Merry Christmas

by Jean Jullien

CAS summary before the Christmas Break

I was at PE lessons on 2nd, 9th and 16th December

15th December - Erazmus project Polish lessons: we read simple stories and talking about colours.
17th December - I prepared some decorations for school christmas day
19th December - I visited Patric last time before Christmas

Next horse riding lesson today... I'm learning the basics, rudimentary things, anyway my muscles hurt quite heavily. I really enjoy the time spent with animals and the fresh air. It gives me good energy for a whole week.
I was at horse riding training four times - 15.11, 30.11, 07.12, and today 14.12.

Learning outcomes:
undertaking new challenges

IV MIĘDZYSZKOLNY PRZEGLĄD SPEKTAKLI MŁODZIEŻOWYCH "LUSTERKO"

Shot from our play
source: MDK Ochota

With a group o friends I took part in  IV MIĘDZYSZKOLNY PRZEGLĄD SPEKTAKLI MŁODZIEŻOWYCH  "LUSTERKO". Our play was awarded in two categories - Best Scenario and Best Play. Except that I recieved the title of Outstanding Acting Creation.

Preparations lasted a month - 4 meetings, 3 hours per each.

Meeting with Konstanty Gebert

source: IBzine

On Monday, 1st December we were honoured to host a meeting with Konstanty Gebert - psychologist, journalist and war correspondent. Key point of our discussion were three fundamental qualities, or rather ideals, of journalism: independance, impartiality and objectivism.

Check out my relation from the meeting!
 http://ibzine.idu.edu.pl/?p=832

Today I visited Patrick. We were singing christmas carrols and reading "Mikołajek" - story of charming French schoolboy and his silly adventures.

Interdisciplinary forum - death

Hans Holbein - Dance macabre

After a week of intensive work on project, time of presentation has come. My group's topic was "Death in Medival Art and Literature".

Check out our presentation: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8UScNxJ0UsyfllYUHZNaV9sM080RTNxcmJmTHQzelpCUU5SWjFUcG9EYWs4TUY1WUNvc0k&usp=sharing

Polish Erazmus for Ukraine

From today every two weeks I'm going to have Polish lessons with a girl from Ukraine. As a teacher. This is quite a chellange... She speaks Polish a bit  and generally knows the basics, but anyway we started from the begining - training diction (she finds difficult Polish pronounciation), reading simple stories etc.

Soon I'll upload a certificate.

CAS 1st-14th December

During these two weeks I was at Patric's two times (7th & 14th December).
On 13th December I had rowing training.
Today I had second horse riding lesson (first one was on Sunday last week).
I also attend PE lessons once a week - on Tuesdays.

Cracow trip, Jack White's Concert

During the Autumn Break (9-15 Nov.) I went on a small trip to Cracow. The weather is nice, so I potter around the Old Town and Kazimierz and just enjoy the climate and unique spirit of tiny winding streets.

Two days ago I went on the Szuflada Szymborskiej exhibition in National Museum. I'm a fan of her "wycinanki" - cut-out occasional post cards she used to make for friends.

Yesterday I was on Jack White's concert in Stara Zajezdnia on Kazimierz. Amazing. I admire the energy he "radiates" with during the show. His songs never sound the same two times.

I prefer to enjoy concert than make photos...
source: http://sanestishombre.blogspot.com/2014/11/jack-white-12112014-krakow-stara.html

Halloween

I was at Patrick's again. Todays evening we made Jack-o'-lantern - Patrick liked it very much, so he tried to scare his mum with it. Then we read some spooky stories. We spent a nice time.

Patrick with our Jack-o'-lantern

Rowing training

As days are becoming shorter thursday trainings will be held in gym. We will work on strengh and stamina.

Literature trip to Cracow - Reading Lesson with Aleksander Nawarecki

Naxt reading lesson. Todays topic was interpretation of Narożne Okno (The Corner Window) by  E.T.A. Hoffmann. In this story the narrator searchs for his cousin, an eldelry ailing writer. Admittedly the old man is not able to live his flat, but he has a wide view on the theatral square from his corner window. Men are observing the noisy market, visible form the window and talking about characters passing by...
Old writer tries to introduce his cousin "the art of seeing" - discerning details.

by Monika Orpik

Literature Trip to Cracow - Reading Lesson with Jerzy Jarniewicz

Second day of our literature trip.
Today we joined so called "reading lesson" with Jerzy Jarniewicz, poet, literary critic and Anglist. We were trying to interpret Philip Larkin's poem High Windows in two Polish translations - by Jacek Dehnel and by Stanisław Barańczak. Amazing how different they are. Just take a look.

High Windows

BY PHILIP LARKIN

When I see a couple of kids

And guess he’s fucking her and she’s   

Taking pills or wearing a diaphragm,   

I know this is paradise

Everyone old has dreamed of all their lives—   

Bonds and gestures pushed to one side

Like an outdated combine harvester,

And everyone young going down the long slide

To happiness, endlessly. I wonder if   

Anyone looked at me, forty years back,   

And thought, That’ll be the life;

No God any more, or sweating in the dark

About hell and that, or having to hide   

What you think of the priest. He

And his lot will all go down the long slide   

Like free bloody birds. And immediately

Rather than words comes the thought of high windows:   

The sun-comprehending glass,

And beyond it, the deep blue air, that shows

Nothing, and is nowhere, and is endless.

Source: Collected Poems (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2001)

Stanisław Barańczak

Jacek Dehnel

Gdy widzę parę smarkaczy, po których  Poznać, że on ją rypie i że im nawzajem  Dobrze dzięki pigułce czy innej diafragmie -  Wiem, że to właśnie jest tym rajem,  O którym każdy starzec marzył całe życie:  Dawne więzi i gesty, niby muzealny  Kombajn, zepchnięte na pobocze drogi,  A kto młody, ten zjeżdża po długiej zjeżdżalni  W basen szczęścia, bez końca. Ciekaw jestem, czy też  Ktoś czterdzieści lat temu, patrząc na mnie z boku,  Także myślał: Ten będzie miał dopiero życie;  Żadnego tam już Boga, zimnych potów w mroku  Na myśl o piekle, fałszu klękania przed katabasem,  Którym się gardzi. Tacy jak on będą drwili  Z tych bzdur, z radosnym piskiem zjeżdżając w swój basen,  Wolni, psiakrew, jak ptaki. I w tej samej chwili  Zamiast słów, myśl rozjaśnia blask wysokich okien:  Szkło przeniknięte objawieniem słońca,  Za szkłem błękit powietrza, puste i głębokie  Nigdzie, nic nie mówiące, nie mające końca.  Source: Philip Larkin: 44 wiersze, Kraków 1991, s. 101

Gdy widzę parę dzieciaków i wiem, że Ona spiralę nosi albo bierze Jakieś globulki, a on ją posuwa, Myślę: to właśnie jest ten raj, o którym  Wszyscyśmy, starzy, marzyli – formuły, Gesty i więzi zepchnięte na stronę Jak przestarzałe kombajny – i każdy Kto młody, zjeżdża długim, śliskim torem  Ku szczęśliwości, bez końca. Ciekawe, Czy ktoś tak na mnie czterdzieści lat temu Patrzył i myślał: Ten będzie miał klawe Życie; żadnego tam Boga, żadnego  Potu w ciemnościach na myśl o tym wszystkim  I piekle, powie, co zechce, o księżach: On i podobni jemu długim, śliskim Torem w dół zjadą jak swobodne, ciężka  Cholera, ptaki. I od razu zamiast  Słów, myśl się zjawia o wysokich oknach: Gdzieś za szybami zalanymi słońcem Głęboki błękit powietrza objawia Nic, które nigdzie jest – i jest bez końca.

Mocak - the museum of modern art in Cracow

Seizing the opportunity, we went to Mocak - the museum of modern art in Cracow. Honestly, I'm not into Polish contemporary art - things I saw in several Polish MOMA's  just didn't touch me, I couldn't feel that they were making a difference in peoples view on the world. They are still far from the works of Rothko or Pollock... 

photo by Monika Orpik

Check out the video about Mocak's lastest exhibition Installation or Object?

Literature trip to Cracow - Conrad Festival - David Damrosch's lecture

At 3:30 PM in The Palace under the Rams David Damrosch gave The Annual Joseph Conrad Lecture: "Conrad after Colonialism". It was mainly focused on Joseph Conrad's figure - professeur quoted Conrad's friends and well-known representants of the literarure world telling about his character, habits, language, travels and books.

Here a bit more about David Damrosch: http://www.conradfestival.pl/en/3/632/642/david-damrosch

My second rowing training... Actually, it was quite a challange to get your act together early in Sunday morning. But I managed. It's been my first time "on the water" - not that succesful (keeping coordination on a boat is not a child's play ;) ), but it's only a matter of time. Practice makes perfect.

Learning outcomes:

• increasing awareness of my strengths and areas for growth
• undertaking new challenges
• developing new skills

Hey, today I was at Patric's again. I showed him "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide" by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, an album stylized on an old sketch-book with descriptions of fantastic creatures like pixies and elves. He was fascinated.

Here you can take a look at full verison of this book:
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Arthur-Spiderwicks-Field-Guide-to-the-World-You/Tony-DiTerlizzi/The-Spiderwick-Chronicles/9781416960959/browse_inside

Rowing

I've just got back from my first rowing training at "Warszawskie Towarzystwo Wioślarskie"... I'm tired but happy. Classes are challenging and I'm sure that soon I'll learn a lot of new skills.

Motivational Interviewing Conference

Today I took part in a conference devoted to Motivational Interviewing - a specific method of triggering and strengthening motivation in people, who have problems with the consequent realization of their goals.

The conference consisted of dr Richard Rutschman's workshops about MI and several lectures (for example Marek Kamiński's).

During the forum, I joined the panel discussion "How to organize the educational process based on the values ​​of autonomy and community" conducted by dr Krystyna Starczewska. I was asked to prepare a short speach about school democracy at Społeczne Gimnazjum"Raszyńska". It was quite an interesting experience, because I've never taken part (when it comes to an "active participation") in similar event.


Check out:
http://www.motivationalinterview.org/
http://www.pttm.org.pl/

Janusz Korczak Educational Award for Raszyńska!

Warsaw authorities appreciating the efforts of schools in the field of education, established the Janusz Korczak Educational Award. Janusz Korczak, or actually Henryk Goldszmit, was a pioneer of fighting for the children's rights, the creator of modern anti-authoritarian education system, a doctor, a writer, and above all, an educator, who regarded his profession as a vocation.

This year was the first year of the competition.
Today, October 8th 2014, at the Centre of Documentation and Research "Korczakianum" took place the Janusz Korczak Award Gala, during which we met the winners of the first edition of the competition. One of them was my previous school - Społeczne Gimnazjum Raszyńska. We also listened to a lecture on the Janusz Korczak's pegadogical ideas.

In this photo I'm sitting in the third line at the middle

The lecture

Photos by R.Motyl (source:http://edukacja.warszawa.pl/projekty-i-inicjatywy/nagroda-korczakowska/6453-gala-warszawskiej-nagrody-wychowawczej-imienia)

Learning outcomes

Creativity

1) Dziecięcy Zespół Wokalny "Gong"

• planned and initiated activities

• worked collaboratively with others

• shown perseverance and commitment in their activities

2) Knowledge about religions

considered the ethical implications of their actions

Action:

1) Physical Education
2) Pilates
3) Rowing

• increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth

• undertaken new challenges

• developed new skills

Service:

1) Stowarzyszenie Rodziców dzieci z porażeniem mózgowym

• engaged with issues of global importance

• shown perseverance and commitment in their activities

New school year's resolutions - CAS plans summary

Creativity:

This year I plan to attend Mrs. Bieńkowska's classes "Knowledge about religions" - it's an hour per week.

 Besides, as I'm a volunteer in Children's Vocal Group "Gong", I'm going to upload some videos from our practice (check out this video below! :-) ). We meet 3 times a week at Thuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Action:

In pre-IB I will attend PE lessons with Mrs. Anna Górnicka (2 hours a week) and, rather recreationally, yoga classes at Pure Jatomi fitness club.

Service:

I plan to continue my volunatary work at "Society for Parents of Children
Affected by Cerebral Palsy".
__________________________________________________

Patryk

   Hi!
   Yesterday, after a (too) long summer break I met my friend Patric. I got to know him about a year ago, when I started my voluntary work at "Stowarzyszenie Rodziców Dzieci z Porażeniem Mózgowym".
   Patric is now 13 years old, he suffers from cerebral palsy since early childhood. Cerebral palsy is a name of group of permanent move disorders and physical disabilities caused by damage of developing brain during pregnancy, birth or early childhood. Children with CP also very often have problems with communication because of speach and language disorders.
   At first I found it difficult to communicate with Patric, but now, since we stay in touch for about a year, our conversations become more and more fluent. This year, I spend with him at least an hour in a week.


P.S. Check out the web site of "Stowarzyszenie Rodziców Dzieci z Porażeniem Mózgowym":
http://www.porazeniemozgowe.com.pl/

source: www.radio90.pl

Hi!

   I've just came back home. I'm totally exhausted, but, funnily enough, full of positive energy.

     At Tuesdays my school day ends with two lessons of physical education. It's nice because allows me to clean my mind and break away from everyday problems.

Since I can remember, in primary school and later, in junior high, during PE lessons boys and girls have always practised separately. I have never argued with this rule, although I've disagreed with it. However, today, we had PE together - boys and girls - and it was awesome! I think, that coeducational PE gives much more than separated by gender. Why? In my (girly) view it's more challenging. Because (sad but true) boys are better in football then us, we need to stay focused all the time and do our best to catch up. It helps us to learn new skills faster.
By the way, playing sports together is fun!

Weronika

Everything needs to start somewhere...

- instead of introduction

source: www.royalhalloway.ac.uk

   Summer brake is over. After first week in IB, step by step I realize how many challenges are waiting for me here - demanding curriculum, biology labs, MOKs... However, as the most important (and difficult) I concider CAS. 

     Creativity,

Action,

Service

- without a doubt theese three things will push us, students, out of our comfort zones, help to improve new skills, experience other cultures and make us more careing and open-minded.

     I think it's high time I looked for some voluntary work... Time doesn't stay still!

See you soon,

Weronika