Caerleon Lodge Hill Primary School, Newport
In 2019, Caerleon Lodge Primary School was introduced to the fascinating country of Georgia by Caroline McLachlan, the School’s Chair of Governors who is also the Chair of the Newport Kutaisi Twinning Association.
As a result, the School has connected with the Ghone Qveknisa, Primary School in Kutaisi, founded by Manana Karkashadze, using tools such as Google slides and Google docs.
By enabling the children to collaborate in such a way, our students and their young friends in Kutaisi are learning to appreciate each other’s way of life in an authentic and engaging way. The initiative also supports Lodge Hill School as it develops the children’s skills in digital competence while becoming ethical informed citizens who enjoy learning about cultures and communities around the world.
Our pupils were fascinated to watch an interesting video sent by Manana which showed the similarities and disparities between the two schools, The difference in their learning environments captured the children’s attention. In response, our pupils created a collaborative PowerPoint to share such information as the history of Caerleon, Welsh sport and Christmas in Wales. The latter topic proved a valuable source of discussion when our children learnt that Christmas in Georgia is celebrated on January 7th.
The children also carried out independent research at home and brought back to the classroom to be shared. One boy created an informative PowerPoint and gave a talk about aspects of Georgian life based on information gained from family friends who have links to Georgia.
With the prospect of Welsh schools reopening soon, we at Lodge Hill School look forward immensely to continuing our collaborative work with our Kutaisi friends when we are back in the classroom.
Nick Smith
Deputy Head Teacher