HISTORIA NORWEGII

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SZKOŁA PODSTAWOWA NR 20 in RUDA ŚLĄSKA - KOCHŁOWICE

Primary school nr 20 is situated in a working district called Kochłowice. Kochłowice belongs to a big industrial city, Ruda Śląska with a population of 143 thousand people. There are 13 thousand inhabitants in Kochłowice, some of whom work in mines and nearby steelworks. 

The city has medieval layout, it is of oval plan with streets radiating from the centre. In the central point of the city there is a Late-Baroque Church, a sanctuary  dedicated to Mother of God from Lourdes that was built in 1806. 

There is also a Neo-Roman Catholic Church, built in 1902 and dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

Kochłowice offers some other tourist attractions, the remains of Grodzisko (settlement) that date back to the 13th-15th century, a railway station opened in 1904, a town hall that now houses a health centre, historic workers’ settlement in Radoszowska and Tunkla Streets and a battle bunker built in 1937 which was an element of defence line of Fortified Area of Silesia.

  

Our city is located 90 kilometres from a beautiful historic city, Cracow and 37 kilometres from Pszczyna, a city with a classical-style palace, built in the 12th century which was a residence of  prominent dynasties, local Piasts dynasty members, then Promnitz family and von Pless family. The palace in Pszczyna has beautiful original furnishing intact, a historic picturesque park in English style and a bison reserve.

The unemployement rate in our city is 8 percent, therefore, some families contend with financial problems and are provided with public assistance. In our school 25 percent of children have different disfunctions and receive psychological  and pedagogical assistance.

The school building has existed since 1910. It was renovated for 100th anniversary.

 

There is a small substandard gym, a tartan sports field, a playground for small kids and a computer room.At present there are 33 teachers and 212 students from the age of 6 to the age of 13 and three kindergarten groups (75 children). Most teachers and students come from traditional families whose roots are in this land and who cultivate family, religious and national traditions. 

Since kindergarten time we try to hand down the most precious regional traditions and give our students opportunities of many-sided education by teaching them foreign languages (English and French) and offering various school clubs (subject clubs, artistic clubs, sports club and European club). In spite of many problems, we manage to achieve one of the highest results from final tests at the end of third grade and sixth grade in the city and province.

The cultural heritage of Silesia – Poland

The whole European cultural heritage is made up of individual nations, but their values ​​are the cultural regions, as part of a whole. By cultural regions, traditions and the heritage of past centuries still exist. Culture is a determinant of social development, and it consists of material property passed from generation to generation and spiritual heritage, which is one of the elements of national consciousness. 

Polish culture has existed for over a thousand years. After the old days numerous traces have been left: medieval castles and fortresses, Old Town districts of large cities and aristocratic palaces. Poland also has a wealth of contemporary artistic life, which in many areas - music, literature, film and the visual arts - is gaining a wide resonance in the world.  Among many monuments of Poland, a lot have been inscribed on the UNESCO list (including the Old Town in Warsaw, Wawel Castle in Krakow, Malbork Castle).

The influence of the regional tradition on the achievements of the whole of Europe can be seen in numerous international competitions and folk festivals, where there is no shortage of Polish songs and dance (eg "Silesia" and "Mazowsze"). Many literary works of our national poets are translated into different languages ​​ (eg Cz. Milosz, W. Szymborska) and the works of theater and film (eg A. Wajda, K. Kutz) that is also very important for us, Poles. 

         

Silesia

In Poland, there are many cultural regions within which traditions are constantly cultivated, these are "little homelands". One of them is the most industrial region of Poland - Upper Silesia, where my family has lived for many generations. Since ancient times the territory of the present Silesian province has developed mining for ore of silver and lead.The Cistercians, who resided in Silesia, were engaged in mining, iron smelting and glass making, in the thirteenth century. Silesian landscape is dominated by steel mills chimneys, power plants, coal mines and slag heaps.

Silesian Province (created in 1999) is the area of ​​ multicultural influences shaped by its people of Polish, German, Czech and Jewish descent. It is a region with culturally diverse areas and a strong sense of ethnic identity. It covers the eastern part of the historical lands of Upper Silesia and the western part of Małopolska with Dabrowski Basin. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is the second (after Mazowieckie Province) most populous province in Poland (4.6 million people - 12% of the population).  

Material heritage

Material expression of the richness and multifaceted traditions are attractions specific to the region, such as wooden churches of framework construction (in three Polish regions, including Silesia, there are more of them than in the entire Europe), monuments associated with the industrial culture (including housing estates – Giszowiec and Nikiszowiec, Ficinus and Kaufhaus in Ruda Slaska, underground excavations – Tarnowskie Gory, Zabrze, Rybnik, technical monuments - their number is estimated at several thousand), residential architectural monuments (eg. 38 urban systems, Bytom secession), the landscape compositions (including 98 historic parks).

Changing borders, which ran through the area of today’s Silesia, left a unique monument of military architecture - from the castles - fortresses located on the Krakow – Czestochowa Upland to the fortified  Silesian region from the '30s of the twentieth century.
Due to its location on the border of cultures and extensive history over the centuries, rich and varied cultural heritage of Silesian has been maintained until nowadays. There are more than 4000 monuments  inscribed to the register of historic monuments in Silesia. The register of archaeological monuments contains 231 archaeological sites. The register of movable monuments includes about 6,000 objects.

Institutions

In Silesia there are numerous cultural institutions:

• 3 theaters: dramatic - Silesian Theatre in Katowice, musical - Entertainment Theatre in Chorzow and Silesian Opera House in Bytom,
• Silesian Philharmonic, which is the organizer of the International Competition for Conductors named after Gregory Fitelberg,
• numerous museums (Museum of Coal Mining in Zabrze, along with open-air museum "Queen Louise", Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom with natural and ethnographic collections  as well as valuable collection of contemporary Polish art, the Museum "Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów" - museum exhibiting traditional buildings from Silesian region by using original works or their reconstruction, Silesian Museum in Katowice, Pless Castle Museum, the Museum in Bielsko-Biala with branches: the Museum of Technology and Textile Industry, Weaver's House and Julian Fałat’s Museum in Bystra, historic Coal Mine  "Guido" in Zabrze,
• Library of Silesia in Katowice (situated on Europe Square)
• regional cultural centers - in Bielsko-Biala, Czestochowa and Katowice - dealing with professional development of the creators of culture, promotion of artistic groups and creators of culture, presenting the culture through artistic events, folklore and exhibitions designed to protect and preserve the wealth of folk culture,
• Song and Dance Ensemble "Slask" named after Stanislaus Hadyna with its seat in a castle in Koszecin,
• Film Institution Silesia Film,
• Institution of Culture Ars Cameralis Silesiae Superioris - Upper Silesian Chamber Arts Festival promoting culture outside the region and the country.
• Besides, urban green spaces, especially the Regional Park of Culture and Recreation in Chorzów are noteworthy. 

Nature

Despite considerable industrialization and urbanization, Silesia is rich in wildlife and landscape values, ​​forming together with cultural works unique combinations - the best example is situated within the historical Lesser Poland, Eagle Nests Landscape Park - a set of castles and fortresses built in the picturesque Cracow-Czestochowa Jura. The most popular ones are stored in the form of stable ruins of castles in Ogrodzieniec, Olsztyn, Bobolice and Mirow.

Residential properties, coming into existence in a later period, often forming vast palace and park complexes, as well as residences of factory owners also include prince’s residence in Pless, Hunting Lodge in nearby Promnice, palace in Pławniowice, Schön’s palace in Sosnowiec, palaces in Swierklaniec and Kamieniec.

Religious heritage

In addition to secular objects, places of worship also play an important role. A unique religious place is a monastery of Pauline Fathers at Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, the most important pilgrimage destination in the country, declared a historical monument - a monument of special importance to the culture of our country. Among other places of worship, the ones that  deserve attention are: the shrine of Piekary and Zarki-Lesniow and Cistercian monastery and palace complex in Rudy Wielkie, where the Nature Park was created. Compact group of objects is a complex of about seventy wooden churches, chapels and bell towers that make up the Wooden Architecture Route. Among many places of worship were also churches and synagogues with the emerging places of burial of the faithful Roman Catholics and the Orthodox, Lutheran (eg Cieszyn, Jasienica, Katowice, Molna) and Jewish (eg Gliwice, Katowice, Krzepice, Kromołów, Zawiercie), providing a multi-cultural history of the region.

Fortifications

The province also preserved fortified area "Silesia", which consists of objects and fortifications such as in Bobrowniki, Tarnowskie Gory, Wyry, Ruda Slaska, Bytom. Fortifications are the second largest Polish defensive structures formed during the Second Republic.   

However, the most characteristic of the Upper Silesian history and landscape of the province are monuments of technology creating Monuments Route of the Silesian Province, numbering 31 buildings (including the old railway and narrow gauge railways, housing umbrella, objects associated with the coal mining industry, mining and processing of metals as well as numerous museums dedicated to the technical monuments. Among them there is an important place for the history of World War II - the radio station in Gliwice with the mast considered to be the world's tallest wooden building, and the underground of an old mine of Silver Ores and the drift "Black Trout" in Tarnowskie Gory).

Feel invited to visit our beautiful country and the Region of Silesia where we live, to learn about our rich cultural heritage and to enjoy Silesian dishes such as sour soup, roulade with potato dumplings and red cabbage, and to taste krupnioki with beer from Tychy or Zywiec. And for dessert I recommend a Silesian cake with cheese, poppy seeds and sprinkle. 

    

                                                                                                                                                        KK.

PRESENTATION OF POLISH GROUP INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT

Hello! I'm Joanna Przybylska.

I have been working in primary school for over 30 years. I'm a school counselor - my work is to help children and parents in their difficult situations. I live in Ruda Śląska. I've got an adult son and an old dog.

In my free time I like reading books. My favorite writers are I. Allende, J. Marias, G.G. Marquez, J. Irving. I love Latin-American prose. I think that literature shows us how to live. My motto for this year is „ There is no need to talk about something that nobody asks for”  (J.Allende “El plan infinito”).

I'm also a fun of good movies: especially Czech comedy. I like sociological drama. The last film which impressed me the most is „Her” by Spike Jonze .

I enjoy every spring, every trip. I'm an enthusiast of cycling. I love dogs.

My name's Izabela Drabik. I was born in Ruda Śląska and my birthday is on 7 July. I've got one sister. I'm married. I live in Ruda Śląska with my husband and two sons. I'm a teacher and I work at Elementary School number 20 in Ruda Śląska. I do really like my job. At weekends, I like going to the cinema, theatre, philharmonic hall or cycling with my family. It's important to me to start the day by drinking coffee and reading newspapers, periodicals. In the evenings I like to read interesting books, such as biographies of famous people. I also like spending time with my two best girlfriends. I've known them since the time when we were in elementary school. I'm very happy to meet people from Skjold Skule in Norway. I'm sure that the project will enable me to icrease my teaching skills. I do hope I will be able to use the experiences creatively.

Hi! I’m Beata Pastuszak. I live with my husband in one of the districts of Ruda Śląska. 

At our school I work as an English teacher and have classes with different age groups, from kindergarten  to sixth grade ones which I find both fulfilling and challenging.

I’m passionate about  everything that is connected with my profession, from teaching English  at different levels and developing translation skills to travelling to English-speaking countries.

However, I still believe that the happiest  moments are the ones I share with my family and friends, especially in the bosom of nature, and the book that I have real confidence in is the Holy Scriptures so I let only its  principles guide my life and I’ve  never got disappointed. I’m looking  forward to meeting English teachers in Skjold and hopefully learning something new from their teaching experience. See you in August!

My name’s Barabra Poranek. I live with my family in Ruda Śląska. I’m a primary school teacher and I work with beginning students and teach Science to older classes. I’ve been teaching for more than 25 years but I’m still passionate about it. 

I’ve got a husband and two children, a daughter and a son. The apple of my eye is my cat Maniek, he’s very smart. I love nature and I really enjoy life. I like spending time with my family and friends in an active way. I take pleasure in reading books, and watching good films. My dream is to travel around the world, to feel the taste of unknown and face the adventure.

I can’t wait to meet teachers from Skjold Skule. I hope we will be able to share our knowledge and experience and that this time will be fruitful to us all. 

Hi! My name is Katarzyna Kołodziej. I am a teacher of Mathematics and French. I have been teaching for 24 years in Primary School. I like this job, because it is very creative. I have a brother and a sister who have their families. In my free time I travel a lot, alone or with a group, because I also work abroad sometimes as a tour guide during the holidays. I've already visited many countries and I still dream about knowing the next. I like skiing, reading, walking in the mountains, watching sunsets and beautiful corners of the world.
I am very happy that we will have the opportunity to meet teachers from Skjold skule and we will be able to learn your working methods. I hope that the time spent together will be rich in experiences for us all. See you soon!