Local people still like to call our school “Special School”. ‘Special Elementary School Črnomelj’ was our first name, which was used until 23^rd April 1978. At that time, in accordance with the new law on education and training of children and adolescents with disabilities in physical and mental development, the school was renamed to Milke Šobar – Nataše Elementary School Črnomelj.

And why exactly this new name, which in those years was also the name of today’s Šmihel Elementary School?

Since 1974, the school has had a pioneering movement named after Milka Šobar – Nataše, a local partisan commissar who fell during World War II and was declared a national heroine. The school organization then unanimously agreed that the school should bear this name, and the surviving relatives of the late heroine also agreed.

Nowadays, we call our school MŠN or Milka for short. Who knows if it will keep the name for the next 50 years?

New decades have always been something special for the school. We remembered the paths we had taken and enthusiastically expected new challenges.

For the school’s 10th anniversary, in 1980, the school published a brochure Our ten years. A special issue of the school newspaper Zvončki was also published, and the news about the jubilee could also be read in the national daily newspaper Delo (December 23, 1980).

Ten years later, we again published a special issue of Zvončki, and some articles were published in other media (for example in DELO, 27 December 1990).

In 2000, on the 30th anniversary, a special issue of Zvončki was issued, and in the local paper Belokranjec, an article written by the headteacher Ema Šujica, was also published.

The celebration of the 40th anniversary was very special. As part of the celebrations, we recorded the school anthem (text and music: Vlasta Lah, Nina Aupič, arrangement: Primož Vranicar). On April 15^th, 2011, an event was held in the Črnomelj Cultural Center, which was followed by a school open day. For the occasion of the 40th anniversary, a book was published.

How will we celebrate the 50th anniversary? You just might be surprised…

We all do things in life at our own pace. Eventually, we all reach our goal. The Milke Šobar – Nataše Elementary School first opened its doors with a delay. Literally. As part of then Črnomelj Elementary School (now Mirana Jarca Elementary School), classes began on October 1^st, 1970 with only two classes and 18 students. On December 2^nd, 1970, the school got its own premises, which represented the end of the first construction stage. The second part of the school building was completed in May 1973 and in the 1973/74 school year, and on September 14^th, 1973, the so called Special Elementary School was officially established. At that time, the school had 7 classes and 80 students. Today, on the threshold of its 50th anniversary, the school has 11 classes and 82 students.

The school never had an easy road. Nevertheless, we just might reach our goal…

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, the final event of the 5th S-Factor video festival took place in KC Semič. The year-long project was crowned by an abundance of children’s laughter, dancing, singing, fun and socializing. Before the final event, Igraj se z mano Festival was held with many workshops and presentations.

Workshops were then followed by the final event which, in cooperation with this year’s partner school, School of Economics Novo mesto, VSŠ, was also held live online.

Headteacher of Elementary School OŠ Milke Šobar – Nataše,  Klavdija Žalec Štrekelj, welcomed the guests.  The honored speakers at the event were also Matjaž Barič, former headteacher at OŠ Milke Šobar – Nataše, currently working at the Ministry for Education  and MEP, Dr. Klemen Grošelj.

 The common theme of this year’s event was friendship that all participants and supporters showed throughout the year.

The awards that have been awarded, were the result of a vote by the participating schools, the internet and the expert jury:

The award for the most musical video goes to Elementary School Stanka Vraza, Ormož (SLO);

The prize for the most connecting video goes to Elementary School Ljubo Šercer, Kočevje (SLO);

The award for the video with the best message goes to Centar for djecu i omladinu with the special needs Los Rosales from Mostar (BIH);

The prize for the best video according to internet votes goes to Elementary School Osnovna Škola Dušan Dugalić, Belgrade (SRB).

Main three awards go to:

3^rd place: Cirius Vipava (SLO)

2^nd place: Center Janeza Levca Ljubljana, OE Levstoikov trg (SLO)

1^st place: Elementary School Milke Šobar – Nataše, Črnomelj (SLO)

The video titled Dovolj sva jaz in ti (Me and you are enough), was made by students under the mentorship of Vlasta Lah and Gea Gregorič in cooperation with Klaudija Jaketič – CLaudiZu and Ajda Majerle, received the most votes from students, teachers and expert jury.

All other information is available on the website https://sfactor.splet.arnes.si/

Congratulations to all!

You can watch the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6ZNUBEi224

We made new friends among our peers from the southeast of Poland, who joined the project together with their parents and volunteers. The project managers prepared a varied and entertaining program under the title Time machine for everybody.

At the workshops, we got to know each other better, got a secret friend, thought about our dreams for the future and made a time capsule, where at the end of the project, we put our crafts, which represented our heart’s desires. We organized a Slovenian evening, where we presented Slovenia to our Polish friends; we danced the polka dance, the waltz and kolo (another traditional Slovene dance) and enjoyed in the traditional Slovenian food like the walnut potica, flatbread pogača, Carniolan sausage and chocolate Gorenjka. The Poles also introduced their country; what we liked the most was when they showed us how they celebrate their birthday in Poland and have a picnic outside with a barbecue. We found the trips in the area interesting: a tour of the world-famous ski jumps, a train ride from the Gubalowka viewpoint to Zakopane, exploring the town and buying souvenirs at the stalls, bathing in the Bukowina Tatrzańska thermal baths, and hiking to Rusinowa Polana, from where there is a wonderful view of the Tatras.

Our stay in Poland was full of new experiences and adventure as well as new friendships.

Nevertheless, as we happily returned home, we could all agree that everywhere is beautiful, but there is no place like home.