Who is on the European Development Team 2024/2025?
3rd/4th Class: Molly McCarthy, Fionnuala MacLean, Freya Roche
4th/5th Class: Kevin Wei Cassidy, Tamara Williams O'Grady, Hazel Byrne
6th class: Adam Ryan & Katie Cadogan
Here is our European Development Team this year:
What is the European Development Team?
We set up our first European Development Team (EDT) in 2019 in our school. Every September pupils from 2nd - 6th classes are asked if they would like to run for the election to be on the European Development Team. Pupils must put forward their plan/manifesto outlining all the things they want to do to be a voice for pupils on this team. Pupils in each class vote for and elect the pupils they think will make a difference.
The Principal works with the newly elected EDT. She guides them on how a committee runs and the positions of Chairperson & Secretary are elected by the committee. The Committee meet once every month.
The aim of the EDT is to build awareness about European education and to develop European activities, events and policies in our school. A very small percentage of our pupil population in this school come from outside of Ireland so we want to build links with European schools to make our school a more inclusive and culturally diverse place.
Another aim is to help the school develop their Erasmus objectives. We have an Erasmus Plan for our school where we want to build links with European schools. We have received funding for Erasmus projects. In 2021/2022 12 members of staff travelled to visit schools in Europe. In 2022/2023 pupils and staff travelled to schools in Europe. Last year staff travelled to Sweden, Denmark and France to visit schools. This year, our pupils will travel to visit schools in Sweden and Spain. There will be continued funding for projects like these so that, over the years, all classes will have a chance to travel when they are in 5th/6th classes. You can follow our Erasmus journey on our website here: http://ballymittyns.ie/page/European-Projects/82919/Index.html
Our EDT help to promote the aims and objectives of these Erasmus projects.
The EDT team is led by the school Principal Audrey McCarthy.
What will the EDT do for our school this year?
- Our EDT will sit and develop a committee with a Chairperson & Secretary elected. They will then plan the yearly events and activities which they will promote through this website, newsletters etc.
- The EDT will actively follow the staff and pupils who will go on different mobilities this year to Sweden and Spain.
- The EDT will prepare a programme of events and activities for our Spanish Erasmus visitors in November 2024, Danish Visitors in November 2024 and our French Erasmus Visitors in February 2025.
- The team will also get ready to host Erasmus School Week in May 2025. During this week the team will build an Erasmus corner where we can put up ideas about any special events in our school such as Erasmus School Week etc.
- The EDT will organise Inclusion and Diversity week in May 2025 and organise activities, speakers, events and competitions to promote inclusion and to celebrate difference in our school.
- Some of the members of the EDT will help in the preparation of a Parents' information session to promote Erasmus+ and to inform parents about what is happening in our school to promote Europe.
- Finally, our EDT will ensure that pupils and staff in Ballymitty NS are active participants in Europe!