The Italian School

CONVITTO NAZIONALE REGINA MARGHERITA

ANAGNI – FROSINONE ITALY

Our school is a small-sized institution according to the national average,situated in a medieval town called Anagni in the centre of Italy.Standard of living is the average one for the country.Most people here are employed in small local factories and in agriculture.Others work in the nearby towns or find seasonal work as waiters or shop assistants.Unfortunately unemployment rate is now very high in the town,mostly caused by the economic crisis.However,the poor socio-economic background of most pupils,combined with the crisis we are going through and the unbelievably high unemployment rates have had a negative effect on how they view their lives in the future.However, about 10 percent of the children studying here are at risk of social exclusion for various reasons:1.They spring from disorganised families and live only with a single parent,who, very often,is unemployed.2.They are obliged to live with relatives because their parents work in foreign countries for a better living,which makes them suffer.3.A number of pupils have to stay longer at school because their parents work overtime and cannot look after them.We,as educators,believe that there is opportunity in such circumstances of doubt and The school has identified the necessity to develop students’ and staff’s relevant skills for today’s world: English, ICT, cultural awareness, tolerance, understanding of the world, motivation, self- esteem. We need to give our students the opportunity to succeed in life through relevant skills they acquire.Within the framework of ERASMUS project we aim to promote cultural awareness and mutual understanding,find common points of reference,strengthen bonds and introduce to pupils the idea and the importance of mobility.Moreover,we seek student-centered teaching methods which,undoubtedly,foster cooperation and learning.We really need this project in order for our students to have equal chances,to enhance their interest,educational standards.In our school we also have students coming from different parts of Europe in particular Albania and Romania.In multicultural classes students try to find their identity as a»group»and have mutual tolerance and cultural sharing.They need to increase their interests towards learning as a great opportunity to build their future in a European society.We feel that engaging in projects such as Erasmus will increase their motivation.It’s important for them to see and hear about the learning habits of students in other countries and compare their ways of living.It’s also a great oppotunity to practice and improve their English.We would like to engage students all students.Our school specializes in music.Most students play a musical instrument.Each year they put on stage a musical and we have a school choir.We use music our program,as we consider Music to be a key vehicle to teach almost all subjects.With our experience we will help spread our knowledge and get ideas from our partners as well.

«This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.»