School Times

October 2011

THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP

THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP

On 20th September, class 1B and class 1C went on a one-day trip to Olszyny. There were about 45 students and 3 teachers.

We started our trip at 9 o’clock. We travelled by bus. We arrived at our destination at about 10 o’clock. There were a lot of attractions waiting for us. We were divided into 4 groups. Each group had their own guide. First, one of the groups shot a bow and arrow. It was a new experience for everybody. It turned out to be very difficult. However, everybody enjoyed it.Then we took part in an obstacle course. It wasn’t long but everybody was tired after it. Next, we went rock climbing. At first we thought that it would be very easy but in the end only a few people climbed to the top.

Later we had some free time which we spend playing different games, such as football and volleyball. It was great fun.

In the afternoon, we made a bonfire. We had a chance to try the most delicious sausages. After that, some of us played volleyball or went for a walk to admire nature and to take some photos. We saw some boars, peacocks and partridges.

We came back to Łomża at about 2 o’clock. Although the trip wasn’t long, we really enjoyed our time together. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other.

Kasia

There are over 6000 languages spoken in the world. Behind each of them lies a rich and diverse culture. That’s what the European Day of Languages aims to celebrate - showing people across Europe how crucial languages are.

We also celebrated the European Day of Languages. Every year we try to make this event interesting and original. This time we prepared a lot of competitions and performances. I must confess that many students wanted to take part in them (see pictures below).

We had a great time. It was an amazing event.

Zuzia

When you travel it’s easy to learn something. You learn about the place you are in, the people you meet and about yourself. However, some kinds of travel help people learn something specific. They often connect with a school subject or a personal interest.

If students are learning a foreign language, they often go on exchange visits with students from a different country. They stay with their partner’s family and go to their school. Next holiday, they do it the other way round.

It should be pointed out that there must be good communication and contact before the visit. E-mails are really helpful. It’s easier to get to know someone if you can write to them. You can ask personal questions and even send photos. And if it goes well, you will have seen inside a different culture.

Many students go on school trips. These are often connected with something that they ’re studying. Usually there are specific things to look at, find out or do. Worksheets to complete. Quizzes to answer. Fun? Education?

Doing practical research is much more interesting than learning a lot of facts. Some students have the opportunity to go out on a sailing boat and get some experience. And the weather provides excellent practical geography lessons.

Kasia

Do you remember the film Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hough Grant? Notting Hill is just the setting for this romantic comedy. But in this article I would like to recommend not the film but The Notting Hill Carnival which is the second one after the carnival in Rio.

According to some European people Englishmen are reserved, withdrawn and pessimistic. But is it true? Numerous festivals celebrated across Great Britain prove that islanders know how to entertain. The best example is The Notting Hill Carnival which is held each year in August in West London. It used to be a local festival organized by Indian community gradually it increased and now it attracts visitors from all over the world. They come to celebrate variety and freedom expressed by music, dancing and colourful costumes. The streets of Notting Hill in August are jammed with young gorgeous women and men in sparkling exotic costumes. Caribbean music, unusual aromas of traditional cuisine float up in the air, colourful parade creates an amazing and unforgettable atmosphere. The spectacular event is really worth seeing.

The pictures below show the cheerful participants of Notting Hill Carnival. If you happen to come to London, don’t miss the chance to watch it.

They are amazing costumes, aren’t they?

Festivals in Nottingham

Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. It is famous for it’s festivals: ‘Hit The Deck’ Festival, ‘Dot To Dot’ Festival, Nottingham Robin Hood Beer Festival, GameCity Festival and many more. Upcoming soon are: GameCity Festival, which will take place at various locations across Nottingham on 26 th – 29th October. It is called to be world’s best moved cultural videogames festival. The festival is mostly free to attend and there are loads of events suitable for all ages. It’s overflowing with fun, playful, interesting things to do during the October half term. Some events such as film screenings and late night events will require a small cost for admission. Surely both adults and children will have a great time.

Another upcoming festival is a Robin Hood Pageant. It will take place on Saturday 29 th and Sunday 30th October. Every autumn, during the October half term weekend, Nottingham Castle plays host to the two-day Robin Hood Pageant, re-creating an atmosphere of a time long past. The grounds of Nottingham Castle will be transformed into a medieval village encampment complete with a range of colorful characters allowing you travel back in time to the 12th century. There will be also Beer Festival for adult participants, which will take place at grounds of Nottingham Castle.

No matter how old we are, and who we are: teenagers, middle-aged gourmet of beer or a fan of rock music – this autumn we would have so much fun at Nottingham’s festivals. Surely it would be an unforgettable experience.

Nottingham Castle

Trumpeters in front of the entrance of the Castle dating back to the 12 century.

Kasia

The Year of Marie Skłodowska-Curie!

The Year of Marie Skłodowska-Curie!

In 2011 we recall this great scientist. Just what do we know about

Marie Skłodowska-Curie?

We know what she looked like from the familiar photographs in the display cases in our school physics lab. These display cases also furnish details on when she was born and when she died, and we also know about her Noble Prizes in physics and chemistry. But that’s about it. Nothing else except some oft-repeated phrase ”the first woman in the history of the Nobel Prize”.

In many photographs she hardly looks the heroine- she’s too small, too low-profile. But nothing could be further from the truth. She worked as a governess to pay for university courses, then she struggled as a foreigner with a funny accent and studied hard to bridge the gaps in her education until she was courageous enough to intellectually challenge the most gifted men in France- men because the world of science at the time was only theoretically open to women.

One never notices what has been done;

one can only see what remains to be done

Today, we are accustomed to spectacular success stories like those of Bill Gates and thousands of other millionaires who started out from scratch. Today universal access to education is taken for granted. We find it difficult to imagine what determination Marie Skłodowska-Curie must have had to succeed. It was not fame that was driving her when she was spending hours in an old shed that was once used as an anatomy lab- without pay. Nor was money on her mind when she spent all she had on war donations in 1914.

She was a woman who fullfiled her dreams- both her own and those of her generation.

Magda

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS – 2011

The United Nations has declared the year 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness about the role that forests play as home to 80% of world’s biodiversity and 300 million people.

 

This logo was designed to convey the theme of “Forests for people” celebrating the central role of people in the conservation of our world’s forests.

We should remember that forests are a source of food and medicine. They provide shelter to people. They are vital to the survival and well being of people everywhere.

Ania

Royal wedding

Any weeding is a happy event. A royal wedding is an opportunity to celebrate the good things of marriage – young love, the couple’s commitment, the hope of children – only on a grand, national scale. Weddings are, indeed, something the British royal family does pre-eminently well. A royal wedding has ceremonial and pageantry and beautiful music, but it also has the family elements, the human interest, that the rest of us can relate to. This is a wedding in which the entire nation feels a part, it is also supremely, a London occasion. Today the city is at its best, and the most modern and most ancient elements of the capital are on display to the world. Thousands of visitors are here to enjoy the wedding, millions are watching at a distance.

Two billion hold their breath as the prince, with crackle in his voice, says: I will.

At precisely 11.20 on April 29 Prince William and Kate Middleton were pronounced husband and wife in a ceremony watched by two billion worldwide. The prince’s university sweetheart entered Westminister Abbey at 11am as Kate from the Home Counties. She left one hour and 10 minutes later as the Duchess of Cambridge, future queen. As the couple were married, a huge cheer erupted across London. One million spectators lined the procession route from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace or watched on a giant screen in Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park. Millions more held street parties across the country and watched on TV, making it a record global audience. The Archbishop of Canterbury asked 28-year-old William; “Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” William’s voice crackled slightly as he said; “I will.”As Kate,29,said “ I will” to the same vows there was a loud cheer from the crowd outside. Like Diana, Kate did not promise to obey her husband.There was a nervous moment when William tried to put the ring on Kate’s finger. The ring was stuck on the knuckle for a few seconds but when slipped on. There was more cheering from the crowd outside as the Archbishop pronounced them man and wife.

 The Right Revert Dr Richard Chartes ended his wedding ceremony at Westchminister Abbey with the prayer in which the couple devoted themselves to helping the poor and ill.

“ God our Father, we thank you for our families;for the love that we share and

for the joy of our marriage .In the busyness of each day keepOur eyes fixed on what is real and

Important in life and help us to Be generous with our time and

Love and energy.Strenghtend by our union help us to Serve and comfort those who suffer .

WE ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.Amen.”

Klaudia