HAPPY PLANET

October – Energy Saving Month

In October, students from all partner schools took part in Energy Saving Month, a collaborative activity focused on analysing and reducing energy consumption at school and at home. As part of this task, students calculated the amount of energy used in their households and school buildings, learning how to read electricity meters and interpret consumption data. To document their work, they took photographs of electrical appliances, lighting, and other energy-related aspects of their daily environment. Based on their observations and calculations, students created practical guidelines on how to save energy effectively, addressed both to their peers and to the wider school community. Finally, they prepared presentations in which they shared their findings and delivered clear messages encouraging others to adopt energy-saving behaviours. Through this activity, students strengthened their awareness of environmental responsibility and developed important analytical and communication skills.

 

International Day for Tolerance – Joint Polish-Greek Celebration

On 17 November, three partner schools—one from Poland and two from Greece—jointly celebrated the International Day for Tolerance. The schools collaborated closely, exchanged ideas for classroom activities, and held an online meeting to connect their students and teachers.

Each school organised age-appropriate lessons promoting respect, acceptance, and understanding of diversity. Younger pupils watched educational videos and created a shared symbol—the “Tree of Tolerance”—decorated with values such as kindness, empathy and respect. Older students took part in multimedia presentations and class discussions about cultural differences, inclusion and everyday situations requiring tolerance.

A key moment of the celebration was an international online session, during which students from all three schools presented their Trees of Tolerance and shared their reflections. This meeting strengthened intercultural understanding and highlighted the common values that unite the partner schools.

To symbolise solidarity, students and teachers in Poland and Greece wore green clothing—the colour representing unity, empathy and mutual respect.

The joint celebration demonstrated the power of international cooperation and helped students deepen their understanding of diversity while promoting a culture of openness and inclusion across all three school communities.

JOINT ONLINE SESSION

VIRTUAL ETWINNING MOBILITIES

Students from Poland and two partner schools in Greece took part in a virtual eTwinning exchange. During online meetings and collaborative activities, they introduced themselves to one another and shared information about their families, schools, neighbourhoods, and personal interests. The exchange helped students develop communication skills in English, build intercultural awareness, and discover similarities and differences between their everyday lives. Through this virtual collaboration, students created a friendly and open atmosphere, strengthening international bonds and promoting mutual understanding.

 

BEFORE THE EXCHANGE IN POLAND

Before exchange of students in Thessaloniki, Greece, we held a Virtual eTwinning mobility. We discussed topics like: life in Greece and Poland, Greek and Polish culture and lifestyles. We also prepared for the group mobility.

VIDEO CONFERENCES

VIDEO CONFERENCE 1

Students from the partner school in Poland and two schools in Greece participated in a collaborative video conference aimed at strengthening teamwork and improving project coordination. During the meeting, students discussed the progress of their joint activities, shared ideas, and planned the next steps of the project. They also evaluated the tasks completed so far, reflecting on what worked well and what could be improved. The video conference provided an opportunity for students to actively engage in decision-making, exchange their perspectives, and take responsibility for the development of shared project goals.

The partner school held a video conference to summarize the activities carried out within the project and discussed their results. They also evaluated the impact of their actions and shared experiences. The participants planned future initiatives that will continue to promote environmental responsibility.

COLLABORATIVE WORK ON THE MATERIALS 

International groups of students worked together online to create digital posters focused on environmental protection and ecology. In mixed-country teams, they exchanged ideas, discussed ecological challenges, and jointly designed visual materials promoting care for the natural environment. The students also invented creative and meaningful ecological slogans encouraging responsible and sustainable behaviors. In total, six international groups were formed, and each group created several posters, not just one, which resulted in a rich collection of diverse and inspiring materials.

JOINT PRESENTATION

International groups of students collaboratively worked on the creation of a joint presentation about ecological disasters in the past. Each group consisted of students from different partner countries, which encouraged intercultural communication, teamwork, and the use of English as a working language.

Responsibilities:

Group 1 – Definition and Consequences of Environmental Disasters

Group 2 – Types of Ecological Disasters

Group 3 – Chernobyl Disaster

Group 4 – Industrial and Chemical Disasters

Group 5 – Natural and Human-Caused Environmental Disasters

Group 6 – Impact on People, Prevention and Summary

JOINT POSTERS - CHEMISTRY AND ECLOLOGY

International student groups collaborated to create educational posters linking chemistry with ecology and showing how chemical substances contribute to environmental pollution. Each group worked on a specific environmental problem, while following a common structure so that the posters were coherent and visually consistent. They worked together online using shared digital tools. They discussed ideas, divided responsibilities, shared content, and jointly edited the posters.

Group 1 – Air Pollution: Chemical Causes

Group 2 – Effects of Air Pollution and Importance of the Problem

Group 3 – Prevention of Air Pollution

Group 4 – Water Pollution: Chemical Sources

Group 5 – Effects of Water Pollution and Importance of the Problem

Group 6 – Prevention of Water Pollution

All six international groups coordinated their work, shared results, and jointly finalized the posters, ensuring consistency in structure, language, and visual style. The collaboration strengthened students’ environmental awareness, chemical knowledge, communication skills, and teamwork in an international setting.

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Students worked in international groups to create materials about endangered species, especially in Polad and Greece. Each international group selected one endangered species and prepared a mini conservation campaign. The students collaboratively researched the species, identified the main threats to its survival, and discussed ways to protect it. As a result of their cooperation, the groups created posters, presentations, and other awareness-raising materials, which were shared with project partners to promote environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.

GROUP 1

GROUP 2

GROUP 3

GROUP 4

GROUP 5

GROUP 6

COLLABORATIVE STORY

The story was created through collaborative work of six international groups, using online communication tools and shared documents. English was used as the working language.

Group 1 – Story Concept and Main Idea

This group developed the main message of the story, focusing on environmental responsibility, everyday choices, and learning from mistakes. They outlined the idea of combining a technology lesson with a real-life consequence.

Group 2 – Character Development

This group created the main characters (Tymek, Staś, Kacper, and family members). They worked on personalities, relationships, and dialogues to make the story realistic and relatable for students.

Group 3 – Plot and Structure

This group planned the sequence of events, including the morning routine, school lessons, the accident in the forest, and the resolution. They ensured the story had a clear beginning, climax, and ending.

Group 4 – Environmental Message

This group focused on the ecological aspect, highlighting littering, its consequences, and responsible behavior. They ensured that the environmental lesson was clearly visible but naturally integrated into the story.

Group 5 – Technical and Educational Elements

This group connected the story with technology education, especially the idea of building a trash bin from waste materials. They ensured the story showed how school knowledge can be applied in real life.

Group 6 – Language Editing and Final Version

This group was responsible for language accuracy, style, and coherence. They edited the final text, unified vocabulary and tone, and prepared the story for publication.

Secret Life of Trash – International Collaborative Story

The partner schools worked together to create an environmental story entitled "The Secret Life of Trash: Petra’s Amazing Journey." The activity was based on the idea that waste can travel across countries and ecosystems, affecting both nature and people. Through a collaborative storytelling project, students explored the consequences of improper waste disposal and learned about the importance of responsible environmental behaviour. The story follows Petra, a plastic bottle whose journey begins in Zawiercie, Poland. After being discarded incorrectly, Petra is carried by a stream into the Warta River and then to the Baltic Sea. Her adventure continues through the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea near Thessaloniki, Greece, where she meets marine animals and learns about the harmful effects of plastic pollution. Finally, Petra reaches Rhodes, where she is collected during a beach clean-up campaign, recycled, and transformed into a park bench, giving her a new life. The activity highlighted the strong international cooperation between the partner schools: Primary School No. 13 in Zawiercie (Poland) developed the first part of the story, presenting Petra’s origin and journey through Polish rivers and the Baltic Sea. The school in Thessaloniki (Greece) contributed the chapter describing Petra’s life in the sea and the impact of plastic waste on marine animals and ecosystems. The school in Rhodes (Greece) created the final chapter, focusing on recycling, circular economy principles, and giving waste a second life. Together, the students created a common digital product consisting of illustrations, maps, and a storybook. The project demonstrated that environmental problems do not stop at national borders and that protecting our planet requires international cooperation. The activity supported the main goals of the Happy Planet project by: raising awareness about environmental protection and sustainable living; promoting responsible waste management and recycling; helping students understand the impact of human actions on rivers, seas, wildlife, and communitiesencouraging creativity through storytelling and visual arts; strengthening international cooperation and intercultural understanding among students from Poland and Greece; developing digital skills through the creation of a collaborative digital storybook. Through Petra’s journey, students discovered that every piece of waste has a story and that each of us can help create a happier and cleaner planet through responsible choices and environmental action.