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Greetings from Victoria! Students and citizens alike have been embracing the chilly nights of winter, with outdoor skating, symphonies and the annual Victoria Whiskey Festival. Winter coats were briefly brought out for our two day snow stint. Other than that brief spell of winter; the mild weather proves to be a constant, and allows us to enjoy outdoor activities all year long! January was a month of concerts, with many different types of music, from ballet to world music to rock and roll!
If you would like to stay in touch with GEOS Victoria, please join our Facebook group! Feel free to upload pictures and share your experiences with your friends and even former students. You can find out about our activities anytime – just go to http://www.geosvictoria.com/activities. Don’t forget to look at the testimonials on our website (http://www.geosvictoria.com/testimonials).
If you also would like to take a look at a video about GEOS Victoria, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDzFBaffjR0
We are happy to introduce one of our teachers, Alison Brown. Alison is a native of Victoria and has been with GEOS for almost 3 years and has just recently transferred from GEOS Vancouver. She keeps busy teaching our Intensive English Program, and a grammar elective class. Before coming to GEOS, Alison spent time teaching in Japan, Mexico and China. Alison always plans interesting and useful lessons for her students by using the textbook in combination with lots of ‘real-life’ material such as pop songs and video clips. Her classes are dynamic and fun for the students and ensure that they maximize their learning experience. As you can see from the photo, Alison is a proud Canadian and was really excited to show her spirit during the 2010 Winter Olympics & Paralympics here in Vancouver, BC. She was especially happy to be able to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics and some of the sledge hockey games. Very close to Alison’s heart is the town of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, where she spent 3 years teaching English. She would like to send her warmest thoughts and prayers to the people of Japan during this difficult time.
One of English teachers, who has been working at GEOS Vancouver decided to move to Victoria! We would like to welcome a new teacher, Alison to GEOS Victoria!
She teaches IE program and also high school preparation program.
We opened the month with a trip to see the Christmas Magic at Butchart Gardens. Immense displays of the classic tale “12 Days of Christmas”, and thousands of lights; students were awestruck by its beauty.
We continued the next week with good coffee and great conversation, at the lovely Solstice Café.
The next week, we went to the fantastic film, Happy Feet 2, in 3D at the IMAX!
Next month we look forward to making delicious Valentine’s Day Treats, Skating, and attending an exiting Victoria Royals’ hockey game!
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Currently we have 12 Nationalities represented in the school among our 144 students.
Chinese: 27.08%
Korean: 21.53%
Saudi Arabian: 20.14%
Japanese: 18.75%
Thai: 2.78%
Polonaise, Mexican: 2.08% each
Brazilian, Canadian and Turkish: 1.39% each
Others: 1.38%
Before deciding an English academy to study abroad in Canada, what I was concerned about was a curriculum and GEOS was well known for students who just start to learn English. That's why I chose the academy and I wouldn't be disappointed at all. What are some good point about the academy are it typically focuses on speaking and a wide range of learning activities during class and those things made me couldn't get enough of learning English at GEOS. Our class teacher's a well detailed feedback on the end of the month was very helpful for me to not only improve, but also to overcome my weakness. In addition, there are teachers and staffs who are so dedicated as well as enthusiastic in many different fields for international students. Well ordered after school activity system also good enought to stimulate students to be untired. Needless to say, it was valuable time for me and there's no questin about choosing English academy as GEOS. Thank you so much, GEOS!
Moonhee, Korea
The next GEOS TESL Program starts on February 6, 2012. This course aims to provide language teaching training to individuals who want to teach English as a Second or Foreign Language. The program will develop linguistic and cultural competencies in students intending to use their skills in their home country or abroad as teachers of English. The program is broken down into modules that focus on both theory as well as practice.
Students will learn how to prepare a lesson, and issues related to planning selection of materials to teach. They will discuss issues related to teaching specific language skills (i.e. listening and speaking, reading and writing, and grammar) and will be given an opportunity to prepare lessons and teach in front of peers. They will receive feedback from their teachers and peers and will develop an ability to assess their own teaching skills.
Tea Exhibition at Crystal Garden
Welcome to the Victoria Tea Festival – the largest public tea exhibition in North America! Whether you are a tea newbie or a tea aficionado, you will not be disappointed at this weekend event. Discover a world of tea from the traditional to the trendy as you sample hundreds of teas or learn about such topics as “cooking with tea” at one of the complimentary presentations. Taste black, green, white, oolong, or herbal teas uniquely and exquisitely prepared by local, national, and international exhibitors, noting how the flavours may differ depending upon origin, soil type, style of tea, processing techniques, and preparation. Shop for all your favorite teas, tea wares, tea-related products, and silent auction or raffle items. Experience the event to the fullest by attending both days, engaging with the exhibitors, and learning about the benefits of tea in your diet. We look forward to having you join us!
Mount Washington
Enjoy the scenic ride on the Eagle chairlift to the summit of Mount Washington (1588 m elevation) and take in the spectacular surroundings. The panoramic view from the top includes Strathcona Provincial Park, the Comox Glacier, Mt. Arrowsmith, the Strait of Georgia and even Mt. Baker on a clear day. Its all downhill from there; Mount Washington boast over 60 trails and gladed ski area that offer varied terrain that everyone from beginner to pro freeskiers can ride. The Eagle Express is a high-speed chair so you get to spend more time on the runs and less time getting to the top.
Mount Washington is famous for its snow. We receive an average of 11 metres (that’s 36 feet) of snow annually! This makes us the home of one of North America’s deepest snowpacks. Snow Tubing at Mount Washington is a wholesome, fun filled activity and is the perfect snow-sliding fun for all of you!
We are happy to introduce our GEOS Victoria new photo ID student card, available for only $5.00! If any students would like one, please come see us in the office at GEOS.
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