Clarification on the quizzes and essays

Quizzes:

Three activities must be finished: 

1. please, check if the answers our students gave to the other countries questions are correct, to improve our knowledge;
2. please, check the other partners' answers on our country too;
3. so that the best one could be chosen (please, notify your suggestion how to make this choice)

The deadline for these activities is 2nd November 2010.


Essays:


Three activities must be finished:  

1. each country must choose the best essay among the three which have been uploaded in the forum. The deadline for this activity is 5th November 2010;
2. the survey will then be uploaded, which all the registered students will answer. The deadline for this activity is 12th November 2010;
3. there will be a prize for the best essay which will be given in Spain.

A DRAFT SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, 24TH NOVEMBER

20:00: Meeting opening at the Auditorium of Padrón, with the presence of members of the town hall.

A reception will be offered by the town hall

THURSDAY, 25^TH NOVEMBER

10:00-10:30: A visit around the high school and its facilities.

10:25-10:45: Introduction of our guests to all the members of the staff.

10:30-13:30: Meeting at the school library (we will have several available computers with internet connection).

13:30-16:00: Lunch (in Padrón or in Santiago).

16:00-18:00: Guided tour of Santiago.

FRIDAY, 26^TH NOVEMBER

09:30-12:30: Meeting

12:45-14:00: Guided tour of Padrón (both teachers and students)

14:00-16:00: Lunch in Padrón or in Santiago

16:00-17:30:  Visit to the cathedral roofs (both teachers and students)

DURING THE WEEKEND THE STUDENTS WILL STAY WITH THEIR HOST FAMILIES

SATURDAY 26^TH NOVEMBER

I’d suggest visiting A Coruña, a nice town on the NW coast, about 65 km from Santiago, where we could get by train. It has quite an important Roman heritage, a medieval town and, besides, a lively commercial activity (just in case you want to go shopping). A group of Spanish teachers could accompany you, if you wish.

SUNDAY 26^TH NOVEMBER

In Padrón you can find the most important open air market in the area. If it’s sunny, it’s really interesting. Some of us could go with you, if you wish.

MONDAY, 29TH NOVEMBER

09:30-12:30: Meeting

12:30-18:00: Excursion to see the Ría of Arousa, the natural park of Corrubedo dunes, the Axeitos Dolmen and the Castro of Baroña (a castro is a walled fortified village, dating from Prehistorical and Roman settlements in Galicia and Northern Portugal).

18:30-20:00: Farewell party (for teachers, parents and students).

Problems with the students' forum

I am trying to fix all our problem with the students forum: http://comenius.forumfree.it/.

Paloma, Alexandra, Nicoleta and Taner (who is the last one to enter) are MODERATORS of their own section.

Please, remember that to do something on the forum, you have to be "logged in" with the name and password you registered.

How to upload an image or a video on our forum:

These are instructions to follow:

to post an image:

- open a new topic

- write your message

- When you want to put an image on a topic you have to: (1) look down the page ON THE LEFT, (2) there you will find “forumfree hosting”, look just right and you find “search” or something like that; you have to search for the image you want to upload from your pc. (3) Once you have found it, write a description or a title of the photo just below the box “forumfree hosting”.

That’all for pictures, when you click “post the new topic”, you should find the pic on your post

To post a video:

- is just a little bit complex, because you should have a “Youtube account”. If you have one, you must upload your video on your account. Anyway you can upload all the videos in Youtube, so if one of your students has one it is OK to upload on our forum.

- open your video from Youtube page

- click on the box of the “code to incorporate” (or something like that),

- just below this box, you will find another one with the code,

- copy that code on the post you are writing on our forum.

I have just tried and it works. Look at the Italian section.

HOTEL AND HOST FAMILIES

HOTEL 

As I haven't been able to find rooms at the same hotel, I have booked at Hotel Costa Vella for Italy, Romania and Turkey. There were not triple rooms but they offered to put a third bed in the biggest room of the hotel. It is a little more expensive but, as Nicoleta and Bruno will come on 23rd, it seemed better to host both of them in the same hotel.

I remind you the prices (breakfast included):

• triple: 99+8% IVA
• double: 65+8% IVA
• single: 50+8% IVA

This is what I have booked at Hotel Costa Vella:

• Romania:1 triple and 1 single (23rd to 30th)
• Italy: 1 double and 1 single (23rd to 30th)
• Turkey: 2 double (24th to 30th)

Greece and Poland will stay at Hotel Entrecercas.

Prices (breakfast and taxes included):

• double: 75
• single: 55

The booking I've done is:

• Greece: 2 double (24th to 30th)
• Poland: 1 double and 1 single (24th to 30th)

I hope everything is OK and you enjoy your stay at the hotels.

HOST FAMILIES

I think I have already found host families for all the students.

QUIZ

You can send me the questionnaires on Thursday and I'll upload on the forum page.

A colleague asked me if our quiz had any rules and I didn't know what to answer. I suppose the school that first solves all the quizzes will win, but I have some doubts:

Of course, the students will upload the answers only if the whole questionnaire is solved. But,
must the students upload the answers of all the questionnaires together or can they upload the answers of each questionnare as they are finding them out?
Please, let me know you opinion.

ABOUT THE EXPENSES

Nicoleta, we took part in other Comenius and we used to pay the excursions, tickets organised by our school here in Spain..., but we can speak about it if you want. But not today, I am going to have a drink because tomorrow it's holiday here in Spain.

Good evening

IWONA'S DOUBTS

Iwona has asked me some questions and I am trying to clear up her doubts. I hope to be useful for everybody.

About students

If we manage to find host families for all the foreign students (we already have 14 families), they will live and have meals with their hosts, so they will not have expenses.

The foreign students will go to school with their host students and, while the Spanish students attend their classes, the foreign students will be accompanied by a Spanish teacher. We'll try to organise activities for them. They may take part in some of the classes, but not in all, because it would be very hard for them.

The foreign students will spend their free time with their hosts. I don't know if they will be allowed to go to a night club, but I am sure the host families will take care of them. We organised an exchange among students within a bilateral Comenius project years ago and there was no problem.

We intend to do a schedule, but I prefer to work step by step and I am still looking for host families and trying to arrange the booking of the hotel. When I have finished these two tasks, my headmistress and I will plan the activities and I will let you know them before the meeting.

We are planning a guided tour of Santiago and Padrón and, of course, the foreign students will take part in it. I don't know yet if our Spanish students will participate in it because they shouldn't miss too many classes.

About expenses

As I wrote on the blog, section CLARIFYING POINTS, when we travel to take part in a meeting, each of us will have to pay all our expenses with our own grants (travelling fares, accommodation, meals, etc.). So, when you take part in every meeting, you will have to pay your own expenses, including lunch and dinner.

The school that organizes each meeting can invite the other partners to a welcoming party and, obviously, will pay the excursions and visits that will be organized during the stay: for instance, the guided tour of Santiago and Padrón will be paid by Spain, bus (if necessary) and tickets included. I am thinking in visiting A Coruña or Lugo, two towns with an important Roman heritage: if we do it, we will pay the bus and the tickets (if necessary), but not the meals. Is it clear now?

About the hotel

As I have already told you, the hotels in the centre of Santiago are very small, so I don't know if all the partners will be able to stay at the same hotel. I am trying to book in two hotels that are in the same street. But I am waiting for call phone in order to check the prices.

I hope to have helped you.

Best regards,

Paloma

MEETING IN PADRÓN: HOTELS AND MORE 2

Sorry, I have tried to write a comment more than four times but, at the end, it didn't appear. So I am sending a new post.

Yesterday I sent a message to the hotel and today, when I came back home, I opened my mail and I saw they asked me to contact them. I have tried to do it now but I haven’t managed. I’ll do it tomorrow. I hope there is no problem.

About hosting

I have already found 9 families and I am still looking for. Don’t worry, if the matter is not solved at the end of October, I’ll let you know.

Of course, the Spanish students who offer to host foreign students are going to take part in one of our trips (if they want). And I agree to Nicoleta and to Alexandra: those students who travel in order to take part in a meeting should offer to play the part of hosts when the meeting is held in their own country.

About the funds

Our contract said that we’d receive the funds within 45 days after signing it. We had a little problem because the papers my headmistress signed didn’t have the symbol of E. U. on all the pages, so we were sent a new contract to sign. I am sure we are going to receive the funds but I don’t know when it will be.

About the deadline

We could fix two different dates for the essays and the quiz. We could upload all the quizzes on 15^th (Friday) and the essays on 22^nd (Friday) or 25th (Monday). What do you think?

About the forum

I entered some days ago but, when I tried to do it yesterday, I didn’t manage, I don’t know why. I’ll try it again tomorrow because today it’s too late.

Nicoleta, the first day of the meeting will be the 25^th because Alexandra, Taner and perhaps Iwona will be travelling on 24^th.

If you don’t understand anything or I seem to be too rude, sorry, it’s not my fault, put the blame on my English. Sometimes my head doesn’t work.

Best regards.

MEETING IN PADRÓN: HOTELS AND MORE

Hello,

I am writing to everybody and I am uploading the same message on the blog and on the forum (if I manage)

I regret telling you Hostal La Salle doesn´t have rooms on 26th and 27th, and I think we should book now because I wouldn´t like to be worried about the booking longer. Between Hotel Entrecercas and Hotel Costa Vella I have chosen the first one because Hostal Costa Vella doesn't have any triple rooms.

Alexandra: 2 double rooms (from 24th to 30th)

Nicoleta: 1 triple+1 single (from 23rd to 30th)

Iwona: 3 single (from 24th to 30th)

Bruno: 1 double+1 single (from 23rd to 30th)

Taner: 1 triple+1double (from 24th to 30th)

Is the number of the rooms right? Check it, please, and let me know. I am booking them (actually, I had already booked Alexandra's rooms).

About the students:

I am looking for host families and I have only found 6 till now, but I hope to find families for all the students. I have only spoken to my students (those who study Latin and Greek) but there more student at school. It would be better for me to know the total number:

Alexandra: 3 boys and 1 girl

Nicoleta: 3 boys

Bruno: 3 girls
Taner: 3 girls

And Iwona? Perhaps you have already told me the number but I have just read almost all the messages of the blog and I haven't seen it.

Bruno's colleague has opened a forum and we can to upload our work there. I don't know how to use it (I have never entered Facebook or something like this) but I'll learn.

We have to agree on the deadline to upload the quiz (we have already written our questions) and the essays. I had proposed the date of 12th of November for the essays but I'd prefer to change that deadline because the teachers who have to run it need more time.

What do you think? Looking forward to hearing from you.