DIREZIONE DIREZIONE DIDATTICA DIDATTICA STATALESTATALE

LUIGI CAPUANALUIGI CAPUANA

PALERMOPALERMO

A. S. 2009-2010A. S. 2009-2010

Structure, duration and aim

Primary school marks the start of compulsory education proper. The first level of primary teaching is spread over five years and caters for the 6 - 11 year age group. Children having reached the age of six start to attend primary school. No fee is payable for attending primary school and text books are free. The number of pupils per class as a rule does not exceed 25 and is not lower than 10. If a class includes one or more pupils with disabilities, the total number of pupils will not exceed 20. Primary school is one of the fundamental social contexts for developing the personality of the child.

The Italian School System

Institutions and educational programmesThe primary school system is regulated by general provisions which are applicable throughout the country. The differences between the various schools are a function of the size of the school population, the number of classes in operation and the teaching model adopted: 30 hours divided into six or five days per week. The school has a free hand to organise its activities taking due account of the needs of those it purports to serve, of resources available and of local requirements; in doing so, it must respect the general objectives of the national education system and of the teaching staff. The school comes under a school management district (Direzione Didattica).

The compulsory subjects in the ministerial programmes are: Italian, a foreign language, maths, science, history, geography, social studies, visual image education, sound and music education, physical education, computer studies, religion - the latter being the only optional subject, the decision lying with the family.

The “Luigi Capuana” primary school in situated in the “Zisa” district of Palermo. The building was built in 1930, and the school has been active since then.

The Plesso “Nicolò Turrisi” is a historic building, built at the turn of the century, and was a hospital before being converted into a school.

The area where the schools are located is one of the most heavily populated areas of Palermo.

The “Luigi Capuana” school building has four floors.

On the ground floor there are the administrative offices of the school, the library, four classrooms and a gym; on the 1st floor there are ten classrooms, a multimedia lab, and the theatre (275 seats); on the 2nd floor there are seven classrooms and on the 3rd floor five classrooms.

On the school grounds, around the school, there is a basketball and volleyball field.

The theatreThe library

The multimedia lab

The “Nicolò Turrisi” school building has two floors.

On the ground floor there are the library, four classrooms, the infant school refectory, a multimedia lab and a small gym; on the 1st floor there are seven classrooms.

In the school there is also an infant school with about 70 children.

The infant school refectoryThe

library

The multimedia lab

750 students attend the school and there are 70 teachers.

The head teacher: Francesca RagusaThe deputy head teachers: Bernarda Russo / Rosa Nocera /

Iolanda Ragni / Giovanna TumminelloAdministrative director: Rosalia MessanaAdministration: Maria Miccichè / Mirella Mauro /

Girolamo Bellomare

Head teacher’s collaborators:POF management: Provvidenza Nardi /

Giovanna TumminelloTeachers’ assistance: Maria VaccaroStudents’ assistance: Rita La MantiaPublic relations: Piervincenzo Passiglia / Rosa Gennaro

The Dirigente scolastico (head teacher) is responsible for the overall management of the institution, of which she has legal responsibility; she is responsible for the management of financial and material resources and for the quality of the service provided. With due respect of the competencies of the organi collegiali (school councils) of the school, the Dirigente scolastico has autonomy in her role of direction, co-ordination, and exploitation of resources, and to this purpose she promotes the necessary interventions aimed at guaranteeing quality in the educational processes and providing for the collaboration of cultural, professional social and economic resources present in the community.

In carrying out her management and administrative duties, the Dirigente scolastico can resort to teachers, whom she will have selected, and to whom specific tasks can be delegated; in addition she is assisted by the administrative director and the school office staff.

Teachers' Assembly ‘Collegio dei docenti’

The Teachers' Assembly (collegio dei docenti) is made up of the permanent and temporary teachers of the primary school and is chaired by the head teacher. It formulates the Piano dell'Offerta Formativa (POF), which is a document identity of schools as far as school autonomy is concerned, in accordance with the general managing and administrative lines established by the consiglio di circolo (school council), taking into account proposals and opinions expressed by parents' associations.

Furthermore, the collegio dei docenti (teachers’ assembly) periodically evaluates the general development of didactics to ensure its worth in keeping with the planned objectives, and proposes, wherever necessary, appropriate measures to improve educational activities. The Assembly selects textbooks, having consulted the Inter-class council (consiglio di interclasse) and teaching materials within the financial limits laid down by the School Council (consiglio di circolo).

The collegio dei docenti requests the Ministry for the acknowledgement of research and innovation projects that require structural changes which go beyond the curricular flexibility of general and specific objectives established by the Ministry; it is consulted by head teachers as regards class formation, lesson timetables and the performance of school activities, taking account of the general criteria laid down by the School Council (consiglio di circolo) and the proposals of the Class Council.

The Comenius partnersCEIP ARACELI BUJALANCE ARCOS – ENCINAREJO DE CORDOBA – ANDALUCIA – SPAIN

ESCOLA BASICA 2 E 3 CICLOS S. ROQUE – FUNCHAL – MADEIRA – PORTUGAL

BODNANT JUNIOR SCHOOL – DENBIGHSHIRE – WALES – UNITED KINGDOM

NO2 PRIMARY SCHOOL OF IRAKLIA SERRES – KENTRIKI – MAKEDONIA – GREECE

KEMERI SECONDARY SCHOOL – JURMALA – LATVIA

DIREZIONE DIDATTICA STATALE “LUIGI CAPUANA” – PALERMO – SICILY – ITALY

DIREZIONE DIDATTICA STATALEDIREZIONE DIDATTICA STATALE

LUIGI CAPUANALUIGI CAPUANA

PALERMO – ITALY PALERMO – ITALY

A. S. 2009-2010A. S. 2009-2010

THE COMENIUS PARTNERSCEIP ARACELI BUJALANCE ARCOS – ENCINAREJO DE CORDOBA – ANDALUCIA – SPAIN

ESCOLA BASICA 2 E 3 CICLOS S. ROQUE – FUNCHAL – MADEIRA – PORTUGAL

BODNANT JUNIOR SCHOOL – DENBIGHSHIRE – WALES – UNITED KINGDOM

NO2 PRIMARY SCHOOL OF IRAKLIA SERRES – KENTRIKI – MAKEDONIA – GREECE

KEMERI SECONDARY SCHOOL – JURMALA – LATVIA

COMENIUS PROJECT

LET’S GIVE NATURE A HAND

PRESENTATION BY ANGELO BACCARELLA