Jean Moulin primary school is one of two French schools taking part in the European Comenius programme “European Education and Training Agency of France”. With four other schools in Germany, England, the Canary Islands and Poland, students at the Antibes school, guided by the headmistress and teaching staff, are working on important environmental projects.
“One Earth for All” is the general theme chosen for the European programme, which is to make pupils at schools in Europe more aware of issues concerned with protection of the planet. The programme is unusual in that the pupils take turns to meet and exchange projects that they have implemented. The programme started a year ago, and each school has planted a tree symbolic of the town in the courtyard, which for Jean Moulin is an olive tree. Another symbol is seeds that originate in European countries, which participants have exchanged to plant in each school.
The children have also produced a book describing their country and town and the different environmental activities they are involved in, and they have designed a logo to be printed on t-shirts for the students to wear. A jury voted on the most suitable logo and it was the German school that won.
This programme is important in two particular areas: it not only teaches children at European schools about environmental issues, it also makes them aware of education systems in different countries and allows them to make exchange visits.
Email Day -
Electronic message day
Throughout the day, students at all the schools can meet on line and send email messages. The pupils experience communicating in a common foreign language which is English in this case, and learn to surmount linguistic and cultural barriers as they exchange ideas for protecting the Earth.
As they are still continuing with their normal school timetable at the same time, the children must be very active and inquisitive and take part with great enthusiasm. They have produced found-art sculptures from recycled products and have a great many plans and ideas.
In 2009, four students are to have an exchange visit with one of the countries in the programme. To help this planet remain the most beautiful in the universe!
