HAPPY 2012

Karaoke results and performances

1st Karaoke Casting

Once again the first karaoke casting was a great success. Our students are fantastic and they embraced this activity in a very professional way. New and amazing voices were heard! We hope all the school community enjoyed. We loved it. Congratulations to all!

Christmas is coming...

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel."

Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He apprenticed with a printer. He also worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion's newspaper. After toiling as a printer in various cities, he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, before heading west to join Orion. He was a failure at gold mining, so he next turned to journalism. While a reporter, he wrote a humorous story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, which became very popular and brought nationwide attention.

Twain was born during a visit by Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would "go out with it" as well. He died the day following the comet's subsequent return.

Thanksgiving Jokes

Spot the Big TurkeyA lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked the stock boy, 'Do these turkeys get any bigger?'
The stock boy answered, 'No ma'am, they're dead.'

Big Turkeys and Little TurkeysIf a big turkey is called a gobbler, what do you call a little turkey.
A goblet.

Hanging the TurkeyYoung Simon was sitting in his grandmother's kitchen, watching her prepare the Thanksgiving meal.
'What are you doing?' Simon enquired.
'Oh, I'm just stuffing the turkey,' his grandmother replied.
'Wow, that's cool.' Simon remarked. 'Are you going to hang it next to the deer?'



The Secret of Stuffing a TurkeyHow many cooks does it take to stuff a turkey? Only one, but you REALLY have to squeeze to get him in.

Grave HumorWhat did the hen tell the naughty chicks? If you your father could see you now he would turn in his gravy.

The Man Who Forgot to Buy a Turkey for Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and the butcher is just locking up when a man begins pounding on the front door.
'Please let me in, 'says the man desperately. 'I forgot to buy a turkey, and my wife will kill me if I don't come home with one.'
'Okay, 'says the butcher.' Let me see what I have left.' He goes into the freezer and discovers that there's one last scrawny turkey left. He brings it out to show the man.
'That's one is too skinny. What else you got?' says the man.
The butcher takes the bird back into the freezer and waits a few minutes and brings the same turkey back out to the man.
'Oh, no, 'says the man, 'That one doesn't look any better. You better give me both of them!'

Trick or Treat in USA

By Elisabete Carvalho

Spiderweb trees

Here’s a delightful morning snack: When Pakistan experienced severe flooding last year, it had the unexpected and rather creepy-crawly side effect of driving millions upon millions of spiders to the trees, where they could escape the floodwater. Since the flooding lasted for such a long time, many trees became blanketed in thick layers of web.

But according to the UK government, which assisted in the flood release effort this may have actually had a positive health effect: On-the-ground reports suggest that there are fewer mosquitos than would have been expected after the influx of so much stagnant water. This, in turn, may have reduced the very real risk of malaria to local populations afflicted with flooding. The web-coated trees, however, remain scary-looking.

(in http://www.geekosystem.com/spiderweb-trees-pakistan/ )

Monsters Vs Halloween Special Mutant Pumpkins

Calling all the monsters

Get some ideas for your spooky costume!!!

Child Trafficking

Have you ever heard of children being trafficked?
Do you think that's something from the past? That it doesn't exist in the twenty-first century?
Think twice!

Search the web for more information.http://www.childtrafficking.com/
http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_exploitation.html
http://sctnow.org/

On the 18th October there will be a demonstration in Oporto at 15h in Aliados against this awful reality!

What a wonderful world (?)

SAVE THE EARTH QUIZZ

It's time to...

I Believe - A 9/11 Tribute

A decade passed by

These last days you've heard a lot about this terrorist attack on the media. Ten years passed by, but I believe that no one has ever forgotten the pictures shown on TV that 11th of September 2001. I still remember that I was driving to school with my friend Elisabete Carvalho, when we heard on the radio that there was a huge fire on the Twin Towers, in New York. When we arrived at school we headed to the teacher's room and we saw in direct the second plane crashing on the second tower. It seemed like a kid playing with towers made of Lego and small airplanes, and crashing them. It didn't seem real! How come? How could it be possible to crash on purpose a plane towards a building? It seemed like a very imaginative film...a kind of science-fiction one: two towers being hit by planes, people falling down the windows and finally the towers crashing down!!!

Today is Adelaide's birthday

CONGRATULATIONS, ADELAIDE!

Today marks the day someone special was born. That special person is our beloved colleague and friend Adelaide Sá whose hard work, knowledge, wisdom, determination and creativity have greatly contributed to the success of the English Club in our school and to the growing importance of this blog in particular.

Adelaide’s professionalism and commitment to her job as a teacher of English and as the English Club Coordinator have been vital to the remarkable success of so many different activities that have been accomplished this school year.

Adelaide has also managed to keep a contagious sense of doing well in our English Department and English Club even during difficult times and periods of intense work. We all admire her for that.

Adelaide, we want you to know that we deeply appreciate your commitment to setting and trying to achieve high standards for all the activities that we organize for our students. It’s a pleasure to work with you and have you as a Coordinator of the English Club, always pushing us up to be great!

Dear colleague and friend, congratulations on your birthday. May this day bring you all that you wish for!

Big hugs and lots of love

from your workmates,

Alice, Aurélia, Branca, Clarisse, Conceição, Eduarda, Graça, Helena, Isabel, Margarida, Maria José, Natália,Teresa.

Sing It For Japan, a new song by My Chemical Romance

A beautiful song by My Chemical Romance spreading hope for Japan and for the world...

It's the final countdown!

H
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Yes, we 're going on summer holidays!
This schoolar year was just great! We loved being here writing and publishing interesting posts for YOU. We are sure you liked them. Thank you for commenting and participating in our/your activities!

Don't forget to visit us! There will be some more surprises coming up the next days!

Yes, the Karaoke Final is approaching and it will take place on the 17th June, at about 11.30 a.m. in Polivalente.

Join us and enjoy the performances of the seven finalists!

Aren't they eccentric?

Yeah! British most eccentric traditions!

British English versus American English

Just have some fun watching this video. British and American English are really, really different.

Celebrating Coca Cola 125th birthday

Like it or not Coca Cola is part of our life...
Have a look at Coca Cola's site on the UK and learn something more about this trademark, its history, its environmental policies, health questions and much more.

http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/

Teachers...just a thought!

Friendship

FRIENDSHIP

There are many things that can change our lives, a word, a gesture, a story and even a song, but meeting you was the biggest turning point in my life so far and probably for the rest of my life. Before, I only saw a grey world, a sad world. I could not believe in happiness, all my days were monotonous and I didn’t enjoy them at all. I was just waiting for my life to pass by, back then I was only a corpse with no soul, a robot trained to do the necessary and the necessary only, I didn’t dream, I didn’t want to fly, I didn’t believe, it was like someone had taken the childhood away from me. But one day it all changed. It wasn’t an accident that we met, it was fate. Your bright smile your positive attitude was like the sun finally risen after all those years.

Suddenly the world had bright colors, and I could hear birds singing and what amazed me the most was that I smiled and laughed for the first time, it almost felt like I had reborn into a new human being. A girl who believes, a girl who wishes she could fly, a girl that now dreams excessively, for the first time I don’t think “what if it goes wrong?” anymore but “what if I make it?”!

If there is a person I need to thank to, is you! You gave me a soul, you sheltered me in your arms, you gave me your shoulder and saved a spot for me in your heart!

You could have been anything but still, you chose to be my friend!

By Rita Nanim

A Portuguese in the USA

As you could have noticed sometimes we post reflections of a Portuguese living in the USA. She is a doctoral student at Georgia Southern University and she sent us a small message thanking us for giving her the chance to participate in our blog and informing us that she has already written an assignment on our blog for her Curriculum Studies.

"I was accepted March 21, 2011 in the Curriculum Studies, Ed.D. program at Georgia Southern University. GSU is in Statesboro, one hour driving from Savannah and located in the state of Georgia. I am a doctoral student ;0)
I decided in one of my pre-requisite course to write about your fabulous blog. Here go my reflections, posted on March 23:

http://clubedeinglesesmaia.blogspot.com/
“Vygotsky’s curriculum offered open spaces for spontaneous learning and encouragement for students to use their newly acquired tools for their own purposes, thereby contributing to relevance and generalization” (McNeil, 2006, p.37). This type of Website is a web log, the usual term used is Blog. Maintained by the English Club of Maia Secondary School, Porto- Portugal, this Club exists since 1996 and has more than two hundred members each year. Students, teachers and collaborators (e.g., myself) provide regular entries of commentaries (Thanksgiving Day), descriptions of events (St. Patrick’s Day, St. Patrick’s Symbols, Quizzes, 4th of March School Day of Languages…) or other material such as graphics or videos ("Where there's a will there's a way", Discovery Ireland…). Entries are displayed in reverse-chronological order. This blog is interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments. This interactivity distinguishes them from other static websites.

The reaction of my peers was great. The ones who decided to visit it enjoy it very much. Thanks for helping, without knowing, in this assignment.

Promise to keep in touch,
Elisabete Carvalho"

Mother's Day

Mother's day is celebrated all around the globe but not at the same time.
In the Uk they celebrated it on the 3rd April (the fourth Sunday of Lent) and in USA they are going to celebrate it on the 8th May (the second Sunday in May).
In Portugal, we celebrate it on the first Sunday in May. This year it's the 1st of May.
So, don't forget to give your mother a tight hug and a warm kiss!

Easter in the USA by Elisabete Carvalho

American Plastic Easter Eggs

In Savannah the weather was GREAT! We went to the beach twice, Saturday and Sunday.
In USA only the schools stop….. Everyone works…… the shops were closed on Sunday.
The most peculiar thing was seeing the way people dress to go to church on Sunday. White, blue and pink were the predominant colors; children carried vases with white flowers and the priest was out saying hello to everyone.
Saturday was the day for children to find the “plastic” eggs on the gardens. You can buy a big bag of them for $1 on WalMart.

23rd April - The National Day of England - St. George's Day

St George's Day is celebrated in England on 23 April, in honour of St. George, the patron saint of England.

This is the flag of St George. It is also the flag of England and part of the British flag. St George's emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king's soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.

St George was a brave Roman soldier who protested against the Romans' torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. The popularity of St George in England stems from the time of the early Crusades when it is said that the Normans saw him in a vision and were victorious.

One of the best-known stories about Saint George is his fight with a dragon. But it is highly unlikely that he ever fought a dragon, and even more unlikely that he ever actually visited England. Despite this, St George is known throughout the world as the dragon-slaying patron saint of England.

By tradition, 23 April is the day for a red rose in the button hole. The rose is the national emblem of England. The flower has been adopted as England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose).

Happy Easter

Easter in the UK

In the UK Easter is one of the major Christian festivals of the year. It is full of customs, folklore and traditional food. However, Easter in Britain has its beginnings long before the arrival of Christianity. Many theologians believe Easter itself is named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn and spring - Eostre.

Symbols of Easter- Many of the symbols and traditions of Easter are connected with renewal, birth, good luck and fertility.

The Cross- Of course as it is a Christian festival one of the main symbols is a cross, often on a hill. When Jesus was crucified, the cross became a symbol of suffering. Then with the resurrection, Christians saw it as a symbol of victory over death.

Palms- The week of Easter begins on Palm Sunday. Why Palm Sunday? Well, in Roman times it was customary to welcome royalty by waving palm branches, a bit like a ticker-tape parade. So, when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what is now known as Palm Sunday, people welcomed him with palm branches carpeting the streets and waving them. Today, on Palm Sunday, Christians carry palm branches in parades, and make them into crosses and garlands to decorate the Church.

Easter Eggs- Easter eggs are a very old tradition going to a time before Christianity. Eggs after all are a symbol of spring and new life. Exchanging and eating Easter eggs is a popular custom in many countries. In the UK before they were replaced by chocolate Easter eggs real eggs were used, in most cases, chicken eggs. The eggs were hard-boiled and dyed in various colors and patterns. The traditionally bright colours represented spring and light. An older more traditional game is one in which real eggs are rolled against one another or down a hill. The owner of the egg that stayed uncracked the longest won. Even today in the north of England, for example as at Preston in Lancashire, they still carry out the custom of egg rolling. Hard boiled eggs are rolled down slopes to see whose egg goes furthest. In other places another game is played. You hold an egg in the palm of the hand and bang against your opponent's egg. The loser is the one whose egg breaks first. Nowadays people give each other Easter eggs made of chocolate, usually hollow and filled with sweets. ritain children hunt for (chocolate) Easter eggs hidden about the home or garden by the Easter bunny.

The Easter Bunny- Rabbits, due to their fecund nature, have always been a symbol of fertility.The Easter bunny (rabbit) however may actually be an Easter hare. The hare was allegedly a companion of the ancient Moon goddess and of Eostre. Strangely the bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have its origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 16th Century. The first edible Easter bunnies appeared in Germany during the early 1800s, they were made of pastry and sugar.In the UK children believe that if they are good the "Easter Bunny " will leave (chocolate) eggs for them.

Hot Cross Buns- Hot cross buns, now eaten throughout the Easter season, were first baked in England to be served on Good Friday. These small, lightly sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the bun. After baking, a confectioners' sugar icing is used to fill the cross.

A funny lesson

On the 23rd March, Anna, a teacher from Brighton, came to our school. She met classes 8º A, 9ºA, 10º A and 10ºD and for about an hour she carried out some funny activities. These students are now more able "to twist their tongues".

You are our 10 000 visitor!

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day is celebrated in the western world on the 1st of April of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1st is not a legal holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical jokes and general foolishness. The day is marked by good humoured or funny jokes, hoaxes and other practical pranks on friends, family members, teachers, neighbours...

Unlike most of the other nonfoolish holidays, the history of April Fool's Day is not totally clear. The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25th. The celebration culminated on April 1st. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1st. Some of Charles' subjects refused to adopt the new calendar, and continued to observe the new year around April 1st. Naturally, these individuals were the butt of many jokes and taunting, and earned the name "Poisson d'Avril" (April Fish) because at that time of year the sun was in the zodiac sign of Pisces, the fish. This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French.

April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families. In Scotland, for example, April Fool's Day is actually celebrated for two days. The second day is devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called Taily Day.

Traditionally, in some countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool". It is for this reason that newspapers in the U.K. that run a front page April fool only do so on the first (morning) edition. Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day long.

Somewhere over the rainbow

My first Saint Patrick's Day in the USA

St. Patrick's Day, March 17th, Savannah.

As you probably know there are lots of Irish immigrants and people of Irish ancestry in the USA, so Saint Patick's Day is feasted here as if it was an American festivity, with huge and colourful parades, and green everywhere!
In Savannah, Georgia, the parade began at 10h00 and lasted until 2h00 p.m. I really enjoyed every moment. Lots of music, family picnic in every park of the city, people giving kisses and more people :0) The dress code was respected. All you could see was GREEN! What a great day!!!!!!!!!

(Text and photos by Elisabete Carvalho, a Portuguese living in the USA)

Dress Green, Bring Good Luck to You!

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day. So, Don't forget to wear something GREEN!

Saint Patrick's symbols

Symbols:

Shamrock - The Irish have considered shamrocks as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and today people of many other nationalities also believe they bring good luck.

Leprechaun - A leprechaun is an Irish fairy who looks like a small, old man about 2 feet tall. He is often dressed like a shoemaker, with a crooked hat and a leather apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly. They live alone, and pass the time making shoes. They also have a hidden pot of gold!

Color Green - Wearing the color green is considered an act of paying tribute to Ireland. It is said that it also brings good luck, especially when worn on St. Patrick's Day.

Harp - The harp is an ancient musical instrument used in Ireland for centuries. It is also a symbol of Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day Quizz

Dublin goes Green for St. Patrick's Festival 2011

This year Dublin City is going green for St. Patrick’s Festival! To celebrate Ireland’s national holiday, they have launched an initiative called ‘Greening the City,’ asking all businesses and venues to turn their lights green to create a city-wide illumination for the duration of the festival (16th to 20th March).


On the 17th, there will be a parade. In honour of Dublin’s UNESCO City of Literature designation the festival parade will bring specially commissioned short story “Brilliant” by Roddy Doyle, to life on the streets of Dublin.

Inspired by the story; Ireland’s finest performance companies will present the chapters in their own style. Marching bands from Ireland and across the globe will animate the streets with their musical mastery as they march through the heart of Dublin city.

Discover Ireland!

May you have the luck to visit this wonderful island of Ireland!
Watch the following video from the Irish Tourism Office and the one on an Irish Dance Group.



SLAINTE!

Five days left until St. Patrick's Day on March 17th

St. David and Wales

St David's Day is celebrated in Wales and by Welsh people throughout the world on 1st March. Saint David (known as Dewi Sant in the Welsh language) is the patron saint of Wales. He was a Celtic monk who lived in the 6th Century and was Archbishop of Wales. His influence is shown by the number of churches dedicated to him in Wales.


Have a look at this video on this wonderful and hardly known country.

Love has invaded our school!

Just check out how romantic our 8th and 9th grade pupils are!

Read their poems, both in English and in Portuguese in our school entrance.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Famous Valentines

First love

Toothache Day, 9th February

The TOOTHACHE DAY is observed on 9th February to create awareness on the importance of oral health.

Some tips for an effective oral hygiene:

. daily brushing your teeth in the morning and before bed time;
. daily flossing or removal of the food left between the teeth;
. rinsing your mouth after every eating or munching of eatables;
. rinsing your mouth with slightly warm salty water before going to bed.

BUT if you get a toothache...

...here are some home remedies as a first aid for diminishing the pain before visiting your dentist:

•Rubbing the affected area gently with an ice cube;
•Placing a clove of garlic with little rock salt on the affected tooth;
•Rinsing your mouth with wheat grass juice;
•Applying the clove oil on the affected tooth with a cotton bud;
•Applying pepper powder mixed with common salt on the affected tooth.

Go for a dental check up once in three months to have a good oral and dental health.

The Father of Science Fiction

Jules Gabriel Verne: (February 8, 1828 – March 24, 1905) was a French author from Brittany who pioneered the science-fiction genre. He is best known for novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before air travel and practical submarines were invented, and before practical means of space travel had been devised. He is the third most translated individual author in the world, according to Index Translationum. Some of his books have been made into films.

Groundhog Day, 2nd February

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on February 2.

According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. However, if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly "see its shadow" and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

As the light grows longer

The cold grows stronger

If Candlemas be fair and bright

Winter will have another flight

If Candlemas be cloud and rain

Winter will be gone and not come again

A farmer should on Candlemas day

Have half his corn and half his hay

On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop

You can be sure of a good pea crop.

Australia Day, 26th January

Down under, where it is summer now, our fellow mates are going to feast their national day on 26th January, with huge barbecues and fireworks!

Wireless Technology

Watch this funny video on a Spelling Bee Contest

Barack Obama's family

The Spelling Contest is coming...

Dare yourself to participate in the most hilarious contest of the world. Only the most courageous can take it till the end without failing to spell a word.

Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review