The first Transnational Project Meeting of the two co-ordinators from each of the partner
schools was hosted by Theresa Nuzzo School in Malta in October 2017.
Mr K Brosnan and Mr C Barry attended on behalf of Holy Family Senior School. This meeting set
out the Action Plan for this school year and arrangements were made concerning the visits that
teachers will be making over the course of the year.
During this school year teachers from Holy Family will have the opportunity to visit primary
schools in Slovenia and Iceland to find out how literacy is taught in those schools.
In April, 4 teachers ( Mr K Brosnan, Mrs A Whelan, Ms C Duff & Ms A Feighery) spent a week in OŠ Borcev za Severno Mejo school in Maribor, Slovenia, along with teachers from our other partner schools. The teachers encountered the literacy methods used in that school through demonstrations, classroom observations and presentations. The local library was also visited to see how it supports the school in implementing its literacy strategy. A demonstration in maths games was also part of this training activity. The host school made the visiting teachers feel very welcome and posters and pictures related to the Latch project were on display around the school. The Deputy Mayor of Maribor visited the school to meet the teachers and present the certificates of attendance.
In May, 4 teachers (Mr K Brosnan. Ms D Meagher, Ms F Whelan & Ms E. O’Hara) visited our partner school, Salaskóli, in Kópavogur, Iceland. They got the opportunity to spend a few days in the school and to observe how literacy is taught and learnt there. Salaskóli makes extensive use of IT. Each child has an iPad and all work is completed on it. A wide range of Apps and IT tools are used in all subject areas. Our project mascot, Latch also arrived after spending some time in Maribor!
September 2018 saw the beginning of a new school year and also the beginning of the second year of the school’s “Latch” project, which is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ scheme. The first activity of the new school year was the holding of a meeting of the co-ordinators of the project of each partner school. Mr K Brosnan, who is the overall project co-ordinator, along with Mr C Barry, represented Holy Family School at the meeting in Salaskóli, Iceland. The first year’s activities were reviewed and the plan for this year’s activities were agreed. The Erasmus+ Impact Tool was also used to assess the many positive impacts this project will have.
In October 2018, 4 teachers (Mr K Brosnan, Mr C Barry, Ms A McManus & Ms O Wynne) visited St Colman’s BNS in Macroom Co. Cork to observe how that school implements its literacy strategy. The “Building Bridges” scheme was observed through classroom observations. The school also has invested in IT and was able to demonstrate how the use of ipads by the children complements the delivery of its literacy strategy. St. Colman’s has three special classes; two for children with autism and another for children with special learning needs and being able to visit these classes and discuss the methodologies in use there was of great benefit to the Portlaoise teachers. Teachers from the other partner schools in Malta, Slovenia and Iceland also attended this training event which allowed collaboration on a European level to occur.
In March 2019, the third project management meeting of the schools’ coordinators was held in Maribor, Slovenia. Mr K Brosnan, as project coordinator, chaired the meeting which was also attended by Mr C Barry. The arrangements for finishing the project was discussed and included topics such as dissemination, project impact, monitoring and evaluation. Plans for future collaboration between the schools was also made. The Slovenian hosts also arranged a sightseeing visit to Ljubljana and Postojna Cave.
The final teacher training activity of the “Latch” Erasmus+ European project took place in May 2019. It was hosted by Theresa Nuzzo School in Marsa, Malta. Teachers from all the partner schools attended, including, from Holy Family, Mr K Brosnan (Project Coordinator), Ms L Brennan, Ms A Kinsella and Ms L Walsh. The school demonstrated its strategies in the teaching and learning of literacy. The use of new technologies in complementing and supporting the delivery of the literacy programme was also demonstrated. Classroom observations were also part of the training. The staff and children in Malta made the visitors feel very welcome and ensured that it was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.