Newsletter 4- 5

TUDOR ARGHEZI THEORETICAL HIGHSCHOOL,
CRAIOVA, DOLJ

4-5RD Newsletter of the Grundtvig
Partnership

“NO MORE TEARS” 2011-2012

YEAR 2012 N 4-5 NOVEMBER March to June

NEWSLETTER COORDINATORS:

TEACHERS:
MANAFU GEORGETA-PROJECT COORDINATOR
POPESCU OANA-LEARNER

STUDENT:
GOLBAN CRISTINA-LEARNER

SCHOOL YEAR 2011-2012

1

4-5st Newsletter of the Grundtvig Partnership

“NO MORE TEARS” 2010-2012

YEAR 2012 N 4-5 NOVEMBER March to June

International Grundtvig project "No More Tears"

Teacher coordinator Georgeta Manafu

High School "Tudor Arghezi"

An internal decision has been issued appointing Ms. Georgeta
Manafu as the national coordinating teacher of the project on behalf of the
“Tudor Arghezi” Theoretical Highschool. She established a set of criteria
in order to start the implementation team: the staff and the learners’ group.
Each member of the implementation team has been given certain
assignments.
CONTENTS
We have worked with the project partners to determine how it can
1.THE GRUNDTVIG
PROJECT
be disseminated after each project meeting and during the activities we
“NO MORE TEARS”
have held at a departmental level.
2.PROJECT

ACTIVITIES
The project activities we have held until now have been in
3. Conflicts accordance with those mentioned in the application form:
4. PEER MEDIATION
• Each institution has designed a project information board;
• The members of the implementation teams have been appointed
according to different criteria which have been previously agreed upon
by the four participants;
• Each partner has conceived and applied questionnaires in order to
determine the level of violence in their region and interpreted the
results;
• The participants have made PowerPoint and ProShow slide shows to
present their activities, as well as the traditions, customs and culture of
their respective region or country;
• Ms. Georgeta Manafu deisgned the project blogspot:
http://grundtvigprojectnomoretears.blogspot.com/

2

Grundtvig Partnership“NO MORE TEARS”
•We have attended the first transnational meeting in Turkey, organised courtesy
of Seyhan Ilce Milli Egitim Mudurlugu. The Romanian team, consisting of
three staff members and a learner, presented the following inputs:
•The project blogspot designed by Ms. Georgeta Manafu and teh way slide
shows can be posted there;
•Multimedia presentations of the „Tudor Arghezi” Theoretical Highschool,
Craiova, Romania, our customs and traditions and our educational system;
•The results of the questionnaires applied to students, teachers and parents
related to the level of violence in the department of Dolj;
•The activities we have held between August and October.
Each of the four participating institutions has sent its own representatives.
•The programme of the activities at the meeting included: the presentation of
each participating institution, a visit to the Seyhan School Inspectorate and to a
state-funded faculty, multicultural soirées, and workshops related to the
reduction of school and family violence.
•Each partner has been assigned different tasks between November and
February;
•We have disseminated the first transnational meeting in Adana – Turkey;
•At a local level we have organised the following activities:
o On the 20th of January – the Inter-county Symposium “Initiation
in the ABC of democracy. Social responsibility.”
o On the 17th of February 2011- the County debate “The influence
of IT and the media on adults’ education”
•Between the 21st and the 28th of February we attended the second
transnational meeting in Viena, Austria, where we discussed about the
following presentations designed by the members of the Romanian group:
•Peer mediation training sessions and a presentation of the standard mediation
system, along with its steps and the monitoring and control activities which
have been undertaken so far;
•School and family violence;
•The activities we had held between November and February: the symposium,
the debate, and the training and monitoring of the peer mediators;
•Tolerance – a European value;
•Measures that can be taken for the reducation of school violence;
3

The transnational activity was organised by IFMIC, Viena, Austria and was attended
by representatives of all four participating institutions. The Romanian team consisted of
three staff members and two learners.
Each partner presented the activities held between October and February, we
assigned different tasks to be fulfilled between March and September 2011, we attended
different workshops related to the reduction of school and family violence, and had the
chance to get an insight of the Austrian culture. The activities the hosts organised were of
an interactive nature. The work atmosphere was open and intercultural. Each partner
school shared its difficulties in reducing school and family violence and the measures they
have taken in order to achieve this goal. We talked about ways of posting multimedia
presentations, articles and the involvment of the learners on the project blogspot. During
our common activities, each partner has had the opportunity to learn about the culture and
civilisation of the other three partners.
The working environment was very cooperative and flexible despite the international,
multicultural and multilingual nature of the team. Thus the participants have had the
opportunity to develop their personal, cultural, social and civil skills.
•The transnational meeting in Viena was disseminated in March and April;
•Between April and June we have organized the following activities:
• The county conference – School and family violence, a social issue. Case
studies, held on the 7th of April 2011
• The county workshop – Useful techniques for conflict mediation, held on the
12th of May 2011
• The round table - Tolerance, a European value, held on the 2nd of June 2011
• The county workshop -“ Violence versus tolerance! ”
All activities have been approved by the Teachers’ Body and assessed according to certain
quality questionnaires.
Within our activities we have achieved the following goals:
1. During the inter-county symposium “Initiation in the ABC of democracy. Social
responsibility” we have fulfilled the following objectives:
• The acknowledgement of the importance of human and cultural diversity;
• The promotion of examples of good practice in diveristy, democracy and social
responsibility;
• The acquisition and materialisation of various methods and techniques that can be
used in order to improve the quality of all out-of-school activities related to
diversity, democracy and social responsibility;
4

• The identification of ways in which schools can relate to communities in order to
ensure successful schooling.
The result of this symposium was the first issue of the “No more tears” magazine.
2. During the county debate “ The influence of IT and the media on adults’
education” we have achieved the following goals:
• Examples of how the activities which have been included in the national
curriculum can relate to those which have not;
• The acknowledgement of the importance of IT and the media in adults’ education;
• The presentation of new teaching, learning and evaluation methods based on IT
which can be used in adults’ education;
• The emphasis on the role of E-learning in adults’ education;
The result of this debate was the second issue of the “No more tears” magazine.
3. During the county conference – School and family violence, a social issue. Case
studies’’ we have achieved the following goals:
• The identification of the main factors which lead to violent behaviour;
• The analysis of the social consequences of a violent kind of behaviour
• The promotion of a set of measures that can be taken in order to prevent school
and family violence
• The consolidation of the relationship between the school, the parents and the local
community
The result of the conference was the third issue of the “No more tears” magazine
4. During the County Workshop - Useful techniques for conflict mediation we have
achieved the following goals:
• The promotion of the mediation system as a means of preventing and solving
conflicts in an amicable way
• The stimulation of the civic spirit, of the cooperation and of the responsible, non-
aggressive behaviour within human relationships in school as well as at home.
• The identification of various mediation techniques and the emphasis on the
training of peer mediators
• Role plays to illustrate these techniques
5. During the County Round Table - Tolerance, a European value we have achieved
the following goals:
• The identification of the main types of tolerance (religious, political, racial, etc) ;
• The understanding of the concept of ‘’freedom of opinion’’;

5

• The promotion of intercultural communication in order to help us develop as
European citizens, and acquire a set of knowledge and skills so as to be able to act
within an ever more open, complex environment;
• The acknowledgement of the importance of the intercultural approach within the
framework of formal and nonformal education in nowadays’ international context;
• The acknowledgement of the necessity of developing an active European
citizenship, based on the respect of cultural diveristy and on common values.
The result of the round table was the fourth issue of the “No more tears” magazine.
6. During the County Workshop -“ Violence versus tolerance! ” we have achieved
the following goals:
• The identification of the effects of a violent type of behaviour in school, family
and the society as a whole;
• The promotion of tolerance, diversity and assertiveness;
• The legal aspects of the prevention of family violence;
• The identification of the influence of prejudices and stereotypes in intolerant
behaviour;
• The development of social abilities.
The project was disseminated in all four issues of the “No more tears” magazine,
during the teachers’ meetings, on the http://miedolj.forums-free.com/ website,
http://tudorarghezicv.blogspot.com/ and on the grundtvigers@yahoogroups.com chat
group.
The project partners used their emails and yahoo messenger ids in order to
communicate between themselves, as well as their own mobile phones before the
transnational meetings.
In order to ensure transparency we posted on the blogspot pictures taken from the
activities we have held, as well as different presentations designed by our learners.
Due to the activities we have been undertaking we have managed to reduce school
violence this school year.
We have designed a newsletter after each transnational activity. We therefore have

two newsletters, the first one issued in November, and the latter in March. We

have also put together presentation movies, describing the partnership and the

activities that have been undertaken till the date.

6

in

•
•
•

•
•
Conflicts

1.
Teacher Georgeta Manafu
High School Tudor Arghezi
Teacher Marinela Calangiu
C.C.D. Dol

beneficiarilor.
PEACE is a process by means of which we respond to conflicts and diversity with tolerance, imagination and flexibility;war is a product of our intention to

avizat de CCD DOLJ;
crush diversity and intensify conflicts by abandoning the peace process. (George E. Lyon)
The aggravation of aggressiveness and violence is one of the most serious problems in today’s society. In order to prevent school violence we need to take a set
of measures so as to prevent, monitor and fight it.
Our reactions towards conflicts can be divided into three categories:
Delicate reactions: stepping back, ignoring or denying

mediatorilor “No more tears”;
issued to appoint them as learners.

Harsh reactions: threatening, aggressiveness or anger
from the other partner institutions.

am organizat ş i desfăş urat:

7
Principle-based reactions: understanding, respecting or solving

MECTS - CAERI 2012 la pozi ţ ia 403;
reudcation of school and family violence

When choosing a way to solve the conflict it is very important to identify its origins.

februarie pentru părin ţ ii elevilor;
Its origins can be:
Limited resources: time, money or assets
Unfulfilled basic needs: sense of belonging, power, freedom or good mood
Contrasting values: convictions, priorities, principles or beliefs
Mediation is a communication process by means of which a group of people find themselves in a situation of peacefully solving their own conflict, by and wit

Activităţ ile din perioada octombrie-februarie:
the help of a third, neutral party. This neutral person is the mediator. When a conflict is solved within the school area, by another student, the latter is called a peer
Activitatea desfasurata

mediator.
It is very difficult, even impossible to open a locked door (if you are not really, really strong). But if you have a key to put in the look, you twist it and th

Workshopul - "Asertivitatea. Competente sociale"
door will open. Sometimes, when friends are fighting, they are like locked doors: they do not listen to anyone and they do not open. If you have the key of your
vizită la Adult Centre of Monterroso, discutarea

friends’ thoughts, you can help them solve their problems. Fortunately, there are keys which can help you help your friends. You can’t touch them, but you can learn
perioada septembrie 2011-iunie 2012

how to use them. They are very important because they make friends and colleagues talk openly about their conflicts. The five keys are:
Do not judge. Peer mediators are impartial, even if they think that one of the parts is right or wrong.
Do not give advice. Sometimes peer mediators can think of solutions, but they must not suggest anything to those involved, it is their conflict and they have
to solve it themselves the way they want to. This is the only way to make them feel responsible.
Be equally empathic. An empathetic mediator tries to understand the people who were involved in the conflict putting himself into their respective place.
discu ţ ii cu de ţ inu ţ ii, dar şi un program cultural. Participan ţ ii

Avoid taking sides, but try to understand the way in which both of them think and see things.
Keep the confidentiality. People feel better when they talk about their feelings and problems, if they know that the peer mediators will not tell the story to

am scris proiectul pentru Concursul de informatică şi educa ţ ie
implementat la Liceul Teoretic “Tudor Arghezi” ş i a activităţ ilor
The beneficiaries of this partnership are the 50 learners at Tudor Arghezi

Theoretical Highschool and the partner schools. An internal decision has been

All activities involved teachers, students and parents, both from our school and

experiences and good practices in the educational process” care a fost
am scris curricula şi suportul de curs pentru cursul de formare a
Centre of Monterroso, metodele de lucru cu de ţ inu ţ ii dar ş i modul de
În perioada 21-28 septembrie 2011 am participat la a treia întrunire

civică “Prezentări multimedia Spune NU violen ţ ei” care a fost avizat de
partener la realizarea produselor finale și impactul acestora asupra
desfăş urate de cei patru parteneri în perioada martie-septembrie,
multimedia realizate de learnerii din proiect, prezentarea newslettere-
During the activities we have shared examples of good practice in the

în octombrie-noiembrie pentru elevii de liceu şi în decembrie-
am desfăşurat Cursul “No more tears” pentru formarea mediatorilor
am scris proiectul pentru Simpozionul Interna ţ ional ”Sharing
vor analiza produsele finale ale proiectului, contribu ţ ia fiecarui
un concurs, un simpozion interna ţ ional, vor realiza raportul final,
(martie - 2012) şi Turcia (iunie - 2012) unde partenerii vor organiza
discutate detalii referitoare la urmatoarele întalniri din România
rela ţ ionare al personalului cu de ţ inu ţ ii. De asemenea, au fost
întrunire au putut observa modul de organizare şi func ţ ionare al Adult
la
lor realizate în cadrul proiectului, a programului de mediere
prezentarilor
transna ţ ional ă din Spania, Monterosso. Programul întrunirii a inclus o

anyone.
Show that you care. Within the mediation process, the mediators also take people into account. They do everything they can in order to help the others
reconcile and solve their conflicts. If the mediators respect the mediation process, the others will trust that using it will help them solve their problem.







C.C.D. Dol

2. Masa Rotundă - "Exemple de bune practici pentru reducerea
violen ţ ei în ş coală ş i familie în UE"

3. Concursul de informatică ş i educa ţ ie civică “Prezentări miltimedia
Spune NU violen ţ ei -faza locală –3 februarie 2012, faza jude ţ ean ă -28
februarie 2012 si faza interjudeteana-19 martie 2012.
În perioada 18-21 martie 2012 s-a desfăş oarat a patra întrunire din
cadrul Parteneriatului pentru Învăţ are Grundtvig “No more tears”, la

Liceul Teoretic “Tudor Arghezi” din Craiova, România.
La întrunire au participat reprezentan ţ i din Spania, Austria şi
Turcia.
Programul întrunirii de proiect a inclus: vizitarea Liceului Teoretic
“Tudor Arghezi”, discutarea prezentărilor multimedia realizate de
learners din fiecare institu ţ ie parteneră, un program artistic
coordonat de profesorii de la Liceul Teoretic “Tudor Arghezi” în care
au fost implica ţ i elevii de liceu cu vărsta de peste 16 ani, un
Concurs Interjude ţ ean de informatica ş i educa ţ ie civică “Prezentări
multimedia - Spune NU violen ţ ei” având sec ţ iunile: postere, prezentări

Power Point, spoturi ş i proiecte educa ţ ionale, o activitate desfăş urată
la Penitenciarul de Maximă Siguran ţă care a inclus vizitarea
penitenciarului, vizionarea unor filme realizate de elevii de la Liceul
Teoretic “Tudor Arghezi” prin care s-a promovat non-violen ţ a ş i
discu ţ ii cu de ţ inu ţ ii. De asemenea, am vizitat Primăria din Craiova
şi centrul ora şului Craiova, Catedrala Metropolitana, bisericile din

desfăş urat Simpozionul Interna ţ ional ”Sharing

centrul Craiovei, am
experiences and good practices in the educational process”, dar şi un

Conflicts

program cultural.
Obiectivul general al simpozionului a fost schimbul de opinii,
experien ţă şi bune practici din procesul instructiv-educativ între

ţă rile participante la proiect: Romania, Spania, Turcia ş i Austria.
Rezultatele proiectului sunt: blogul proiectului, siteul proiectului,
prezentari multimedia realizate pentru întrunirile transna ţ ionale şi
pentru diseminarea proiectului, newslettere, broşura "Exemple de bune


practici pentru reducerea violen ţ ei în şcoală ş i familie în UE", cele
şase

reviste "No more tears" care sunt ghiduri de bune practici
pentru reducerea violentei în ş coală şi familie, promovarea
diversităţ ii, democra ţ iei şi responsabilităţ ii sociale ş i revista in

limba engleza prin care promovăm schimbul de experien ţă la nivel
interna ţ ional ”Sharing experiences and good practices in the
educational process”.
In perioada martie-aprilie 2012 la L.T. Tudor Arghezi s-a desfasurat al


treile curs pentru formarea mediatorilor “No more tears”.
A cincea intrunire din cadrul Parteneriatului pentru Invatare Grundtvig
“No more tears” s-a desfasurat in Turcia, Adana in perioada 6-8 iunie
2012. La intrunire fiecare partener a prezentat activitatile
desfasurate in perioada septembrie 2010-iunie 2012, rezultatele
obtinute, impactul proiectului asupra grupului learners si s-a discutat
despre raportul final.
Proiectul este realizat cu sprijinul financiar al Comisiei Europene
prin Agen ţ ia Na ţ ionala pentru Programe Comunitare în Domeniul Educa ţ iei
şi Formării Profesionale – Programului Sectorial Grundtvig – Programul
de Învăţ are pe tot Parcursul Vie ţ ii.
Its origins can be:

Toate informa ţ iile furnizate reprezintă responsabilitatea exclusiva a
echipei de proiect, A.N.P.C.D.E.F.P ş i Comisia Europeana nu sunt
responsabile pentru modul in care este folosit con ţ inutul acestor
informa ţ ii.
mediator.

anyone.

CONFLICTS


8







C.C.D. Dol

C.C.D. Dolj

PEACE is a process by means of which we respond to conflicts and diversity with tolerance,
imagination and flexibility;war is a product of our intention to crush diversity and intensify
conflicts by abandoning the peace process. (George E. Lyon)
The aggravation of aggressiveness and violence is one of the most serious problems in today’s

society. In order to prevent school violence we need to take a set of measures so as to prevent,
monitor and fight it.
• Delicate reactions: stepping back, ignoring or denying
• Harsh reactions: threatening, aggressiveness or anger
• Principle-based reactions: understanding, respecting or solving
Its origins can be:
• Limited resources: time, money or assets

• Unfulfilled basic needs: sense of belonging, power, freedom or good mood
• Contrasting values: convictions, priorities, principles or beliefs
Mediation is a communication process by means of which a group of people find themselves
in a situation of peacefully solving their own conflict, by and with the help of a third, neutral party.

This neutral person is the mediator. When a conflict is solved within the school area, by another

student, the latter is called a peer mediator.

It is very difficult, even impossible to open a locked door (if you are not really, really strong).
Conflicts

But if you have a key to put in the look, you twist it and the door will open. Sometimes, when
friends are fighting, they are like locked doors: they do not listen to anyone and they do not
open. If you have the key of your friends’ thoughts, you can help them solve their problems.
Fortunately, there are keys which can help you help your friends. You can’t touch them, but
you can learn how to use them. They are very important because they make friends and colleagues

talk openly about their conflicts. The five keys are:

Do not judge. Peer mediators are impartial, even if they think that one of the parts is right or

wrong.
Do not give advice. Sometimes peer mediators can think of solutions, but they must not

suggest anything to those involved, it is their conflict and they have to solve it themselves the
way they want to. This is the only way to make them feel responsible.
Be equally empathic. An empathetic mediator tries to understand the people who were
involved in the conflict putting himself into their respective place. Avoid taking sides, but try
to understand the way in which both of them think and see things.


Keep the confidentiality. People feel better when they talk about their feelings and
problems, if they know that the peer mediators will not tell the story to anyone.
Show that you care. Within the mediation process, the mediators also take people into
account. They do everything they can in order to help the others reconcile and solve their
conflicts. If the mediators respect the mediation process, the others will trust that using it will
help them solve their problem.
Its origins can be:

PEER MEDIATION
mediator.

anyone.

Prof. Popescu Oana
Liceul Teoretic Tudor Arghezi, Craiova
Prof. Avram Florenţa
Liceul Teoretic Tudor Arghezi, Craiova

9

Conflicts

C.C.D. Dolj

feel?)

felt.......)

this make your mother feel?)

10
conflict and try to make it end peacefully.

Its origins can be:

will appeal to the authorised school staff)
coflict yesterday. What happened exactly?)

Meeting the aggressor also consists of several stages:

colleague got home last night, his mother.......)
mediator.

authorises school staff and let them solve the case)
1. Introduction (the same as when meeting the victim).
It is very difficult, even impossible to open a locked door (if you are not really, really strong). But if you have a key to put in the look, you twist it and the

2. Understanding the cause (E.g. What made you do it?)
school is trying to implement a system of peer mediation.

Do not give advice. Sometimes peer mediators can think of solutions, but they must not suggest anything to those involved, it is their conflict and they hav
There is a standard procedure when meeting the victim, consisting of six steps:

colleague, .... he’s not going to say anything, only make some notes.)

6. Making an appointment with both sides to actually mediate their conflict.

6. Making an appointment with both sides to actually mediate their conflict.
3. Determining the emotional impact on the victim (E.g. How did this make you

4. Determining the emotional impact on people close to the victim (E.g. How did
Acknowledging the fact that violence is, unfortunately, present in our day-to-day life, our

between two students, the peer mediators (always in a team) meet the victim of the

5. Finding a solution (E.g. What should your colleague do for you to forgive
1. Introduction (E.g. Hello. My name is ..., I’m a peer mediator, and this is my

4. Detailing the emotional impact on people close to the victim (E.g. When your
him?* if the victim cannot or will not suggest a solution, the peer mediators
It basicly means students solving problems between themselves. When there is a conflict

5. Presenting the victim’s suggestions (E.g. Your colleague agrees to make peace
with you, provided that you... * If the aggressor refuses the solutions
presented to him on behalf of the victim, the peer mediators report it to the
3. Detailing the emotional impact on the victim (E.g. Your colleague told me he
aggression (either physical or verbal), then the alleged aggressor, then both sides of the

2. Describing the facts (E.g. From what I’ve heard, you were involved in a

anyone.

The restaurative meeting takes place after determining a convenient moment for both
sides. It is attended by the peer mediators and by those involved in the conflict. Should the victim or
the aggressor require the presence of a parent/ teacher (an adult), an authorised member of the
school staff will also attend the meeting, since students are not allowed to deal with adults directly.
This meeting normally ends in a reconciliation, provided that the aggression should not
happen again. The perpetrator is not supposed to have display the same negative attitude towards
either of his colleagues, not only towards the current victim. After a certain number of bad
occurences which are only known by the peer mediators, the student is registered in a permanently
updated database, and is subject to gradual sanctions, depending on the gravity and repeatedness of
their aggressions. Such sanctions range from getting them involved in extra curricular activities, to
spending an extra amount of time in school, or to having them expelled for a given number of days.

11

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