Newsletter number 4May 2010

Welcome to this our fourth and final newsletter. We have all really enjoyed our visits to the Comenius countries and have received very warm welcomes from all the children, teachers and friends. Thank you to everyone involved and may the links that have been made between our countries continue.

Contents;

Hungary……………………………………………..……….pages 3 - 8

Iceland……………………………………………..……….pages 9 - 14

Italy………………………………………………..……….pages 15 - 20

Spain……………………………………………………….pages 21 - 25

France…………………………………………………….pages 27 - 32

Wales…………………………………………………….…pages 33 - 38

History, traditions and culture

The coat of arms arms of

the town

According to local legend,Veszprém was built on sevenhills.

Veszprém had an importantreligious role during thefight to make Christianity.Our first king ST. Stephendefeated the armies of hisopponent, Koppány, nearVeszprém.

The name of the citycomes from the Slavicword Bezprym, which wasoriginally a personal nameor from German Weiss-Brunn-white well.

The Brief History of Our Town, VeszprémThe Town of Queens

Koppány was cut into four pieces which weredisplayed on the walls of the four majorstrongholds of the Kingdom (one piece inVeszprém) as a warning to all troublemakers.

The statue of St. Stephenand Queen Gizela in thecastle(by Pesti Bianka 3.A)

St.Stephen‟scrown and hissignature

Veszprém was the favourite townof Queen Gizela, the wife of St.Stephen. For centuries, thequeens of Hungary were crownedby the bishop of Veszprém. Thetown is still often called "thetown of queens.”

St Stephen invited foreign prieststo Hungary to evangelize hiskingdom. He introduced the Latinalphabet instead of using runes. Hebecame one of the most popularsaints in Hungary, and his birthdayis celebrated as a state holidaycommemorating the foundation ofthe nation.

Veszprém was among thefirst Hungarian cities tohave a university -students studied law andarts here. The universitywas destroyed by fire in1276, after whichVeszprém became auniversity town again inthe 20th century.

http://www.uni-pannon.hu/

-Badacsony: Vintage

Kinizsi Castle in Nagyvázsonynear Veszprém

The castle belonged to PálKinizsi, who was a Hungariangeneral in the army of kingMatthias Hunyadi (Corvinus).

He is famous for his victoryover the Ottomans in theBattle of Kenyérmező( Breadfield) in October 1479.According to a legend hedanced a victory dance afterthe battle with a capturedTurk under each arm and athird held by his belt in histeeth.

He is also a hero of someother folk tales along withking Matthias as an extremelystrong miller's apprenctice.According to these tales, theking was hunting near the millwhere Kinizsi worked andasked for a drink. Kinizsi, toshow his strength, served thecup on a millstone. The king,impressed, took him into hisservice. His sterngth, courageand loyalty earned him rapidpromotion.

You can read the legendon our blog. (by classes 2.a and3.a)

Now there are Medieval Gamesheld in Nagyvázsony wherebrave people can also show theirstrength.

Festivals in Veszprém county

January- Veszprém: Brusznyai Award given to a teacher and a student every year. (This year one of our teachers, Ms Sárfi was given the award)

May-Veszprém: Gizella‟ s Days

June –Veszprém : Kabóciadé –Puppet Festival

July – Balatonfüred – Anna - Ball: this year: 185th

July-Veszprém: Street Music Festival

July/August –Veszprém : Classical Music Festival (in the Castle)

August-Nagyvázsony: Medieval Games in the castle area

September/October: Badacsony: Vintage

The most important events of the Hungarian History

The middle of 9th century

Árpád unified theMagyar tribes via theCovenant of Blood.Magyars became onenation known as theHungarian nation .Árpád was electedsupreme chief.

895-900Hunor and Magyar(Magor) found a newhome and settled downin the CarpathianBasin.The Migration Periodfinished.

1000Saint Stephen I Thefirst King of Hungary(1000–1038). He isconsidered to be thefounder of the Kingdomof Hungary. Heestablished Christianityin the region.

1241–1242Mongol InvasionThe Battle of Muhi.Hungary protects Europefrom the Mongol attacks.

1456The Siege of BelgradeJohn Hunyadi defendedthe city against theattack of the OttomanSultan Mehmed II. Duringthe siege, Pope CallixtusIII ordered the bells ofevery European church tobe rung every day at noon.

1458-1490The last strong king was theRenaissance king MatthiasHunyadi(Corvinus), son of John Hunyadi.A true Renaissance prince. Hehad an Italian wife, Beatrice.Matthias was an enlightenedpatron of the arts and learning.His library, the BibliothecaCorviniana, was Europe'sgreatest collection of historicalchronicles.Hungarian proverb: Matthiashas died, justice has gone.

1526-1699Ottoman wars150 years of warsHungary was dividedinto three parts.By joininginternational forcesBuda was recaptured.

1848 -1849Revolution and War ofIndependenceHungarian reformistsdeclared the first PrimeMinister of Hungary:Lajos Batthyany.Fights for freedom.Russia helped to beatdown the revolution.

The Hungari-an cockade used in 1848.

End of19th century:

Economicgrowth: railconstruction;IgnacSemmelwies-savior ofmothers,1863: secondoldestunderground.HeroesSquare inBudapest.

by Simon Márton 6.A

The coat of arms of the

country

Light and Proportion in Focus

Vass László started his carrieras a shoemaker and designer. Heis the master of elegant menshoes. He renewed traditionalstyle and made themfashionable.Working as a shoe designer, heenjoyed accuracy. Soon hestarted to take to modern, non-objective art.He has been collecting modern,abstract, non-objectivepictures, graphics and statues.

The artist is alwayshappy when visitorscome and see hiscollection.

Little artistsfrom EgryKindergarten inthe art gallery–maybe one daywe can see someof their work ofarts in Vass‟sprivatecollection.

The art gallery issituated in one of thenicest area ofVeszprém. It‟s in thecastle district.

The cube doesn‟t want to be a cube

A clown with a guitar

Rhythm of shapes

Visiting an Art Gallery - Collection of Vass László

Readers meet Author in Botev Library

On 23 April we had agreat afternoon with acontemporary writer,poet, literary translatorand teacher,LACKFI JÁNOS. (bornin 1971)

A poem for childrenabout cars:You may enjoy therhythm of the poem

LEGJOBB AUTÓK

Jó autó a Porse,száguldás a sorsa.

Jó autó a Merci, menetideje percnyi.

Jó autó a Skoda,ha megy, az már csoda.

Jó autó a Lada, csípős az illata.

Jó autó a Mazda, elparkol a gazba.

Jó autó az Ifa, fér rá sok tüzifa.

Jó autó a Trabant, vele a lét kaland. (Legjobb autó a műanyag, ingyen van az üzemanyag.)

Our dramagroup,directed byHatásAndrea,(actress)and SzarkaZsófia(pupil)greeted thepoet byacting outsome of hispoems.

Then the poet read andacted out many of his poemsfrom his books of versewritten for children: MugFamily, My Father‟s Rooster,the Drunken Elephant.As you can see, his poems arevery funny and every oneenjoyed the poet‟sperformance.

„The Drunken Elephant”

Finally the writer talked about his life. We have learntthat he has 5 children, who often appear in Lackfi‟s poems.He has written poems, novels, even plays for theatres. Hehas been given some great literary awards.The Hungarian section of IBBY gave the prize to him : TheBest Children‟s Book of the Year in 2004.

One of the contemporary musicians of our town:

Attila Kovács was born in Veszprém. He studied in

Veszprém, too. After living abroad for some

years, he came back to his home town. At the

moment he works for the local theatres,

he plays music at concerts.

Belgium asked him to compose church music.

He composed the town hymn in 2000.

He composes musicals but he is also fond of

classical music, jazz, blues and pop music.

He often goes to schools and have interactive

Music lessons.

Attila Kovács was our guest in

April. He talked about his life and played lots of

pieces of music in different styles composed

by himself. At the end of the lesson we asked him

several questions and we found out that hisfavourite

music is jazz.

He loves improvising. He often takes part

in festivals, book fares and he loves

visiting schools and meeting young people. (by Class3.b)

A composer from the 18th century.

The first famous composer born in ourtown was Antal Csermák. He composedfolksongs, liked folk music and he alsohad pieces of music for orchestras.In honour of him, the music school inVeszprém is called „Csermák AntalZeneiskola”.Every year Veszprém organizes the socalled „Csermák Days”. The mosttalented children in Music are invited toplay music in the festival.One of the tunes composed by Csermákcan be heard every hour in the FireTower of Veszprém.

Autographs from the composer

This drawing was a present from the pupils for the composer.

Click here to listen to our National

Anthem

Njarðvík

Njarðvík produced two of Iceland's greatest scholars, Jón Thorkelsson Thorcillius and Sveinbjörn Egilsson, both of whom are commemorated by statues in the town. A fascinating insight into the region's past can be gained through a visit to the local folk museum, the turf-roofed Stekkjarkot, now reconsructed as a typical domestic house from the turn of the century.

Keflavík

The largest of the former communities, Keflavík (pop 11.000), beeing first mentioned in written sources about 1590 as the base of an english trader, who was followed by German and the later Danish merchants. Keflavík importance grew in the wake of the Básendar disaster at the end of the 18th century. Parts of Duushús (Culture house), a building which served as the residence of a Danish merchant during the middle years of the last century, can still be seen. In recent years tourism has played an increasingly important role in the local economy.

REYKJANESBAER In 1994 three communities in Reykjanes;

Hafnir, Njarðvík and Keflavík merged to form one municipality Reykjanesbær

The population in Reykjanesbaer is approx. 13.000.

http;//reykjanesbær/the town of reykjanes

The troll in the CaveSkessan í hellinum

• The troll Skessan moved to

Reykjanesbær in the year 2008

where she lives in her cave,

children love to go and visit her.

• Skessan fluttist í Reykjanesbæ árið

2008 og býr hún þar í hellinum

sínum, börnunum finnst mjög

gaman að heimsækja hana.

Herdís Egilsdóttir was born in

Húsavík 18 júlí 1939. She is a teacher

who has published a lot of children's

books and has written a play for

children. Her most famous books are

about the troll Skessan that gets in to a

lot of trouble when she tries to play

with the children in the town.

• The troll skessan has put her footprint in our town.

• Víðsvegar um bæinn okkar er hægt að finna

spor eftir Skessuna.http://skessan.is/forsida

Guðmundur R. Ludviksson,The artist Gudmundur R. Ludviksson is in some

ways typical of Icelandic artists. Before he

became an artist, he worked in another field he

was a chef. He lives in Reykjanesbær and he

has worked with children in art.

Education

•Hotel and restaurant

school of

Iceland(4years)

•Icelandic College of

Arts and Crafts(4years

•Willem De Coonik Art

acakemie Rotterdam

Holland

•The Fine Art

Academie Frankfurt

Cermany

Northen light towers

Awards

•City Reykjanesbær

•City Hafnarfjördur

•City Gardur

•City Sandgerdi

•Myndstef

•Icelandair

•The Ministry of Education, Science

and Culture Iceland

•Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Iceland

•1st Prize of the 2007 Palm Art Award.

Art Domain Gallery Leipzig 2008

•Manngildissjodur Reykjanesbæjar

2008

•Impra 2008

•Menningaráð Suðurnesja 2008http://1og8.com

Icelandic culture is just as diverse as the landscape. There is far more to Iceland than just unspoiled nature. Iceland is also famous

for its writers, composers, actors, and artists and musicians.

http://en.island.is/travel_and_transport/volcanic-eruption-in-iceland

The history of Reykjanesbær

Keflavík – Njarðvík

Keflavík is first mentioned in written

sources about 1590 as the base of an

English trader, who was followed by

German, and later Danish,

merchants. Keflavík was a major center of

fishing and fish processing.

http://www.icenews.is

http://www.pressan.is/news/readicelandicnews.is

Guðmundur Rúnar Júlíusson

Better known as Rúnni Júll.

He was born in Keflavík on the 13th April 1945

and dietd on December 5th, 2008

He played in the most popular bands and was in

the national football team. He married Miss

Iceland.

He had a remarkable career, both as a member in

a popular band and also as a solo artist.

He is a legend in Icelandic music history.

He was a very lively performer and used to jump

up and dance around like crazy while he played

and sang

In his free time he wrote songs and lyrics

He formed his own label, Geimsteinn.

The label has released more than a hundred

albums.

Rúnar also had his own recording studio,

Icelandic Beatles

G.C.D TRÚBROTSOLO

Watch video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MDGfPt5yAw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQD7nnRN9BM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJ8VX25qqg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9ldm5-9SMg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDUOumLx9YY&feature=related

http://www.runarjul.is/

The history of our town Campalto

Saint Martin‟s church is the oldest historical monument in town. It was built in 1512 by the noble Venetian family Morosini.

The name Campalto (Campus Altus/ High field) derives fromits higher ground compared to the lagoon. The town was inhabitedby poor farmers and fishermen until after World War II.

The town overlooks theVenetian lagoon, fromwhich it is separatedfrom the channelMarzenego or Osellino.

From Campalto you can admire a magnificent view of the BARENA,the saltmarshes (islets covered with typical vegetation), theLAGOON and the shapes of the palaces and churches of VENICE

From the railwaybridge, built by theAustrians in 1846, andwhich marked the endof the beautifulisolation of Venice, wecan also see the outlinesof the factories ofPorto Marghera.

There are many parks in town.Recently, a natural track along the banks of the channel Osellino and which connects Campalto to the big park San Giulianowas created for walking or biking,

The poorest people lived in "Casoni", huts built with materials such as reeds, clay and wood which were available in the area This is the park in Chiarin street

Local festivals

Historical regatta in September

Madonna della salute on 21st November In 1630 a terrible plague exploded in Venice, brought by the German soldiers, and third of the population of Venice died. The Senate decided to build a temple in honor of the Madonna. The disease miraculously ceased. Still today, like a vow, the Venetians go to the temple by crossing a bridge made of boats on the Grand Canal.

Il BOCOLO is the old tradition of San Marco's rosebud, given by Venetians every 25th April to their beloved.25th APRIL is also Liberation day. After twenty years of fascist dictatorship and five years of war, in 1945, the Italian partisans released Milan and the main Northern Cities from the Nazi troops.

These are some of the most famous traditional festivities celebrated in Venice

The Sensa Feast-day: May 15-16 in n previous centuries held an important role in the social and political life of Venice, which resulted in one of the most important and sumptuous celebrations, interweaving the legend, myth and history of the city.

Festa del RedentoreOn the third Saturday of July a long floating bridge is open to connect S.Marco to the Redentore‟s church, crossing the Giudecca canal. In the night between Saturday and Sunday all the people wait for the midnight fireworks , eating and drinking on boats in Bacino S.Marco.

The Doge of the Serenissima used this rite to demonstrate the Republic's dominion in the gulf. Today the ceremony is not as magnificent as in previous centuries, but the symbolism of the marriage to the sea is still evident and is certainly still valid today. The Mayor of Venice, dignitaries and religious and military representatives leave Saint Mark's Square and sail to the Port of S. Nicolò where the ritual ring throwing takes place.

One of the most important events in Venice is, undoubtedly, The Regata Storica: a sumptuous historic procession of boats. The regatta was one of the painters‟ favourite subjects as it allowed them to paint a celebration. Venice and it is still one of the

main events. Indeed, on this occasion the San Marco Basin and the Grand Canal teem with all sorts of boats from which people can watch the competitions and root noisily. At present the most important and exciting competition is the gondolini race.

Our country: Italy, il Bel Paese

No wonder Italy, the land of breathtaking landscapes, is called “Il Bel Paese” – the beautiful country. Located in southern Europe, between the snowy Alps and the deep blue seas, The Republic of Italy can be easily

recognized on a map because it‟s shaped like a “Boot”, from which the nickname “Lo stivale”.

Millions of tourists visit our marvelous country, for its museums, its historical sites, and the sheer serenity of its landscapes. It is not difficult to imagine why the country has produced and inspired the mind and spirit of so many brilliant artists and scientists. These are only some of the most beautiful landmarks.

Rome is known as the Eternal City, full of ancient monuments like the Colosseum, the Trevi fountain, the Forum... where to start? Florence is a

Renaissance town on the river Arno full of beauty, history and culture.

Verona, hometown of the legendary couple, Romeo and Juliet., by William

Shakespeare. It is here where you will find a large arena, which

used to be an ancient Roman amphitheatre, and is

traditionally reserved for opera.

In Venice light and water combine to create

a restless magic.

This is the Leaning Tower in Pisa

Duomo in Milan

Trulli in PugliaValle dei Templi in

Agrigento, Sicily

Snowy Dolomites

Wonderful sea and beaches

National and local art, artists, galleries, artworks

“La tempesta” (The storm)was painted by Giorgione aVenitian painter born inCastelfranco Veneto.The storm was painted oncanvas with the techniqueof oils. It represents adark landscape on a stormyday.

In “Accademia Galleries” in Venice, you can admire this picture and many others from famous artists like Giorgione, Tintoretto and Tiziano until Gianbattista Tiepolo and the Vedutisti of the eighteenth century, Canaletto, Guardi, Bellotto, Longhi.

During our Art class wehave reproduced thepicture into a drawing andthen we have painted itwith colours.This is the original pictureand this is ourreproduction.

Can you find thedifferences?

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection located on the Grand Canal in Venice, is among the most important museums in

Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century.

With the support of Regione Veneto the

museum offers a great variety of

educational programsKIDS DAY is a project that introduces children

between 4 and 10 years of age to modern and

contemporary art and makes their visit to the museum more enjoyable

and educational. During the workshop the children from Nursery

school “Girasole” had the opportunity to create

artworks inspired by the works on display in the

museum. “Uno sguardo tra le nuvole e il cielo” ( a

glance between the cloudsand the sky) is the title

of our project. These are some examples of our

artworks.

The students fromclass 2 A Secondary schoolA. Gramsci

Italy was home to some of the world‟s greatest artists and most beautiful masterpieces of architecture, painting and sculpture. The works of Italian masters like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci,

Donatello, Botticelli, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Bernini, Titian and Raphael are known all over the world.

These are some examples of students artworks and activities

Joan Mirò: “Il giro del cielo”

Rufino Tamayo: “Corpi celesti”

Jackson Pollok: “Foresta incantata”

Children at work

Paul Klee: “ Giardino del sud”

René Magritte “L‟impero della luce”

Italian or local writers and poets/ World Book Day 23rd April

To celebrate World Book Day all the students in our school have organized a lot of different reading activities, like for example older students have read tales or fables to smaller students. Then we prepared some charts, leaflets, bookmarks, little illustrated books, reports and comments for the final exhibition.

Some meetings with famous local writers and poets were organized by our teachers. These are some examples.

“The world is a beautiful book, but of little use to him who cannot read it”. Carlo Goldoni, a celebrated Venetian playwright

Italy has left its mark in literature, due to the work of the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri,

whose Divine Comedy is said to be one the most important European works of the Medieval period.

Other well-known writers are Boccaccio, Giacomo Leopardi, Alessandro Manzoni and Petrarca.

The great literary tradition was continued by modern writers likeGiosuè Carducci, Grazia Deledda, Luigi Pirandello, Salvatore Quasimodo, Eugenio Montale.

During a literary meeting, The 3rd classes of Secondary school made an interview with Paola Zannoner, a famous writer:

•Are these meetings useful?They are useful when pupils are ready for the meeting.

•Why the people in Italy read less than in other countries?•Because the Italian government is not interested in giving money

to libraries.•How can we become readers?

•You can become readers by visiting a library more often.• Why girls read more than boys?

• Because like to read more than boys. Boys are lazy. • Is creativity important?

• Creativity is acquired from relationship with other people.

An exceptional teacher meets the5th classes of primary school “Pascoli”

Gian Antonio Stella, journalist of the Italian newspaper “Corriere della sera”

and writer of many successful books, gave us a special

lesson on racism.

These are some books by Paola Zannoner and her original autograph

Italian music, musicians, composers and

national anthem

Vivaldi who was born in Venice, was a very prolific baroque composer, violinist and he is famous for his over 500 concertos . He was taught how to play the violin at a young age by his father, Giovanni Battista. Together, they toured Venice playing the violin; similar to Mozart and his father. Among his greatest and best-known works: "The Four Seasons“ (Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos, composed in 1723. It is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. Each concerto resembles a different season: Spring, summer, autumn, winter.

Italian lyrics

Fratelli d'Italia, l'Italia s'è desta,dell'elmo di Scipio s'è cinta la testa.

Dov'è la Vittoria? Le porga la chioma,

ché schiava di Roma Iddio la creò.CORO:

Stringiamci a coorte,siam pronti alla morte.Siam pronti alla morte,

l'Italia chiamò.Stringiamci a coorte, siam pronti alla morte.Siam pronti alla morte,

l'Italia chiamò!

Our National anthem, ( Il Canto degli Italiani , noto come Inno di Mameli o Fratelli d'Italia) was composed by Michele Novaro and the

lyrics were written by the poet and patriot Goffredo Mameli.

Giuseppe Verdi wrote the “Nabucco” famous for its chorus Va pensiero, sull'ali dorate sung by the Jew prisoners in Babilone.It was a metaphor for the Italian situation under the Austrian oppression.

Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate;Va, ti posa sui clivi, sui colli, Ove olezzano tepide e molli L'aure dolci del suolo natal!

This is our old Italian Mille Lire with the photo of G.Verdi

In Venice there is the world famous theatre “La Fenice” where you can go and listen to wonderful music concerts.

Italy has been the birthplace of the piano and the violin, and classical musical forms

like the symphony, sonata and concerto.

Some of the world’s greatest composers, like Vivaldi, Paganini, Rossini, Verdi and

Puccini were Italian.

All over Italy there are theatres famous all over the world, like La Scala in Milan, Arena in Verona, San Carlo in Naples, Petruzzelli in Bari, Teatro Massimo in Palermo.

Children making art

Paper sculpture

Glazed ceramic

Guernica

Art cooking

The Peace wall

Houses in the city

Children´s pottery

Pastel picture

“Father and daugtherWorking together”(Painted by Antonio Alvarez Gordillo, one of our pupils´father).

http://antonioalvarezgordillograbadosyp.blogspot.com/

Poems by Carmen Gil

OUR WRITERSOur disabled children copy a poem by ANTONIO MACHADO, andalusian poet

Well-Known poets, such as Antonio Machado, or less acclaimed or even unknown poets, just like the parents and family members of our educational community, live, feel and they write about our neighbourhood with pride, Triana and her traditions.

Our street "Pages del Corro" is divided by a street called "San Jacinto." The division marks the “Cava de los civiles” to the right and the “Cava de los gitanos” (gypsies)to the left.This is important to us because of the location of our school, Jose María del Campo, which advocates the reading of this travelling book.If we go deep into Pages del Corro and the surrounding areas to the left, we see the houses and courtyards of our neighbours. In one of these neighbouring houses, they once sold “altramuces”, which sweetened in that same spot. On the corner where Pages del Corro meets Victoria street, there once was a public fountain that sustained the local residents. Past our school, there is a series of low houses and a factory that produces a sweet called "dulce de membrillo." After the factory comes "las fraguas de Pascual" and lastly, "Mount Pirolo." To our close right there was once a summer outdoor theatre called "The Star." Today, they have converted this area into a hotel…

Can we say that nothing is created ?

Potter of your earthenware, make your creation

And it doesn´t matter to

you, if you can´t make mudWritten by MANUEL FERNÁNDEZ. 2001

España aglutina inmigrantes procedentes de 5 continentes.INMIGRANTS FROM THE 5 DIFERENT CONTINENTS INTEGRATE IN SPAIN

Practising SPORTS leads to a healthier life in Spain

Many important and artistical monuments belong to Spain´s cultural heritage

Solar energy innovates in Spain

Life reflected upon Cueva de las Pileta´s wall in Málaga

Food from North and South is part of spanish gastronomy

OUR COUNTRY

Blas Infante, our anthem writer

Sergio Contreras, born in Huelva, 1978 is one of the most popular singers of our young people.

The lyrics of the Andalusian Hymn

The white and green flagAfter years of war,Returns to talk of peace and hope,Beneath the sun of our land.Rise up, Andalusians!Demand land and freedom!Support a free Andalucia,Spain and humanity.Andalusians wantTo be what we once were:Men of light, who came to represent for everyone,The spirit of mankind.Rise up, Andalusians!Demand land and freedom!Support a free Andalucia,Spain and humanity.

I love sitting in Betis Street!Here in Seville!Crossing rivers!The Golden Tower!And knowing that I love the whole of Triana.

In our FERIA, people dances “sevillanas” a very popular dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KHsU9mlypM&feature=related

http://www.sergio-contreras.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v7-irkk_gg&feature=related

Nursery school - Ecole Maternelle Madame René COTY / Primary school : Ecole Elémentaire Jean CHARCOT

The town lies 14km north of Caen next to the English Channel on the Nacre coastline.The community is full of history with the famous “Sword Beach”, prominent during the D-Day Landings.

The inhabitants of the town are called “Ouistrehamais”.

The name “Ouistreham” has varied throughout the centuries, but it appears that it is of Saxon origin, meaning a town of the west : Wester Ham, as it was the first village the sailors saw in the West before entering into the Orne bay.

Our community in OuistrehamOuistreham has a population of 9,252 inhabitants and is situated in the Calvados department of Lower Normandy, in the north-west of France.

We have been working on the coat of arms of Ouistreham : the shell and the ship represent the town‟s maritime activities. The leopards refer to England and Normandy, and the lion to Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror.

The Church of Saint Samson dates back to the XII

century. Its façade and nave are in the roman style while the chancel and the steeple

are in the gothic style.

The port is guarded by a lighthouse dating back to 1905. The lighthouse is 38m tall and has 171 steps.

Origin of the Norman Coat of Arms

There is some confusion today over the Norman and English Coat of Arms.The English one displays three lions whereas the Norman one displays twoleopards. This goes back to the time of Henry 11 Plantagenet a NormanEnglish King who had two lions on his coat of arms. He married Eleanor ofAquitaine a Queen whose Coat of Arms depicted leopards. Their son,Richard the Lion Heart added an animal which depicted both lion andleopard to represent both his parents. It was in 1466 that a Norman Dukedecided that the Norman Coat of Arms would show in fact two leopards.The leopards on the Coat of Arms today look as if they are sporting manes,hence the confusion.

Rollon the NormanThis map shows our « région » Normandy before it was so called . The original name was Neustry, it was given by one of our kings to invaders who from 885 kept plundering wealthy towns such as Rouen or even Paris. These invaders were Normans (“nor” meaning north and “man” meaning men: they came from Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden). In 912 to prevent such rampage a part of Neustry (map of 752) was given to the Norman chef, Rollon, the name Neustry was then changed to Normandy.

Another famous Norman figureIn 1066 a Norman duke became king of England after the Battle of Hastings . He was known as William the Conqueror. William had been promised the throne by Edward the Confessor who was King of England. When Edward died, Harold (William‟s cousin) wanted to become King. William invaded England and at the Battle of Hastings, Harold was killed. NORMANDY / in 987 / in 1956

Nursery school - Ecole Maternelle Madame René COTY / Primary school : Ecole Elémentaire Jean CHARCOT

Under the roman occupation, Vercingetorix, a true Gaul warner, stood up with Julias Cesar, but surrendered to Gergovie.

In Normandie, one of the most

important figures was William the Conqueror. His conquests have left traces which are still visible today : abbeys, castles….

Later, whith a reign of 70 years, Louis XIV reinvented France and exerted his absolute power to the neighbouring countries. His intellect and his personality made him France ‘s preferred king.

After the french Revolution in 1789, which founded the future institutions of France ( the constitution, the declaration of the Rights of Man, the

Republic…) Napoleon Bonaparte finished founding the nation a civil code and the introduction of countries prefects and secondary schools….

Throughout the centuries, this construction has taken place amidst wars. World war one took hold very quickly and caused numerous victims on the front line. The second world war saw the occupation of France by the Nazis, the deportation of the jews and others minorities, followed by the allied landings, notably the Green Benets under Commando Kieffer, who came to free France under

the orders of General de Gaulle.

Après la Révolution française de 1789 qui met en place les futures institutions françaises (Constitution, Déclaration des droits de l’Homme, République), Napoléon Bonaparte finit de fonder la Nation avec le code civil, la mise en place des régions, les préfets, les lycées.

Tout au long des siècles, la construction se fait au travers des guerres La première guerre mondiale s’enlise rapidement et fait de nombreuses victimes sur le front. La seconde voit l’occupation de la France par les nazis, la déportation des juifs et des minorités, puis le débarquement des alliés, et notamment des bérets verts du commando Kiefer qui viendront libérer les français sous les ordres du général de Gaulle.

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1945

Nursery school - Ecole Maternelle Madame René COTY / Primary school : Ecole Elémentaire Jean CHARCOT

…was born on December 31st, 1869 in Cateau-Cambrésis in the North of France and died on November 3rd, 1954 in Nice. He was a French painter, draftsman and sculptor.

He began to paint when he was 21. He came to Paris where he became a prominent artist and the leader of the Fauvist art movement.

In 1938, he finally settled down in Nice, in the South of France. Badly ill, he had to paint in his bed. He used then the stuck paper to express himself, illustrated books and stained glasses.

Henri Matisse…

Les danseuses - The dancers

Painted by Matisse

Interpretation by the children from the nursery school

Matisse painting at home with a pole… (photo Robert Capa)

Nursery school - Ecole Maternelle Madame René COTY / Primary school : Ecole Elémentaire Jean CHARCOT

Michel Cabieuwas born on March 2nd, 1730 and died on November 5th, 1804 in Ouistreham.

He was a sergeant of the coastguard militias of Ouistreham.In 1762 Michel Cabieu realised his exploit : repel the English !

On the night of 12th and 13th July, the English invaded a nearby village : Sallenelles. They were about to land at Ouistreham. They fired canons to warn the inhabitants who all fled, except Michel Cabieu. Provided with a drum and with a weapon, he tried to frighten the enemy. By firing in various places, giving orders to imaginary soldiers and making as much noise as possible, he managed to scare English who believed that a large army was awaiting them.

Michel CABIEU, the hero of Ouistreham

Ouistreham has not forget their hero. Today, the cinema bears his name, as well as an avenue. A plaque celebrates his memory.

Ouistreham n'a pas oublié son héros. Aujourd'hui, le cinéma porte son nom, ainsi qu'une avenue. Une plaque célèbre sa mémoire.

Juliette, Lison, Annabelle, Gabin et Gabriel, classe de CM1

Nursery school - Ecole Maternelle Madame René COTY / Primary school : Ecole Elémentaire Jean CHARCOT

Allons enfants de la Patrie, Come, children of the Fatherland (Homeland), Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! The day of glory has arrived ! Contre nous de la tyrannie Against us, Tyranny's L'étendard sanglant est levé, (bis) Bloody banner is raised, (repeat)Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Do you hear in the countryside Mugir ces féroces soldats ? Those ferocious soldiers roaring ? Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras They come up to our arms Égorger nos fils, nos compagnes ! To slit the throats of our sons and wives !

Aux armes, citoyens, To arms, citizens,Formez vos bataillons, Form your battalions,Marchons, marchons ! Let's march, let's march !Qu'un sang impur May an impure bloodAbreuve nos sillons ! Water our furrows !

Claude Joseph Rouget de Lislewrote "La Marseillaise" in Strasbourg on April 25, 1792. Its original name was "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" ("War Song for the Army of the Rhine"). It became the rallying call of the French Revolution and received its name because it was first sung on the streets by volunteers from Marseille upon their arrival in Paris.Only the first verse (7 verses in all) and the first chorus are sung today in France. There are some slight historical variations in the lyrics of the song ; the following is the version listed at official website of the French Presidency.

Rouget de Lisle, composer of La Marseillaise, sings it for the first time in Strasbourg

La Marseillaise

Nursery school - Ecole Maternelle Madame René COTY / Primary school : Ecole Elémentaire Jean CHARCOT

Local Festivals

The Big Cheese is a spectacular festival which takes place during the last weekend of July. Every year it attracts over 80,000 visitors. The festival includes re-enactment displays, live music, a funfair and one of the biggest festival food and drink marquees in Wales. Over 50 Welsh producers gather to sell their delicious cakes, wines, chocolate, cheese and much more!

Caerphilly Castle is one of the largest medieval castles of western Europe. It is home to several festivals and celebrations every year. The annual fireworks display on the 5th of November is the biggest to take place in the county.

We celebrate St David's Day in Wales on the 1stof March, in honour of Dewi Sant or St David, the patron saint of Wales. To celebrate St David‟s Day we hold a school eisteddfod with singing and dancing competitions and children wear traditional Welsh costumes. Many people also celebrate by eating traditional welsh foods including Welsh cakes and cawl.

The Day of Dance is a festival of Welsh Folk dancing. The festival takes place every year during the last weekend of June. School children from all over the Caerphilly County come together to parade through the town centre and then dance at the castle.

World Book Day 2010

To celebrate World Book Day we invited parents into school to read with the children. Some parents came in and reqd a story to the whole class, whilst others took small groups of children outside to enjoy a story in the sun.

Most of the children dressed up as their favourite characters from story books and brought in their favourite books.

Our favourite author is Gwyn

Morgan. He is a local writer

and writes funny stories set in

the Welsh valleys. His

characters always resemble

someone you might know and

his stories depict everyday

situations – and some magical

ones too!!

1918 - 2006

Throughout his life he has shown his love of Wales through his paintings. Kyffin would paint the places from which he felt he belonged and felt at home.

Kyffin Williams was a famous landscape painter from Llangefni.

It‟s not only important to look at his paintings, but also to feel the thick layers of oil paint.

Here are some pictures of our year 5 class experimenting with the painting techniques of Kyffin Williams.

Caerphilly Castle - Castell Caerffili

Caerphilly‟s most celebrated feature is perhaps the „leaning tower.‟ It leans at an angle of 10 degrees, probably the result of subsidence. It is said to lean further than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In the middle of our town stands our Castle, Caerphilly Castle, the largest Castle in Wales

Surrounding the Castle is a moat. This is home to hundreds of Canadian geese, ducks and swans.

The Great Hall inside the Castle is used for many functions such as weddings and parties by many residents of Caerphilly and the local area.

The castle is looked after by an organisation called CADW who are responsible for many of Wales‟ historic buildings..

Important dates in the history of Wales

Wales under the Romans (48-410):Up to and during the Roman occupation of Britain, Wales was not a separate country; all the native inhabitants of Roman Britain spoke Brythonic languages (a sub-family of the Celtic languages) and were regarded as Britons (or

Brythons).

The 19th Century: Parts of Wales became heavily industrialised. Ironworks were set up in the valleys running south from the Brecon Beacons particularly around the new town of Merthyr Tydfil. From the 1840s coal mining spread to the Aberdare and Rhondda valleys This led to a rapid increase in the population of these areas.

The 21st CenturyIn 2006 the Government of Wales Act gained Royal Assent meaning that from May 2007 the Queen would have the new legal identity of 'Her Majesty in Right of Wales' and would for the first time appoint Welsh Ministers and sign Welsh Orders in Council.

Early Medieval Wales (700–1066):

Powys as the easternmost of the major kingdoms of Wales came under pressure from the English. This kingdom originally extended east into areas now in England, and its ancient capital, Pengwern, has been variously identified as modern Shrewsbury. The earthwork known as Offa's Dyke may

have marked an agreed border.

Annexation: from the Statute of Rhuddlan to the Laws in Wales Acts

(1283–1542):After passing the Statute of Rhuddlan which restricted Welsh laws, King Edward's ring of impressive stone castles assisted the domination of Wales, and he crowned his conquest by giving the title Prince of Wales to his son and heir in 1301. Wales became, effectively, part of England, even though its people spoke a different language and had a

different culture.

Year 3 class showing the work they produced and display created about the

Romans

The music and words of our National Anthem were composed by a father and son in the year 1856. These were from

Caerphilly but moved to work in the nearby town of Pontypridd, which is also where

famous Welsh singer Tom Jones was born and raised. Evan James (1809-1878) was

responsible for writing the words and James James (1833-1902) composed the

music.The words of the anthem are Welsh and these are the ones that we sing. Although

there is an English translation also.

The land of my fathers is dear unto me,

Old land where the minstrels are honoured and free;

It’s warring defenders go gallant and brave,

For freedom their lifeblood they gave.

Home, home, true I am to home,

While seas secure the land so pure,

Oh may the old language endure.

The Welsh love to sing and we feel very proud when given the opportunity to sing our anthem. We sing it on occasions such as sporting events, assemblies, on St.David's Day, and during celebrations and Eisteddfods.

Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau – Land Of My Fathers