14 September 2026
The HUPE Zagorje branch started off this school year strong with its first meeting, held on 9 September 2026 at Škola za umjetnost, dizajn, grafiku i odjeću Zabok. English language teachers and HUPE members from several branches came together to share ideas, get inspired, and enjoy a pleasant afternoon over a cup of coffee.
Branch president Barbara Hanjilec opened the meeting with the talk "Maximise Your HUPE Experience". She presented all HUPE membership benefits, provided updates on current HUPE initiatives and upcoming activities—such as the HUPE Conference in Zagreb—and highlighted opportunities for teacher involvement.
This was followed by a workshop titled "Welcome Freshmen", in which Jasna Buljan, a secondary teacher mentor from SŠ Zlatar, presented various activities for students of all ages. The focus was on her project involving collaboration between seniors and freshmen. The ideas presented were highly engaging, and the participants even created their own zines.
The programme then shifted toward a talk on new ideas in English language teaching. Mirjana Zubak Mičetić, the HUPE vice-president and a teacher at OŠ Bogumila Tonija in Samobor, shared insights from the IATEFL annual conference held in Brighton in April this year. She discussed new theories and concepts in EFL. However, "What's New in the EFL Teaching World" was not just a presentation, but an interactive session in which Mirjana demonstrated how attending conferences or simply travelling abroad can be effectively integrated into the classroom with different age groups.
Overall, the meeting successfully combined informative presentations and practical classroom ideas, leaving participants inspired and well-equipped with new strategies for their teaching practice.
Barbara Hanjilec
HUPE ZAGORJE Branch president
