Category: News

The first ECP House Challenge Day took place on Wednesday, 27th May. Although physically distanced, all students competed for their House online by completing selected challenges. In the morning, they had to choose one physical challenge and in the afternoon they took part in an intellectual challenge. It was not just a day without  computers, it was much :more.

All participants had to upload a photo or video of what they had achieved in their activities. They managed to challenge themselves and learn or improve skills in various areas. Many students chose activities they would otherwise never have done. And the outcome was fascinating! There is a lot of creativity out there!

At the beginning there was a Starter challenge in which time was important and students had to construct a paper box according to instructions nets. The winner was Petr Chytil from Year 2 who won Ventus house’s  first points for the quickest submission. 

House Challenges Day
The students have just started their Challenges Day with a starter – they were supposed to create a box from paper following instructions. The winner was Petr Chytil from Ventus. pic.twitter.com/QDeErjJwcm

— EnglishCollegePrague (@ECP_Prague) May 27, 2020

When all the activities were finished, teachers started assessing the provided entries to find winners in individual categories. They had to go through 324 files! Some students even involved their families in the videos, like Aneta Řehořová in her dance video:

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Enjoy this great dance video made by ECP student Aneta Řehořová and her mum for the ECP House Challenge Day.

A post shared by The English College in Prague (@ecp_prague) on Jun 2, 2020 at 3:24am PDT

Here are the results:

Congratulations to Terra for winning the house competition, followed by Aqua, Ventus and Ignis. It was a pleasure to see so much talent and joy come from trying challenging things!

Physical Challenges (individual categories)

Rope skipping
Winner – Dmitry Cheremisin, Y3 Terra

Dance
Winner – Antonie Kolínová and Veronika Šolcová Y2 (Terra and Ventus)

Juggling 
Winner – Lukáš Kašpar, Y2 Terra

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Congratulations to the winner Lukáš Kašpar, Y2 Terra

A post shared by The English College in Prague (@ecp_prague) on Jun 4, 2020 at 11:58pm PDT

Intellectual Challenges (individual categories)

Aircrafts – creating them and flying them looked simple, but it was not! 
Winner – Adam Víšek Y3 Ignis and Alexandr Jiroušek, Y1 Terra

Cooking, baking – thanks for many new recipes! 
Winners – Selma Kaymakci, Y3 Aqua and Jiří Veselý Y2 Aqua

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Congratulations to the winner Selma Kaymakci, Y3 Aqua

A post shared by The English College in Prague (@ecp_prague) on Jun 5, 2020 at 12:07am PDT

Collage – A picture from photographs – these will be used for next year’s school calendar!

Winner – Sofie Balharová  Y1 Aqua

Credits for achievements gained by: 
Ema Srnková Y4 Aqua: Skipping rope
Sofia Kalinina, Y2 Ignis and Veronika Moravcová, Y1 Ignis: Collage
Aneta Řehořová, Y4 Ventus: Dance
Martin Růžička, Y3 Ventus: Skipping rope

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House Challenge Day 1 – Veronika Moravcová, Y1 Ignis #anglickegymnaziumvpraze #englishcollegeinprague

A post shared by The English College in Prague (@ecp_prague) on Jun 5, 2020 at 6:46am PDT

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House Challenge Day 1 – Sofia Kalinina, Y2 Ignis #anglickegymnaziumvpraze #englishcollegeinprague

A post shared by The English College in Prague (@ecp_prague) on Jun 5, 2020 at 6:48am PDT

Candidates accepted after Year 2 entrance exams. / Kandidáti přijatí po přijímacích zkouškách ze dne 25.5.2020:

Year 2 / do 2. ročníku:

221119
221007
221057
221060
221087
221124
221078
220993
221095
221143
221077
220861
221142
221093

Congratulations to successful candidates./Blahopřejeme úspěšným kandidátům!

When schools around the Czech Republic closed on March 10th, it was a new and somewhat exciting experience. But within a couple of weeks, students realised that online learning would not replace the school’s community spirit. Consequently, the Student Council planned a series of competitions in an effort to bring students closer together even as they practised physical distancing.

Students took the lead in organizing a virtual dancing club, video game tournaments, online chess, a fitness contest, and an online art competition. Some tournaments were individually based while students in other competitions fought for their respective houses.

Art Competition

The Art Competition with the themes ‘Quaran-teen’ and ‘Technology’ attracted a variety of submissions. The results were judged by a panel of judges including ECP Staff and Marketa Vasickova, ECP Graduate of 2018 and student of University of Arts London, who congratulated all students for their work. She added: “I particularly appreciated that some students depicted this sense of a loss of personal connection in isolation, while others took a different approach and reflected on the positive consequences of isolation – such as the drop in pollution levels. With great work emerging from such a challenging time … it has become clear that art brings us together.”

Congratulations to all participants, organizers, winners or members of winning teams in all competitions.

In the Art Competition, 5 excellent works were chosen:
1. Shan Shan Chen (Y5)
2. Olga Kosjakova (Y4)
3. Sonya Kalinina (Y2)
4. Annabel Morrisova (Y3)
5. Elsa Srsnova (Y1) 

Fred and Kristýnka, Student Council President and Vice-President

We are very pleased to announce that The English College in Prague has been selected as one of seven COBIS Training Schools after a competitive global application process. The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is the premiere association of British schools of quality overseas. It is serving educational institutions around the world. 

About the programme

The Training Schools programme was created “to enable schools to demonstrate the breadth and quality of their commitment to professional development,” according to COBIS. It focuses on career progression routes, initial teacher training and whole school workforce development. Training Schools serve as “regional hubs” for professional learning events and model best practice in the development of educators. COBIS also hopes the programme will help support the growth of the global teacher workforce in the long-term. 

Dr Fiona Rogers, Deputy CEO and Director of Professional Development and Research at COBIS, wrote that The ECP promotes “good ideas backed up by enthusiasm, commitment of time and regular feedback to the SLT. As a small school, they are well on their way.”

Sharing with the community

The ECP has hosted a number of conferences over the past few years. They include events for the Association of Central European Schools, the Akademie věd ČR and WomenEdCzech. We regularly facilitate or partake in International Baccalaureate (IB) “job-alikes.” These allow subject teachers from across the region to share pedagogical knowledge. Other vocational workshops are provided as well, such as an evening on teaching English literature in Czech schools and sessions on Online Safeguarding.

Moreover, ECP staff have shared locally and globally in their areas of expertise. We have had individual staff members speaking at conferences, examining papers for the IB Programme, delivering webinars on learning management systems, writing for academic publications and more. The ECP staff is truly a community of lifelong learners.

Our approach to professional development

Our mission statement for professional development is “To celebrate, support and enhance the teaching and learning at The ECP.” The already-talented ECP staff continue to engage in developing their own and colleagues’ teaching. We have established a collaborative professional learning community that includes:

• Evidence-based practice. Evidence from primary and secondary research is paramount in our decision-making process.
• Analysis and evaluation. We evaluate the effectiveness of our own teaching and change and adapt based on what we find.
• A culture of trust and risk-taking. This allows colleagues to continually hone what they do in a supportive environment that recognises diversity.

We actively encourage educational research and the promotion of new ideas. Staff have proposed and enacted language exchanges, a Year 6-to-Year 1 mentoring scheme, Science trips, community building days and more. For those who want to explore career progression, there is a shadowing scheme in place. Recently, staff have completed accreditation for the Induction for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) or the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). 

This COBIS Training Schools recognition affirms The ECP’s commitment to lifelong learning, innovation, and sharing our best practice locally and globally. More information on the Training Schools Programme is available here.

Emily Rankin, Deputy Head for Upper School/Teaching & Learning

I’m sitting at my desk, looking into my computer – dressed up from the waist up, a dress and beads, there are flowers behind me on the ironing board and there is a candle next to me – and I have Mácha’s Máj book in black cover in front of me.

I have a feeling like I am about to maneuver a plane. It is easy to read the Máj poem on the Petřín hill and to speak to passers-by – but how will it work today? How will I connect with those who will be requesting to join? Will the little white flashing box support me or fail????

But we really have to read the Máj poem, the verses must be heard throughout Petřín as well as online. We must exclaim them into the world, we must not break the tradition.

We have our connections on Petřín hill. ECP students are loyal and they mediate the view of Mácha’s statue at Petřín. Thanks to them, all the rest of us connecting over the internet can be there as well. There are other loyal students, current and former, and even one of our parents joining in online, just like my children and their child… 

This year, the Máj reading is happening online – we can’t call people to assemble – what if more people come than it is currently allowed, but we had our links there! So we were able to go ahead: Long is my journey! Vain is all calling!

Alena Švejdová, Deputy Head Co-Curriculum, Teacher of Czech

How we celebrated 1. Máj pic.twitter.com/YXzxmzsvZJ

— EnglishCollegePrague (@ECP_Prague) May 4, 2020

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How we celebrated 1. Máj

A post shared by The English College in Prague (@ecp_prague) on May 4, 2020 at 5:22am PDT

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is the UK Patron of the English College in Prague. Everyone at the ECP was very touched to receive this message from him, sending his best wishes. We are very grateful to Prince Charles for thinking of us. He has himself had Covid-19 and we are delighted that he has made a full recovery.

Founder Patron

It was President Havel who asked Prince Charles to join him as a Founder Patron of the English College. Since the opening of the school in September 1994, HRH has visited the English College on two occasions. The first time was in October 2000 and he came to the ECP again in March 2010. Many teachers and former students have very happy memories of his visits and of the interest he has showed in the College.

Text of the message

As we face quite unprecedented challenges, I did just want to let you know that you are very much in my special thoughts at such a very anxious time for everyone. 

The disruption we have experienced to normal life has been profound and therefore I can well imagine the appalling difficulties you must be experiencing.

Nonetheless, I have no doubt that you will deal with these new circumstances with determination, imagination and resourcefulness. As you do so, please be assured of my support, my gratitude and my admiration.

On Friday, ECP’s Senior Deputy Head, Tony Emmerson, will be leading a webinar for teachers. It is hosted by CEM, the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring. CEM is a leading provider of assessments and data analysis tools to educational institutions around the world. Many of them are prestigious HMC schools both in the UK and overseas.

Tony will be sharing his expertise and ideas on how to use data to support students in the international context. The webinar is part of ECP’s commitment to being at the forefront of the international education scene, combining the best of both British and International education in our own unique way.

Tony is currently responsible for curriculum and assessment at the English College in Prague. He is leading the Heads of Faculty team, and supporting the Headmaster in his role of Senior Deputy Head. He is a firm believer in the evolving role of ICT in education, as a tool to aid learning and also to prepare students for professional life in the 21st century.

The English College in Prague has just published a new issue of The ECP Newsletter.

You can read it via this link.

Summary:

• HM’s message
• Theatre – before school closure
• Quarantine
• School Online
• Feedback from students
• Arts
• ECAs I
• ECAs II
• ECPN

Maintaining a sense of community and support

Many young people and their families may be feeling anxious and worried during school closure caused by COVID-19. To help with this, The English College in Prague has taken a number of well-being measures, as “Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Elements of our approach, to maintain a sense of community and support students during isolation, include:

• Frequent communication with families and students via e-mail, bulletins and Google Meet
• A 20% reduction of academic lessons in Years 1-4
• A variety of well-being sessions integrated into our timetable
• Student-organised online events during the holidays, such as an art competition and a Minecraft tournament
• Regular online meetings with Tutors for continuity of pastoral care
• A compilation of well-being activities, such as fitness bingo, terrarium building and mindfulness exercises
• A distance version of our :more programme in lieu of in-school extracurricular activities
• All e-lessons taking place on one, common platform: Google’s G Suite for Education
• Lessons that incorporate movement and less screen time, where possible
• 24-hour access to Pastoral care through a bespoke e-mail address

Physical Exercises

The ECP’s Physical Education (PE) lessons have continued as normal via e-learning, to combat students’ time on screens and assist them with staying in a fitness routine.

Mr Gavriněv and Mrs Gavriněvová have provided some inspiration for good physical exercises in self-isolation and they say, “Best wishes to you all to keep fit!”

Top well-being tips for home learning

The ECP is featured in Expat.cz’s March 31 article, 7 lessons parents with kids at home can learn from Prague educators. It suggests the following to help maximise wellness while engaging in distance learning:

7 lessons parents with kids at home can learn from Prague educators

1. Stick to a timetable

2. Communicate with teachers — and classmates

3. Balance online and offline learning

4. Be flexible and patient (with teachers, too!)

5. Use this time to teach other lessons

6. Create a private study space

7. Go easy on yourself

The English College in Prague is publishing a series of articles about its response to COVID-19; see our first one, on e-learning, here.

Resources:

“7 Lessons Parents with Kids at Home Can Learn from Prague Educators – Prague, Czech Republic.” Expats.cz Latest News & Articles – Prague and the Czech Republic, 1 Apr. 2020, news.expats.cz/czech-education/5-lessons-parents-with-kids-at-home-can-learn-from-prague-educators/.

“Fitness On Your Terms.” DAREBEE, darebee.com/.

“Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Apr. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html.

“Conventional classes will return, however, the impact of the online switch will endure. Students and teachers will have experienced a new benchmark of contemporary education: a more interactive, real-time and innovation-oriented learning experience.” Times Higher Education

The English College in Prague is heartened by our community’s extraordinary response to the current COVID-19 situation. In the face of an abrupt school closure mandate, our students and teachers were back in class, learning virtually, in under 48 hours. We held one day of staff training and produced remote teaching and learning guidance for ECP teachers and students, which continues to evolve based on our work with @GoogleForEdu and community feedback. In order to minimise disruption to our curriculum, classes follow their normal timetable, although in Lower School we have reduced lessons by 20% in order to curtail screen time and provide wellbeing programming.  

We have made video and audio connectivity through Google Hangouts and Meet a priority as students have relayed that they appreciate the personal contact with their teachers. Tutors are regularly checking in with their tutor groups, and we get in touch with families if a student is not in their online lessons; pastoral care remains a prerogative. Our teachers are working fastidiously to provide engaging and robust learning experiences that involve student collaboration, real-world application, screencast presentations, etc. We have been speaking to school leaders in Asia and the UK, and we have shared our resources on e-learning and wellbeing on social media in the hopes that they will be of help to others in our global community. 

Both parents and students, via email and a recent survey, have given positive and supportive feedback on our e-learning programme. Some of the anonymous comments are as follows:

What are students of The English College in Prague saying about their current e-learning?

“Teachers giving us as much help as possible.”

“I think the teachers are very understanding and I wanted to mostly thank everyone for doing such a good job at trying to make us feel comfortable during lesson time and out of lesson time.”

“The materials provided by the teachers are easily accessible. Also we can ask a question even if the class is not in progress.”

“Overall, I really like the scheduling that we still have the subjects and we do work. Also the calls are working very well if the microphones are off and only the teacher is talking.”

“Every teacher is open to suggestions how to make things work better and also everyone including students have been trying very hard so far to make things work, so honestly if it continues going at this rate I will not feel that we’ve missed much content.”
Source: Student E-Learning Survey results 18/3/2020

e-Learning Experiences – Expressions of Appreciation from Parents:

“Thank you. Thumbs up for on-line teaching setup! Best regards We keep our fingers crossed.”

“Thank you very much for handling the situation with such a high level of professionalism and human attitude. With deep respect and thanks”

“I was present during a few of the lessons and I was very pleasantly surprised how not just my daughter, but also other students work nicely and responsibly. Let’s cross fingers so that everything returns back to normal as soon as possible. Wishing you good nerves and a lot of strength to all teachers and everyone who forms the wonderful support in the background.”