 7. 11. 13 – 11. 11. 13

The seventh meeting in French Polynesia - 23. 02. 13 - 03. 03. 13 The eighth meeting in Italy – 22. 05. 13 – 26. 05. 13

After the disscusion at the town hall we were taken to see the Central Canal

The lifts on the old parallel canal remain in position, having in 1998 been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Saturday 15th October some of us took the train to Brussels… …and visited the Grand Place, The statue of the pissing boy, and some chocolate shops. In the train to Brussels from Nivelles – Polish Team

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and hosts the headquarters of the European Union (EU). Chocolate Shops The centre of Brussels

The statue of the pissing boy is a famous Brussels landmark. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619. The famous statue is located at the junction of Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. To find it, one takes the left lane next to the Brussels Town Hall from the famous Grand Place and walks a few hundred meters to arrive at the spot. The statue will be on the left corner.

We visited the Church of St. Gertrude. On the last day of meeting in Belgium we took a walk around Nivelles – the town we stayed in. Nivelles is situated about 30 km from Belgium and 30 km from Charleroi. We visited the Church of St. Gertrude.

To sum up – our first meeting in Belgium was really interesting and productive because it established a friendly and a professional relationship.   After examining the different school calendars we defined mobility’s dates. Belgium ,the host country, showed us their school reality, demonstrating us lessons and the environment in which children live. The overall balance was very positive and enriched all those who participated.

The end thank you