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On the last day of our stay on the programme we were very busy. The first half of the day was spent in school, the students created different types of adverts to promote the exchange. The presentations were really interesting. After lunch in the canteen we went for a scavenger hunt in the seaside town of Saint Gilles Croix de Vie. We also immensely enjoyed some rays of sun on the beach as well. The conclusion of the evening was festive, since we cheered for the Challans team in a basketball match against Le Havre. A very nice and, again, sunny day! 

The students returned from the weekend activities with their host families in good spirits and with wonderful memories. The Danila Kumar teachers also visited the host teachers and got to know their families. We spent the day in sunny Nantes. It is a lively city of great history, Jules Vernes and of one of the greatest memorial sites connected to the abolition of slavery in the world. We had a day of walking, discovery and a little bit of shopping. Due to the amount of nice boutiques it would be nice to have an extra hour ????. All in all, another great day!

Last weekend, 23 and 24 March, the students who attend the Debate ECA participated in a debate competition called The World Scholar's Cup. On Saturday, the pupils took the train to Trebnje Elementary School where they first attended the opening ceremony. Subsequently, they had a long and challenging day as they participated in three different events: writing compositions, a test and debating. They showed that they were excellent communicators, as well as being very knowledgeable and principled while working as a team and competing against other scholars. Sunday's events were held in Festivalna dvorana in Ljubljana. The day was less demanding, but started with an extensive quiz nevertheless. This was followed by a debate showcase in which the best debaters from the previous day showed their skills. The competitors had fun participating or supporting the contestants in the talent show as well. The competition concluded with the award ceremony in which our pupils proved to be very successful.  Alina Mia Vavpotič: 1st place Champion Scholar, 2nd place individual in Team Debate Raya Mincheva: 1stplace individual in Team Debate Kyrylo Stoianov: 1st place in History and Science and Technology Challenge  Neda Nikolova: 2nd place individual in Collaborative Writing Raya Mincheva, Neda Nikolova, Kyrylo Stoianov: 1st place in Team Debate, 3rd place overall Maks Sretenoski, Eden Kismet Bahri, Alina Mia Vavpotič 2nd place in Scholar's Bowl Alessia Ottino, Karin Isabel Vavpotič, Selim Ersavci: 2nd place in Team Debate Congratulations to all the scholars! Mentors: Anja Dežman and Tina Frelih

On day three we spent some time at school and we saw what a French school day looks like. The lessons are longer (55 min) and the students stay at school until about 17:00.  However, the breaks are longer, too. The students agree that there are advantages and disadvantages to this system. After a delicious lunch in the school canteen (they had an international week of food, so there was British fish 'n' chips on today's menu), we had an orientation run in the forest and some time at the sunny beach. The pupils will spend the weekend with their families and the official exchange school programme will continue on Monday. Katarina Čepič

Today was a perfect postcard picture day. We visited the island of Noirmoutier by bus, where we tried brioche, oysters, played games on the beach Plage des Dames and enjoyed the city of Noirmoutier en Ile. We also saw the disappearing road which gets covered by the sea twice a day, so the inhabitants have to use a bridge to cross to the mainland. Our students are really exploring the French culture and habits and making new friends.  Katarina Čepič

We started our journey to St Joseph College, Challans, France early in the morning. We took the coach to Milan and then flew to Nantes. We reached the French school at 16:00. The French students, teachers and parents warmly welcomed us with songs, dance and home-made goods. The students then joined their host families. It was a demanding day, but a successful one. Katarina Čepič

On Wednesday, 20 March, all of our PYP students enjoyed a wonderful day of cave exploring and forest hiking. They visited the Mayor's cave (Županova jama) near Grosuplje and witnessed all the wonders and beautiful sights of the cave world. They learned a lot about the Kras area, how stalactites and stalagmites are formed, which animals live in the cave, including bats, and more. A hike through the surrounding forest was then had, observing diverse flowers and trees.  The weather was beautiful and sunny so it really was a day to remember. Oliver Frlić

On Monday 18 March, the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre invited the kindergarten pupils to come and see an adaptation of the picture book A Mouse Called Julian by prize-winning author and illustrator Joe Todd-Stanton. There are many themes raised in the play like acceptance, overcoming fear and the important of friendship, which the actors conveyed emphatically through their puppetry skills, delighting the young and animated audience.

In light of the holiday of St. Gregory, the beginning of spring in the old calendar and the Slovenian version of Valentine’s day, and its accompanying tradition of setting small handcrafted boats with lights inside so-called ‘barčice’ or ‘gregorčki’ into the water and burning them, the 6M students spent their homeroom lesson sharing their own family or national cultural traditions and celebrations. The pupils presented many different things. We learned about the Hungarian tradition of sprinkling water on maidens for good luck, making your own pencil and ensuring you use it until the end for good luck, traditional Slovenian handcrafting of lace, how to celebrate The Chinese New Year, Ukrainian traditional clothes, its money and flag, the Turkish symbol of good luck and about the Russian matryoshka,the Olympic games in Sochi and also about its traditional sweets. The students were excited about sharing their cultures with the class and we have all learned something new. Tina Frelih

On Tuesday, March 5, the 4M students went on a tour of religious sites in the centre of Ljubljana. First, we visited the Kadam Meditation Centre, where they practice the Buddhist religion and its rituals. They taught us about Buddhism and the Buddha, and then we also participated in a short meditation session. After having breakfast in Prešeren Square, we visited the Franciscan Catholic Church, where we also explored the children's chapel and the baptistery. Continuing our journey, we arrived at the Orthodox church, where we were impressed by the wall paintings and the burning candles. The last stop was the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Primož Trubar, where the priest conveyed a lot of information about the sanctuary itself, and the rituals, and answered many questions. We had a great time. Ms Anja Plut