Year 5

Today was a day full of discovery, learning and adventure for our pupils. The Trilopark mobile museum visited the school, introducing the children to the fascinating world of dinosaurs, prehistoric animals and fossils. During the interactive programme, the children had the chance to try their hand at being real palaeontologists, examine genuine fossils and take home a souvenir they had made themselves.

Three activity stations awaited the children. At the first station, they went in search of a dinosaur. The nearly three-metre-long raptor skeleton attracted the most attention. The pupils became field palaeontologists and worked together to uncover the individual parts of the skeleton. They then helped to reassemble it and learnt how fossils are formed and how scientists study the Earth’s distant past. The guide also explained a number of interesting facts about dinosaurs to the children in an engaging way and set the record straight on some common myths. At the second station, a hands-on exhibition awaited the children, where the exact opposite of the familiar museum rule ‘Do not touch!’ applied. Under the guidance of an expert instructor, they were able to hold real fossils in their hands and examine them up close. The pupils examined, for example, dinosaur teeth, a mammoth molar, the teeth of the giant prehistoric shark Megalodon, and other rare fossils. Thanks to the opportunity to touch everything and examine it in detail, the children gained a much deeper understanding of life on Earth millions of years ago. The creative workshop was also a great success. Each pupil chose a plaster replica of a prehistoric find and coloured it in according to their own imagination. There were several types of models to choose from – for example, the skulls of a T-Rex, a velociraptor, an allosaurus, a dilophosaurus and a sabre-toothed tiger, as well as a slab featuring trilobites or ammonites, and many others. The children were thrilled by the Trilopark mobile museum programme. The combination of fun, discovery, hands-on demonstrations and creative activities transformed an ordinary school day into an unforgettable journey into our planet’s distant past. We would like to thank the instructors for the engaging programme and look forward to further similar events.

On Wednesday 27 May, our school held its traditional Spring Festival, which this year had a magical, fairy-tale atmosphere. Well-known and much-loved fairy-tale characters guided us through the entire programme, which was full of songs, dancing and poems. We met the Smurfs, and we were really worried whether they would win their battle against Gargamel; we also met the Minions, who turned up at our school and were trying to find out how things actually work at school and what new things they could learn. We discovered the magic of the fairy tale “Long Live the Ghosts” and stretched our limbs with Bob and Bobek. We set off for Hollywood with Shrek, accompanied by beautiful princesses and, of course, his faithful friend Donkey. And because fairy tales sometimes get a bit mixed up, our drama club’s performance showed us just how that can turn out. The older pupils also deserve great admiration for enchanting us with a wonderful musical performance. The magical atmosphere of the whole afternoon was further enhanced by the marvellous costumes and carefully prepared props. During the festivities, the children also enjoyed fun activity stations, and we all tucked into the delicious refreshments prepared by our pupils’ parents. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to them for their help and support. Thank you to all the performers, organisers and visitors for a wonderful afternoon together, full of joy, laughter and a fairy-tale atmosphere.

We’re already looking forward to next year!

Pupils in Years 4 and 5 embarked on a journey through our town’s history, exploring significant events in 19th-century Plzeň. The programme focused on learning about the past through drama, which enabled the children to experience history actively and creatively. The pupils worked in small groups and, through short scenes, re-enacted selected historical events, such as the demolition of Pilsen’s city walls, the invention of the arc lamp, and the founding of the Škoda Works. Both during the preparation and the performance itself, they demonstrated a great deal of imagination, teamwork and creativity. The lesson offered the children not only the chance to broaden their knowledge of Pilsen’s history, but also to try their hand at role-play, expressing themselves through movement and brainstorming ideas together. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the programme and demonstrated that history can be brought to life and be fun.

Today, the Year 4 pupils transformed into brave members of the MA – Water Expedition. This was an interactive environmental programme, during which the children set off on an adventurous quest for treasure and precious water. Many tasks, tests of courage and opportunities to use their imagination lay ahead. At the start of their journey, the children thought about what they would need to pack for such a challenging trip. They drew pictures of the things they would take with them, as well as those that would definitely not be useful on the expedition. Then, using pantomime, the little adventurers put on their expedition gear and were finally ready to set off. There, another task awaited the expedition – they needed to ‘earn’ money to continue their journey. The children therefore created works of art in the form of living pictures, demonstrating great creativity and teamwork. The adventure continued across various continents. The expedition travelled through the scorching desert, scaled high mountains and made its way through dense jungle. It was in the jungle that the expedition encountered the local indigenous people. But here a major problem arose – the travellers ran out of water. What now? The children worked in small groups and brainstormed together on how to obtain water from available natural sources, coming up with some brilliant ideas. We now know where to look for water and how to purify it so that it is safe to drink. Thanks to teamwork and clever solutions, in the end nobody went thirsty. Right at the end of the expedition, the adventurers discovered a mysterious cave, where they found a beautiful, clear and healing spring. The MA–Water expedition thus came to a happy end, and the children took away not only plenty of memories, but also new insights into the importance of water for life.

Today, the Year 4 pupils set off on a journey of discovery across Europe. The project day began with the children being divided into groups based on how correctly they had put together a map of Europe, after which they worked at several themed stations. Over the course of three hours, they practised distinguishing fact from fiction about European countries, discovered European ‘firsts’, worked with books, solved puzzles and crosswords, and tried to escape from a specially prepared escape game. There was also plenty of teamwork, critical thinking and lots of new and interesting facts about our continent. They also played the board game ‘Europe Through Play’, in which they travelled around European cities. The whole project was complemented by themed snacks from various corners of Europe, which the children had brought in. For example, they tasted French macarons and French cake, Belgian waffles, Italian tiramisu and mini pizzas, Norwegian marshmallows with caramel, German chocolate and Austrian Almdudler lemonade. During the project day, the pupils were able to practise the knowledge they had learnt and discover various European countries in an engaging way. I believe everyone enjoyed the day.

On Wednesday, we held a project day at our school called ‘Journey Through Time’, which took the children on a journey through various historical periods. The programme began with the reading of a letter from a ‘mad scientist’, who left the children an important message – the time machine had broken down and it was up to them to fix it. The children then split into teams, came up with their own names and enthusiastically created team flags, which accompanied them throughout the day. The groups then set off to various stations, where they completed tasks from different historical eras. They visited ancient Egypt, where they built pyramids, deciphered hieroglyphs and even tried their hand at mummification. In ancient Greece and Rome, they competed in a mini-Olympics and learnt about the gods and their symbols. In the Middle Ages, they defended a castle against enemy attack and practised logical thinking. The Renaissance provided scope for creativity – the children drew blindfolded, built inventions and presented their own ideas. In the modern era, they then tried their hand at encryption, communication and building ‘robots’ from various materials. The whole day took place in a very pleasant, collaborative and creative atmosphere. The children worked with great enthusiasm, helped one another and had lots of fun at the same time. The day concluded with a joint finale, which symbolically ‘repaired’ the time machine.

We would like to thank all the pupils for their enthusiasm and excellent cooperation. A big thank you also goes to the teachers who helped organise the project. We believe the children thoroughly enjoyed the day and took away not only new knowledge but also lots of wonderful memories.

The children spent this morning doing fun activities related to witchcraft and magic. Various tasks awaited them, such as deciphering magical inscriptions, distinguishing between fact and fiction regarding witches, performing various tasks and drawing magical objects, as well as making potions and learning how to use them. We all had a good laugh during the demonstrations, but we also learnt a lot from old myths and stories. The whole morning was great fun and we enjoyed it very much.

This morning, the Year 4 pupils visited the Alfa Theatre, where they watched a performance of “Odysseus”. The play was full of adventure, suspense and humour. The actors gave brilliant performances and managed to draw the audience into the story, as they frequently moved about in the aisles between the seats. The children were introduced to the story of a brave hero trying to return home from his distant travels to his wife and son. The original costumes were also a big hit. The performance not only entertained the pupils but also taught them a lesson.

On Tuesday, pupils in Years 2 to 4 went on a cultural outing to Šeříkovka, where they watched a theatre performance entitled ‘Little Red Riding Hood in the Web’. This modern adaptation of the well-known fairy tale captivated the young audience not only with its humour, but also with its timely message about staying safe online. The actors explained to the children, in an engaging and easy-to-understand way, how to avoid the pitfalls of the online world and why it is important to protect their personal data. The performance was full of cheerful dialogue, catchy songs and interactive moments that actively engaged the pupils in the story.

The children thoroughly enjoyed the theatre experience and came away not only with pleasant memories but also with valuable lessons.

On the last day before the Easter holidays, we turned into detectives in class and set about solving the mystery of the Easter Bunny’s disappearance. The children examined the clues, worked through the evidence and eventually correctly identified the culprit. We then talked about Easter traditions and the individual days of Holy Week. The children shared their experiences and took part in a group brainstorming session. There was also plenty of craft time. Anyone who wanted to could weave a pomlázka, dye eggs and make decorations. The skits were also great fun, with the children humorously demonstrating Easter customs in action. To round things off, we had a competition involving an egg-tapping game and an Easter Kahoot. The whole morning was full of fun, teamwork and new learning.

Today, the Year 4 pupils took part in an educational programme called ‘Animating Adverts’, organised for them by the Animánie association. During the morning, the children first learnt about the basic principles of advertising. They learnt how adverts affect the viewer, what a slogan is, and how creators manage to capture our attention. Then it was time to put theory into practice. The pupils split into small creative groups and were given a task – to devise and film their own animated advert. The first step was a team meeting and writing the script. The children had to come up with a story, plan out the individual scenes and decide which product or idea they would actually be promoting. The reward for all the young filmmakers was the finished advert.

On Thursday 26 March, Ms Romana Kazdová visited our class and had prepared an educational programme for the children entitled ‘First Aid Through Experience’. This event took place as part of the ‘Day for School’ project run by the Česká spořitelna Foundation and was met with great enthusiasm from the pupils. During the programme, the children learnt about various emergency situations they might encounter in everyday life. They learnt how to respond correctly in situations such as drowning, road accidents, injuries or fires, and gained important information on how they can help save a person’s life. The most valuable part was the practical session, during which the pupils were able to practise how to help an unconscious person, how to check their responses and breathing, and how to call for help correctly. The programme also included practising how to call the emergency services and performing CPR, including chest compressions, which the children practised in a playful way to the tune of well-known songs, such as ‘Jingle Bells’. The whole programme was not only very informative for the children, but also engaging and full of exciting experiences. They came away with new knowledge, practical skills and, above all, greater confidence that, should the need arise, they would be able to respond correctly and help.

As part of our spring programme, we went on a trip to Blovice na Hradiště, where a themed educational programme entitled ‘Easter at the Castle’ had been organised for us. The whole day took place in a pleasant atmosphere and offered us not only new insights but also the chance to actively take part in traditional customs. Upon arrival, we first explored the beautifully spring-decorated exhibitions, which transported us back to the Easter period as experienced by our ancestors. We learnt many interesting facts about folk and Christian traditions, their significance and how they were practised in the past. The programme also included a creative workshop, where we were able to test our own skills and take home a small Easter souvenir. Another highlight was the procession to carry out Morana, the symbol of winter, whom we ‘escorted out’ together to welcome in spring. Throughout the event, we were provided with comfortable facilities and the programme took place in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The whole setting had its own unique charm, which enhanced the atmosphere of the place.

On Saturday 21 March 2026, our school hosted its traditional Easter workshop. Children arrived with their parents, and the whole morning was filled with creativity and a spring-like atmosphere. Five stations had been set up for the participants, where they could try out various art techniques and create their own original Easter decorations. They took home a little bird made from iron-on beads, a bunny in a cup, a woolly lamb or a picture of a bunny made from fabric, the pattern for which everyone chose as they pleased. What sort of Easter would it be without eggs? That’s why there was also an activity involving decorating an egg with crepe paper. The whole event took place in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere; everyone had a great time and the craft work went smoothly. We hope this morning helped everyone get into the spirit of spring and the approaching Easter. We’d like to thank the children and parents for taking part, and a special thank you goes to those who brought refreshments – they were the perfect icing on the cake for the whole event. :-)

The children really enjoyed today. They had the ‘Proverbs’ project to look forward to. The children had been learning about proverbs all month – we’d been reading explanations of various proverbs in books, doing jigsaw puzzles, working on iPads, and today we rounded off the whole unit with the project. This time, the children tested their knowledge of proverbs on worksheets – where crosswords, word searches and fill-in-the-blank exercises awaited them. They also worked in groups, where their task was to decipher proverbs using Morse code, and further puzzles awaited them in the form of ciphers – if the children had any time left over, they worked on iPads and did jigsaw puzzles both on the blackboard and on the carpet; and during the last lesson, we made use of the corridor space, where the children had hidden tasks – filling in the correct words into a text and working out the correct code. I think we really did practise our knowledge of proverbs today.

The Year 4 pupils visited the library in Doubravka today as part of the ‘Travelling with a Book’ educational programme. The programme began with a talk about how a book is created – from the initial idea, through writing the text, illustrations and typesetting, right through to printing and binding. The children learnt how important collaboration is between the author, illustrator and publisher, as well as the steps a book must go through before it reaches readers.

An interesting part of the programme was a hands-on activity during which the children had a go at designing their own book cover. To finish off, we had a look around the library and then headed back to school.

Pupils in Years 2 and 4 visited the Robotics Centre in Plzeň, where a programme focusing on modern technologies and the basics of programming had been organised for them. The children had the chance to try out the Bee-Bot, Ozobot and Blue-Bot robotic tools, which help develop logical thinking and spatial awareness. Under the guidance of instructors, they completed practical tasks and learnt to programme the robots using simple commands. Whilst working, they had to think through the process, plan their steps and collaborate in groups. There was also time for questions and discussions about the practical applications of robotics, for example in industry or healthcare. An activity involving QR codes and a map of the venue was also a great success. Using the map, the children searched for the codes placed around the venue and completed the assigned tasks using tablets. This part tested their sense of direction and independence. The whole morning was characterised by a spirit of discovery and the joy of learning new things. The visit was hugely beneficial for everyone and provided inspiration for future lessons.

Today, we and our pupils had the opportunity to attend a performance dedicated to a significant figure in Czech history – King Wenceslas II – and, at the same time, to learn about the founding of the city of Plzeň. The performance took place in the Polan Hall and featured Jitka Kubištová and Milan B. Karpíšek, who, through engaging storytelling and songs, guided us through the life, reign and significant decisions of this famous monarch. To round off the event, selected pupils took part in a knowledge quiz, and it must be said that we didn’t do too badly against the Year 7 pupils.

Today, pupils in Years 3 to 5 went on a trip to Prague, where they visited the Dinosauria entertainment and educational park. We had a pre-arranged programme, which was tailored to the pupils’ ages.

During the visit, the children learnt many interesting facts about prehistoric reptiles, their lives and the Earth’s evolution. They viewed realistic models of dinosaurs, took part in interactive activities and enthusiastically answered the guide’s questions. The trip was not only educational but also great fun, and the pupils came away with a wealth of new knowledge and wonderful memories.

In January, as has almost become a tradition, pupils from Years 4 and 5 set off for Šeříkovka to see an English-language performance by the Theatre Centre. This time, we were treated to the play “Mr Salamander”, in which characters from the human and animal kingdoms came together. Mr Salamander, a lizard who learnt to speak English from the children at school, meets Czech pupils Nela and Jakub. They try to communicate and understand one another, and gradually become friends. Jakub and Nela decide to teach Salamander our language through fairy tales. They choose the best-known fairy tales they’ve heard since childhood, but soon realise that their new friend doesn’t like human fairy tales. In each one, someone comes to a bad end. The wolf from Little Red Riding Hood ends up with a belly full of stones, the farmer outwits the ‘silly’ bear, and so on. Salamander feels sorry for the animals, so he makes up the final fairy tale and acts it out himself. This time, nobody comes to a bad end; instead, understanding, tolerance, courage and friendship triumph. The funny and lively performance captivated both children and adults, and we’ll definitely be heading back to Šeříkovka next year. :-)

Today we set off on an interesting Christmas journey into the past. We visited the U Matoušů farmstead in Bolevec, where the children had the chance to discover what Advent and Christmas celebrations were like on a simple country farm in the days of our ancestors. During the visit, the children learnt about old Christmas traditions and customs that were an integral part of life on the farm. They learnt how people viewed Advent, how they prepared for Christmas and what customs they observed during the winter months. Another highlight was a tour of the living quarters, where the children could imagine the daily life of a family on the farm during the winter months. They were particularly fascinated by the comparison between Christmas decorations of the past and those of today – simple decorations made from natural materials in contrast to those we are used to nowadays. The excursion was not only educational for the children, but also very inspiring. They realised that Christmas wasn’t always about the number of presents, but above all about family, traditions and time spent together. We would like to thank Statku U Matoušů for their warm welcome and the lovely atmosphere, which transported us for a moment back to the Christmases of our great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers.

Today, the children in our class had the chance to discover a lovely book by Julia Donaldson as part of our English project, “The Smartest Giant in Town”. The children discovered the story of a giant who is not only clever, but also kind and willing to help others. We began by learning some new vocabulary, and we also read and translated the book together. Then it was time for the children to work on their individual tasks. We rounded off the project by watching a video about the smartest giant in town. The day flew by and we all really enjoyed the project.

Today’s visit by our Year 4 pupils to the Megabooks bookshop in the centre of Plzeň was great fun thanks to the English-language escape game “The Grinch’s Present Theft”. The children were divided into teams and completed various tasks and puzzles. After successfully finishing the game, the children received a small reward. The event not only entertained the children but also educated them and encouraged their interest in books. Afterwards, we went to have a look at the Christmas market in the nearby square, where we browsed the stalls selling traditional decorations, saw the Christmas tree and the nativity scene, and even rang the bell for good luck.

On Friday, we invited an expert from Česká spořitelna’s Skoala project to the school to talk to the Year 4 and Year 5 pupils about financial literacy. Together with her, the children reflected on questions such as: Where does money come from? Who can create it? Do we need to save, or can we spend all the money we have? Is it right to spend more money than we earn – and is that even possible? We also traced a product’s journey from its very beginning right through to the end customer, whilst tracking its rising price along the way. To round things off, we discussed the concepts of discretionary and essential expenditure, which can, however, mean slightly different things to different people. There were plenty of questions at the end. The children were interested in debt and loans; there were even questions about mortgages and how a bank works. The teacher was delighted with the discussion and greatly appreciated how much the children already knew about financial literacy and how enthusiastically they participated. Before leaving, she impressed upon everyone the most important piece of advice – that it is essential to think about money, manage it properly and make good decisions about what we spend it on. And not to get angry with our parents when they don’t want to buy us everything. ;-)

We spent part of this morning ice skating at Škoda Sport Park with the Year 3 and Year 5 pupils. The atmosphere was great right from the start, and there was plenty of enthusiasm on the ice. For the children who weren’t quite confident on their skates yet or were just starting out, various aids were available, ensuring that everyone could really enjoy the skating. The sun was shining beautifully, which made the atmosphere even better. Gradually, everyone gained confidence and tried out new skills. The more experienced skaters showed off their tricks, whilst the beginners made small steps of progress. To finish off, we set up a slalom course, which everyone mastered brilliantly. The children left the ice with smiles on their faces and lots of wonderful memories. It was a lovely time spent together. :-)

On Monday, our class had a Christmas sleepover at school. Everyone was really looking forward to it. After being picked up from after-school care, we set off together on a Christmas walk around the school. There was a festive atmosphere everywhere; the windows of the houses were decorated, and the area around the Town Hall was beautifully lit up. We sang Christmas carols by the nativity scene. Back at school, pizza was waiting for us, along with Miss Káťa, who had organised some virtual reality activities and various interactive tasks. And then came the highlight of the evening: playing with our hedgehog, Bodlinka. The children had been looking forward to this all day. The fun seemed never-ending, but sleep was a must, so after eight o’clock the children went to the washroom and then got ready for bed. After the devil’s fairy tale, some were already drifting off to sleep, whilst others took a little longer. Then, in the morning, they didn’t want to get out of their sleeping bags. It took a table full of treats, prepared for us by the parents, to coax the children out of bed. The sleepover was a great success and I’m sure everyone enjoyed it.

During the second weekend of Advent, our school hosted its traditional Christmas craft workshop. Pupils gathered here with their parents and enjoyed a creative morning together, full of Christmas spirit. Everyone could choose from a wide range of crafts – including a reindeer made from pegs, a scratch-art Christmas tree, a rocking snowman, a glittery Christmas tree and a water-based decoration with glitter. Helpful parents provided some lovely refreshments, and we’d like to thank them very much. The morning took place in a very warm and friendly atmosphere. 🎄

Christmas Fair, 26 November – NFG Foundation

This year, we once again organised a Christmas fair at our school before the start of Advent, so that everyone could get their beautiful Christmas decorations and presents in good time. Visitors could choose from a wide range of items that the children had made in art lessons, craft sessions and in after-school care. New this year were chess-themed Advent calendars, whilst the beautiful Advent wreaths and original clothing remained a tradition. The atmosphere was enhanced by a fragrant corner offering hot chocolate, Christmas biscuits, gingerbread, open sandwiches and other treats. To round off the event, a prize draw was held for a gingerbread model of the Easy Start Primary School building. Interest was huge, and most of the items sold out in no time. Thanks to the generosity of our visitors, we managed to raise an amazing CZK 53,781, which we will donate to the NFG Foundation. We would like to thank everyone who helped with the preparations, as well as everyone who came along to buy something. We wish you a peaceful and enjoyable Advent.

The Year 4 and Year 5 pupils had a really fun and adventurous day, which this time had a zombie theme. The children were invited to Shelly’s birthday party, where they soon discovered some mysterious letters. From these, they learnt that someone present had been infected with the zombie virus. Using clues, they uncovered who would become a zombie and who would remain human. Both groups then worked with a map – the zombies searched for the best places to find ‘food’, whilst the humans looked for a safe hiding place. We talked about the concepts of an epidemic, a pandemic and a crisis event. The humans tried their hand at water filtration, whilst the zombies pondered how they might contaminate it. The children also learnt about the human brain and built a simple model of it. To round things off, there was a logic and maths competition, which the Zombie team won – and as a reward, they ‘ate’ the humans’ brains. We had a brilliant time! 🧟🗺️

Today we visited the Pluto Theatre, where the ‘Česky hezky’ mini-festival is currently taking place. On the programme was the performance “My Native Region”, which took us on an imaginary journey through the Plzeň Region. We looked out from the Plzeň Tower, visited Radyni, Chlum and Krkavec, and learnt about local legends. We also visited the Klatovy catacombs and Domažlice, where we enjoyed a fairy tale in the local dialect.

We had a great time at school today. We were celebrating Halloween. Most of the children and adults came in fancy dress, the whole school was beautifully decorated, and instead of the usual lessons, the children took part in various Halloween activities. The children prepared snacks for the afternoon party – mummies, ghosts, ‘bones’ made from puff pastry and sausages, cheese, salami and vegetables – everything turned out really well. They played a maths escape game – and don’t worry, all the children found the right key and escaped from the spooky castle. followed by a Halloween quiz and tasks on tablets; in their English lesson, they playfully practised their vocabulary and completed various tasks and quizzes.

The afternoon was dedicated to both children and parents. After a joint performance of the Halloween programme by all the classes, everyone set off on a spooky trail full of challenges – they had to throw at a witch, do a pumpkin slalom, solve a word search, deal with ‘bloody hands’, shoot down Frankenstein and catapult spiders. For the older pupils, an outdoor escape game with QR codes had been organised, offering plenty of excitement and fun. The celebrations culminated in everyone roasting sausages together and sampling the treats the children had prepared that morning. The whole day was filled with a spooky, but above all, cheerful atmosphere. The children thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween celebrations and certainly took home lots of wonderful memories.

Today we set off together on the Journey to the Big Bang – a space project full of discovery and fun. To start with, we watched the video ‘A Trip to Space’, which summarised everything the children know about space. After that, various activities awaited us – puzzles, a journey through space and space invaders in a text. The children also made their own model of the Solar System. Whilst taking part in the activities, they completed a quiz in the corridor, where they discovered the name Vladimír Remek. In a tablet-based escape game, they tested their knowledge and logical thinking. On the carpet, they could play Dobble, memory games and dominoes, look for different constellations and practise reading about space with comprehension. We rounded off the day with a fun space-themed Kahoot! The project was full of fun, revision, teamwork and new insights into our infinite universe. 🚀

Today, we took the children to the observatory, where we set off on a journey of discovery through the universe. As part of the ‘Solar System’ programme, we talked about our planet Earth, its shape and movements, as well as other celestial bodies that form part of the Solar System. The children learnt lots of interesting facts about the Sun, the planets and their moons, as well as about comets and asteroids. The highlight of the day was when we got to see the large telescope. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side, so we couldn’t try out the telescope properly, but it was still a brilliant experience. The children listened enthusiastically to the explanation of how the telescope works and asked lots of curious questions. We all thoroughly enjoyed the visit and came away with new knowledge and memories.

This morning, the Year 4 pupils set off on a journey back to ancient times as part of the ‘Journey to Prehistory’ educational programme offered by the West Bohemian Museum in Plzeň. The programme focused on introducing the children to the everyday life of prehistoric people and offered not only interesting facts but also hands-on activities. The children worked with prepared worksheets, which helped them to better understand the different sections of the exhibition. At the same time, they had the chance to try out some of the activities for themselves – such as grinding grain on a stone mill. The whole programme was conducted in an interactive manner, which drew the children into history and helped them to better imagine what life was like in prehistoric times.

A slightly different approach to PE? Why not! An unusual guest visited our school’s PE lesson – a coach from the Czech Republic Cricket Academy. His visit not only added some variety to the lesson, but also provided an opportunity to learn about a sport that isn’t yet very widespread here – cricket. During this engaging lesson, the pupils learnt the basic rules of the sport, found out more about its origins and, above all, had a go at playing it themselves. The aim of the whole event was not only to breathe new life into the lessons, but also to show the children further opportunities for sporting activities. Perhaps there’s even a future cricket star hiding amongst them – who knows?

A big thank you goes to the Czech Cricket Academy for their visit, their professional approach and the inspiration they provided. We believe that it is precisely activities like these that encourage children to be active and discover new sports.

Our school organised a popular sports morning for parents and children called ‘Games Without Borders’. The whole event was all about fun, exercise and teamwork. Upon arrival at the school, each participant found a slip of paper with a rhyme on it, which was used to assign them to a team. Each team then came up with its own name – and then the games could begin! At six different stations, children and adults alike put their minds, dexterity and team spirit to the test. Together, they built the tallest structure, tackled the straw challenge, searched for the correct numbers, tried out unconventional ways of carrying objects, put together jigsaw puzzles and had to crack a mysterious code using encrypted coordinates. The popular guessing game was also part of the programme – this year, the challenge was to guess how long all the lollipops would be if laid out in a straight line. And to make it a bit trickier, the guesses had to be in inches! The whole morning was spent in a relaxed atmosphere full of laughter, joy and overcoming challenges.

Thank you all for taking part and for bringing refreshments, and a big congratulations to the winners of the guessing competition! 🎉

We enjoyed today together with the animals, which were all over the school. In every classroom, there were lots of animals waiting for the children; they learnt lots of facts about them, and some of the children were even able to cuddle them. This was followed by English language activities focusing on pets; in art class, the children created various pets, and then we had a treasure hunt, which was quite tricky, but the children managed it well. And to finish off, the children were given the chance to decide which pet we’ll get for the classroom. Will it be a white-bellied hedgehog or an axolotl? We’ll find out on Monday in a secret ballot. Today, the children learnt lots of information about animals, watched videos on how to look after both pets, and the decision will be made on Monday. So we’ll see what we end up with in the classroom.😊

Today, we took the children to the Small Stage (DJKT), where we watched a drama adaptation of Josef Čapek’s well-known stories about a little dog and a little cat. The beloved fairy tales came to life on stage – “How the Dog and the Cat Baked a Cake”, “How the Dog and the Cat Washed the Floor” and “How the Dog Teared His Trousers”.

An interesting part of the performance was Mr Čapek himself, who appeared right on stage. Wearing several different costumes, he played various characters and, in some scenes, took on the role of narrator. This added a playful variety to the whole performance whilst also reminding us that the stories have an author.

The performance was cheerful and drew the children into the story, eliciting laughter and applause. We left the theatre in high spirits, having enjoyed a wonderful cultural experience.

Just like last year, we took our pupils to the sports hall again this year, where a mobile planetarium was waiting for us. We had the chance to watch the film “From Earth to Space”. During the show, we learnt almost everything we might encounter in space (from the planets of the solar system, through the fascinating distances in space, to black holes and white dwarfs). There was also time for questions, of which our children had plenty, as always. We simply find the topic of space really fascinating. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the space dome once again.

On Friday, we set off for the environmental centre in Krsech, where we spent a pleasant and, at the same time, very informative morning together. A varied programme awaited us, during which we learnt new things, tried out various activities and, above all, worked together. Right at the start, we experienced what it’s like to face a particular disability. In small groups, we made our way indoors whilst blindfolded, as if we were blind, and completed tasks that required us to work together. We then split into stations where further activities awaited us. One of these focused on space and light pollution – we learnt that the village of Krsy boasts the darkest skies in the whole of the Czech Republic, making it an ideal spot for stargazing. Another station was dedicated to the cardinal directions, and we had the chance to practise using a compass and finding our way around. Finally, we went outside, where we were given the task of collecting various natural objects in the centre’s garden, following the instructors’ instructions. We really enjoyed the hunt, and it also encouraged us to pay closer attention to the natural world around us. The morning in Krsy flew by, and we came away with new knowledge and plenty of memorable experiences. We’d like to thank the centre’s staff for such an interesting programme.

Here we go. Our Year 3 pupils have become Year 4 pupils. Today, in a three-hour escape game, they tested their knowledge of everything Year 4 pupils need to know. And there was certainly a lot to cover.

The tasks covered not only Czech and maths, but also logic, art, science and reading comprehension.

The children cut, stuck and assembled, and as a result, they completed 13 tasks and found 13 stones/keys, which they had to arrange in such a way as to open the lock.

It took quite a bit of effort, but everyone managed it.

Everyone succeeded, so we had some ‘quick snacks’ and celebrated the start of the school year. I hope we’ll do just as well in the new school year as we did today.

The third school year is now behind us. The children have received their written assessments and school reports, and have all gone off on their summer holidays. I wish you all a wonderful time. And I look forward to seeing you in September😀

On Thursday, we went to Štruncovy sady, where we tried our hand at an interesting sport – archery. We visited the 1. LK Plzeň 1935 club. To start with, the instructors told us a bit about how archery works. One of them is even ranked amongst the top five archers in the world! Archery is a fair sport because it’s easy to measure how well each person shoots. Almost anyone can do it – young and old alike. Then we were given bows, arrows and protective gear. They showed us how to hold the bow properly and how to draw the string. We realised it wasn’t as easy as it looked – but with practice, we got better and better. We shot at targets 10 metres away. We gradually got better and were delighted whenever we hit the bullseye. One of the instructors then showed us how he shoots from 50 metres – that was something else! And just imagine, at the Olympics they shoot from as far as 70 metres! We all really enjoyed archery and the two hours flew by. At the end, we were given an ice lolly, which made us very happy and rounded off a fun-filled morning.

Today was all about sport, teamwork and the joy of being active. Our school hosted a whole-school event – the Easy Start Primary School Sports Day. Although we were blessed with truly summery weather from the morning onwards and temperatures soared, the children were not put off. All the participants proved to be real fighters, tackling the challenges with a smile and great enthusiasm. The pupils were divided into teams, working together to complete a total of 10 sports stations. Each station tested different skills – physical fitness, agility and teamwork. The disciplines included, for example, the long jump, standing jump, skipping, running, shuttle run, obstacle course, basketball shot, long throw, goal kick and hoop toss. Each station had its own unique character, and the children threw themselves into the individual activities with enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see how they cheered each other on, supported one another and celebrated their successes together. And what sort of summer sports day would it be without a bit of refreshment? During the breaks, there were water games and the children were able to cool off using water sprayers. Laughter and splashing water created the perfect summer atmosphere. A big thank you goes to everyone who helped ensure the event ran smoothly. And above all, to the children, who once again showed today that fair play, enthusiasm and the joy of being active are the real prizes. Long live sport, and we look forward to more events together!

On Tuesday 24 June 2025, we took the children on a trip along the Spejbl and Hurvínek fun educational trail, which starts and ends at Šídlovský Pond. Along the way, we passed ten stations where simple physical activities awaited us; these entertained the children whilst also giving them a bit of a workout. At each station, we could scan a QR code to listen to funny dialogues between Spejbl and Hurvínek. There was also plenty of interesting information about the surrounding area, such as the Kolomazná furnace and the Sofronka arboretum. The wooden statues of Spejbl and Hurvínek were a great highlight, and we took photos with them at almost every stop. The route is well signposted, so we didn’t get lost for a single moment. To round off the day, the children had a brilliant time on the climbing wall and the workout playground by Šídlovský Pond. The trip was a brilliant combination of exercise, fun and learning. :)

Camping in Dolní Hradiště

On Sunday, the children from our class set off for a cottage in Dolní Hradiště, where a lovely little spot with a swimming pool, a swing and sports equipment awaited them. The parents pitched the tents and the children immediately rushed off for a swim, as the weather was very warm. After a good splash about, games and competitions followed; the children took turns playing on their own and working in small groups to complete tasks – one of which was gathering wood for the evening campfire, followed by roasting sausages. After a delicious dinner, there was a scavenger hunt, and around nine o’clock in the evening, the children washed up and went to bed. But only for a short while – around eleven o’clock, a night-time scavenger hunt awaited them – everyone managed it, which is brilliant. In the morning, the children were woken by a light storm and a bit of rain, but the weather cleared up straight away and a lovely day awaited them, featuring a trip to the village and a visit to the viewpoint, more swimming and, above all, cooking – the children made their own lunch – spaghetti with cheese sauce, with or without smoked sausage – entirely by themselves…and they certainly enjoyed it… well, there was more swimming and sports games. At four o’clock, the parents came to collect the children. I think the children really enjoyed their whole stay.

This week we went on a school trip to a holiday centre in Plasy. On Monday, after arriving at the centre, we settled into our accommodation, made our beds, unpacked our things and went for lunch. After lunch, the children went to meet their group leaders, Luky and Petr, and then headed into the woods for the afternoon programme.

On Tuesday morning, we launched our class project – ‘The Universe’. We learnt about the Solar System and key facts about the planets. We started making a lapbook and interspersed this with active games. We also discussed celestial bodies, thereby expanding our knowledge of the cosmos.

Wednesday morning was devoted to a trip to Plasy, including a visit to the zoo and a round of mini-golf. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole morning. The afternoon was devoted to sport, featuring obstacle courses, agility games and jumps, and we even had a go at wading across the river. The children really enjoyed this afternoon! In the evening, a disco awaited the children.

On Thursday, we set off into the local forest and, through a series of running puzzles, discovered the cosmonaut Vladimír Remek and the dog Laika, and also learnt about the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. On our return to the camp, another activity awaited us – an art session, painting the Galaxy with our zodiac signs, which turned out very well. We discussed stars, constellations and the signs of the zodiac. The afternoon was devoted to a game running throughout the camp, and in the evening we held ‘Grut’s Got Talent’, where the children put their performances from the Spring Festival and many others to good use. For the volunteers, a ‘courage trail’ was also organised after lights out.

The whole school camp then drew to a close with a closing ceremony, the presentation of certificates and prizes. On Friday afternoon, all that remained was to pack up the last few things and head home. We’re already looking forward to next year. :)

On Thursday, another GATE project – which stands for Gifted and Talented Education – was organised for pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5. We built on our previous project, ‘At the Court of Emperor Rudolf II’, and this time we were transported back to his court once again. This time, however, we focused on alchemy, which was another of this versatile emperor’s passions. After deciphering the opening code, the children split into four groups, where they took turns trying out various experiments with luminescence, writing messages in invisible ink, mixing colours and making a lava lamp. They learnt about the history of microscopes and were able to compare an optical microscope with a digital one in practice. Following the example of Rudolf II, who sought to produce gold from other metals, they tried their hand at extracting gold from ‘stones’. The day-long project was packed with discovery and exploration, and we believe everyone enjoyed it.

Today, we took the children from Year 2 to the road safety playground at Primary School No. 1 in Bolevec. The weather had improved and all the children were really looking forward to it. At last, the moment had come for the children to put the knowledge they’d gained from the theory lessons into practice.

Before the practical session began, the children had to check that their helmets were fitted correctly. The instructor helped them adjust their helmets if necessary, and then the children made their way (without their bikes or scooters just yet) to the playground to revise the rules of the road. A review of the rules for pedestrians was also included. Then it was time to start cycling in high spirits. The children tried very hard and enjoyed the ride. For any ‘offences’, the teachers – who were standing in for the traffic police – awarded them penalty points. But it all turned out well :) Nobody lost all their points, and everyone was praised at the end for their excellent work. The whole morning was a real success!!! We’re looking forward to it again next year.

On Wednesday, our school hosted its traditional May event – the Spring Festival – at which children from Years 1 to 5 put on a variety of performances. Each class was represented by a different colour – the Year 1 pupils shone in yellow, Year 2 in blue, Year 3 in green, Year 4 in a stylish combination of black and white, and Year 5 chose a cheerful pink. The entire programme began and ended with a group song in the colours of the rainbow, which beautifully enhanced the atmosphere of the whole event. The children put on some truly lovely performances – it was clear that they had practised diligently and given it their all. The audience rewarded their efforts with loud applause and beaming smiles. After the programme ended, a fun afternoon of activities was organised for the children in the school garden. There was face painting, hoverboarding, target throwing and other games, which the children eagerly tried out. We’d like to thank all the parents for bringing in refreshments and, above all, everyone who took part for a lovely day that we all truly enjoyed together!

Today, pupils in Years 2 and 3 set off on an adventurous maths space mission. The children became astronauts and embarked on a journey of discovery, the aim of which was to find a planet to which humanity could move.

The programme was inspired by Prof. Hejný’s method of teaching maths and made use of original, specially made teaching aids which the children worked with.

The children worked together in groups and had to deal with practical matters such as preparing for the flight, resolving a crisis situation during the flight, landing on a distant planet, and more.

In doing so, they demonstrated speed, logical thinking and courage.

All the pupils were highly praised by the instructor at the end; they did a brilliant job. You can see how much the children enjoyed the programme in our photo gallery.

Today, our Year 3 pupils, together with the Year 1 and Year 2 pupils, went to see the English play ‘THE KING OF THE POLLOCK’. They learnt about the frog parliament and, together with the roosters and hens, went in search of the King of the Pollock.

The children took part in the play, danced and sang cheerful songs. And all of it was in English. They really enjoyed themselves.

For a full two months, we devoted ourselves diligently to reading “Old Czech Legends”; we completed various tasks based on the text and, as a bonus to round it all off, we were treated to a visit from the Animánie team today. The children got to experience what it’s like when stories come to life. One group animated the story of the forefather Čech, another that of Libuše, and a third that of Bivoj.

We’ll have to wait about 14 days for the result, but we’re all looking forward to it.

We really enjoyed Wednesday. There were plenty of activities in store for the children – they played with eggs and sang Easter songs, completed English-language tasks, made an Easter lapbook, went outside to play sports with the Easter Bunny / and found a lovely treasure /, learnt lots about how Easter is celebrated in Europe, and tested their reading comprehension skills to find the answers to lots of tricky questions.😊

The project was a great success and everyone is already looking forward to the real Easter. Enjoy it. 🍪🧁🥤

Today we set off once again with the children to our familiar Polana Hall for the performance “Let’s Go Quietly into the Realm of Music”.

Jitka Kubištová and Milan Karpíšek taught our young audience some new songs about musical instruments, which they demonstrated on stage using an accordion, a flute, a banjo, a violin and a drum.

The children also learnt the basics about the different types of musical instruments and how they work. We really enjoyed the show – thank you!!!

On Saturday 12 April 2025, we hosted our traditional Easter workshop, which brings joy to children and parents alike every year. The whole morning was filled with creativity and the spirit of spring.

Five stations were set up for visitors, where they could try out a variety of art techniques and create their own original Easter decorations.

For example, they made a wooden bird symbolising the arrival of spring, or a hen made from a paper coaster, which brought a smile to many a child’s face.

A decoupage-style garden stake, made using napkins and glue, was also a great hit. There were no limits to the imagination when creating cheerful pencil decorations from colourful fuzzy wire.

The children also made a cute little sheep from a toilet roll and some cotton wool. The whole event took place in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, filled with laughter, good cheer and the joy of creating.

We’d like to thank everyone who took part in the workshop and brought along some delicious refreshments.

Today, pupils from Years 2 and 3 set off for Radovánku once again to take part in the next part of their road safety theory lessons.

The children learnt more about cyclists and inline skaters today. They also discussed important road signs, revised the rules of the road, went over guidelines for cyclists and were reminded of the compulsory equipment for cyclists.

They watched several videos showing road situations and had the chance to practise giving way to vehicles and cyclists at junctions.

They practised all of this through interactive activities. The children will put this new knowledge to use in May, when we’ll head to the road safety playground and they’ll get to try everything out in practice.

The children in our class discovered today that the ‘excluded words’ can be learnt in a fun way – and for a full five lessons, no less.

We practised our knowledge of the listed words in a fun way. The children worked in four small groups, which took turns at various activities.

The children worked with Blue-Bots, tablets and jigsaw puzzles; they played board games focusing on the listed words, worked on the computer, and took part in a ‘treasure hunt’ with the listed words in the corridor, as well as playing lotto, dominoes, Logicco, Double, worksheets with pictures and crosswords...

The whole morning flew by, and we didn’t even realise that we’d actually spent five hours on Czech language lessons.

Today we went to the Eurocentre for a guided programme about Europe. To start with, the children completed a fairy-tale questionnaire, followed by a journey through Europe. The children impressed us with their knowledge of European fairy tales.

The children were then shown videos from several European countries. Each country was represented by its most famous fairy-tale character. The children actively discussed the countries they had visited.

At the end of the programme, the winner of the fairy-tale quiz was announced. It was Kuba, who took home a goody bag. We all really enjoyed the event.

On Wednesday, we took the children from Years 1, 2 and 3 on an unconventional PE lesson. Instead of the usual gym session, we visited the Tyjátr indoor play centre, where the children were able to enjoy plenty of fun and exercise.

The play centre offers a variety of play features that immediately captured the children’s attention. Throughout the morning, they tried out the climbing frames, slides and other attractions, which develop their motor skills whilst also encouraging teamwork. There was also plenty of space for free play.

The atmosphere was brilliant throughout – laughter and excitement could be heard everywhere. The children really enjoyed their visit to the play centre and left full of new experiences and with smiles on their faces. This trip was a welcome change from the usual lessons.

Thanks to our classmate Míša Kalkuš taking part in a chess tournament, our class had the chance to visit the Techmania Science Centre for free. We spent the whole morning there, and the children were able to try out lots of different attractions and activities. The children were most fascinated by the stations on generating their own energy and the digital playground; they played at being little builders, explored the food exhibition, and found the physical activities the most engaging. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole event and are already looking forward to the next one.

Today, pupils from Years 2 and 3 went to the Radovánek centre as part of their road safety education. A programme consisting of two sessions had been prepared for the children. In the first session, the children learnt about road safety rules for pedestrians and practised recognising road signs. In the second session, they applied their newly acquired knowledge through worksheets and simulated scenarios on the interactive whiteboard. During the teaching sessions, the children watched several videos in which they had the opportunity to deal with traffic situations involving pedestrians. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole morning, learnt a lot and are already looking forward to the next road safety lesson.

Today, an instructor from the Škola Zdravé 5 school visited us to explain to the children the importance of good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle. The programme focused on the five basic principles of healthy eating – putting together a balanced diet based on the food pyramid, staying hydrated, the principles of sensible shopping, the importance of nutrition for the human body, and preparing healthy snacks. Through the board game ‘Shop’, in which the children were divided into groups, they earned jigsaw pieces for correct answers, which they then used at the end to assemble a picture revealing the secrets of healthy eating. A major revelation for the children was how much sugar is contained in sweet fizzy drinks, what sausages are made of, and how much fruit is actually in fruit juice. The whole programme was fun, interactive and provided the children with lots of new insights into healthy eating.

With the Shrovetide celebrations approaching, the children in our class also learnt about the traditions associated with these festivities. Together, we watched a programme that introduced us to folk customs, read some basic information, and then the children were able to get stuck into the tasks that awaited them both in the classroom and around the school. They learnt a great deal through crosswords, fill-in-the-blank exercises and matching activities, worked on tablets, and, as the highlight, made a Shrovetide cake (unfortunately, only a paper one). The children enjoyed the whole morning and are already looking forward to the next project.

Today, pupils from across the school took part in another unconventional PE lesson. This time, Vendy Petřinová – the Czech champion in rope skipping – came to visit us and had organised a rope-skipping workshop for us. We started with a warm-up, went over the basic jumps, and then moved on to learning some new ‘tricks’ with the skipping rope. For example, we tried “the wind-up with a turn and a jump”, “Side Swings” and “the egg challenge with a Side Swing”. Next, we had jumps in pairs, which required a bit more teamwork but were also great fun. Right at the end of the lesson, we used a large skipping rope to practise running under it at a steady pace and Double Dutch jumps. We really enjoyed today’s PE lesson and would like to thank Vendy for showing us that skipping isn’t boring at all.

Today, the Year 3 pupils went on a lovely walk around Plzeň as part of their general studies lessons. We began our walk at Republic Square, where we looked at St Bartholomew’s Cathedral, the Golden Fountains and the Marian Column. We visited the information centre and, right next door, popped into the Town Hall, which houses a model of the city of Plzeň. Our route then took us to the Ghost Museum and the Puppet Museum, whilst we looked around and admired the town houses along the way. We then set off for the Great Synagogue, past the J. K. Tyl Theatre, and through Kopecký Park we reached the Měšťanská Beseda and on to the West Bohemian Museum. Our walk ended on Americká Street at the Liberation Memorial. We really enjoyed today’s walk through Plzeň and learnt some new things too.

On Tuesday 4 February, we set off with the Year 4 pupils to the Pilsen Region Ethnographic Museum for a ‘Handicraft Workshops’ programme. The children were introduced to various craft processes (such as weaving, wool carding and felting) and techniques of traditional folk craft in a fun way. The instructors also introduced the children to some textile techniques, which they tried out for themselves, and they took two handmade items home with them. The programme also included a tour of the museum’s permanent exhibition, during which the children gained an insight into selected ways of life, saw the rooms and everything they contained, and learnt about the significance and history of traditional costumes from various regions of the Pilsen area. At the end of the programme, they reflected on the traditions that our ancestors used to celebrate throughout the year. I think it was a unique experience for the children to try out these crafts for themselves.

On Wednesday 29 January, our Year 3 pupils took part in a talk with the police on the topic of road safety. A police officer specialising in prevention spoke to the children about road safety, focusing on their roles as pedestrians and, for the older children, as cyclists. Together, we all went over the rule of looking both ways, bicycle safety equipment, and reviewed some road signs, as well as emergency telephone numbers. The children had the chance to watch so-called crash tests and realised just how dangerous it is to travel in a car without wearing a seatbelt. We learnt a great deal of important information.

On Tuesday 28 January, we set off with the Year 3 pupils to Polana Hall. As we had a little time before the performance, we explored the beautiful weather column that stands right in front of the Měšťanská beseda in Kopecký Park. Then we headed off to the performance of “Veselá čeština”. As the title suggests, the show was all about gaining a better understanding of the richness of the Czech language. The children heard a fairy tale told in the Chod dialect, and we also heard some Brno slang. We had a bit of fun with numbers and tried out various tongue-twisters. Jitka and Přemysl Kubišta, along with Romana Neumannová, taught us and performed for us. We really enjoyed the show – thank you!!!

Today, Years 3, 4 and 5 enjoyed an unusual PE lesson at the Košutka Ice Arena. Some of the children were on skates for the first time in their lives, and everyone did very well. We had a brilliant time free skating, doing the ice obstacle course and the slalom. We also had the chance to try our hand at mini hockey, as we have some experienced hockey players in our classes. It was a great experience for everyone and a lovely change of pace from our usual lessons with this winter sport. A big thank you for their help and involvement goes to Mr Vaidiš, Mr Bureš, Ms Brandstetterová, Ms Voráčková and Ms Zýková.

Today, together with the Year 2 pupils, we took part in a prevention programme focusing on the topic of bullying. The centrepiece of the programme was an engaging story, somewhere between a fairy tale and a comic, which showed the children in a playful and sensitive way what bullying is, how we can recognise it and how to deal with it. The main character of the story was a little superhero who appeared from the broken mobile phone of a boy called Max. This superhero protects children in danger, and it was Max who found himself in trouble because of three older and stronger boys. How did the story unfold and how did it end? I’m sure the children will be more than happy to tell you all about it themselves. 😊

After the screening, we revisited the story through a discussion and activities linked to emotion cards. Together, we talked about how the story made us feel, how Max might have felt during the difficult moments, and how we should act in such situations. The children were very receptive and focused, and the programme really captured their interest.

Today we visited Polana Hall, where we took part in a programme about the Pilsen coat of arms. The children had the chance to hear an engaging legend which explained the meaning and origin of the symbols in the Pilsen coat of arms. We were accompanied throughout by the illustrator Vhrsti, who created a series of illustrations whilst the story was being told. We even took some of the drawings back to school with us, and they’ll be decorating our classroom! :-)

Today’s Christmas project provided the Year 3 pupils with plenty of fun and memorable experiences. First, we focused on Czech Christmas traditions. We then looked at Christmas traditions in other countries, such as England, Italy, the Netherlands and France. The atmosphere was enhanced by a tasting of Christmas biscuits and Christmas bread. Throughout the day, the children played various games, solved puzzles and worked on a text about Christmas. In their English lesson, they expanded their vocabulary to include Christmas-related terms and played themed games. The final part was hands-on – the children took on the role of Father Christmas as they worked in teams to wrap presents of all sorts of shapes. A Christmas-themed pantomime proved great fun, and everyone had a good laugh. To round off the day, we sang Christmas carols together and exchanged small gifts. The whole day took place in a festive atmosphere and the children thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish you all a peaceful and wonderful Christmas! 🎁🎶

The lesson ‘My Journey into the World’ was the first part of the ‘FOR LIFE’ educational programme, which introduced pupils to the origins and development of human life. The children explored the relationship between parents, learnt about the principles of conception and prenatal development, and finally learnt about the process of childbirth. During the lesson, they completed detective tasks, worked with models and took part in hands-on activities, such as trying on a ‘pregnant bump’. By the end, they were able to answer the questions: ‘How did I get in, what was it like in there, and how did I get out?’ The lesson helped the children understand the value of life and the importance of love within the family, and laid the foundations for the next stages of the programme.

On the second weekend of Advent, we held our traditional Christmas craft session at school. We got together with the children and their parents, and everyone had the chance to make a Christmas decoration. The options included a reindeer made from twigs, a snow globe, a tree-shaped ornament, a woolly angel and a paper snowflake. Some parents provided refreshments, for which we are very grateful. It was a very enjoyable morning and everyone took home some lovely Christmas crafts.

Today, the Year 3 pupils enjoyed an escape game based on the theme of St Nicholas. The children were divided into small teams, in which they had to complete a series of tasks to reach the finish line. During the game, they solved, for example, numerical puzzles that tested their maths skills and their ability to think logically. There was also a search for a letter from St Nicholas, putting together the parts of a key, and counting coins, which gave the players practical training in financial literacy. Another major attraction was working with a text about the legend of St Nicholas, which gave the children an insight into the life of this saint and his significance for Advent traditions. The tasks were carefully designed to require not only individual skills but, above all, cooperation and communication amongst group members.

At the end of the game, a reward awaited all the teams – not only a sense of achievement, but also a small sweet treat from St Nicholas, which the children took home with great enthusiasm.

Our Year 3 pupils enjoyed another sleepover at school! We started with a walk to the town hall, where we admired an ice sculpture and a beautiful nativity scene. On our return, we played board games, which we all really enjoyed. Then it was time to prepare dinner. We prepared some tasty treats together and really tucked in. Next, we unpacked our sleeping bags and made our beds. After washing up, we settled down in the classroom and watched a fairy tale.

Now we’re all lying in our beds, full of wonderful experiences, and looking forward to a brilliant night! 🛌💤

This year, our school held a Christmas fair just before the start of Advent, so that everyone could buy their Christmas decorations in good time. There was a wide variety of items to choose from, all made by the children during art lessons, craft sessions or in after-school care. New additions this year included Advent calendars and scratch cards, whilst the beautiful Advent wreaths and the clothes sewn by Miss Káťa were, as ever, a firm tradition. There was also a corner serving hot chocolate, Christmas biscuits and gingerbread. At the end of the fair, a prize draw was held for a painting of the magical Hogwarts. There were plenty of shoppers and most of the items sold out quickly. Thanks to this, we raised the incredible sum of CZK 45,242, which we will donate to the St Aloysius Home in Plzeň. We would like to thank everyone who helped organise the fair, and equally all the generous shoppers. We hope you enjoy the items you’ve bought. We wish you a peaceful Advent.

Today we went to see “The Three Musketeers” at the Alfa Theatre. This new adaptation, staged as a ‘puppet farce’, was not merely a run-of-the-mill imitation of the famous novel. The production retained the visual style of silent slapstick, fast-paced action and minimalist dialogue, similar to intertitles. This unconventional approach gave the entire performance a whole new dimension. Not only did the production draw on historical tradition, but it also breathed new life into the classic story, which, in the form of a puppet farce, was presented in an unexpected, humorous and fresh way. The children loved the show! :-)

Photos from the Alfa Theatre were used in the gallery.

Today we turned into real detectives and, together, we unravelled the mystery of the falling leaves. We really enjoyed the game; not only was it great fun, but it also taught us lots of interesting facts about autumn and trees. How did it all unfold? At the first station, we met witnesses who gradually revealed their perspectives on the autumnal changes in the forest. Each of them provided us with a snippet of information. The children jotted down key findings and slowly pieced together the picture of the autumn mystery. The next part of the game involved searching for clues. Each clue provided further information, which we analysed together. At the end of our investigation, we discovered that the leaves had neither been stolen nor destroyed. The trees shed them on purpose! Thanks to this game, we learnt how nature works and what wonders take place in the forest in autumn. The children were thrilled by the investigation and by uncovering the mystery together. And who knows what mystery we’ll be solving next time? 😊

A fun and interactive escape game was organised for the children, guiding them through the various parts of the legend of Saint Martin. The game was designed not only to entertain the children, but also to encourage teamwork. Each task led them to uncover further parts of the story, with all tasks focusing on cooperation and mutual assistance. The children were tasked with finding parts of St Martin’s cloak using clues, deciphering a number puzzle or solving riddles relating to various characteristics. These tasks encouraged them to work together, communicate and use their skills in various areas, such as logic and creative thinking. The whole mini-project was a success, and the children not only enjoyed the satisfaction of successfully completing the game, but also gained a better understanding of the legend of Saint Martin and the values associated with it.

This year, our school was once again transformed into a mysterious place full of ghosts, ghouls and unusual costumes, where we celebrated an unforgettable Halloween full of fun and adventure together. In the morning, all the little ghosts from Year 3 gathered in our classroom. During the first lesson, the little ghosts enjoyed some English games. We then moved to the canteen, where we prepared an afternoon treat together in the form of carrot mummies. Then nothing stood in our way of getting started on the escape game – ‘The Mystery of the Missing Moon’. Through a series of riddles and puzzles, the children were tasked with unravelling the mystery and bringing the moonlight back to the Halloween story of three friends. The children had to work together in teams to complete the tasks and justify their answers. Once they’d solved all the riddles and puzzles, the children restored the moonlight. This was followed by a brief recap and some light-hearted Halloween games. We also held a competition for the best mummy costume. The afternoon was dedicated to a musical performance by pupils from our school. This was followed by Halloween-themed activity stations, refreshments and a sausage barbecue.

We had a brilliant Halloween day full of fun, crafts and spooky activities! A big thank you to everyone for taking part and for your enthusiasm – it was simply brilliant!

Today we went to the sports hall, where a programme called ‘Under the Stars for the First Time’ had been organised for us in the mobile planetarium (planetary dome). The event was organised by the Rokycany Observatory. Through an entertaining and interactive programme, we learnt a whole host of interesting facts about the universe. The children were very inquisitive and had lots of questions about the stars, constellations, the Sun and the individual planets. They themselves contributed a number of interesting insights; it’s clear that the subject is not unfamiliar to them. At the end, we were able to choose which planet in our solar system we wanted to learn more about. Saturn won. The time spent in space flew by, and we really didn’t want to come back down to Earth.😀

Today, pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 took part in another of the so-called GATE projects – GATE being an acronym for Gifted and Talented Education. This time, we took them on a journey to the court of Emperor Rudolf II, who was a great patron of many scientific and artistic disciplines. The pupils first had to ‘catch’ their own symbol and find out whether they belonged to the group of astronomers, doctors, scribes or painters. They then set about the activities related to their chosen field. The astronomers explored how our understanding of the solar system has evolved. They learnt about famous astronomers such as Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei and Nicolaus Copernicus. The children learnt what an important discovery the telescope was; they then built their own so that they could locate astronomical symbols scattered around the school grounds. In the field of medicine, we looked at the figures of Jan Jánský and Jan Jesenius. We tried our hand at answering a few tricky questions about how the human body works and talked about blood groups. The pupils had the chance to practise stitching up a wound (don’t worry, we used a banana :-)). We searched for information on health education and astronomy. All the groups learnt to recognise several constellations, which they looked for in complete darkness using a blue torch. The group of painters created pictures based on these constellations. The ‘artists’ also learnt about the famous painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, whose renowned portrait of Rudolf II, created from fruit and vegetables, served as inspiration for their own work – a portrait of a classmate made entirely from fruit and vegetables. The attempt at a portrait made from real fruit and vegetables did not last long, as its creators ate most of it rather quickly :-)). Scribes at court were very important. They had many roles and had to know many languages. The children learnt about the history and development of writing, tried their hand at creating a secret script, and discovered the magic of calligraphy. The joint outcome of all the subject areas was a timeline showing all the people one might have encountered at Rudolf II’s court. We concluded the project with a joint summary.

Today, we did a mini-project with the Year 3 pupils in our PRV lessons on the topic of ‘The Story of a Tree’. At the start of the mini-project, the pupils had to identify the main theme. The song ‘Stromy’ by Svěrák and Uhlíř helped us with this. After that, the children already had a good idea of what the mini-project would be about. We tried out some quizzes which reminded us of the difference between deciduous and coniferous trees. As the weather was on our side, we also went outside for a while, where we read a story about a tree called Largos and his friend Ela. The whole story made us reflect on community and on how, together, we can grow. Everyone in the class then found their own leaf, which accompanied them through the rest of the activities. We completed several worksheets featuring puzzles and facts about trees. We created a mind map on the topic of Trees. The final activity involved working in groups to come up with our own tree story based on a reading card provided. To round off the session, we created a class poster together, which led us to a lovely realisation: even though we’re all different, together we can achieve a great deal. :-)

On Saturday morning, we gathered at the school for a special occasion. The programme featured the second annual get-to-know-you and team-building event – Games Without Borders. Six stations awaited the participants – Pantomime, Building a Dream, Ball Catch, Weaving, Movement Zone and Who’s Who. A bonus task for individuals was to guess how many coins were hidden in a pirate’s chest. The event concluded with the announcement of the top results and some light refreshments. We hope you had lots of fun, got some exercise and enjoyed the event. :-)

A mini-project based on the story of St Wenceslas was planned for today. We set the scene with a discussion about the introductory poster. The children weren’t afraid to ask questions or express their feelings about the poster. The first task was to identify the questions that would need to be solved in the detective story. We talked about the year 923 and Old Church Slavonic. We then headed for clue no. 1 – ‘A letter tainted by treachery’. After putting the clues in the right order, we managed to work out several answers straight away from the first clue – the traitor is someone from the family, Prince Václav is to be killed, and the final meeting is arranged to take place in the cathedral tomorrow morning. Clue No. 2 – A message hidden behind the church door. The deciphered code revealed a message concerning the death of Prince Václav at the church in Stará Boleslav. Whilst searching for the final clue, we overheard a conversation between two conspirators who were discussing the details of the murder. In the final part, we pieced the clues together to form the story and deduced the full narrative. This was followed by feedback and a video about St Wenceslas.

On Saturday 14 September, we can celebrate World First Aid Day. We went over the basics of first aid in today’s mini-project in our primary science lesson. To start with, the pupils took a simple quiz to refresh their knowledge or learn something new. The pupils then split into six groups. Each group was given a card with a specific task related to providing first aid. The Year 3 pupils’ task was to act out the scenario on the card and then resolve it. The children did a brilliant job with the skits, so they were given a small reward at the end. :-)

I’m really pleased that almost all of us have got together after the holidays, and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s in store for us this year.

Let’s go to Year 3! :-)

Today was our last day at school this academic year. We had our end-of-year certificate ceremony. Well done to everyone, and thank you for the AMAZING presents! :-)

I wish you lots of new experiences and adventures. See you again in September! 🍒

The weather was on our side again today, so we headed to the athletics stadium to do some sport. To warm up, we followed a trail that introduced us to various sports, each accompanied by a small task involving a word puzzle. The second trail was called ‘Sports Around the World’. It consisted of ten stations. At each station, the children were met by a friend from a different country, who set them a sporting challenge linked to that particular country. The Year 2 pupils diligently completed all the tasks and learnt 10 greetings in different languages. We had a brilliant time and, to finish off, we played a few quizzes linked to sport and Czech sportspeople! :-)

A trip to the Slovany local library was planned for Tuesday 25 June. When we arrived at the library, the librarian was already waiting for us; she had prepared a short talk on how the library works and introduced us to the basic rules for looking after books. She showed the children how to find their way around the library and how to look for specific books. She even read us a short extract from R. Dahl’s book “Fairy Tales Gone Wild”. At the end, the children were able to explore the library, choose books that caught their eye and start reading them. I must say that the children were thrilled by both the books and the search itself.🔖

Today we delved into the underwater world. During the first lesson, the children split into four groups. Each group researched information about different sea creatures. Each group then created a poster and prepared a final presentation. During the second and third lessons, we split into two groups. One group carried out an experiment with Miss Káťa (magic growing corals), whilst the other group focused on underwater blue-bots, which were trying to plan a route to various sea creatures. The other group went outside with Miss Romča, where we worked on reading comprehension on an underwater theme. The groups then swapped places. In the final lesson, we practised reading about the sea with self-assessment, and Miss Káťa and her teaching assistant, Julča, painted their team’s logo on the children’s faces. The whole project was a great success and we’re delighted that four Year 3 pupils came along to help us! :-)

In the penultimate week of the school year, we went on a school trip to RS Lubenec. As soon as we arrived, we explored the new grounds, made our beds and unpacked our bags. After lunch, we always had an afternoon rest period, which we often used to relax or play board games. The mornings were then devoted to our class project – outdoor escape games. Every day we played one escape game – ‘The Mystery of the Lost Compass’, ‘Lost in the Jungle’ or ‘The Nature Escape Game’. The morning activities were complemented by sport and memory training. In the afternoons, we played team games with the activity leaders. We had a traditional doughnut party, a carnival, a fire show and a closing disco. I hope the children thoroughly enjoyed this week! :-)

Today, Years 2 and 4 enjoyed an unusual PE lesson together, inline skating at the Škoda Sport Park. For some of the children, it was their first time on skates, and everyone did very well. We enjoyed some free skating and had a go at a relay race in teams. It was a great experience for everyone and a lovely way to liven up our lessons with this sport. A big thank you for their help, involvement and for making our lessons more varied goes to the Bureš family, Mrs Brandstetter and Mr Vaidiš for helping to transport our equipment.

Today was all about Animánie and their practical animation workshop, ‘Animating Classic Fairy Tales’. Building on their understanding of the plot of a well-known classic fairy tale and its various adaptations, the pupils were guided in developing the skills to write a script. Using visual representations, they sketched out certain sections as a storyboard. Together, they learnt how to make flat paper puppets and brought them to life through animation. The programme also involved working with technical equipment (a tripod, lighting, a digital camera and a computer). The Year 2 pupils had a brilliant morning and we’re already looking forward to seeing the whole story! :-)

Today we added a bit of variety to the children’s snacks with a ‘melon tasting’. As part of the ‘Fruit and Vegetables in Schools’ project, we received various types of melon and the children had the chance to taste each one. As well as the well-known watermelon, we also received yellow melon and Galia melon. We took this opportunity to talk to the children about the benefits of eating not only melons, but also fruit and vegetables in general. And after today, we all know that although melons have always been considered fruit, they are actually a type of vegetable. The children enjoyed their snack and really liked the melons.

On Wednesday 29 May, the long-awaited day arrived – the Spring Festival. For several weeks, all the classes had been diligently rehearsing their performances, making backdrops and working on their costumes and fancy dress. By the afternoon, all the performances were ready and the programme could begin. The theme of this year’s Spring Festival was ‘A Journey Around the World’. The programme kicked off with a group performance. The Year 5 pupils then took over as presenters for the rest of the festival. The performances were varied. You could watch several dance performances, singing or dramatised stories, whether in Czech or English. There was even some Slovak. As every year, the finale of the festival featured a group performance; this time it was the song ‘Travel the World’. The celebration was followed by refreshments and group activities, including games testing quick thinking and coordination. Anyone who wanted to could also have their face painted.

A big thank you also goes to all the parents who helped us with the refreshments and with preparing for the celebration. The whole event was a great success and, in the end, the weather was on our side. We are delighted to have such talented pupils who threw themselves into rehearsing their performances with such enthusiasm.

Today, the Year 2 pupils visited the road safety training station for the last time. The first two parts were mainly theoretical, designed to help the pupils refresh their knowledge and learn more about road safety. They learnt a lot of rules that apply to both pedestrians and cyclists. Today, they put their theoretical knowledge into practice, specifically on the road safety playground. Before the practical session began, the children had to check carefully that their cycling helmets were fitted correctly. They then moved to the playground with their instructor (still without their bikes or scooters) to revise the rules of the road and how a pedestrian should behave. After that, nothing stood in the way of them starting to ride. The children tried very hard and enjoyed the ride. For any ‘offences’, the teachers – who were acting as traffic police – awarded them penalty points. But it all turned out well. No one ended up with a full penalty card, and everyone was praised at the end for their excellent work. The whole morning was a real success!

Today, the Year 2 pupils enjoyed a performance by the Ondřej Theatre, which has honoured our school with its presence on many occasions. The children always look forward to it very much, as they have a great deal of fun. Today we watched a fairy tale with a Nordic theme. As usual, of course, it was performed in Czech and English. The main characters were Wizard Odin and Viking Erik, who wanted to enchant his beloved. So he set off on a quest to find the fairy Idun, to help him become young and full of strength once more. As always, the children got actively involved in the performance. It’s the ideal way to expand their English vocabulary in a playful way. :-)

On Tuesday 7 May, a school-wide project focusing on the work of the Integrated Rescue System (IZS) – Emergency Situations – took place. Although the weather wasn’t on our side, we were still very much looking forward to what lay ahead. In the morning, we gathered together in after-school care, where we were introduced to the theme for the morning and the basic rules. The pupils were then divided into seven teams through a simple game. The teams were then given a schedule and set off to find their way to the various stations. One by one, the teams visited the seven stations. At the first station, the pupils learnt how to communicate with a control room operator. They discussed what information it is important to pass on to the dispatcher, how to get their bearings in their surroundings, and practised making calls in various emergency situations. At the second station, a building evacuation drill was organised. They familiarised themselves with the evacuation plan and its purpose, and went through the individual rules of conduct in such a situation. Together, they demonstrated some of the key mistakes that can make the work of firefighters and other emergency services more difficult during an evacuation. The third station focused on an emergency kit. The children learnt what such a kit is for, when it can be used and what is appropriate to pack inside it. At the fourth station, the pupils were able to try out equipment for transporting people and look at the basic contents of first-aid rucksacks. The fifth station focused on resuscitation. The pupils revised the basics of CPR and practised the correct procedures for resuscitating people. A nurse from the Czech Air Force Air Ambulance Service was present at this station, so the children were able to ask anything about the air ambulance service. The sixth station summarised what they had learnt about emergency situations. The children practised how to react to an earthquake, a threat at school or a tornado. The seventh station promised a special experience – the chance to stroke and ‘cuddle’ a rescue dog. At this station, the children learnt about the work of a rescue dog, how to respond to the dog’s behaviour, and what to do (and not to do) in its presence. In the final part, the pupils worked in teams to create a poster summarising all the knowledge and experiences they had gained. Pupils in Years 3–5 then took part in a revision game using Kahoot. The project was a great success and we hope the children learnt something new.

Thank you to all the organisations that spent the whole morning with us! :-)

Today, we marked Earth Day with the Year 2 pupils. This is an annual event held on 22 April, the aim of which is to promote environmental protection. We had a long chat with the children and sorted cards into categories of actions that are good or bad for the Earth. We watched the accompanying video “Brďo and the Endangered Earth”. We then listened to an audio version of the fairy tale “Plastík’s Adventures”, which guided us through the topic of plastics on our Earth and in the world’s oceans. We also summarised the impact of plastics on our planet and its wildlife. We then began creating our model of Planet Earth and will finish it tomorrow. To round off the day, we went outside together and set about tidying up our school grounds.

On Tuesday, 16 April, we took the Year 3 pupils to an interactive environmental programme about how and why to protect nature, the importance of recycling, and what can be recycled and how many times. Čochtánek and Lesněnka guided us through the whole story. Everyone really enjoyed the show, and it reinforced our belief that sorting waste makes sense. The children also took an active part in the show and enthusiastically joined in singing the songs. It was a lovely morning.

Today, a two-hour mini escape game was organised for the children to revise their multiplication tables. The pupils played the entire game on the school’s iPads. In the escape game, they had to complete six tasks related to the multiplication tables. After correctly completing each task, one of the letters of the secret word appeared. The tricky bit was then putting the letters together to form the secret word itself. Those who managed to do it all were given colourful worksheets which they can use to practise their times tables. The children were very capable, they tried their best and found out how well they knew their maths. :-)

Miss Romana

On Thursday, 4 April 2024, we went to visit the Pilsen Philharmonic, where we had booked an entertaining and educational programme focusing on the ordinary human traits of unrivalled musical geniuses from various periods in music history. Were they ‘eccentrics’? Or perhaps ‘normal’ people? What were some of the world’s most significant composers like in their everyday lives? How did they interact with those closest to them and their colleagues? The Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra attempted to answer these questions for us. And as a bonus, the children had a go at actively joining the orchestra and creating their own short piece of music. We thoroughly enjoyed the morning programme and came away with lots of interesting and new information.

As we do every year, we had our Easter project to look forward to before the holidays. We began by reviewing Easter traditions with the so-called ‘Tradičník’. We discussed why Wednesday is called ‘Ugly Wednesday’, that on Maundy Thursday you’re supposed to eat something green, how people used to believe that on Good Friday treasures are revealed, what was used to dye eggs in the past, and so on. We also chatted about Easter customs in our own homes. Afterwards, we headed out into the school garden, where the first Easter game – a multiplication table revision activity – had been set up. Upon returning to the classroom, we each worked at our own pace on individual worksheets. To finish off, we made a beautiful 3D Easter egg. Anyone who wanted to could also use the tablets, play memory or Easter Dobble.

Miss Romana

In the world of readers, March is also known as BOOK MONTH. Today, we drew inspiration from this theme with the children, and this led to our class mini-project. At the start of the project, we watched an interesting and informative video about everything – and everyone – involved in the creation and production of a book. We then set about making a lapbook, which summarises everything we should learn about books together. The children worked very hard and the resulting lapbooks turned out brilliantly. On 2 April, we’ll be celebrating International Children’s Book Day, so the Year 2 pupils will have the chance to work on their lapbooks some more and finish them off however their imagination takes them. :-)

Miss Romana

On Wednesday, the traditional Easter fair took place in front of the school. The pupils, together with their teachers, teaching assistants and school carers, in collaboration with the nursery school, prepared lots of lovely items to sell. You could buy all sorts of Easter decorations, craft kits for those who like to get creative at home, spring greenery for vases, gingerbread biscuits and other treats, and much more besides. As always, there was the traditional range of lovely clothes sewn by Miss Káťa. Refreshments included hot chocolate, and a very popular new addition was the muffin workshop, where everyone could decorate their own muffin. This time, the school decided to donate the proceeds from the fair to the Človíček day centre in Plzeň, which cares for children with a wide range of disabilities. The fair was a great success – we raised CZK 27,656. A big thank you to everyone who helped organise it, and also to everyone who came along to support us by making a purchase. :-)

On Saturday 16 March, some pupils, parents and teachers gathered at the school for an ‘Easter workshop’. Several activity stations had been set up for them, where they could make spring and Easter decorations. For example, they could decorate a chick or bunny garden stake, make a little sheep, a carrot, a moving egg with a chick inside, a hen garden stake, or paper tulips for a vase. The crafts and the workshop were a great success, and we hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday morning.

For today, we’ve planned a revision session in the form of the project ‘How the Ufins Broke the Ice Curse of the Witch Zlokosma’. At the start of the project, we read the story, which introduced us to the plot and the various characters. We then split into small groups and set about solving a variety of tasks. The tasks were mainly designed to revise and consolidate what we’d learnt. Each group practised reading comprehension in particular and then created a large poster. The children were very clever and managed to break the evil witch’s curse! :-)

Miss Romana

Carnival is celebrated in February. Today, we had the chance to celebrate it as part of our mini-project too. In the morning, the children were able to come in fancy dress and enjoy a little carnival. We had a dance, and each person in fancy dress had the chance to introduce themselves. Afterwards, we had a few tasks related to Shrovetide – riddles, crosswords and word searches. We also tried out the Shrovetide trail with a secret word. To finish off, the children had the chance to make a maths bookmark featuring a clown or to test their reading skills. Our mini-project was followed by a carnival in the afternoon after-school care.

Miss Romana

Today, Year 2 enjoyed a brilliant PE lesson at the winter ice rink that has ‘sprung up’ at Škoda Sport Park. Some of the children were on skates for the very first time in their lives, and they all did really well. We enjoyed free skating, slalom, skating in a snake formation, and even shooting at the goal. It was a great experience for everyone and a lovely way to liven up our lessons with this winter sport. A big thank you for their help, involvement and for making lessons more varied goes to Mr Vaidiš, Mr Bureš and Ms Brandstetterová.

Ms Renáta (teacher), Ms Julie (teaching assistant)

The day before the end-of-first-half-year school reports, GATE had a surprise in store for us with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The project brought together children from Years 2 and 3. Snow White left a secret code for everyone in their lockers. First thing in the morning, the children were curious to find out what the code was for. In the first part of the project, the children deciphered the code using secret pictures and then discovered which team they would be joining. Each group then set off to tackle Snow White’s various tasks. The whole project was based on the fairy tale “Snow White”. Snow White lived with her parents in a kingdom. The first task therefore involved castles and palaces in the Czech Republic and abroad. Some groups looked for them on maps, whilst others created art based on them. We then moved on in the fairy tale to the forest, where a conversation took place between the huntsman and Snow White. Lots of animals live in the forest, and our task was to decipher their tracks. After entering the code into the locks, we checked our answers using a QR code. Snow White wandered through the forest until she came across a little cottage with seven chairs around a table. Do you know who was sitting where? The children were tasked with figuring out the various seating arrangements in the dwarves’ cottage. Snow White lived with the dwarves and looked after their cottage whilst they were down in the mine. In the next task, we searched for the correct routes into the mine. We then tried our hand at the dwarves’ work – diamond mining. In an unguarded moment, Snow White was poisoned by the wicked witch. The children were tasked with identifying the poisoned apple. But don’t worry! Nobody poisoned us, did they…? :-)

We finished by reading the fairy tale to the end, and then we tried ‘preserving’ one of the apples for longer-term observation. The whole project day was a great success.

On Thursday 11 January, the whole school set off for a sports morning at Area D in Plzeň-Doudlevce. Three sports areas had been set up for the children, and everyone took turns using them throughout the morning. They played floorball and volleyball, and at the ‘Ninja-Kids’ station they enjoyed a monkey bar course, jumping over hurdles and tackling obstacles under the guidance of experienced instructors. After a snack, they had free time to play on the climbing frames and slides and let off steam on the trampolines.

The children had a wonderful morning of sport!

Today, together with the Year 2 pupils, we enjoyed the last day of school this year. A varied programme had been organised for the children in the form of a Christmas project. In the first lesson, the Year 2 pupils learnt and revised English vocabulary related to Christmas. In a fun way, they discovered new words and tried out several Christmas games in English. In the second lesson, together with Tradičník, we revisited some of the traditional Christmas customs. We chatted about the traditions in our own homes. From the second lesson onwards, we tasted Christmas biscuits and Christmas cake and worked on worksheets linked to the Christmas theme. As they completed the tasks, they gradually collected decorations for the Christmas tree. Throughout the project, the children were able to play several Christmas games – jigsaw puzzles, Dobble, quizzes and memory games using QR codes. There was also a Christmas ride on the Blue-bots. In the final lesson, we sang a few Christmas carols together, followed by the much-anticipated handing out of presents. The children were thrilled. :-)

Thank you all so much for the Christmas cards and presents. I wish you all a peaceful festive season and a joyful start to the New Year.

This evening was a bit out of the ordinary for the Year 2 pupils. We’re spending the night at school. We met in our classroom at five o’clock. Straight afterwards, we set off on a short walk to the nativity scene and the Christmas tree. On our return, we completed a short ‘Winter Trail’ puzzle. Afterwards, the children had the chance to play board games and party games. Meanwhile, the teaching assistant prepared a delicious dinner for us. As is traditional, we had toast and vegetables. After that, we found our sleeping spots, changed into our pyjamas and, after washing up, settled down to watch the fairy tale “You Can’t Joke with Devils”. Everyone coped brilliantly, and now it’s time to say goodnight! :-)

Today we visited an interactive exhibition called Trnka’s Garden 2. The children were familiar with the story, as we’d read the whole book before our visit. It is a story in which a group of five young boys discover an ancient garden on their way to school, where they experience a series of unexpected encounters and cheerful adventures. The ‘Trnka’s Garden 2’ exhibition transforms the original story into a multimedia installation with original set design, bringing Jiří Trnka’s illustrations to life in the form of an enchanted garden. The Year 2 pupils took on the roles of the five boys from the book and experienced their adventures first-hand. They met all the main characters from the book: the stone dwarf, the mischievous tomcat, the good-natured elephants, the wise whale and the singing pack of dogs. The whole exhibition was highly interactive and the pupils were fully involved in the story.

On Saturday, our school hosted its traditional Christmas craft session. We got together with the children and their parents, and everyone had the chance to make a Christmas decoration. There was a wide range of options on offer; the children could make a flowerpot decoration, a star out of wool, a decoration using coffee and natural materials, a snowman out of cotton wool pads, or a hanging angel. Some of the parents provided refreshments, for which we are very grateful. The whole event was a great success and everyone took their lovely creations home with them.

Today we had a St Nicholas project, complete with a generous and sweet haul from the famous trio – St Nicholas, the devil and the angel. In the first lesson, we read the legend of St Nicholas. We then tried out a St Nicholas-themed Kahoot game for the first time. Several worksheets, board games and quizzes had been prepared for the children. The children had a go at scanning QR codes, which led to more games, quizzes and memory games. Overall, the project was a great success and I’m really glad the devil didn’t take any of the children to hell. 🙂😇

A Christmas fair was planned for the last day of November at our school. The children carefully made items which were then offered for sale at the fair. There was a wide range to choose from – from home decorations and Christmas tree ornaments to Christmas biscuits and hot drinks. There was a lovely pre-Christmas atmosphere at the school, with Christmas carols playing and the stalls decorated with fairy lights. The Year 5 pupils did a brilliant job of running the stalls. The proceeds from the fair will be donated to support the St Lazarus Hospice in Plzeň. A total of 31,906 was raised. The amount will be topped up to 32,000. Thank you very much for every contribution! :-)

We were in for an unusual experience today. We went to see the DJKT’s ballet performance of “Snow White”. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was brought to life on the Small Stage by choreographer and director Alena Pešková, set to original music by composer, violinist, violist, quintone player, performer and singer Gabriela Vermelho. It was a ballet adaptation of the classic fairy tale Snow White, just as we all know it. The children enjoyed the performance, even though ballet is one of the more complex forms of theatre. The participation of some of our school’s pupils was also a real highlight. Thank you very much! :-)

Photographs from the ballet Snow White – source: DJKT

Today we visited the Puppet Museum in Plzeň. An educational programme called ‘A Story on a String’ had been organised for us. The introduction to the programme was devoted to the pioneers of puppetry in Bohemia. In a moving model, the pupils saw which puppets were used in the oldest puppet theatre in Plzeň. They learnt about the figures who brought fame to Plzeň through puppetry – Karel Novák, Josef Skupa and Jiří Trnka. Of course, Spejbl and Hurvínek were also waiting for the pupils at the museum. The children had the chance to try their hand at working with and playing the puppets. They even put on a short play with them. The programme also included an art workshop, where the children made their own simple puppets. It was a lovely programme. 🎭️ Miss Romana

Today we went to Polana Hall for the ‘Let’s Take a Walk Around the Zoo’ programme. It was a musical show featuring songs with live guitar accompaniment. The children learnt about the adventures and travels of Alexander the parrot as he sought out his animal friends. All the children actively took part in the programme in a playful way; they learnt to sing new songs, did some exercises, tried to guess which animals were being described, and learnt various interesting facts about them. We really enjoyed the whole performance.

Thank you, Miss Romana

The children had been really looking forward to today – it was Halloween. The whole school was transformed into a school of magic and sorcery. There were loads of ghosts wandering the corridors. At the start of the day, we tried out a spooky game with boomwhackers. We then set about preparing snacks for the afternoon. We made carrot spread and vegetable platters (yum, yum). After that, we threw ourselves fully into the project. Various Halloween worksheets, games and activities awaited the children. We also tried out a Halloween logic game with robots. We enjoyed some Halloween snacks during the project. We had a brilliant time all morning and are already looking forward to the Halloween afternoon with our parents.

Miss Romana

A talk with the police took place at our school today. The topic for our class was ‘Meeting a Stranger’. Officers from the Plzeň Municipal Police first explained their work to the pupils – how to recognise them and what they wear – and then discussed with them the dangerous situations they might encounter in their everyday lives. They also spoke to the children about what to do in an emergency, what to watch out for, and how to behave in various situations.

Many thanks for the talk, which was very informative, Ms Romana

Do you remember the TV game show “Games Without Borders”? It was this programme that inspired our get-together event for parents and children at our school. We gathered together at 9 am for the opening ceremony. The families were divided into six competing teams. One by one, they tried out all the stations we’d set up. The activities were varied. The teams faced challenges such as ‘Get the Ball to the Finish’, ‘Bullseye’, ‘Fish Catch’, ‘Throw at the Target’, ‘Build a Structure’ and ‘Put Me Together’. The first bonus task was ‘Lentil Tip’, and the second was counting ladybirds, butterflies and flowers in our school corridor. The morning concluded with a joint prize-giving ceremony. We hope you enjoyed the event and had a lovely morning with your families.

Miss Romana

The date of 4 October is undoubtedly associated with International Animal Day. This day is very popular at our school and the children look forward to it immensely. On this day, the children can bring their pet – or a photo of it – to school and tell us about it. If they don’t have a pet, they can bring a soft toy or talk about their dream pet, which they’d like to have one day. So, in the first lesson, we introduced them to our class and then went to see the pets in the other classes. We began the second lesson with an outdoor animal trail. We then solved puzzles on the interactive whiteboard involving anagrams of animal names. After that, we set about completing various worksheets linked to this topic. We didn’t forget about English vocabulary either. After finishing their tasks, the children were able to play an interactive memory game or draw their dream pet. At the end, all the children received a medal for their excellent work throughout the day. :-)

Ms Romana, the teacher, and Ms Julie, the teaching assistant

Today, during the first lesson, we set about exploring the legend of St Wenceslas, to whom tomorrow’s public holiday is dedicated. In the first part, the children were given a series of tasks designed to give them an insight into how St Wenceslas lived. The children learnt who St Ludmila was and what role Tetín Castle played in her life. We then talked about the image of St Wenceslas on the twenty-koruna coin and explained the inscription on it. We learnt that there is also a weather proverb associated with St Wenceslas. In the final part, we watched a video which summarised the whole legend for us. The children did really well! :-)

Miss Romana

An autumn escape room was planned for today. In the first lesson, we tried our hand at two autumn quizzes, the answers to which got us into the escape room. The children tackled 10 tasks, each of which contained part of a secret word. The tasks were revision exercises in Czech, maths and general knowledge. At the end, the children were able to play Dobble, do some online quizzes or colour in an autumn mandala. In the final part, we played a ‘guessing game’ with autumnal natural objects from the garden. We had a brilliant morning! :-)

Miss Romana

On Monday 4 September, we gathered together in our classrooms after the summer holidays. But this year, we’re in Year 2!

Welcome! :-)

Miss Romana

Today was a big day for us – the presentation of the final marks and written assessments. All the Year 1 pupils did really well, so everyone received lovely school reports.

And now? – LET’S GET ON WITH THE HOLIDAYS!

Miss Romana

The Harry Potter II project was scheduled for Wednesday morning. We began the morning by sorting the pupils into their respective houses. After the sorting, each class designed their own house poster. During the following lessons, the Hogwarts pupils visited four stations. At the first station, they discovered secret writing and runes in the dark. At the second station, they tested their quick thinking by solving wizarding maths problems. In the next classroom, they worked with robots. The pupils had to plan a suitable route and spot errors in the pre-printed routes. At the final station, the pupils carried out an experiment – ‘Volcano’. Overall, the project was a great success and, at the end, everyone had the chance to try out a few additional games.

Miss Romana, Miss Katka, teaching assistant Renča, teaching assistant Martina

We had another brilliant day today. First thing in the morning, we set off for Lobez Park. In the first part, we played ‘Running Nature Studies for Year 1 pupils’. The game consisted of several quiz questions to which every Year 1 pupil should know the correct answer. From a code, the children then worked out the names of two plants, which they drew. We made use of various parts of the park for some active relaxation, where the children played for a while. The final part featured an escape game – ‘Amusement Park’. The children’s aim was to use various clues to work out the meeting point for the children in the amusement park. In the end, all the groups solved the mystery. We’re looking forward to the project tomorrow! :-)

Miss Romana

The last week of term is usually devoted to various activities. We’re no longer studying and are enjoying spending time together in a different way. Today, we had a Sports Day with the Year 1 pupils. At the start of the day, we made team posters. After our snack, we set off for the athletics stadium. Several team competitions awaited us – for example, the double-leg backward jump, the skewer throw, the trust challenge, the paper battle, the hurdle jump and various slaloms. During the breaks, we had some refreshments and cooled off. We had a great morning and are looking forward to tomorrow’s nature trail. :-)

Miss Romana

So we’ve done it! We’ve just come back from our first school camp together. The Year 1 pupils were really brilliant.

Upon arrival at RS Máj in Plasy, we began exploring the grounds where we would be spending the following week. We tried out lots of new things, such as making up the beds and other activities. After lunch, we always had an afternoon quiet time, during which we read a book together. The mornings were then devoted to our class project – ‘Careers’. We learnt about different jobs, identified them correctly and looked at some in more detail. We made the most of our surroundings for all sorts of active games. We also visited the Plasy Fire Station, which was very interesting. We learnt about first aid and had a go at some of the basics. We even wrote our first joint letter to our parents. In the afternoon, we played team games with the activity leaders. We had a traditional doughnut party, a carnival and a closing disco. I hope the children had an unusual week and enjoyed it thoroughly! :-)

Miss Romana

This week, together with Year 5, we wrapped up our final reading workshop on the theme of careers. First, the children were given pictures of various people and had to match them to the jobs they do. Next, cards had been laid out for them in the corridor, which specified in more detail what the people did, and their task was to match them correctly. They then read texts on the topic in small groups, and their task was to act out the professions through mime.

We are delighted that the children enjoyed the joint workshops.

Ms Romana and Ms Daniela

On 7 June, the children from Years 1, 2 and 3 went to see a play by the Ondřej Theatre. The children know the theatre well and it is very popular with them. This time, they put on a performance of “Pippi Longstocking” for us. Naturally, it was once again in a Czech-English version. So the children not only enjoyed the entertaining programme, but also learnt new words and practised their listening skills. The story by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren is captivating in its own right, but the Ondřej Theatre also managed to draw everyone right into the action. There was singing, dancing and cheering. Some even played a part in the story themselves. For example, as Tomy and Anika’s friends, who tried to persuade Pippi to go to school with them. Of course, Mr Nilsson the monkey and Alfred the horse were also on stage. Everyone really enjoyed the play, and now all that remains is to look forward to seeing the actors again, perhaps next school year.

During last week and at the start of this week, we held our now traditional event – Year 5 pupils teaching Year 1 pupils. The Year 5 pupils split into pairs or groups of three and set about planning individual lessons for our Year 1 pupils with great enthusiasm. On Thursday, the pupils tried their hand at teaching a topic from natural history – the forest. This was followed on Friday by a Czech language lesson featuring the fairy tale “O Koblížkovi”. On Monday, the pupils had a go at teaching in English. On Tuesday, we continued with the fairy-tale theme – “O pejskovi a kočičce”. The final lesson together was devoted to maths. Throughout the whole event, the Year 5 pupils prepared meticulously, and the Year 1 pupils were thrilled with the lessons. A big thank you to everyone who took part in this event. :-)

Miss Romana

On Wednesday 24 May, the long-awaited day finally arrived – the Spring Festival. All the classes had been diligently rehearsing their performances, making props and working on their costumes for several weeks. The performances were varied. You could watch several dance routines, singing and dramatisations of stories, whether in Czech or English. As every year, the whole school put on a closing performance; this time it was the choir singing ‘Together’. The ceremony was followed by refreshments and group games at various stations. The children tried their hand at sporting activities as well as games testing their reflexes and dexterity. Anyone who wanted to could also have their face painted.

We’d like to thank all the parents for providing refreshments and helping with the preparations for the event. The whole event was a great success and, in the end, the weather was on our side. We’re delighted to have such talented children who threw themselves into rehearsing the performances with such enthusiasm.

Today was a very important day for the Year 1 pupils. Today, in our Year 1 class, the children were officially inducted as readers. The pupils welcomed their parents with a lovely opening poem. This was followed by three tasks, which were by no means easy. The pupils worked on various fairy-tale-based tasks. They even read the fairy tales aloud. The Year 1 pupils coped brilliantly with everything, so our royal knight was able to knight them as readers. We all enjoyed the afternoon, and the Year 1 pupils are now keen readers. Congratulations!

Miss Romana

Today, we enjoyed another project day with the Year 1 pupils. This time, the theme was classic folk fairy tales. In the first part, we set off on a fairy-tale treasure hunt, where we had to answer lots of tricky questions. We then worked on picture outlines and putting the fairy-tale texts together. This proved to be quite a challenge for some. In the end, however, we managed it all and were able to get stuck into a crossword featuring fairy-tale pairs or, for example, word problems set by our Snow White. Throughout the project, the children were able to try out lots of fairy-tale jigsaw puzzles, dominoes, fairy-tale shadow plays and various games featuring fairy-tale pairs on the carpet. We rounded off the whole project with a reading comprehension activity – ‘Who’s Who?’. The fairy-tale project was lovely and the children learnt a great deal. And as the secret message revealed: ‘The bell rang and the fairy tale is over.’

Miss Romana

On Thursday 27 April, as part of our general studies lessons, we carried out the ‘Happy Teeth’ project with the children. We’d like to thank DM drogerie for providing us with more excellent materials, which we used during the project. The Year 1 pupils gradually learnt about the different types of teeth we have, what each tooth is used for, and what a tooth looks like on the inside. We talked about what is healthy and what is unhealthy for teeth and their growth. We watched the fairy tale “Hurvínek at the Dentist”. We also took part in an interactive programme with tasks related to the topic. At the end of the project, the children received a pack from DM. So let’s get brushing properly! 🦷 Miss Romana

Today we talked together about Earth Day, which is tomorrow. We had a go at a word search and chatted about how we can help our planet Earth. We played a song and had a go at a quiz. We were even blessed with lovely weather, so we made the most of it and went outside. :-)

Miss Romana

We had a lovely project lined up for us today. Our fearless Year 1 pupils helped to rescue the Spring Fairy, who had been kidnapped by the wicked goblin Zimník. To start the project, we read a short story about who we were going to help. We found a secret message left for us by the goblin Zimník. In the message, we found information on how to rescue the Spring Fairy. We then set about completing the individual tasks. In total, there were 11 tasks for us to complete, which helped us work out the secret code (revealing where Zimník was holding the Spring Fairy captive). After unlocking all the keys, we rescued the Spring Fairy from the tall tower. As a reward, we watched a short fairy tale about the fairy Amálka. The whole project was lovely, and the children did very well with the tasks.

Miss Romana

The day before the Easter holidays, we did an Easter project with the Year 1 pupils. In the first lesson, we watched “Tradičník”, where we learnt about Easter traditions. In the following lessons, the children worked on worksheets linked to the theme of Easter. As they were all so skilful, they managed to assemble a hanging Easter egg from their worksheets. The children were also provided with Easter games, riddles and puzzles. As part of the project, the children were able to make a small Easter decoration. During the morning, the children were able to taste the traditional Easter dish ‘Jidáš’ or an Easter egg-shaped muffin. To finish off, we all took part in an Easter quiz together. We had a brilliant morning! :-)

Miss Romana

On Saturday 1 April, some pupils, parents and teachers gathered at the school for the traditional Easter craft session. Several activity stations had been set up for them, where they could make spring and Easter decorations, decorate an egg or, for example, make a moving bunny. The creations turned out really well and we hope everyone enjoyed the workshop.

On Wednesday 29 March, in the afternoon, an Easter fair was held on the school grounds. There were many items on sale, created by the pupils of our nursery and primary school and their teachers. There were also some homemade snacks and the now-traditional hot chocolate. The proceeds from this event, amounting to CZK 19,842, will be donated to the St Zdislava Home to support mothers and children in need.

As the Year 5 pupils proved to be excellent salespeople, they took on this role once again, and we would like to thank them very much for their help.

On Friday, another reading workshop was organised for Year 1 and Year 5 pupils. This time, it had an Easter theme. The pupils first split into groups based on the pictures they had found. They were then given an Easter-themed text to read. The groups managed to read the whole text and then act out a short scene to illustrate their story. The others then had to guess the theme of their text. The whole event was a great success and we had lots of fun. The children were creative and weren’t afraid to come up with even more complex skits.

Miss Romana, Miss Daniela

An unusual Harry Potter-themed project had been planned for the Year 1 pupils today. In the first lesson, we met the Sorting Hat, which sorted the children into their respective houses. This was followed by a simple quiz about Harry Potter and Hogwarts. From the second lesson onwards, the children moved between the different stations (houses) and completed tasks involving logic and science. In Gryffindor, the children had to demonstrate their bravery by using a Bee-bot to find their way to a specific destination. In Hufflepuff, a test of diligence and courage awaited them, involving guessing objects in a mysterious jar or making a Nimbus. In Slytherin, the children demonstrated their perseverance in logical mazes, where they had to find the correct route to the finish. In the final house, Ravenclaw, the children encountered various codes linked to Malfoy’s plan. We also had a go at writing a secret message, which we will read out bit by bit. To round things off, we reviewed the whole project and took a group photo.

The whole morning was magical and the children thoroughly enjoyed it – Ms Romana, Ms Katka, and teaching assistants Ivana and Renáta

On Tuesday 7 March, a school-wide project focusing on the work of the Integrated Rescue System (IRS) took place – Safety Day. In the morning, the pupils gathered in after-school care, where representatives from the main branches of the IRS were present. Thanks to them and their riddles, the pupils discovered the theme of the project. They were then divided into seven teams through a simple game. The teams were then given a schedule and set off to find their stations. One by one, the teams visited the seven stations. The firefighters taught the pupils how to use breathing apparatus and how to behave in the event of a fire. They also went over the emergency numbers for the key components of the Integrated Rescue System and practised what it involves to make a call to the emergency services. They also encountered a host of dangerous situations in the so-called ‘House of Risks’. The paramedics taught the pupils about CPR and AEDs, and they had a look at the paramedics’ equipment. The police officers taught them about personal safety and fingerprints, which the pupils were able to try out for themselves. The final station, run by the fire brigade, was outside, where our pupils were able to ‘climb around’ inside a fire engine. They were able to examine their equipment and try on some of the gear. The whole project concluded with a joint debriefing. The project was a great success and we hope the children learnt something new.

Thank you to all the services that put on such a fantastic event for us! :-)

Today, as part of CARNIVAL celebrations at our school, we tried out a few fun games linked to this theme. These were mainly activities focusing on reading comprehension and solving maths puzzles. In music lessons, we then sang the song ‘I Am a Musician’, which is an integral part of Shrovetide. As a reward, the children were also able to colour in a maths clown. The whole day then culminated in a carnival at our after-school care. :-)

Miss Romana

On Monday 27 February 2023, an English-language project called ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ took place. It was the children’s first experience of working in English for a whole day. At the start of the project, we had to identify the tracks we’d found in the school corridor. Then, armed with cameras, we set off on a bear hunt. Tracks marked with numbers and their written forms helped us find the right path. Along the way, we completed various tasks: walking through the grass (and solving a maths problem in English) or through the mud (pulling out letters to form English words), wading through the river barefoot (fishing out shells with numbers on them), find pine cones and twigs in the forest and practise prepositions, catch a book-themed jigsaw puzzle in a snowstorm (using polystyrene shapes), head into the cave (the English classroom) and try to take a photo of the bear. In the English classroom, we set about completing nine tasks at different stations, and for completing them we were given photos of parts of a bear. And because the children worked so well, they’ll be rewarded during Friday’s after-school English session with a book reading and a short video based on the story of the same name.

Ms Pavla

Today we had the chance to try something new and learn something new. A team from Animánie came to visit us with their hands-on animation workshop. Through play, we learnt the basics about the structure of plants, their growth and reproduction. We immersed ourselves in the plant kingdom, exploring the world both above and below ground. We chatted about the lives of (magical) plants and designed our own colourful and varied flowers. We then brought the plants and the life around them to life in an animated film. It was brilliant, and the children did a lovely job. We’re already looking forward to seeing the result! :-)

Miss Romana

Today, a ‘Winter Revision’ session was organised for the Year 1 pupils during the first two lessons. It consisted of revision exercises in Czech and maths. Each Year 1 pupil worked through the exercises at their own pace and moved through the individual tasks as they wished. The children were very clever and mastered the revision with ease! :-)

Miss Romana, Miss Ivana

Before the half-year break, we visited the Tyjátr play centre in Plzeň. Thank you for a morning of physical activities. :-)

On Wednesday 1 February, a programme called ‘Tonda Obal on the Road’ was organised for the pupils at our school. The programme focused on the environment and the associated issue of waste sorting. The pupils learnt why it is important to sort waste and what can be achieved if we all sort our waste. We also talked about how waste can be recycled nowadays and what can subsequently be made from it. The programme was complemented by videos and a hands-on sorting activity.

Thank you, Miss Romana

A trip to Techmania had been planned for today. The original programme was replaced by another – ‘Me, the Ozobot’ – due to the tutor being unwell. The children learnt how to use Ozobots in a playful way. We discovered how an Ozobot can be programmed and what instructions it can follow. We even discovered that it can change colour depending on the colour of the line it’s following. In the final part, we mapped out various routes for it to follow. We also visited the ‘Engineer’ permanent exhibition and the workshops.

The programme was a great success and I’m sure the children enjoyed the whole morning.

Ms Romana, teacher; Ms Renáta, teaching assistant

Today we visited the Pilsen Puppet Museum, where we took part in the winter arts and drama programme ‘Kameňačka z pytlíku’. After a welcome, the children were treated to a short glove-puppet show in which some animals were cooking soup, which the children had the chance to taste after the performance. Following a light snack, the children set about making their own glove puppets from paper bags. Everyone was able to make one animal that had featured in the performance. Once they’d finished, we moved to the upper part of the museum, where the children were introduced to various types of puppets. There was also a small stage where they had the chance to try their hand at puppetry.

Ms Romana, the teacher, and Ms Renáta, the teaching assistant

This morning we discovered that one kingdom needed our help. It had frozen over completely overnight. So, together with the Elves, we bravely set about rescuing it. It was by no means an easy task. First, we had to rebuild the kingdom properly and find out who had been frozen inside it. Then we got to know our Elven friends. Each of them was given a name based on their description, and we found out what each of them liked to do. In the next part, we set off on a mysterious journey through a maze. Our aim was to obtain a magic wand, which then helped us build a forest next to the kingdom. Thanks to the magic wand, it grew quickly and little animals moved in. We also had no trouble with the snow counting activity. In the final part, we pieced together a picture of a mountain, on which children were skiing, using syllables. With this final task, we helped the whole kingdom and, as a reward, we were able to decorate it however we liked. The whole project was great fun and we revised a lot of what we’d learnt. :-)

Miss Romana (teacher), Miss Ivana (teaching assistant), Miss Renáta (teaching assistant)

We’d been really looking forward to today. One of the loveliest projects is the Christmas one. From early in the morning, we’d been casting covetous glances at the little presents we’d prepared for one another. But today wasn’t just about presents. In the morning, we learnt about the folk traditions that are, or were, observed at Christmas. We then set about completing our Christmas tasks. There were lots of games, jigsaw puzzles and other fun activities laid out on the carpet. Throughout the day, there were Christmas biscuits and a Christmas loaf available to taste. We even spent the fourth lesson doing Christmas activities in English. In the last lesson, we exchanged all the lovely presents that had been waiting for us since the morning. The children were thrilled, and so was I. Thank you very much for the lovely presents and the Christmas biscuits to sample.

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a serene start to the New Year, Miss Romana

Today, we took the Year 1 and Year 5 pupils on a trip to the candle-making workshop in Litice. After a tiring journey, we were greeted by a festive atmosphere and the scent of Christmas. The children had the chance to decorate two candles using unusual techniques, make a Christmas candle holder and, finally, fill a bag with sea bath salts infused with essential oils. To round off the visit, we watched a video about making candles and scented soaps. We all enjoyed the whole programme and took home some lovely little gifts. We hope they’ll bring a smile to someone’s face! :-)

Thank you, Miss Romana

On Friday, we had a little surprise in store for the Year 1 pupils, together with the Year 5s. During the last lesson, we organised a joint reading workshop. The workshop was based on four Christmas stories, which the pupils worked on together. They worked together brilliantly. We’ll definitely be repeating the whole event sometime! :-)

Miss Romana, Miss Daniela

A sleep-over at school was planned for today. The children had been really looking forward to it since the morning. At the start of the sleep-over, as part of Computer Science Education Week, we tried out some games with robots and iPads. At 6 pm, we attended a talk on the Integrated Rescue System (IZS). The talk was very interesting and really captured the children’s attention. However, what they enjoyed most was trying out the rescue workers’ rucksacks with all their equipment. For dinner, we made some delicious toasties with ham, cheese and vegetables. Afterwards, we headed off to our sleeping bags. In the evening, we watched the fairy tale “Anděl Páně”, during which most of the children fell asleep. So, good night and see you tomorrow! :-)

Ms Romana, the teacher, and Ms Ivana, the teaching assistant

We all really enjoyed Monday morning. A visit from St Nicholas and a related project had been planned for the Year 1 pupils. In the morning, we prepared a poem and a song for St Nicholas. This was followed by a fairy tale about St Nicholas and a short quiz. All the subsequent tasks were linked to St Nicholas, the devil and the angel. The children worked with enthusiasm and did very well.

A real highlight was certainly the visit from St Nicholas himself, who arrived with his helpers. The children listened to what St Nicholas had written in his book of sins, sang a song and recited a poem. St Nicholas gave the children several little presents straight away.

The morning then continued with more tasks, putting pictures together, doing jigsaw puzzles and arts and crafts. The project was a great success and we’re looking forward to the Christmas one. :-)

Miss Romana

On the last day of November, we held a Christmas market, which was a new addition to our programme this year. The children carefully made items which were then put up for sale at the market. There was a wide range to choose from, ranging from home decorations and Christmas tree ornaments to Christmas biscuits. There was a real festive atmosphere, with Christmas songs playing and the stalls decorated with fairy lights. The Year 5 pupils did a brilliant job of running the stalls, and I’d like to thank them for that. The proceeds from the fair will be donated to the St Lazarus Hospice in Plzeň.

Do you know what humanity’s greatest discovery is? Our Year 1 pupils found out today – it’s writing, of course! We had a brilliant time and realised that writing isn’t just a part of our history, but also a great adventure. Even though we haven’t learnt some of the letters yet, we managed to communicate with the robot Bláborátor, beat the light gallows, write a text in cuneiform script and clear the interactive video-mapping city of adverts. Together, we managed to collect all the symbols along the way and decipher the secret message. The Year 1 pupils were really clever!

Miss Romana and Miss Renáta

On 11 November 2022, the St Martin’s Day project took place in Year 1, where the children learnt more about the story and traditions surrounding St Martin and spent the whole morning completing tasks related to him. They practised various exercises in both maths and Czech. They also had the chance to exercise their imagination, memory and logical thinking, and, last but not least, they showed us their own artistic skills. We rounded off the day with the song ‘To je zlaté posvícení’. The children really enjoyed the whole project; what they appreciated most was tasting the homemade St Martin’s croissants.

On 10 November, the children in Years 1, 2 and 3 enjoyed a wonderful treat at school in the form of a performance by the Ondřej Theatre, which had prepared an unconventionally staged fairy tale for them entitled ‘The Story of Lazy Honza’, in which Honza becomes king. The play was performed in English and really drew the children into the story – quite literally, as several of the young audience members were transformed into actors themselves. They played roles such as Honza himself, the princess, the king, the grandfather, Mrs Škubánková and the dragon. The others had no reason to feel left out either, as everyone sang, danced and got involved in some way. The pupils were active and skilful, so we ended up having a great time and everyone clearly enjoyed the performance. A big bonus was the opportunity to practise understanding spoken English. An interesting discussion arose, for example, regarding the translation of the Czech word ‘buchty’.

Today we went to the ALFA Theatre for the second time. This time to see a very nice performance called ‘Crime in the Realm of Fairy Tales’. For the pair of police officers, this day was supposed to be just another ordinary afternoon shift spent in their patrol car. But that would only have been the case if a mysterious old man hadn’t suddenly appeared in the back seat. And apparently, they’d have to go with him to the realm of fairy tales. A crime had been committed there, one that required detectives from the human world. What crime took place there, and how did it all turn out? We all know that already! :-)

Miss Romana and Miss Ivana

On this day, every pupil at our school turns into a ghost. That’s because we’re celebrating Halloween. During the morning, we completed lots of themed tasks, which weren’t easy at all. We put our knowledge of maths and the Czech language to the test. We created a little booklet, which was eventually rewarded with a Halloween certificate. During the afternoon lessons, we prepared a fruit punch for our parents. Later in the afternoon, a programme was organised for the parents – a performance and a parade around the school. After returning from the spooky parade, refreshments prepared by our school’s pupils were laid out. There was also a fire pit for roasting sausages and warm autumn drinks. The whole event went very well!

Miss Romana

On Monday 17 October, we headed to Polana Hall near the square. A programme was waiting for us there – ‘Stop at Red!’ As the title suggests, it was a theatre performance that presented the dangers of road traffic on the way to school in an entertaining way. The funny story about Matylda the zebra reminded us of the rules for pedestrian crossings, also known as zebra crossings. In the story, we made friends with Mr Green and Mr Red, who explained how traffic lights work. At the end of the programme, we helped the police catch a reckless driver.

Thank you for an entertaining and educational programme, Miss Romana and Miss Ivana

On Saturday 15 October, we held an autumn craft workshop at our school. We got together with the children and their parents, and everyone had the chance to make an autumn decoration. There was a wide range of options on offer; the children could make a flower pot decoration, a paper pumpkin, a decoration made from pine cones, an autumn-themed coaster or, for example, a candle holder. Refreshments were provided for visitors throughout the workshop. The whole event was a great success and everyone took their lovely creations home with them.

Today we went to the ALFA Theatre together for the first time to see the play “Three Strong Men on the Road”. It was a fairy-tale comedy about three heroes. And what’s more, they were brothers, just as it should be! They were incredibly strong, but until now they’d been keeping their strength somewhat hidden from the outside world. You see, they’d spent their whole lives at home. At home with their mum. She looked after them, did their washing, tidied up and cooked them wonderful meals. But one day, their mum’s patience ran out. She told them they had to set out into the world. To gain some experience. After all, as three brothers straight out of a fairy tale, that’s sort of what’s expected of them.

And as is often the case in fairy tales, she baked them some buns for the journey and gave them some advice too. The most important piece of advice was, of course, the third and final one: ‘Don’t forget that you’ll only be at your strongest when you join forces!’ But it was precisely this piece of advice that the three brothers probably didn’t hear as they were leaving, or perhaps they didn’t understand it. Because as soon as they left the house, each of them immediately set off in a different direction. It took some time before their paths crossed again and they finally realised that things go more smoothly when you work together.

Thank you for the lovely and informative performance, Miss Romana and Miss Renáta

On 6 October 2022, pupils from Years 1 and 5 took part in a talk on the topic of ‘Honey Breakfast’ with Ms Alena Machová from Losiná. Ms Machová prepared an interesting presentation for the children and also brought along various types of honey for them to taste. The children learnt basic information about the history of beekeeping, how honey is produced and properly processed, and also what products can be made from genuine beeswax. The whole event was a great success and the children really enjoyed it.

Ms Ivana, teaching assistant

We were really looking forward to Wednesday with the Year 1 pupils. Our first joint trip to Techmania was coming up. We chose the interactive programme ‘Colours Around Us’. As part of this programme, we learnt about the primary colours. We explained how a rainbow is formed and how to make one. We taught the rainbow to ‘walk’ and tried mixing colours that aren’t found in a rainbow. We also discovered the magic of coloured sweets in water. Afterwards, we had a look at a few more exhibits and headed back to school. We really enjoyed this trip; we learnt something new, so we’ll definitely be going back there soon! :-)

Miss Romana, Miss Renáta

Today we were all looking forward to the talk organised for us by the Czech Police on the topic of ‘Dogs and the Rules’. At the start, the police officer explained some basic terms to us – police officer, police car, police sirens and police dog. We then looked at the duties of a police officer. We talked about what a police officer’s job entails. In the next part, we focused on what to do in various situations, such as if I see a thief or come across a dog running loose in the countryside. We learnt who to call when something like that happens. In the penultimate part, we practised various role-play scenarios, such as reporting a theft, and how to behave when encountering a stranger or a strange dog. The session concluded with a focus on dogs. We talked about their behaviour, what they like and dislike, and which commands are used in dog training. Thank you very much for a pleasant and informative session.

Ms Romana, the teacher, and Ms Ivana, the teaching assistant

The big day has finally arrived! :-)

On Thursday 1 September, the Year 1 pupils were treated to a festive start to the school year. We gathered with our parents in our new classroom. There, a box full of new workbooks and lots of other interesting things was waiting for the children. Together with their parents, we played an icebreaker game which divided us into two groups. We then set off to colour in our school T-shirts. All the children’s T-shirts turned out brilliantly! After returning to the classroom, we had our photo taken together and went for a walk outside with our teacher, Mrs Renča.