Saint Nicholas Customs

Who is Saint Nicholas? Is Saint Nicholas the same as Santa Clause? Read about traditions on this day around the world here. Create your own story / comic / poem about the birth of Saint Nicholas. Put it on your blog.

Welcome back!

What are two of your goals for this school year?
What are your good points?
How will these help you this year?
What are you worried about this year?
How are you going to improve yourself this year?

Create a jing about the best thing that happened to you this summer. Do not forget the picture (or the video if you filmed one).

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in Bucharest!

From 11 to 12 July Globe Theatre will perform in Bucharest , as part of its European summer tour.
Be at George Enescu Square from 7.30 p.m. to watch the successful production of the play As You Like It. Directed by James Dacre, the creative cast revives the pastoral comedy on an Elizabethan-inspired stage, in the spirit of Shakespeare’s time.

Entry is free but the number of seats is limited.

Read more here.

Celebrate chocolate with British Council on 11 July!

International Chocolate Day is celebrated at the British Council library on Wednesday, the 11th of July.
Indulge the little surprises offered during this day and participate in the contests for golden tickets or library memberships.
For more, follow this link.

Making a cake

Euro 2012 Treasure Hunt Competition

Enter by the 1st of July to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Tools for a rich language

Online dictionary an not only.

Blog Evaluation Coming

Checklist

1. Video: a recipe
2. Interview with a parent (see module 3, Whishes)
3. Prezi: Bucharest
4. Prezi: British culture
5. Recommendation of a place for holiday
6. Prezi: My festival
7. My Spring Break
8. Pro / Against Essay
9. Writing (individual topic)

International Museum Day

The day celebrated on May 18th is meant to raise awareness of the importance of museums in the development of a society. This year we are celebrating the 35th anniversary of this day.

It is a good day or night to visit a museum and discover what it has to offer.

Check the list with museums in Bucharest opened for the night and plan a visit with your family or friends.

Earth Day 2012

Read here about the history of the day.

Opinions

What can you do to help save the planet?
Post your comments here...

Stop Violence in Schools

Check and follow this blog:

http://stopviolenceinschools.blogspot.com/

Book Fair on 4th-5th April

Sitka Language Center will be in our school next week, on 4th and 5th of April with a variety of books in English, German and French.
Come to the fair and buy your new favourite book or language materials to help you with practising your language skills!

http://www.cartestraina.ro/index.php

My recommendation: Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary with CD-ROM at the special price of 55RON.

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY!

http://www.123greetings.com/events/april_fools_day/pranks/pranks1.html


April Fools'Day around the world
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/01/april-fools-day-traditions-around-the-world/


History and traditions

http://wilstar.com/holidays/aprilfool.htm

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Symbols

1. Shamrocks


The three-leaf plant used by Saint Patrick illustrates the presence of God in the natural world.

2. Trinity knots


The Trinity Knot illustrates faith, devotion, and belief in God. Its three segments also symbolize the Holy Trinity.

3. Whorls


For the Irish, the whorl or spiral is a powerful symbol of life everlasting. Each turn of the circle reveals the passage through birth, death, and spiritual rebirth.

4. Harps


In days gone by, the harpist would be the most revered in any group of musicians. For the Irish, the Harp symbol is a reminder of the first gifted performers of the Emerald Isle, who would travel far and wide as harpers and sometimes entertain at royal courts.

5. Claddagh symbols


The crowned heart is a symbol of loyalty to the Crown that goes back to the days when kings and queens ruled the territory of the British Isles. The two tiny hands that gently clasp the heart are protective and gentle to evoke a sense of purity and sincerity.

Warm Up for the Games School Competition

Scoop the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and win £500 for your school!

It is simple and fun: you work with your classmates and create a piece of work on one of the following themes:

Welcome the World to London and the UK
Olympic and Paralympic Valueshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The Olympic Truce

It can be a poster, a digital presentation or a newspaper / magazine article.

The competition ends on the 31 March 2012.

More on http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/warm-up-for-the-games/competition

“WE LOVE ENGLISH” COMPETITION

Show your passion for the English language and British culture by participating in the “We Love English” competition.
Required steps:
STEP 1
Write an essay with the title: WHY I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT LONDON. Hand it to your teacher.
STEP 2
Read about British culture and civilization and create a prezentation (PPT, Prezi, video) about one of the following aspects:
1. History 2. Geography 3. Daily Life
4. London 5. Food and Drink 6. Symbols
7. Royal Family 8. Customs and Traditions 9. Festivals and Celebrations
10. London Olympic Games 11. Britain Today 12. Education
13. Government 14. British Folklore, Legends and Superstitions 15. British in the World
Send it to one of the addresses below and be ready to present it in class.
carmmi_m@yahoo.com cristinavasilescu2003@yahoo.com
STEP 3
Take a British Culture and Civilization Knowledge Quiz. (Date and time to be announced)
STEP 4
Bring a portfolio with certificates / diplomas that show your participation in school projects and English language competitions.
STEP 5
Give a LIKE to your school page on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scoala-nr1-Sfintii-Voievozi
Say why you like English (or English classses) under the competition post.
Entries are open to pupils from forms 6- 8 with an intensive English program.
All entries must be submitted by March 16th 2012.
The winners will receive surprize prizes.
NOTE: Your grades and tests results in English will also be taken into account for the final prizes!

Scholarship Program at AISB

American International School of Bucharest has made available 3 scholarships for students entering 8th or 9th grade in the next school year.
If you want to find out more about this program go to

http://www.aisb.ro/

or attend the Open House on March 13th.

If you love chips

This is the "chip week".

http://chips.lovepotatoes.co.uk/fun

Read, have fun, maybe cook (post your recipe on blog, and tell us which are your favourite: wedges, thin, thick, straight, crinkly or chunky...

Read an English Magazine Online

http://www.english-magazine.org/

Stories, poetry, songs, jokes, culture and more...

Do you know .... flags?

http://www.quia.com/rr/84013.html


Get a 10 if you can sing it from top to end!

British Culture

Want to learn more about the UK and the British Culture?

Go here
http://www.learnenglish.de/britishculture.htm
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/
http://british-culture-for-children.wikispaces.com/
http://projectbritain.com/
or here
http://chagall-col.spip.ac-rouen.fr/spip.php?rubrique68

You'll find aspects related to sports, history, geography, education and more.

A World of Colours

I've just bumped into a list of colours; check and you'll find a comprehensive guide to help you understand the many colours we rarely see.

http://www.liis.lv/eng_learn/

Global Art Contest

The Stockholm Convention celebrated its 10th anniversary in May 2011. On this occasion, the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention is organising a global art contest for children and youth.

The theme for the competition is "Stockholm at 10: Chemical Challenges, Sustainable Solutions" and what it means to young people around the world. For example, in their entries, children and youth may explore the many ways persistent organic pollutants (POPs) affect the life of the planet, enter people’s bodies, and change ecosystems, the reasons why the planet's "chemical temperature" is rising, and how people can protect themselves and nature from these harmful substances.
The contest is open to three possible art media categories:
• Drawing
• Photography
• Short videos
There are also three age categories:
• 5-10 years old 11-15 years old 16-20 years old

Deadline 16 March 2012

http://chm.pops.int/Convention/StockholmConvention10thanniversary/Globalartyouthcontest/tabid/2353/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Art competition

http://art.lookandlearn.com/competition.php

• New children’s art competition every month on a different theme
• All entries go into permanent online gallery
• Nine prizes every month totalling at least £240 (approx US$340)
• Free personalised participation certificates
• Entries divided into three age groups (0-7, 8-11 and 12-18)

International Essay Contest

2012 GOI Peace Foundation - UNESCO, International Essay Contest for Young People


The theme is "Creating the Future We Want" - The future begins with the vision we hold now. What kind of future do you wish to create for yourself and the world?

Essays must be 800 words or less in English, French, Spanish or German; or 1600 characters or less in Japanese, typed or printed.

Entries may be submitted by postal mail or online.
* IMPORTANT: To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page at www.goipeace.or.jp and follow the required steps.

DEADLINE: June 30, 2012

AWARD: 1st Prize: Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$1,300) ... 1 entrant
2nd Prize: Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$650) ... 2 entrants
3rd Prize: Certificate and gift ... 5 entrants
Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift ... 25 entrants


* 1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo, Japan scheduled for November 2012. (Travel expenses will be covered by the organizers.)


Go on http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/1201.html for more details.

Multiple choice exercises

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/p3pt1a.htm

http://www.examenglish.com/FCE/fce_use_of_english_part1.htm

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/strategy/p3pt1a.htm

http://www.ihbristol.com/learn-online/exercise-esol.php

http://englishtests.ucoz.com/FCE/test2/use/FCE_paper3_test2_use_part1.htm

http://englishtests.ucoz.com/FCE/test1/use/FCE_paper3_test1_use_part1.htm

http://englishdailyworkout.blogspot.com/2011/03/fce-multiple-choice-cloze-2.html

Cloze exercises

http://eslus.com/LESSONS/READING/READ.HTM

http://www.testyourenglish.net/english-online/menu/cloze-tests.html

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/tests/tsindex.htm

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/tests/pt1index.htm

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
http://www.englishmedialab.com/cloze.html

http://www.eoilangreo.net/cristina/intermediate/cloze1.htm


http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/p3pt2a.htm

http://www.ihbristol.com/learn-online/exercise-esol/fce/open-cloze/the-history-of-soap/1/

http://www.studenthandouts.com/Gap-Text.html

Grammar Practice

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs29practicetest.htm

http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/tense/5.xml

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs30finaltest.htm

hhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifttp://www.english-4u.de/grammar_exercises.htm (mixed tenses)

http://whttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifww.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar

http://www.grammarbank.com/verb-tenses-practice.html

http://www.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifautoenglish.org/tenses.htm

http://www.learnenglish.de/Games/Tenses/TestItTenses.htm


http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/if.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech

http://valenciaenglish.netfirms.com/reportedex.htm


http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercises.html

http://www.impact-english.com/members/Grammar_Practice/Always/test-grammar/gr_prac_form-Passives.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/passive_sentences1.htm

Valentine's here!

Why don't you try your writing skills and impress us with a heart-felt poem for your classmates? Or pick things you've learnt about this year and create a Valentine poem like this one:

A valentine from an electron to the nucleus:

Dear Nucleus,

My world revolves around you.

Love,

Electron


If you lack inspiration...
http://www.riversongs.com/fun/poem.html

What's in London 2012?

The Olympic Games are only a few months away.
British Council comes up with resources in preparation for the event.
Improve your English and get ready for the biggest event of the year!
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-for-the-games

Never Give Up!

Amazing stories of amazing people.
http://des.emory.edu/mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html

What about you? Do you believe in yourself enough not to give up?

A Motto for Life...

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

— Sam Levenson

WHAT'S YOURS?

Our school on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scoala-nr1-Sfintii-Voievozi/194142667275938

Check us!
Like us!
Live us!

"English My Love" Competition

You can enrol now for a new round of the competition.

Deadline: March 6th
Competition: May 11th
Results: June 15th
Fee: 14 RON

More on http://www.eurojunior.ro/popularizare-EUROJUNIOR.php

Shakespeare School Essay Competition 2012

http://www.shakespeare-school.ro/concurs.html




DEADLINE: March 28th 2012

PRIZES: participation in international camps in the UK, English courses, paid fees for language exams, photo cameras, books, dictionaries, etc.

In order to participate, follow these steps:

1. Post an interesting comment to any article on thr blog. Do not forget to sign your full name.
http://blog.shakespeare-school.ro/

2. Become a friend of Shakespeare School on Facebook

3. Write an essay. Details below or on site.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be an adult?
Have you ever wanted to be in your parents' shoes?
Imagine you could live an extraordinary experience: you would be amazed to find out that, for one day, you could swap places with one of your parents. You would be your mother/father and the parent would become you! This is your chance to tell us about the most out of the ordinary and strangest events!

In your essay you may refer to one or more of the following ideas:

- What funny/interesting/unusual things you would do while being in your parents' shoes
- What changes you would make in your parents' lives and why
- What lessons you would learn at the end of the day from the experience of being a parent
- Looking back, what would you like to be today: an adult or a child?

Write about your amazing experience in an essay of 300-350 words.

If you want to learn more about the competition, follow this link
http://www.shakespeare-school.ro/concurs/11_14_ani.html

Contest: "Discover the Digital World"

The competition is open to all school children. You can participate with a project (drawing, poster, PPT, movies, websites) that illustrates the responsible use of the internet.
More on http://www.sigur.info/index.php?/sid2012/sid2012/safer-internet-day-2012.html
Deadline: January 23rd