Gotta Keep Reading at Maia Secondary School

Last Wednesday, March 23rd, inspired by the Ocoee Middle School, USA, the English and Dance Clubs of our school celebrated the School Reading Week with a dancing performance. The Dance Club students, with the help of their teacher, started a coreography and some teachers and students joined them in the public performance. Mariana, the winner of the 1st Karaoke contest organised by the English Club, sang "You gotta keep reading!", an  adapted version of Black Eyed Peas' "I gotta feeling" .

by Helena Lobo

Creating the atmosphere

                                         Just starting ...

                                         School  is rocking

Dance, dance, dance, ... 

                     "Read, read, read..."

"Cause this book's gonna be a good book"

               

                  and now, let's watch the video! 

(sorry for some sound problems ...)

Somewhere over the rainbow

St. Patrick's Day at Maia Secondary School

    For the very first time St. Patrick's Day was celebrated at Maia Secondary School and it was a huge success! 
  Green invaded our school and shamrocks grew everywhere. A colourful  rainbow  showed up and the golden pot was there as well.

   Celtic music, playing all day long, contributed to the atmosphere of joy and happiness felt by all those who embraced this Irish festivity.

   Golden coins( made of chocolate, of course!) and many other sweets awaited the lucky ones or, in case of misfortune,  solving puzzles and quizzes about this Irish holiday was another way of getting hold of the sweet contents of the pot.

   Irish blessings were also given in the shape of bookmarks and  an exhibition of the work done by students on this celebration together with videos and slide-shows of Ireland completed the whole picture.

   Appreciate the photo gallery below, which, somehow, tries to illustrate the spirit of this gorgeous day at our school!

 

        We'd like to express our warmest thanks 

      to everybody that contributed  to the success of

     this unforgettable day.

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)

Today is the National Day of Ireland

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.

Ireland - Flying through the country

The wearing of the green

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

Shake your body! Shake, shake, shake! It's Carnival !

4th OF MARCH -SCHOOL DAY OF LANGUAGES

Friday, 4th of March 2011! What a great day it was in our school! It just rocked!

All day long something was going on somewhere. Spelling contests involving all the classes, from the 7th to the 12th form, singing and dancing, playing the Trivial of Languages, participating in a lecture about the importance of speaking foreign languages, appreciating the exhibitions of the work done by students in the different language classes and, of course, tasting the delicious foods of Portugal, England, Germany, France and Spain.

What a thrill it was for the teachers to see the joy in the eyes of their students!

And last but not least, a very special thanks to the English Club Staff, who, with their enthusiasm and commitment, greatly contributed to the success of this event.

Here are some photos of this memorable day:

Some members of the English Club staff

Aren't we cute in these T-shirts?
Special thanks to the Parents' Association for having offered them to us.

Spelling contest

Dance Club performance

English Club Sta(rs)ff rehearsing

English Club Sta(rs)ff performing

Exhibitions

Hummmmmm.....

Just having fun

                   and now the sta(rs)ff perfomances:

                 The first video is the follow up of a project based on songs
                       sung by JP Taylor, a singer who uses music to fight for the    
                       preservation of planet Earth. 
                        The name of this song is "Every living thing".

Today is St. David's Day!