27^th  May 2016

In the festival atmosphere of the international festival Play with me, which has for its 10th anniversary moved to Bela Krajina, an international project Video S-Factor for 2016, whose initiator and organizer is the elementary school Milka Šobar – Nataše, has completed. The project includes performing arts and short videos with the intension to promote the inclusion of young people with special needs. A whole of 10 schools for children with special needs from Slovenia and 6 institutions for persons with special needs abroad, have participated in the project.

The busy morning, with 16 different workshops for children with special needs to socialize, students from elementary schools in Bela krajina, high school students, teachers, retirees and other visitors, enjoyed the final event of the project Video S-Factor 2016. The jury, consisted of Maja Weiss, Jaka Pucihar, Gregor Pečan, Zmago Šmon and Alenka Vrlinič, has, among the three finalists in each category, announced the winners. The best short video in the category of Slovenian videos:

1. Zrcalce (Mirror) (III. Elementary School Slovenj Gradec)
2. AROUND THE WORLD (Elementary School Mihajlo Rostohar Krško)
3.   Nam srce razbija (Our hearts pounding) (II Elementary School Žalec)

In the international category:

1. Sunce je gore na nebu (The sun is in the sky) (JU Zavod za obrazovanje osoba sa smetnjama u psihičkom i tjelesnom razvoju Tuzla, BiH)
2. TIGAR (The tiger) (Centat za odgoj I obrazovanje djece i mladeži Karlovac, Croatia)
3. ODRASTANJE (Growing up) (Šoso “Ivo Lola Ribar”, Kraljevo, Serbia)

For the preparation and execution of the Festival Play with me, and the final event Video S-Factor in 2016 we wish to thank: Cultural Center Semič TIC Semič, Andrej Kunič, Sašo Riznič, Association of Pensioners Semič, Society Belokranjsko gobarsko društvo, Primary School Belokranjskega odreda Semič, Society Sožitje (Harmony) Bela Krajina, volunteers from the club Students of Bela krajina and the youth center BIT Črnomelj, students of secondary school Srednja šola Črnomelj and students of special and rehabilitation pedagogy.

The project was financially supported by: Kolpa Adventures (Tine & amp; Co.), Radenci, company Čaplja d.o.o., Ljubno ob Savinji, the guesthouse Kapušin Krasinec, Restaurant Pezdirc Semič, Winegrowers Association Metlika, Viticulture and Enology Pečarič Martin Čurile, Graphic Services Robert Glazer s.p., Gradac.

To all the participants, volunteers and supporters we are very grateful for all the help to create this beautiful and unique event, which joined people of different generations, nationalities and abilities, and has demolished stereotypes about diversity.

http://4d.rtvslo.si/arhiv/prispevki-in- izjave-tv- porocila/174407758

http://www.vaskanal.com/novice/novice/24876-qigraj- se-z- manoq.html

http://www.radiokrka.com/poglej_clanek.asp?ID_clanka=192229

https://www.facebook.com/igrajsezmano/?fref=ts

Vlasta Lah

Photos by Jan Kocjan

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On Tuesday , 26 April 2016, we had the Reading Badge closing event. He hosted a youth writer Primoz Suhodolčan who has with his playful and funny, but according to him true stories, captivated us.

Our school has a saying Reading knows no boundaries! A very important role in the project have teachers who are reading aloud to the students and encourage them throughout the school year to love books.

Joint reading of books in the school library gives students opportunities to talk about the experience and their understanding of what they heard. Knowing that a positive and respectful attitude towards themselves and the people around them is inspired by stories, is truly a wonderful feeling.

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In the school year, 2015/2016 Elementary School Milka Šobar – Nataša participates in an international reading project Reading knows no borders, which takes place between the Slovenian and Croatian schools. The goal of the project is to get to know the Slovenian and Croatian youth literary works. In addition to reading, the project also involves some research: exploring the history, culture and sights of the town the children come from.

Our partners are the students of the Centar za odgoj i obrazovanje djece i mladeži from Karlovac who came to us on a two-day event with focus on books and reading. On Friday, 22^nd April 2016, we have welcomed them with a traditional Slovenian breakfast. After the meal a  short cultural program followed in which our students carried out a Preseren rap song Where, a short puppet show of a story the Mirror by Grigorja Viteza, a Croatian youth writer.

We also visited the Bela Krajina Museum in Metlika, where we learned more about Bela Krajina and its inhabitants over time. After another short show about how the coat of arms of the city of Metlika got its shape, we then said goodbye untill next year.

On Friday, 15^th April 2016, our students attended the 26th National Let’s sing, play and dance Chorus Show in Krško. This year, in the two days, the event hosted more than 800 performers, their mentors and companions.
The main theme of our performance was the poet France Prešeren and his song Where? in the rap version and the song O, Vrba, which was sang by the chorus and accompanied by a dance group. The children enjoyed their performance and later they hang out and danced with the rest of the performing students.

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On Thursday, 21^st April 2016, we joined the international event Book Night for the second time. Moreover, this time we invited students from our friend school in Karlovac. They accepted our invitation and we met in the morning in Vinica, at Oton Župančič birth house.
After lunch, students in special educational program 5, 6 have taken our guests on a stroll through the streets of Črnomelj, to show them the sights.

At 18.00 we joined the event Book Night in the public library in Črnomelj. There our students performed with a play Who Made Videk’s Shirt. Another group of students cooked some sweet porridge, for everyone to enjoy.
After we all returned to school there was a delicious dinner prepared by our students and the teachers. Later, everyone was waiting for the evening show, which was held in the multipurpose room under the title Another piece of the story, please … We were are captivated by the words and by the dance movements of a dancer Jernej Kozan.

In the late evening hours, on a proposal from the event organizer Book Night, we symbolically lit the lights of our school. The world is changing as it wakes up with a book in its hand, and another thought Let reading turn the lamp of the future,  our 13 pupils, 6 pupils from Karlovac and 6 teachers, finally went to sleep.
Although it only lasted one day and one night, we are all looking forward to the next year’s event.

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