Rujienas vidusskola - Rujiena (LATVIA)

   Rujiena Secondary School is a general comprehensive educational establishment in Rujiena (3500 inhabitants), situated in the rural North of Latvia, 150 km from Riga. The number of students is 446, that of staff is 56. Besides its regular educational curriculum, it has a side-curriculum in music, many students learn to play an instrument, there are several choirs, the orchestra with high credits on a national scale, folk dance groups and a drama club. Despite the variety of educational opportunities and of facilities, there are many social problems that undermine the quality of education, low-income and social risk families cannot fully support their children, thus they lack social skills, communication and cultural education. The number of pupils who play truant, misbehave and do not have positive study motivation is growing, they risk social exclusion, depression, aggression and other social issues. Therefore the school is really eager to take part in a new Erasmus+ project because it is a great chance to use the partnership and alternative methods to motivate weaker and social risk pupils to join in, build their self-esteem and learn useful skills for life. Both pupils and staff will benefit in many ways, like, improving their ICT skills and building long-term relationships, raising their foreign language competence, sharing their cultural heritage and learning about European cultures by visiting sights, taking part in activities, which are not available in a classroom. Besides, the teachers will share their experience and help each other implement innovative practices concerning use of digital devices in teaching. The coordinator of the project is a science teacher with the experience of coordinating international projects for 15 years with great success. The administration of Rujiena secondary have always been open, responsive and helpful with carrying out the project activities. In case somebody should leave the post there are resources to find an appropiate substitute among the staff. Besides, the supporting team includes IT specialists, language and music teachers and other enthusiasts who are ready to take on responsibility for good and worthwhile project outcomes. Rūjiena Secondary school has successfully participated in several Comenius, Erasmus+, e Twinning projects, thus the school possesses resources to be a partner and carry out appropriately its duties. The present topic of the project is specially appealing to us because this year Latvia is celebrating its centennial and the government has set forward the priority of incorporating the cultural awareness and competence in education by launching a special program „Latvijas skolas soma” which will promote visits to cultural venues helping our pupils to learn through practice outside the classroom. Besides, we can offer to share Latvian cultural heritage through our dance group and choir presentations and orchestra concerts. We definitely have a lot to offer to our partners.