Video: The students of the Erasmus Club introduce themselves

Bettina-von-Arnim-Gymnasium (Dormagen, Germany), the project managing organisation, is a secondary school (In Germany it is called Gymnasium- the most advanced form of the three types of German secondary schools), situated in North-Rhine-Westphalia in Dormagen, a town with approximately 63 000 inhabitants. BvA was founded in 1961 and is currently composed of 71 teachers (administration included), several trainee teachers and about 830 students, who attend our school from the 5th grade (when they are 9-10 years old) until the final school-leaving exam Abitur. There are three levels: the Erprobungsstufe (5-6 th grades), The Mittelstufe (7-9th grades) and the Oberstufe (10-12th grades).

The foreign languages learned include English (which is compulsory for all the students), French, Latin and Spanish. All the students have to learn two foreign languages to pass the final school-leaving exam Abitur.

Unpaid stuff includes the support association "Friends of BvA", which an active co-operation between teachers, parents and all the interested parties. The organisation provides an active support both financially and practically in the school's development. The support organisation will be managing and supervising the Erasmus bank account at BvA.

The activities and experience in the areas relevant for the project:

In February of 2016,  BVA Gymnasium (Secondary School) started the DAZ-programme, which means German as the target language (GTL).  This is the first project in our town focusing on the newly arrived migrant children (10-16 year-old) who have none or very little command of the German language. These are 10-16 year-old pupils who come from all over the world: Guinea, Kenya, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Honduras, Romania, etc. Each of them visits both GTL groups and regular tutor groups according to the age. All the GTL-students have a possibility to learn the German language in course of two years - sufficiently for starting to learn together with the rest of the BvA students on a regular basis, which is why the first step is to visit the GTL-German classes the whole week, but also a number of regular classes with their tutor groups. Currently there are two GTL-groups divided according to the level of the German language: GTL group 1 is for the students with the starter level and GTL 2 for the intermediate-level learners. Each student is being supported individually by the tutor and their teachers of the German language, each student can learn at individual speed, which means that they have numerous modules with a level-defining test at the end of every module. The students with the advanced level can start visiting only the regular classes with their tutor groups at any moment, consequently making the programme very flexible. The GTL 2 students also get classes of the English language, which is obligatory at German schools.

Bettina-von-Arnim Gymnasium is constantly focused on the improvement of the teachers' professional skills. There has recently been a day-long advanced training seminar on promoting the modern digital means skills in teaching, which are to be employed during the planned project.

Additionally, the school offers numerous various extra-curricular activities like Dancing, Singing, Sewing Clubs, whose experience is expected to be used for the Erasmus Club during the project, as well.

As far as the school offers a number of international study trips as well as exchange programmes on a regular basis, the BvA students are generally well-prepared for a new international project requiring a high amount of tolerance, patience and acceptance. Working with international study platforms like eTwinning is also a part of the daily routine for the students.

Mrs. Lena Licht, the coordinator of the project is the English teacher giving classes in the GTL tutor group, additionally to being the tutor of two of the GTL-students and the guidance teacher to a Ukrainian student, who is the first successful graduate of the GTL-programme, which means that this student is now attending the regular classes in the 10th grade.

Lena Licht is also responsible for coordinating the international relationships at the BVA Secondary School, for example, foreign language assistant programme: both welcoming ones from other countries (like Spain and France), but also leading the interviews for the German applicants for this programme.

Mr. Theodor Lindner, the supervisor of the project, is the Headmaster of the BvA-School and the person who initiated the GTL-programme thus making the BvA-School the leading school in integrating the newly arrived immigrants in Dormagen.

Address: BvA-Gymnasium, Haberlandstraße 14, 41539 Dormagen, Germany

Telephone: +492133 245530

Fax: 02133-245531
E-Mail: kontakt@bva-dormagen.de

Legal representative: Mr. Theodor Lindner

Contact persons: Ms. Lena Licht: licht@bva-dormagen.de