Elementary school Voltino is situated in the neighbourhood of Voltino, a peaceful and green part of Trešnjevka, which is only five kilometres distant from the centre of the city.
The saying ALL FLOWERS OF THE FUTURE ARE IN THE SEEDS OF THE PRESENT has encouraged the students, parents and employees of our school to join the project that initiated our mutual journey through nature, the environment and ecology.
In 2001 we joined the PROJECT OF INTERNATIONAL ECO-SCHOOLS, the project programme is supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports and the project holder is the association called LIJEPA NASA (Our homeland).
The international coordination has given the status of INTERNATIONAL ECO- SCHOOL to our school on April 2, 2003.
In 2009 we satisfied all the requirements to obtain the bronze status that reminds us all of the wonderful years of cooperation and friendship, but also of the responibilities that we have for nature and the environment. We consider that the Project is highly important for our neighbourhood, city and for raising ecological awareness in students, parents and everybody who is responsible for our environment.
We run many activies from the Programme:
- LET'S SAVE WOOL
- AN ORCHARD – AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
- SCHOOL GARDENS
- A FOREST IN THE SCHOOL – A SCHOOL IN THE FOREST
- PEOPLE AND ANIMALS
- TRADITION AND NATIONAL HERITAGE
1) One of our long-running eco-projects in the school is called LET'S SAVE WOOL. The cooperation with OZANA organization started at the beginning of 2005. Ozana is an organization with social and humanitarian goals and its programme is aimed at preschool children, as well as young people and adults with developmental disabilities (its main office is in Zagreb, in Vukovar Street 239).
Through ecological and educational workshops the project operates in the school and it involves children, parents, emloyees and friends who have an interest for participating voluntarily in the process of individual and social learning and who wish to help in the programme for young people and adults with developmental disabilities.
On March 10, 2009 we expanded the cooperation, reflecting the motto Ozana members teaching youngsters, and we started our workshops in an extended day programme (class 1st A).
While participating in the workshops, we make occasional presents and objects made of unprocessed wool (pictures with different motifs, Glagolitic script, jewellery, scented bags, decorative bags for apple crisps, Christmas decorations, coloured Easter eggs, slippers etc.). We also get to know Croatian cultural heritage, visit different sites and organizations with similar purposes.
2) After obtaining the status of INTERNATIONAL ECO-SCHOOL we started marking some significant eco-dates, the Apple Day, among others.
In the beginning it was just a game which gradually grew into the Project AN ORCHARD – AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM.
In 2005 we began apple trees planting in the western part of the school garden and, in this way we started the Project.
In 2006, on the Apple Day, there were seven trees in the garden, which symbolized the seven steps on our way towards the eco-school status.
With the professional help of agricultural adviser Mr. Ivković (our sponsor), our donators, the whole-hearted help of parents and hard-working students our orchard is getting increasingly bigger and more beautiful. Although it all started modestly, now we can proudly say that there are 50 apple trees, three sweet cherry trees and two sour cherry trees in the school garden.
Every year we renew our small plantation, we nourish it and observe the fruit growth. Our students are especially sucessful in preparing apple crisps.
The students and school employees wish that the orchard is used not only for nourishment and maintenance, but also for attaining knowledge, skills and ecological awareness in a form of the outdoor classroom.
3) Every spring is announced by spring flowers from our ECO GARDEN 2. The flowers invite the students to handy workshops in which they observe life conditions and the growth of plants. We are proud of a little lake and plant and animal life from our ECO GARDEN 1.
The green awakening of school gardens and green areas is initiated by the activities GREETINGS TO SPRING and THE GREEN DAYS OF SCHOOL which are more successul and more colourful each year. The efforts of our students and teachers, the whole-hearted help and donations of our parents and sponsors, especially of the cleansing corporation ČISTOĆA, enable the green success of the activities.
4) The beginning of spring 2009 was marked by the first-grade students who travelled to magical forests. We visited Velika Gorica forestry and in Lukavec nursery we learned how forests are created and how they are planted. At the end of the spring we visited Medvednica Nature Park and became acquainted with the beauties and cultural and natural riches of our region. A successful cooperation with our sponsor, the public company Hrvatske šume (Croatian Forests), started at that point.
This year they were extremely helpful in the organization of our Eco Day. They enabled us educational visits and professional lectures in forestries and nature parks. With the help of our welcoming hosts, the students learned a lot about continental decidious forests as well as about protected plant and animal life in the forests.
While walking along educational mountain tracks Bliznec, the students were taught about plant species of Medvednica.
In Lukavec nursery and Turopoljski lug forestry they were introduced to the characterists of forests in Turopolje.
When they visited Eco centre Budinjak they became acquainted with the characterists of the region of Zumberak.
Novoselec forestry enabled the students a visit to Zutica forest and it introduced them to the co-life of foresters and oil workers.
The third-grade students, with their teachers and inhabitants of Voltino, will travel by a Time machine through the neighbourhood and will explore the traditional connection between forests and Drvinje.
5) Art workshops, exhibitions, educational lectures of many organizations as well as humanitarian projects are the activities by which we want to direct the students to treat animals in the right way (teach them how to take care of their pets, how to help animals during winter months etc.). We also introduce them to the therapeutic effects of animals on children, the possibilities of treatment with the help of animals (dogs, horses, dolphins...). We take part in donations for training dog guides. By introducing children to these and similar activities, we bring everyday life and experiences of people with disabilities nearer to the students.
6) By running educational and creative workshops (GLAGOLITIC MONKS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL, CHILDREN – HERITAGE PROTECTORS, THE TRADITIONAL MAKING AND DECORATING OBJECTS IN OUR HOMES), decorating and expanding the school ethno-collection and holding exhibitions about traditional customs, we work on the preservance of NATIONAL HERITAGE.
In our school the Programme EDUCATING AGAINST VIOLENCE is also carried out.
The Programme was developed as a necessary and logical continuation of a two-year activity devoted to the project Stop the violence or a safe school for everyone which was initiated in 2007/2008. The aim of the project was to ensure a positive school environment for children, with infrequent cases of violence.
After monitoring the situation, noticing the problems and taking actions for reducing or eliminating them, we took the next step – education for life without violence.
Since school year 2009/2010 the programme has been done on the school level – all students and form teachers, from the 1st to the 8th grade, are involved. The students acquire the quality forms of nonviolent communication during the class lessons once a month. By sympathizing with the victim, they develop skills of avoiding and confronting violent behaviour and they create peaceful attitudes. A special stress is put on the importance of self-awareness and the values of friendship, tolerance and open dialogue.
Besides, in P.E. lessons the students will get to know the rules of sports behaviour and cheering and in that way, they will have an effect on reducing violence in sports manifestations.
In the context of the programme lectures for parents are held with the subject How to raise children in a nonviolent way. |
