One of the main aims of this project is to link the school with the wider society through cooperation with specialised institutions, parents and representatives of local society and together to act against social exclusion. Since children with learning

difficulties face problems in interpersonal relationships, the programme is believed to help them overcome this in order to improve the quality of life.

Moreover, the staff involved in the project will also benefit. The role of the teacher will become multiple, following a wide variety of different teaching approaches and focusing on understanding different personalities as well as cognitive subjects. Besides promoting the learning of foreign culture and promoting a European communion, it will also improve teachers’ experiences.

With these aims in mind, the three schools communicated to provide a general overview of the activities planned for the whole three years of the project’s duration. Therefore, last December, teaching staff from San Miguel School attended the first exchange visit in Hull, UK.

They had the opportunity of visiting five special schools, where they were able to discuss methodologies and assessment procedures and compare the availability of facilities at these schools with the facilities provided at San Miguel School. Besides this, meetings were held during which the staff of the three participating schools shared ideas and decided upon a list of various tasks and activities which each school was to work on during the scholastic year.

As one of the outcomes of this visit, our school created a “European Wall” consisting of flags, symbols, information, drawings, arts, crafts, customs and costumes of Malta, Crete and the UK. Sensory maps were also made with the shapes of the three countries being cut out in wood and materials, such as sand, sawdust and pebbles were used to fill in the shapes, thus helping our children distinguish between one country and another. Apart from this, historical monuments like the Parthenon, Stonehenge and Maltese Prehistoric Temples and traditional dwellings of each country were carefully made. Here we are indebted to the students of Stella Maris College in Gzira, whose help in making these monuments and dwellings was invaluable. Another task was the compiling of a Maltese recipe book by members of San Miguel staff. Students from the three participating schools also communicated by electronic mail as well as by sending greeting cards and letters via ordinary mail.

During the last week of May, it was the turn of San Miguel School to host staff from Crete and the United Kingdom. This visit was planned to coincide with the annual Family Day activity at San Miguel. A full programme was organised for which distinguished guests, parents and relatives of the students at San Miguel were invited to attend. The theme for the day centred around cultural aspects of the three countries participating in the Comenius Project. Therefore it was only fitting to start off the morning with a short introduction during with the National Anthem of the three countries, UK, Crete and Malta were played. A pool activity was then held, during which the children and staff swam to some music and during which they demonstrated their abilities. It was then time for students and pupils to perform a Zig Zag wheel chair dance, which was held out in the school grounds. Another group of staff and students then put up a very lively traditional Maltese wine-making dance. Since the Olympic games are to be held later on this year, it was thought only fitting to have a sports activity and remaining true to the Olympic spirit, an ‘Olympic torch’ was carried by one of the students, to mark the opening of this activity. The next item on the programme was a traditional English pancake race in which the contestants had to run a short distance, while

flipping a pancake

It was a great relief that the pancakes were not meant to be eaten, as quite a few ended up on the floor… or on the ceiling. After that, some pupils were dressed up in traditional costumes of the three countries, while putting up a short enactment of times gone by. There was then a short presentation on the historical monuments and dwellings of the three countries. The next group of staff and students prepared a typical Maltese delicacy, bigilla, which was very much enjoyed especially by our foreign friends. After such a full morning, it was then time for guests, staff and students to partake of some typical Maltese food and drink.

During the rest of their stay in Malta, the foreign students also had the opportunity to work with Maltese students and to experience the facilities available at the school. In the afternoons and during the weekend, there was time for sight seeing and cultural visits both in Malta and in the sister island of Gozo. Meetings were held to evaluate work done during the scholastic year and also to make further plans for the future. Next October, it will be the turn of staff in the special secondary school in Crete to host guests from San Miguel and Northcott School.