The document summarizes a cooperative project between two schools - Birkilundur preschool and Varmahlidarskoli elementary school - located in Skagafjordur, Iceland. The goal of the project is to increase educational continuity and the children's social skills by having regular visits between the schools. Over the course of the project, children from the preschool visited various classrooms and activities at the elementary school, and children from the elementary school also visited the preschool. The schools hoped to further develop the partnership through continued communication and defining clearer goals for the visits between the students.

1. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Comenius-Regio Increased educational continuity
Cooperative project by the municipality of Skagafjörður municipality and Odense municipality in Denmark
A progress summary of the project in Birkilundur and Varmahlíðarskóli by Kolla, Kristvina, Lára and Steinunn

2. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Birkilundur and Varmahlíðarskóli
•From the year 2007 these schools have cooperated in a project called Gaman saman (We have fun together).
•The main aim of the project is that the two schools visit each other regularly.
•The goal is to increase the children´s social skills and facilitate the move from play school to elementary school.

3. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Gaman saman (We have fun together)
•Every fall delegates from Birkilundur and Varmahlíðarskóli meet and organized the visitation plan for the winter.
•The plan included visits of the oldest children in Birkilundur to Varmahlíðarskóli and the visits of 1st – 7th graders in Varmahlíðarskóli to Birkilundur.
•The following visits were included in this plan:

4. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group in Birkilundur visting pupils in home economics in Varmahlíðarskóli.

5. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group in Birkilundur visiting pupils in carpentry class in Varmahlíðarskóli.

6. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur with pupils in art class in Varmahlíðarskóli.

7. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur with pupils in textiles class in Varmahlíðarskóli.

8. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur with pupils in natural science in Varmahlíðarskóli.

9. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group in Birkilundur playing the popular game Tarzan with pupils in Varmahlíðarskóli.

10. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur with pupils in sports in Varmahlíðarskóli.

11. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur swimming with pupils in Varmahlíðarskóli.

12. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group in Birkilundur watching a practice of a play by 1st – 6th graders in Varmahlíðarskóli.

13. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur on a walk with 1st and 2nd graders in Varmahlíðarskóli.

14. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group in Birkilundur trying out computers with pupils in Varmahlíðarskóli.

15. Skagafjörður
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1st and 2nd graders in Varmahlíðarskóli playing outdoors in Birkilundur.

16. Skagafjörður
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1st and 2nd graders from Varmahlíðarskóli attending a pajama dance in Birkilundur

17. Skagafjörður
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7th graders in Varmahlíðarskóli read for the children in Birkiulundur on November 16th, which celebrates the Icelandic language.

18. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
3rd graders in Varmahlíðarskóli visiting Birkilundur

19. Skagafjörður
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4th graders from Varmahlíðarskóli visiting Birkilundur

20. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
5th graders from Varmahlíðarskóli on a visit in Birkilundur

21. Skagafjörður
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6th graders from Varmahlíðarskóli visiting Birkilundur

22. Skagafjörður
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The youngest pupils in Varmahlíðarskóli attending a final practice of a graduation play by oldest children in Birkilundur

23. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Influence of Comenius-Regio
•By participating in the Comenius-Regio project on educational continuity, we have considered how we can increase the cooperation and continuity of our pupils´education.
•We organized a meeting for the staff of both schools and asked them for ideas for the project.
•The following ideas have already been carried out:

24. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur in Danish class with 7th graders in Varmahlíðarskóli.

25. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur in maths class with pupils in Varmahlíðarskóli.

26. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur enjoying lunch in Varmahlíðarskóli

27. Skagafjörður
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The oldest children in Birkilundur practicing letters with 1st and 2nd graders in Varmahlíðarskóli.

28. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group in music appreciation with pupils in Varmahlíðarskóli.

29. Skagafjörður
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The oldest group of Birkilundur invited their parents on a sightseeing trip in Varmahlíðarskóli

30. Skagafjörður
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Teacher - exchange
•The head teacher of the oldest group in Birkilundur visited Varmahlíðarskóli for a day´s observation of teaching in 1st grade.
•The 1st grade teacher spent a day with the oldest group in Birkilundur, observing their work and play.

31. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Final spring meeting concerning the oldest children in play school.
•At the end of the school year, delegates of both school meet and exchange information about the children leaving the play school to enter elementary school.
•Delegates from the play school are: head teacher of the oldest children,head teacher of the older section in play school and the director.
•Delegates from the elementary school: the future 1st grade teacher, head teacher of special education and directors.

32. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Mutual meeting
•Once a year a meeting between the two school is placed.
•The meeting is also used to reevaluate what has been done, introduce future visits and ask for ideas on how to further develop the project.

33. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Plans for the future
•A report form has been developed for teachers in Birkilundur to fill out information on each child finishing play school. This form accompany the child to the elementary school.
•The aim is to better define the goals with the visits between children in the play school and elementary school.

34. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Report form for each play school child
Delegates of the play school will discuss the following elements as they see relevant and important for the knowledge of the children´s future teachers in the elementary school.
1.Overall development
2.Social development
3.Speech development
4.Physical development and motorskills
5.Other comments

35. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Report form

36. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
A visit from each grade in Varmahlíðarskóli to Birkilundur is to have a purpose:
•1st grade attends a pyjama dance with the oldest group in Birkilundur.
•7th grade reads for all children in Birklundur in small groups.
•The aim is that 6th grade organize a period with board-games with the play school children.
•Organized visits with 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades have yet to be decided.

37. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Other ideas worth considering:
•A mutual celebration/fest for the staff of both schools.
•Continuing communications with the schools in Odense once the project is finished.

38. Skagafjörður
www.skagafjordur.is
Takk fyrir!