Erasmus +

Day 1

In the early hours of the morning a group of staff and students from Bridgetown College travelled to Plock in Poland. On our arrival to @jagiellonka_er school we were warmly greeted by teachers and students. The Polish and Irish students got acquainted over a delicious lunch made by the polish students. In the afternoon we learned a traditional Polish Polonaise dance followed by some fun ice breaker activities. A great day was had by all and we look forward to the days ahead!!

Day 2

Today was a day of discovering the hidden treasures of the city of Płock. Our student took part in a treasure hunt around the city. They visited many interesting places including the Madovian Museum, the Jewish Museum and Płocks Cathedral. Students developed team work and communication skills through each of the task. There was clear evident of our students gaining cultural knowledge and wellbeing was promoted throughout. The highlights of the day was visiting the Towarzystwo Naukowe Plockie, where we were privileged to be shown an original copy of books dating from the 15th century.

Day 3

As it was the 6th of December, the Feast of St. Nicolas, a special day in Poland, small gifts are exchanged. We were given beautiful Paçzek: donuts. With the help of our new Polish friends our students have spent the past few days learning a traditional Polish Polonaise dance. Today they got to perform the dance on stage and were kindly given tradition Polonaise costumes to wear for their performance. They also took part in re-enacting famous Polish paintings. Students were given a famous painting and had to make their own costumes and props. They worked together to recreate the scene in the paintings.

Day 4

Today we travelled to the capital of Poland Warsaw with our polish friends. We were taken on a walking tour of the city. We stopped at monumental places and statues of historical importance while the Polish students explained to us the relevant history of the area. We ate at a beautiful indoor food market where there was a choice of food from all over the world. We then took a trip to the Palace of King Jan III at Wilanòw. The students enjoyed learning about the King Jan and his French Queen, the clothes they wore, their favourite past-times etc. We learned a new Polonaise dance and some students enjoyed trying on costumes of the era. We were then treated to a special lights display as we walked around the grounds of the palace.

Day 5

Family day

Day 6

Today we travelled to the fairytale city of Toruń. Jagiellonka and Bridgetown were joined by a French school Lycée Henri Darras a group of 8 students also taking part in an Erasmus+ mobility who arrived just yesterday to Płock. 32 students of three nationalities joined together for the day enjoying each other’s company and spreading the true spirit of the Erasmus + program. When we arrived in Toruń, the students split up into mixed nationality groups and did a guided city tour. The groups had to collect information and clues along the way. We then visited the Living Museum of Gingerbreads. We enjoyed a very entertaining workshop and even got to make our own gingerbread biscuits. Toruń was alive with Christmas markets so everyone had the opportunity to look around them, buy gifts as well as taking in the beautiful Christmas lights.

@jagiellonka_er

@lycee_henri_darras_lievin

Day 7

Today was our last day in Plock with our beautiful Erasmus partners Jagiellonka 😢. During the week Jagiellonka and Bridgetown students made a Guide Book tour of Plock. Today they presented the booklet using Canva. We were reminded of the beauty of Płock through images and information read to us by the students. Jagiellonka (Poland), Bridgetown (Ireland) and Lycée Henri Darras (France) came together in the afternoon to do some fun activities. The afternoon was all about friendship, communication and working together as a team with our new found friends. Late afternoon we were treated to a video reel of photos from our week in Poland. A lovely moment for all and a reminder of the good times, the fun we had and the memories we have made. The students reflected on the week long mobility by making posters, videoing each other’s experience and sharing their favourite photo from the week. The polish teachers Martyna and Małgorzata presented teachers and students with their cert along with some lovely gifts. We then went to the Town Hall and met the Vice President and one of the directors of the Education Department. They kindly gave us gifts.

Day 8

This morning we said fair well to our Polish family 😢. It was a very successful Erasmus trip for both the Irish and Polish students. We learned about the Polish culture, their language, their food and their country with help from our Jagiellonka family. Life time friendships were made and strong connections were forged between our two schools. Well done to all our students that travelled on the Erasmus trip. You flew the flag for Wexford and Ireland so proudly. You are all a credit to your school and family. Thank you to our Jagiellonka family for their kind hospitality it felt like a true home from experience. We look forward to hosting you all in April. See you soon!!

Our 'Erasmus+ Days' event took place from October 14^th to October 19^th 2024 to promote and acknowledge Erasmus+ project participation in schools across Europe. We aim to make project participation open to all students, all staff and management in the school in the coming years. We marked the event here in school on Friday October, 18^th 2024. Bridgetown College came together to celebrate @erasmusdays. Erasmusdays is an International 6 day celebration of the Erasmus + programme. Students and teachers involved in last year’s mobility were delighted to share their knowledge and experience on the day to all staff and students in our school! Many students called into us in the canteen at breaktime to see what Erasmus+ is all about.