Claregalway National School is currently taking part in its third European Comenius Project, joined by schools in France, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and Romania.
The partner schools’ focus is to develop children’s awareness of water in our lives. Children and teachers from all the schools involved will work collaboratively to collect data on water usage and conservation as well as looking at water in poetry, music, traditions and history.
“ICT skills will be developed through logo and calendar design. Video conferencing will play a major part in the project also; children have been meeting students and teachers from the various schools involved across Europe through Skype where we have already taught them some of the skills of hurling. The project provides children and teachers with an opportunity to create strong bonds with other European schools, learn about their cultures and traditions and education systems,” said project coordinator and teacher Sheila Hession.
To begin the project, Claregalway NS hosted a visit to Galway by the teachers and students from the European schools involved. County Mayor Thomas Welby, along with councillors Malachy Noone and Jim Cuddy, were on hand to formally welcome the visitors to Galway and Claregalway NS, along with principal Carmel Burns and Ms Hession.
“It is a superb educational tool for our children, opening up Europe and the world to them and providing them with an opportunity to develop awareness of and respect for other European cultures. It will allow the children to develop skills necessary to allow them become active members of our European Community and the importance of being involved and having a part to play,” said Ms Hession.
