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• Portuguese Blog - Final day

  Sat 30 Mar 2019 D Parkin & D Brown

  We were the only ones left this morning when we got up. Our partner countries all had morning flights home( and some through the night). We have had a relaxed morning packing, having breakfast and also managed a little shopping. The Portuguese weather was thinking of us today and acclimatising us ready for home.... it was cool, cloudy and even spitting! 

  We can’t thank our Portuguese hosts enough for a fabulous week and for making us feel so welcome. We return to the UK with lots of memories. The children have made many new friends and had the opportunity to experience lots of things they wouldn’t necessarily be able to back home.

  A big thank you to Marilyn for looking after us all week and finally thank you to the children for being fantastic! They’ve made us very proud and have been great ambassadors for our country.

  

• Portuguese Blog - Day five

  Fri 29 Mar 2019 D Parkin & D Brown

   

  This morning we managed to get a bit of a lie in. We decided on our usual breakfast of sandwiches and pastries from the local patisserie across the road. It has become quite amusing now as we enter the shop to see the faces of the ladies behind the counter, turn from beaming smiles into a look of dread. Unfortunately, they hardly speak English and although we’ve been in the country all week we can only manage ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in Portuguese! So it’s safe to say ordering a breakfast for 7 people wanting various different things has been quite a challenge.

  After breakfast we headed up to school for a stop motion work shop. Stop motion is an App to make a movie from still pictures. All the schools were split into groups consisting of one student from each country. (And there was a European staff group too). Each group then had to plan, design and produce a movie based on the Erasmus + project. Seeing students of different ages, backgrounds, and languages come together to share their ideas and thoughts was inspiring to say the least.   Joshua’s group used his idea of using a European ‘plate’ to show all the different types of food from each country.  Rhys had planned ahead, and brought his Lego action figures to be used in his groups theme. Each figure represented each country. And both girls played a big part in the themes for their groups. This was all happening while the staff table were panicking as to what they we all going to draw for our theme! Eventually all the groups produced their movies and loaded them into a website where we could all watch them. 

  After such a busy morning we headed to the canteen for dinner.  Jasmine wolfed hers down and also anybody’s leftovers. If we’d been handing out ‘I’ve eaten all my dinner’ stickers, she definitely would have got one today.

  We headed back to our accommodation to start packing and prepare for the farewell party.  This would’ve been easier if Mrs Parkin hadn’t have locked our door key in our room! Quite ironic really, as we had been badgering the children all week to keep things safe and we’d kept hold of their keys in case they did the very same thing. Slight embarrassing moment! 

  We were collected by Renado who had become our chauffeur for the week. He is a history teacher and deputy head of the school. We all sat and enjoyed watching all the different countries’ traditional dances. Our children did fantastic. We were so proud of them.  We then enjoyed pizza and snacks and some delicious puddings. What was nice about the evening was that the children then chose there own music from their own countries to dance to, and all the other children joined in. Our children even taking a turn. Although their choice of cha cha slide and baby shark was somewhat questionable. Nevertheless the dance floor was full and being led on stage by four of the youngest students in the room. Wow! It just shows that dance is a universal language, and something that is enjoyed by all.

  The night drew to an end with lots of goodbyes to new friends made. 

   

  

• Portuguese Blog - Day Four

  Thu 28 Mar 2019 DParkin, D Brown & M Tinkler

  This morning we decided to eat breakfast in our rooms so we could be ready a little quicker as we were getting picked up early for our day in Lisbon.

  Our first stop in Lisbon was the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monestery). The stone carvings were amazing. Everywhere we looked there were something stunning to look at. We really didn’t know what to look at first. We visited the refectory (which was slightly more grand than the one we have at school), the confession room..we could have been in there all day with our confessions but we were all desperate to see the church so we decided to leave them for another day. The church was out of this world and much more elaborate and ornate than St Lawrences. We could have spent ages in there but we were short on time. Our next stop was the Torre De Belem (Tower of Belem). This is a fortress that was built to guard the entrance of Lisbon’s harbour. We thought it would be a good idea to go up the steps to the top of the tower... it didn’t feel such a good idea by the time we got to the top. We lost count of the number of steps, however, on the bright side it clocked lots of steps onto Mrs Tinkler’s and Mrs Parkin’s Fit Bits! The views from the top were amazing. We had landscape, cityscape and seascape all from one view point. From the dizzy heights of the tower we descended to the murky depths of the prison where the children tried to

  imagine what it would have been like to be locked in there.

  After a whistle stop tour of the Tower we moved onto the next monument. The Padrao dos Descobrimentos (monument to the discoveries). This was a monument built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator.  It was designed in the shape of a caravel. Again the views from the top were breath taking. 

  We enjoyed our packed lunches basking in the glorious sunshine in the park. The main downside of the morning was that we didn’t have enough time to visit the Antigua Confeitaria de Belem. This is a very famous patisserie that sells the best Portuguese custard tarts you can buy. Us adults had been looking forward to this all week but we had a decision to make... take the kids to the toilet or go for custard tarts. We didn’t have time for both so unfortunately the toilets won. However all was not lost. One of the  Portuguese teachers saw the three of us sulking on the bus so kindly gave us some of hers to share. Result! 

  Next stop on the agenda was the Lisbon Story Centre. Here we learned the story of Lisbon with the help of an audio system. We learned about the heartbreaking events of 1755 where Lisbon was at the centre of Europe’s largest ever recorded earthquake followed by a tsunami. This devastating moment in history influenced the architecture of Lisbon today.

  After the story centre we had some free time to explore Lisbon including the Rua Augusta Arch and Praća Do Comercio (Commercial Square). Again more examples of amazing  architecture in Lisbon. Mrs Parkin had to switch to finance mode and do some serious haggling for the children as they wanted to buy some souvenirs to bring home. We also found time to stop and have a refreshing drink at a local cafe and play in the park before the bus came to pick us up for our return journey back to Barreiro where we enjoyed our evening meal with our partner schools.

   

   

  

• Portuguese Blog - Day Three

  Wed 27 Mar 2019 D Parkin & D Brown

  We were all up a little earlier this morning ready for our day at school.  For breakfast Mrs Tinkler had ordered toast and jam for Mrs Parkin, however this request got lost somewhere in translation and Mrs Parkin ended up with a toasted ham sandwich. Mrs Tinkler’s Portuguese English needs some work! 

  After breakfast we all set off walking to school. Today we went to a different school although it is in the same group of schools as the one we went to yesterday.  The morning started with tile painting. We were split into 3 groups and started our tiles. The students made 2 tiles each. One patterned and one with flowers. I think the disappointment showed on the staffs faces (especially Mrs Parkin’s)as they hadn’t got chance to paint any themselves. The staff were then asked if they would like to have a go. At last! We weren’t  to ask twice! Once we had all finished, the tiles were put to one side ready to be ‘fired’. We’re looking forward to seeing how they turn out. 

  After a break we got to watch a traditional Portuguese dance. Our children are looking forward to performing theirs on Friday. We then all went outside to play Portuguese games and the croquet game we took. The games included knocking the tin can down, throwing hoops, spinning top and our favourite, ‘walking the plank’ game. It was our favourite because we had a staff versus kids game. We had a slow start but Mrs Brown who was the expert at getting us to walk in time whipped us into shape and we left the kids far behind. We’re not competitive in the least however...

  It was then time for lunch. We were all a little nervous as to what we would be having to eat, however we needn’t have worried. We had soup, chicken with rice, salad and ice cream for pudding. 

  In the afternoon the children all got together for a drumming workshop. They started off banging out of time but by the end they sounded like a real marching band. Mrs Brown was very disappointed there were not enough drums for staff to take part.

  We had a fantastic time in school. New games, new challenges and new friendships formed.

  We then left school for a walk down towards the river. We had tea whilst we were out and about. We have to confess there were tears at the table. However they were tears of laughter. Jasmine was literally crying with laughter at Mrs Tinkler’s singing.. then Josh was laughing/crying at Jasmine laughing/crying at Mrs Tinkler. This then put us all in a singing mood. I think most of Barreiro would have heard us playing a singing game on the walk back to the accommodation. 

  We’re having an early night tonight as we’ve a very busy day ahead tomorrow in Lisbon.

  

• Portuguese Blog -Day Two

  Tue 26 Mar 2019 D Parkin & D Brown

  After a ‘chilly’ nights sleep (think we got a bit too excited with yesterday’s heat and set the air conditioning too low) we got up and ready and headed round the corner to a local cafe for breakfast. As we’re here to sample the local culture, it wasn’t bacon and egg that was on the menu, but some mouth watering pastries. They were delicious! 

  After breakfast we were taken by bus to the local school. We had a lovely welcoming ceremony where some of the students gave us a presentation on facts about their school and Portugal. They even mentioned something about a famous Portuguese footballer.. someone called Ronaldo??  

  One of the students sang us some traditional Portuguese songs. All I can say is wow! He was amazing! It was then the turn of the schools from the other countries to perform their traditional song to the rest of the group. We were first.  After introducing ourselves to everyone, our super 4 students, Mrs Brown and Mrs Tinkler sang ‘We’re so proud of our school’ (along with the backing of the whole of Appleby Primary School recorded last week). They did a fantastic job and received a huge round of applause. The rest of schools took it in turn to perform their traditional songs. They had all clearly spent a lot of time practising. Spain decided that they would perform the iconic 90’s song ‘Macarena’.  This meant of course they expected everyone to join in. I think Mrs Tinkler has evidence of this, which we must remember to destroy later! We then had brunch before we set off to Sintra. 

  It was about an hour drive with some sight seeing along the way. We hopped off one bus and onto another to go up the mountain to see the palace. Both Mrs Brown and I commented how glad we were that we weren’t driving. The road was very narrow and we felt ourselves breathing in at times.  But when we got to the top it was worth it. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the rooms of the palace. Most of the rooms had the traditional furniture set up. It was certainly an experience to see where King Carlos lived. The views from the towers were some of the best we’ve ever seen.. helped by the glorious blue sky and sea in the background. 

  We then took the bus back down the mountain to the village. With health in safety in mind, we told the children not to cross the road unless they see the green man. We went round a corner to find a green man. Literally! It took us a while to work out if he was real or not...

  We had a little free time to explore the narrow cobbled streets and traditional gift shops. And we even found time for a quick ice cream and pop corn.

  The coach then arrived to take us back to Barreiro. We were dropped off at the shopping centre where we enjoyed our traditional Portuguese evening meal at Pizza Hut. Then back to our rooms to recharge our batteries ready for the day ahead in school tomorrow.

   

  

• Book Swap

  Tue 26 Mar 2019

  Following their recent Rubbish Rebels Topic, Class 3 would like to continue their mission to save the planet by helping people to reuse and swap their unwanted items.

  They would like to invite all pupils of Appleby Primary School to bring in a book of good condition that they no longer want for a Whole School Book Swap. Once they bring in their book(s), their name will be recorded and they will be given one token, or more, depending on the number of books they bring in. This can be ‘spent’ at the book sale during break time. No money will be needed as it is a swapping event.

  As we cannot guarantee that there will be a book that your child desires at the book swap, we urge them to only bring in books that they are happy to give away. These must be in a good condition to be enjoyed by a lucky new owner. Any books that are remaining will be used for the book stall at the May Fair.

  Class 3 have learned that one sheet of A4 paper takes over 5 litres of water to make! This takes into account growing the tree and the water used in manufacturing paper.

  1 A4 sheet of paper weighs 5 grams, therefore 5 grams of paper uses 5 litres of water. On average a paperback book weighs 450g. Children were staggered to calculate that one book can use up to 450 litres of water to produce. Additionally, the production of this paper emits 7.5kg, or 7500grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) into our atmosphere.

  We are asking all books to be in school before Monday 15^th April. The Whole School Book Swap will be held at break time on Wednesday 17^th April.

  

• Portuguese Blog -Day One

  Mon 25 Mar 2019 D Parkin & D Brown

  After an early meet, we soon got on our way to the airport. After thinking the minibus has developed some technical issues part way through the journey, we soon discovered it was Mrs Brown snoring in the front seat.

  We got checked in and went straight through customs and then to the departure lounge. Breakfast was calling. We even had time to do a bit of shopping. 

  We finally boarded and took off. The flight was good, the food was ‘interesting’ and the descent... well we thought we must have missed the L plates on the back of the plane when we boarded! It was bumpy to say the least. 

  Once we had collected our luggage we were picked up and set off for our guest house. We crossed the longest bridge any of us had ever seen. We learned it was the Vasco da Gama bridge which is over 17km long. (After a quick maths lesson and with the help of google we converted this to 10.5 miles). It connects the northern and southern parts of Portugal over the Tagus river. Finding the accommodation proved a little tricky for the taxi driver. But after asking a few locals we finally got there. We quickly unpacked and had a stroll through town to the port. The sun was setting and the view was amazing. 

  It was then time to be collected to meet with some new friends and colleagues from Spain and Slovakia. We ordered a meal that was big enough for all 7 of us to share... and there was still some left over.

  Children have all been amazing, and we can’t wait for our first full day tomorrow.

  

• Sporting Fun

  Tue 19 Mar 2019
  We had a fabulous day of PE in school yesterday with visits from Action Ants and Sports Plus. We have had a go at Scooter Hockey, Basketball, Archery and lots of other sports too.

  

• Bulgarian Blog - Final Instalment

  Fri 08 Mar 2019 D.Spruce

  I am sad to say that our Bulgarian adventure is drawing to a close. The children are busily packing their cases and trying to find additional space for all of their souvenirs and tomorrow morning we will head to the airport and back home.

   

  Our final day of the project here in Sofia saw us up bright and early to catch a bus to the mountains. It was a wonderful experience to watch the world pass by out of the window as the hustle and bustle of the city have way to a broad plain with farms dotted here and there. Before long we began to climb into the mountains amongst deep forests.

   

  Our destination, Koprivshtitsa, is a stunning traditional town full of a higgledy piggledy of Beautiful timber framed buildings clinging to the hillside. Koprivshtitsa is Bulgaria’s only city-Museum; an architectural reserve of historical significance (can you tell that I am paraphrasing from the Bulgarian tourist board website?). Formally a thriving agricultural centre it was birthplace of a number of national heroes and the Bulgarian Revival. It was here that the first shots of the Easter Uprising were fired in the nineteenth century which marked the beginning of the end of five hundred years of Ottoman rule in Bulgaria.

   

  We toured the town with a very informative guide who gave us all a fabulous history lesson about the rich and varied past of this amazing country. Children and staff alike enjoyed exploring the winding cobbled streets - an amazing contrast to the bustling and cosmopolitan city of Sofia. After a lunch in a traditional Bulgarian inn, there was just time for a spot of shopping for souvenirs and mementoes before heading back to the bus.

   

  This evening we have had a great final meal with our partners. At various times in the morning, each group will make their ways back to Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Romania and England with memories to last a lifetime.

   

  We have enjoyed a truly superb week in Bulgaria. Our children have all been  amazing throughout - full of interest and enthusiasm and thrilled to join in with their new friends from all corners of our continent. Erasmus+ has provided us all - both pupils and staff - with so many new experiences and lessons that simply cannot be replicated in a classroom.

   

  I would just like to finish with a few thankyous. Firstly to Rositsa (I spelled it correctly tonight!). Our hostess with the mostess has kept us all entertained with a fantastic programme and worked long and hard to ensure that we have had such a wonderful experience. Next to the staff and children of our host school who have made us all so welcome and have been fine ambassadors of Bulgarian hospitality. To the staff and pupils from Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Romania we thank you also for helping to make this experience so special and look forward to welcoming you to Appleby. 

   

  I can’t sign off the blog without also thanking Team England. Your children have been an absolute delight. They have kept us entertained throughout the week and have been a credit to our school and our country. Thanks to Mrs Clifford who has been great company and a surrogate mum to all of your children. Finally thankyou to Marilyn, our project co-ordinator who not only helped to make all this possible but who has looked after us all throughout. She will arrive home in Appleby tomorrow evening and on Sunday will be shooting down to Manchester airport to meet our Little Explorers who will be joining us in school next week. No sooner has she said goodbye to them, she will be jetting off to Portugal with Mrs Brown and Mrs Parkin and then to Romania with Mr Caygill and Mrs Johnston. I simply do not know where she gets the energy!

  

• Bulgarian Blog - Day 4

  Thu 07 Mar 2019 D.Spruce

  Before starting this evening’s report it should be noted that Appleby’s Bulgarian Blog has acquired quite the following in Sofia. With this welcome attention comes a certain degree of pressure on the writer to find something new to write about each day. Fortunately our gracious hostess Rosita, who has been absolutely fantastic and has gone out of her way each day to ensure that we are made to feel welcome and happy, has ensured that we have a fantastic programme of activities. Today has been no exception with the entire group kept busy for the last twelve hours!

   

  This morning we met early in school and headed into the city with a group of Bulgarian pupils and their teacher.  We made straight for the grounds of the National Gallery - the former Royal Palace from an earlier period of Bulgarian history. Here we all participated in a fun workshop using a unique method of identification to name some of Sofia’s oldest trees. By counting the number of children required to ‘hug’ the full circumference of the trunk, we identified oaks, sycamores, ash and cedar trees. The children really enjoyed themselves and we all had great fun.

   

  Next on the agenda was the National Museum of Natural History - a taxidermist’s dream. We saw all sorts of birds and animals from around the world. Mrs Clifford was intrigued to learn the difference between a buffalo and a bison - you can’t wash your hands in a buffalo!

   

  The highlight of the day was музейко - a museum designed specifically for children and a gift to the children of Bulgaria from the United States. Children of all nationalities enjoyed a workshop on stars and constellations before enjoying the museum together. There were a wide variety of interactive exhibits from a space simulator to a virtual reality headset which allowed the wearer to take part in an undersea archaeological investigation of a Black Sea shipwreck.

   

  Once again it has been really rewarding to see children from all our schools working and having so much fun together. This evening we have all been for a walk in the centre of Sofia and enjoyed and ice cream in a park when chess enthusiasts meet to challenge each other in the open air.

   

  It is an early night tonight as tomorrow brings an early start as we are visiting Koprivshtitsa. In the Sredna Gora mountains, Koprivshtitsa is a historical town and city museum; home to an array of traditional Bulgarian buildings and architecture. 

   

  It has been another fantastic day and the children have had a great time. Our days have passed so quickly and we can hardly believe it is almost Friday already! Time flies when you are having fun!