Welcome to the STPM April 20th 2025 session in Iceland!
Sunday Welcome
Our Sunday Wecome and all the courses will take place at Tannlæknafélag Íslands. Registration will be from 17:00 to 17:30 on Sunday and our introduction and games will start at 17:30. This is a great opportunity to meet all the participants on your course and on the other courses taking place during the week. We will offer light refreshments if you wish to stay longer and socialise.
Courses running
These are 7 course pathways running this week:
SMART TEACHERS PLAY MORE
KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS PLAY TO LEARN MORE
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
THE POSITIVE TEACHER
IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH and INSPIRING LANGUAGE LEARNERS
ICELANDIC EDUCATION SYSTEM WITH SCHOOL VISITS
EMERGING LEADER PROGRAMME
Your course leaders will explain more and answer any questions you may have about the sessions on Sunday evening.
Lunch
The Sports Association also has its own cafeteria Easy Cafe where you can have lunch if you choose for around 17€. There is a good choice of food including typical Icelandic home-cooked meals. This week it is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
School visits
On Wednesday you will get the opportunity to visit an innovative kindergarten, primary and secondary school.
Cultural activities (included in the course price)
On Wednesday evening, you are all invited to a cultural evening at Tannlæknafélag Íslands where you will sample some typical Icelandic home-cooked soup and where you will have the opportunity if you wish to share something traditional from your own country too. We kindly ask if you could bring a flag or some labels to display with your food. We will give you each a little space to display your food so we all know where it is from. This is always great fun and you never go home hungry! After dinner, there will be plenty of time to dance and play a few games.
Relax and reflect!
On Saturday morning, as part of the course you have the opportunity to visit a local outside swimming pool and hot tubs called Laugardalslaug. A great way to relax after a busy week and reflect on all our experiences. You will also witness how Icelandic people enjoy this activity whatever the weather! You can also do this activity on one of the afternoons of the course week. You will receive your tickets from your course leader on Monday.
Icelandic School System presentation
On Tuesday afternoon at 14:15, we invite you to the Icelandic School System presentation. This will take place at Tannlæknafélag Íslands. You will see how outdoors, sport and practical subjects are given the same priority as academic subjects at all stages of education and learn about the latest developments and community projects in Iceland.
Erasmus partner search
On Tuesday afternoon after the "Icelandic School System presentation" session, we will also hold a meeting for those schools that are interested in finding future project partners. During the meeting, you will have the opportunity to briefly present your school/organisation and explain any projects or collaborations you would be interested in having. Then there will be time to chat and exchange contacts. We will also share an online form for those looking for partners to fill in so we have everyone’s details on one excel sheet. We will make this sheet available the week after the course. This meeting is an optional activity.
Sharing good practice
As part of our Sharing Good Practice session on Thursday afternoon at 13:30, we invite you to present a favourite activity or game which you enjoy using with your students – just something that you could share with a little demonstration to the rest of the group (5 minutes). Please make it a practical activity (not a presentation), if you can, so we can all take part. Please note this is an optional session. For people taking part will we offer an Icelandic snack at 13:00. A big thank you in advance for your participation!
Evaluation and vision planning
On Friday at 11:30 – 13:00 at Tannlæknafélag Íslands. we will have our evaluation and celebration session. If you have any documents you need signing or stamping Sarah will be available after the session introduction. You will receive your certificate of attendance in digital format once the course is complete. Please return you plastic badge holder to us to reduce plastic use.
STPM tour
For those of you that have booked optional the STPM tour. Here is the timetable of activities:
Monday: Tour to Sky Lagoon. Remember to bring your swimsuit.
Wednesday: Golden Circle Tour. Make sure you bring warm and waterproof clothes. You can bring a sandwich for lunch if you wish however there are restaurants at each main stop where you can buy food. The tour is all day and will return to Reykjavík around 18.00. Remember to bring any thing you need for the cultural evening.
Thursday: Guided tour of Reykjavík. Our group will meet in front of Hallgrimskirkja at the statue of Leifur Eiríksson. A team of local guides will meet you to take you on a guided walk of historical and cultural sights. This lasts approximately 1.5 hours.
If you have not booked the tour but would like to visit the school on Wednesday, please contact us and we will help you organise this.
You can find the exact timing of tour activities in your course schedule and in the WhatsApp groups. Each day we will share the information for the following day in your WhatsApp groups.
If you need any other information, just let us know.
We are really looking forward to meeting you.
