Spanish Students at Moate CS
Welcome their Spanish E-Pals in Person
The visit of Fuenlabrada students to Moate CS in April provided a wonderful and exciting culmination to the E-Pals Project of 06/07. First year and second year students from Moate and Madrid, who had communicated via e-mail throughout the school year, finally met in person.
Over the months students, through their communications, had come to know each other very well and a vast amount of cultural information was exchanged. However, the prospect of meeting in person was so very exciting for us all. Both Irish and Spanish students embraced this opportunity enthusiastically and very soon all language barriers disappeared.
Spanish teacher Noreen Peredo, was also very excited to meet Virginia Leiriana her Spanish colleague, in person. In organising the E-pals project, both teachers had corresponded often and developed a warm friendship over the course of the year.
Anxious to make this a memorable occasion for our Spanish visitors, students at Moate CS treated their guests to a wonderful cultural programme of Irish music, dance and song. As always the Music Department provided invaluable assistance to this endeavour. Our Spanish visitors surprised us all by adding a little Spanish culture to the festivities, in their wonderful Flamenco Dances. Fuenlabrada students were also given an opportunity to participate in classes and experience the authentic environment of an Irish classroom.
Sra. Leiriana and her students expressed their great delight and appreciation for the hospitality extended to them at Moate CS and we were all sorry to part company at the end of the day.
Authentic communication and contact with the culture is of immeasurable valuable to our Spanish language programme. This was a very worthwhile and important project and one we plan to continue. We hope to meet our “Nuevos Amigos” again, in Fuenlabrada , Madrid.
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