HUPE Varaždin Branch Meeting – June 7, 2025

The HUPE Varaždin branch meeting was held on June 7, 2025, via Zoom. We had the pleasure of hosting two excellent speakers, Adrijana Roždijevac and Mia Šavrljuga, who delivered engaging and inspiring workshops on media literacy and assessing speaking and presenting.

In Adrijana’s workshop, we explored how to teach students to recognize fake news, manipulated images, and deepfake videos. We also learned how to use the SMART test to evaluate online content. Through various activities, online games, and apps—many of which we tried ourselves—we developed strategies to enhance students’ critical thinking and media literacy skills.

In the second workshop, led by Mia Šavrljuga, we were introduced to ready-made teaching resources and effective assessment strategies. We explored methods for improving students’ speaking and presentation skills, along with practical guidelines for assessing spoken performance in the classroom.

During a short break, branch members were updated on recent HUPE developments, including changes to the membership fee, the upcoming HUPE conference, and other exciting activities planned for the coming months.

As the current mandate of the HUPE Varaždin branch had expired, branch elections were also held during the meeting. With only one candidate running for president, all present members unanimously elected Željka Novak Božić as the new president of the HUPE Varaždin branch.

Željka is an experienced English language teacher who was promoted to the title of teacher mentor in 2023. Her strong communication skills and dedicated approach to working with students foster a positive and productive learning environment. She actively participates in professional councils, webinars, and HUPE conferences, constantly seeking to enhance her teaching practice with innovative methods and tools aimed at improving students’ language skills.

In addition, Željka is an award-winning eTwinning and Erasmus+ teacher, currently serving as the head of her school’s Erasmus team.

In her motivation letter, Željka shared that, as an English teacher at the primary school in Donja Dubrava, she has taught students across all grades and participated in exciting international projects such as eTwinning and Erasmus+. Having already served as HUPE Varaždin branch president in the past, she brings valuable leadership experience to the role. Željka described herself as motivated, hard-working, and always ready to lend a helping hand. With her broadened experience and enthusiasm, she is confident in her ability to make a meaningful impact and inspire others to strive for excellence.

Stela Pavetić
HUPE Varaždin Branch President

The third HUPE Slavonski Brod Branch meeting in 2024/2025 took place at Osnovna škola Dragutin Tadijanović in Slavonski Brod on May 28, 2025.

Agenda:

1. Ivana Borozni: "English Learning Through Student Lenses."
2. HUPE Slavonski Brod branch president elections
3. Mirta Kos Kolobarić: “Education for sustainable future. “
4. HUPE news

Ivana Borozni presented her research: “Students’ Experiences Learning English” at the HUPE Slavonski Brod teachers’ meeting. She shared the findings from a survey conducted with 36 middle school students to explore their attitudes, preferences, and challenges in learning English. She highlighted that while most students understand the importance of English for their future, their levels of enthusiasm vary. The students showed a clear preference for interactive and media-based learning activities such as games, videos, and music, rather than traditional grammar exercises. She noted that many students feel nervous about speaking in class, though a majority reported feeling reasonably comfortable. Grammar was identified as the most significant challenge, followed by difficulties in writing and speaking. The research also revealed that few students currently use digital learning apps, but most believe that technology could enhance their language learning experience. Students expressed a preference for working in pairs or groups over working alone. She concluded that incorporating more games, videos, and group activities into lessons could increase student engagement and confidence. Her presentation emphasized the importance of blending innovative, student-centered approaches with traditional teaching methods to create a more effective and balanced learning environment.

Mirta Kos Kolobarić led the workshop titled “Education for Sustainable Future” sharing practical activities and ideas from the structured course for teachers (Education for sustainable future) which the speaker attended within the 1st accredited project (project no. 2024-1-HR01-KA121-SCH-000206090). The workshop was engaging and thought-provoking, designed to encourage attendees to reflect critically on their own sustainable and unsustainable habits. Participants gained valuable new ideas on how to guide students toward changing their behavior in small but meaningful ways to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The activities sparked reflection among the attendees about sustainability, inspiring them to consider how even baby steps can contribute to a more sustainable future. Overall, the workshop was highly informative, leaving teachers better equipped and motivated to integrate sustainability concepts into their classrooms.

After these two highly engaging workshops, Ivana Borozni, the current president of HUPE Slavonski Brod, shared the latest updates from HUPE. These included news about the new board, the HUPEzine, and the 33rd HUPE conference, which is scheduled to be held in Poreč from October 24 to 26, 2025. All attendees were encouraged to take part in the HUPE newsletter and HUPEzine, and to contribute to the digital materials on our website.

HUPE members attending the meeting cast their votes for the branch president. Ivana Borozni was re-elected as the president of the HUPE Slavonski Brod branch.

Ivana Borozni
HUPE Slavonski Brod Branch President

The third HUPE Osijek branch meeting in the school year 2024-2025 was held on 24 May 2025 at the Faculty of Education in Osijek. The 4-hour-long meeting was attended by 25 members.

The agenda included:

1. Sanja Rašković: Stories, a powerful teaching tool
2. HUPE news
3. HUPE Osijek branch president elections
4. Dajana Vukadin: Let’s Play with Words: Grammar and Vocab Unplugged!
5. Ivana Burić Kurtović & Eva Bogdanović: Colourful gardens: on creativity and global biodiversity in language education

At the beginning of the meeting, Sanja Rašković, an English teacher and certified NLP trainer from Global Lingua private language school in Zaprešić, held a workshop titled Stories, a powerful teaching tool. She shared engaging, story-based activities designed to boost creativity and support language skills such as vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening, and speaking. This practical workshop highlighted the power of stories to make learning more enjoyable and meaningful across all age groups.

After the workshop, members were informed about the news in HUPE, including the new HUPE Board members, changes in membership fees from 1 June 2025, future teacher training courses in New York and Bath, the new edition of HUPEzine, upcoming conferences by our partner associations, and other regular branch updates. The branch president also notified the members about the details of the upcoming 33rd Annual International HUPE Conference, which is taking place in Valamar Diamant Hotel, Poreč from 24 to 26 October 2025, such as the call for speakers, registration fees, accommodation, and transportation. Newly elected HUPE president Sanja Paić also attended the meeting and said a few words about the new website design and plans for future conferences.

After the updates, the HUPE Osijek branch president elections were held. There was only one candidate, acting Osijek branch president, Adrijana Roždijevac from Josip Kozarac Primary School in Soljani. She shortly addressed the members and explained the voting process, after which the voting was held and she was unanimously voted the new HUPE Osijek branch president.

Following the coffee break, the second workshop, titled Let’s Play with Words: Grammar and Vocab Unplugged!, was held by Dajana Vukadin from Sveta Klara Primary School in Zagreb. She introduced a range of fun, classroom-tested games, from fast-paced speaking activities to strategy-based board games, that turn traditional grammar and vocabulary exercises into engaging, student-centred learning. The workshop focused on boosting motivation, creativity, and teamwork, while offering practical ideas easily adaptable for different age groups and levels.

At the end of the meeting, Ivana Burić Kurtović from Happy Melody private language school and Eva Bogdanović from Čarobna riječ private language school in Zagreb held a workshop titled Colourful gardens: on creativity and global biodiversity in language education. Through a story-based, game-like format, the workshop encouraged participants to tap into their creativity, explore cultural and linguistic diversity, and develop a growth mindset. Participants collected essential elements for healthy plant growth by engaging in different language activities that stimulated their imagination and promoted collaboration and critical thinking.

HUPE Osijek is thankful to the speakers and all the members who were able to attend the meeting on Saturday morning and create a friendly and relaxing atmosphere ideal for teachers connecting, collaborating, and exchanging ideas. I’m truly grateful for your trust and support in re-electing me to continue serving as the branch president.

Hopefully, we will see you at one of our future meetings next school year. Enjoy the long-awaited and well-deserved summer holidays!

Adrijana Roždijevac
HUPE Osijek Branch President

The second HUPE Dubrovnik Branch meeting in 2024-2025 took place at Osnovna škola Blato in Blato on May 24, 2025. 

Agenda:

1. SANJA RAŠKOVIĆ: Stories, a powerful teaching tool
2. SILVIJA PEĆANAC BAČIĆ: Literature unfolded
3. HUPE info
4. HUPE Dubrovnik president election 

The first speaker was Sanja Rašković with her interactive storytelling workshop. It showed us the importance of storytelling in English teaching. She offered us numerous amazing activities to use in our everyday teaching. Most of the activities are suitable for all age groups, so the workshop was useful for both primary and secondary school teachers.  

Silvija Pećanac Bačić gave a presentation which showed an example of good practice, unfolding narrative layers to understand Shelley's commentary on science, humanity, and creation, showcasing Frankenstein's enduring influence on literature and popular culture.

Following these two very interesting workshops, the current HUPE Dubrovnik president shared the latest HUPE news, such as the information about the new board, HUPEzine and the 33rd HUPE conference, which will take place in Poreč, 24 – 26 October 2025. All the participants were invited to participate in HUPE newsletter and HUPEzine, as well as to contribute to our web page digital materials. 

At the end of the meeting, HUPE members voted for the next branch president. They unanimously supported Silvija Pećanac Bačić as the new HUPE Dubrovnik branch president. Congratulations, Silvija! 

Jelica Šeparović
HUPE Dubrovnik Branch President