|
Greetings from the beautiful city of Victoria. This month has proved to be even better than the last, with sunny days, cool nights, and a welcome absence of rain. August saw a multitude of outdoor festivals, including the spectacular Dragon Boat Festival. The Gardens are in full bloom, and you can find live music (and fireworks) at Butchart Gardens, Abkhazi Gardens, and the esteemed Governor General’s house. To learn more about the amazing plants and animals in our area, guided beach and nature walks are provided by the city, which are fun at any age!
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
 Alejandra is known as the “colourful teacher” because her bright and cheerful personality always matches her vibrant clothing. She has been teaching ESL for more than 8 years and has taught in Korea, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Her classes are always dynamic and her goal is to make learning fun. She believes that students who are engaged in meaningful tasks will take much more away from the language classroom.
We started off the month at the gigantic Imax theatres, where we saw the heartwarming film, “Born to Be Wild”. (After the film; we were so enamored with animals, we had to run the to the Beacon Hill petting zoo for a visit with the baby goats!)
We then took a trip to Victoria’s famous and largest Botanical display, The Butchart Gardens, which boasts year round astounding views. August may be the best time of the year, with the Rose Garden in full swing; some of the rose bushes are almost 80 years old! Also in August was an exciting trip to the Indoor Rock Climbing Centre. Students buckled up and showed their fear of heights who’s boss; students climbed over 33 feet high! Next month we are hoping for more sunshine, and gearing up for Rooftop Beach Volleyball!
The Butchart Gardens:
Rock Climbing:
Beacon Hill Petting Zoo:
|
Currently we have 14 Nationalities represented in the school among our 146 students.
Saudi Arabian: 26.7%
Japanese: 20.6%
Korean: 19.9%
Taiwanese: 19.2%
Chinese: 3.4%
Canadian and Mexican: 2.6% each
Spanish and Thai: 1.4% each
Others: 2.5%
I came to Canada because I like to know new people and culture and also I like nature. The students at GEOS are very gentle and mature. It is comfortable to study English. When I started studying here, I answered only Yes or No but now I can speak as much as I want to. I am happy I was able to improve my English skills. In the class, I had a lot of activities so I never get bored. I really enjoyed studying English here. Debates and discussions helped to improve my speaking skills. It is often said that for Japanese people grammar and vocabulary skills are better than speaking. The problem is the same as mine; I had a difficulty with speaking. Through those two activities I tried not to hesitate but to speak a lot. Eventually I was able to speak more fluently. I also had to introduce my culture so it was good to know about Japan more deeply.
I am going to find a job using English. I am sure this great experience will help a lot for my future. Thank you!
Yuichiro
Japan
GEOS Victoria’s TEC (Teaching English to Children) course will open once again. The next course will start on September 12, 2011. The course is for students who have achieved a high level of proficiency in English and this course will teach them the methodology of instructing children. They will focus on teaching skills in a practical, hands-on way. Learners should be prepared to play games, develop resources that they can use to teach ESL, sing silly songs and learn actions for them, master classroom management and excel at lesson planning. They will focus on teaching reading to children using phonics and whole language methods. Learners will have plenty of opportunities to speak and discuss issues and the teacher will be available to refine English grammar when necessary. By the end of the course, learners will be looking forward to teaching children and trying out new ideas.
25th Annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival
Over the last 25 years the Fringe has grown to become Vancouver Island’s biggest theatre event. In 2011, 72 international independent performing companies will descend on the City of Gardens for eleven days and nights of comedy, drama, dance, spoken word, and physical theatre – over 430 performances in thirteen venues.
Join us to celebrate 25 years of the Victoria Fringe at our Fringe Square 100% FREE special events, which include the totally awesome 80s Fringe Prom Dance Party, Fringe Eve Preview and live music concerts.
Saturday Night Fireworks at the Butchart Gardens
Firework shows began in 1977 and the superb fireworks continue to be enjoyed in The Gardens' magnificent setting. Every Saturday night in summer these lavish shows dazzle visitors with their unique blend of spectacle and music. Bring warm clothing and, if desired, a cover to sit upon on the ground. Blankets are available for purchase on site.
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.
|
