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NEWS ARCHIVE - More News Archive DARLING HARBOUR TRIP - Thursday 29 May 2008
On Thursday the Preparation for High School students and I went
on a special excursion to Darling Harbour. First we visited the Chinese Gardens which were lovely and peaceful. Then we saw
'Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure' at the IMAX cinema which related to our work on Ecosystems and was very interesting.
Afterwards we had a great lunch in Chinatown and a tour of Paddy's Markets. It was a great opportunity for the students to practice their English in a relaxed, informal setting. We all got to know each other much better, especially the two new girls Bonnie and Nancy who are really smart and lovely. LASER TAG - EVENING - Thursday 29 May 2008
Last Thursday, Damien, 14 students and I went to Zone 3, Laser tag. We left school around 5 PM and
took the bus to Cromer. After a pretty long walk (we got off the bus at the
wrong bus stop!) we finally got there. We organised 3 teams: red, green and
yellow. We were given a chest pack and THE GUNS!. When we got inside it was very
dark and everyone quickly ran off. For the first game we were a bit confused
about the rules but the second one was much better. We all knew what we had to
do so we went straight to our objective. Finally the Red team won. We finished
very exhausted but really happy. An to re-energise ourselves, the girls had the
idea to go to the pub for a couple of beers and hot chips. It was a very happy
Thursday evening! LASER TAG - DAY Friday, 23 May 2008
Laser tag is a very exciting game. We played in three teams: red, green and yellow. In my team we were all good team players, we had a game plan and helped each other. I know more school mates now. I really enjoyed the game and hope I can attend the Friday activity more often.
"I'm Icy. I arrived here about four weeks ago. Today we went to the
Zone 3 - Laser Tag and it was a really nice game. I made a new friend called Bonnie, we played in the same team. The game brought us closer together and I played the game with nice people, so I had a really nice day!" ANDREA IN JAPAN April / May 2008
Japan, wow, what an amazing place! I spent the first 5 days in Tokyo exploring that fantastic city full of modern buildings, great art galleries and friendly people - a lot of them! Then I headed down to Mie to visit two of our special Japanese students, Mari and Minako. Minako took me to Ise Jingu, a beautiful shrine, then we walked around Okage Yokocho, a nice little market, and after some more sightseeing we met Mari at Konnamura, a Japanese pub, where we had delicious food and chatted a lot. I can now say 4 sentences in Japanese!!
Tomoyasu said I should visit Kyoto, a more traditional city which is very close to where the girls live - Thanks for the advise Tomo, I loved it! Minako drove me there and we spent the day visiting temples and shrines. Fantastic! I had a wonderful time with my special tousit guide Minako.Thanks Mari and Minako for being so nice, it was great to be with you! SPORTS DAY Friday, 16 May 2008
The weather wasn't looking good when everyone arrived on Friday morning but by the time we got down to the park and started playing the sun was out and shining brightly. GRADUATIONS May 2008
This month Preparation for High School student, Marty graduated from Maewill. And he wasn't alone; Bridgeman from Peru and Raphael from Korea also finished their courses - in Bridgeman's case it was his second graduation! Congratulations and keep studying!
Maewill also had some visitors, Yiping and Vicky who have started High School at Covenant Christian came to say 'hi' and give us their exciting news. You're welcome anytime - see you all again soon. ROLLERBLADING Friday, 02 May 2008
Today we went to Manly to have an activity about rollerblading. The place we went to was near the beach. We could see the beautiful beach while we were rollerblading. Today was very great. I love rollerblading. The teachers and I am very happy. I was skating along when I fell over a stick. And we made a train with all students and I was at the front. I love exercise. I want to come again and I want to learn how to surf. I love the beach and
Maewill! VISITORS FROM ARGENTINA Thursday, 08 May 2008
Today, Silvia Stocker and Adriana Rocha, from Australia and New Zealand English, visited Maewill English College. They came in today to visit the school and meet with William, Cynthia and Ayelen. It was very nice to meet them and on behalf of everyone at Maewill, thank you for your visit! We look forward to seeing you again soon. Enjoy your time here in Sydney, Australia (and New Zealand). ART GALLERY TRIP Wednesday, 07 May 2008 On Wednesday evening there was an excursion to the Art gallery of NSW.
Rustam, Leonardo, Henrique, Bruno, Mateus, Helena, Mariana, Relim and myself caught the ferry into the city to see the Archibald exhibition. This is a portrait competition held every year.
The ferry ride was beautiful, as always. Catching the ferry is the best way to travel in Sydney, very relaxing. As the ferry came into Circular Quay, the sun was setting. The Opera House looked
magnificent at dusk. James had told Deborah about the new library in Customs House, so we went there first to look at the model of Sydney under the glass floor. It is great to know that you can get off the ferry and go straight into a library and access international papers,
the internet etc. We then walked to the gallery, where Ricardo, Mauricio and Denise were patiently waiting for us. The Exhibition was incredible. The paintings were very varied, from photo-realism to expressionism. You could really feel the emotion in the paintings. My favourite was also the winner, called "You are what is most beautiful about me" by Del Kathryn Barton.
I also loved the portrait of Heath Ledger. GOLD COAST NEWS April - May 2008 What's been happening in sunny Queensland? Well, it's definitely warmer than Sydney. The students and teachers at Maewill's Gold Coast campus have been keeping busy with BBQs, football and graduations. Koji has finished his studies at MEC for now and has gone to Tasmania, Tsutomu and Kuwahara have been practising ping pong in preparation for the next competition and Animadab Sousa Vieira, from Sao Paulo, met a koala.
Andrea
has been helping students and Paul has stepped into Fiona's shoes. Fiona's gone
back to New Zealand after more than 5 years at Maewill - goodbye Fiona - we'll
all miss you! Until the next Gold Coast update - 'see ya' from the GC! MOTHER'S DAY COMPETITION Thursday, 08 May 2008
We've
been studying poetry this week at Maewill and by coincidence it is also Mother's
Day this Sunday in Australia. So, as an incentive for students to hone their
poetry writing skills there was a Mother's day poetry competition with plenty of
prizes - chocolates, t-shirts, flowers and MEC's famous 2002 Shiraz.
Congratulations to everyone who entered the competition and especially to Lewis
and Camila, the overall winners. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSTAM! Friday, 09 May 2008
Rustam in Class 4C is celebrating his birthday this week - he's cooking a traditional Uzbek BBQ. It sounds amazing - Happy Birthday Rustam from all the staff, teacher's and student's at Maewill! And have a great weekend. CULTURAL EXCHANGE PARTY April 2008
Every six months Maewill hosts a cultural exchange party. It's an opportunity for students to try food and drink from around the world and a chance for students to show off their cooking skill - everyone brings a plate! There is always so much food and this party was no exception - you feel hungry just looking at the photos. And what should you do after eating too much food? Dance it off! Thank you to all the staff and students who prepared beautiful food and made this cultural exchange party a success. Bon apetite!
ANZAC DAY Friday, 25 May 2008
Friday was a public holiday in Australia to commemorate the contributions of Australian and New Zealand Army personnel. During the week students learned about the historic origins of ANZAC day, the ANZAC spirit and what ANZAC day means to Australians now. And yes, this included teaching students how to play '2-up' - the classic Aussie game of chance. The week ended with a special screening of Gallipoli on MEC's big screen.
GRADUATIONS April - May 2008
Many of the Preparation for High School students graduated from Maewill (including Miki pictured above) during April and have now started High School in Sydney. Jason, Yiping, Ryan and Vicky have begun their studies at Covenant Christian. Ken, Philip, Kevin and Lucas have gone to St Augustine's and Candy, Helena, Jane and TT started at St Luke's. Tyler is studying at Turramura High School. A few of them have already been back to say hi and they looked very smart in their uniforms. Other graduates included Vincente and Jana from the IELTS academic English class, Manuela and Christian from Germany and Ramon. Well done to all Maewill's recent graduates and the very best for the future - keep studying!
MANLY OCEANWORLD Friday, 11 April 2008
I woke up on Friday morning and thought 'Oh no. Test!'. So I got to school and started the test. Then I saw everybody getting ready to go to Oceanworld, and I thought 'Why don't I go too?'. It was my first time to go on a school activity. Deborah gave everyone chocolates and chips and we headed to the bus stop. Bonnie, Deborah and 38 students were on the road to Manly! The bus trip was a very nice experience and everyone was happy and friendly. I had never seen a live shark before, or a manta ray or stingray. There were turtles and strange fish too. At 12pm there was a dangerous Australian animal show. We saw the funnel-web spider, a baby crocodile, lizards and snakes. I love this place. After the show we all went for a walk along the harbour to Fairlight beach. Manly has ocean beaches and harbour beaches. Fairlight beach is a great place for a picnic or party. By this time everyone was starving so we went back to Manly Corso, where you can buy almost anything you want for lunch. Some students went shopping and others went for a walk along Manly beach. What a a great day! - Santy from Colombia
I enjoyed seeing the sharks, turtles and stingrays. I had never seen sharks before. I loved walking along the harbour walk.
- Danny from Korea MORE CLASS PHOTOS Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Everyone loves photos, especially Erika, so today we got a few more shots of some of the classes, students and teachers at Maewill. Make sure you click on the images to see the high-res versions. And thank you to all the staff and students for the big smiles! THE ADVENTURES OF FIONA April 2008
If you're in Queensland then you have to do what Rafael did - visit Maewill Gold Coast. Rafael studied and worked at MEC in Sydney and while he was on the Gold Coast he stopped in to visit Fiona. Fiona runs the Gold Coast campus and has been very busy recently. She's just come back from Japan where she met up with Cynthia (and a couple of pandas). And she's off to New Zealand soon too! So remember, if you're in Queensland, you have to visit the staff and students at Maewill Gold Coast. POWERHOUSE
MUSEUM Friday, 04 April 2008
Friday was a cold but sunny day as Sally, Ann and 20 students went to Sydney to visit the Powerhouse Museum. We got off at the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and walked to the museum, eating chips and Freddos along the way. The high school students had come to see the 'Ecologic' exhibition because they had been studying global warming and calculating their ecological footprint in class. There were many interesting displays and even an ecological toilet. We all realised that the products we buy have far too much packaging but that good design can be a valuable tool when addressing sustainability.
After that, many students went with Sally to see the Princess Diana exhibition, which Ryan described as 'very touching.' Meanwhile, Phillip made a short film starring himself and Lewis posed next to the 'Lost in Space' robot. Peter enjoyed the trains and aeroplanes other students sat in an electric chair. After the powerhouse, some students went to Paddy's Market and Chinatown while others went on a city tour visiting Darling Harbour, the
QVB, Hyde Park, the Botanical Gardens and the Opera House. It was Manuela's (Germany) last day so we decided to catch the ferry back instead of the bus. The views are much nicer from the ferry. Dani said that she was very tired the next day from so much walking! Excursions are so much fun and a great time to get to know each other. GOLD COAST NEWS for March 2008
There's
been lots of action on the Gold Coast as usual. The students celebrated Easter
with a party that included plenty of chocolate. Daniel, Chris & Augusto were
the the quiz champions! The highlight of the 'Miami Brazilian Cafe' activity
must have been the caramel churros' - Guilherme looks very scared (or incredibly
hungry!) And what do you do if you've got some free time? Karaoke in Surfers Paradise
of course! CURRENT SCHOOL PHOTOS Wednesday, 02 April 2008
There are quite a few different classes at Maewill so it's difficult to get photos of them all: General English, Academic English and IELTS preparation, High School preparation and Conversation classes. Here are just a few of the students and teachers at Maewill. Thanks to classes 5B, 3C, 4C and of course, the amazing 2B! Stay tuned for more next week...
MAEWILL ALUMNI March 2008
Roberto graduated from Maewill this month. He's been preparing for the IELTS test and is now taking a well deserved break. We look forward to seeing you soon Roberto and keep studying for your IELTS test (especially writing!) We also had a visit from Bin Chen (Brian) who graduated from Preparation for High School class and is now well into his studies at St Luke's. TEN PIN BOWLING Friday, 27 March 2008
Though many of the current Maewill crop had yet to try their hand at bowling, the students were bowled over by the day's activities. On arriving at the centre, students measured up their shoes sizes in order to choose a pair of bowling shoes. Whilst some were a little over optimistic in what they thought their size was, the students got straight into the games and began displaying their mastery and imagination with the balls. From underhand and double-hand bowl, to no-look-walking-away-strike-out-oh-did-i-just-do-that bowl, all the students got into the excitement and competition of it all. Maewill took out 6 lanes and the students competed against each other.
Many of the students surprised themselves at the skills they put on show and some even managed to achieve the fabled "strike out"! Others chose the 'Bumper Bowling' option to avoid those dreaded gutter balls. Curiosity got the better of the proverbial cat and soon Marty, Dave, Kevin and the boys were testing their skills with the bowling slide, which assists with bowling more accurately. The students were bitterly disappointed to have to finish after two games, but an exhilarating and great way to start the weekend. The day was a 'strike out'!! EASTER PARTY Thursday, 20 March 2008
Easter is an important public holiday in Australia - it's also one of the most popular because it means that everyone will have a long long weekend - Friday and Monday are both public holidays. To celebrate students enjoyed chocolate eggs (and bunnies) and tried hot cross buns - a traditional Easter treat. And the Preparation for High School students tried their hand at egg painting under the expert tutelage of Katy.
ST PATRICK'S DAY Monday, 17 March 2008
On Monday afternoon the staff and students celebrated Ireland's most famous holiday - St Patrick's Day. The day was particularly meaningful to Sara who is from Ireland (but why wasn't she wearing green?) Daniel, Fran and Maria did remember to wear green - well done. There was food and a crazy coloured drink - green of course! And after the food and drink was finished? Back to class to continue studying.
WELCOME DAMIEN AND MICHAEL March 2008
There are two new teachers at Maewill, Michael and Damien. They're both Aussies and Michael has Czech citizenship too! Damien's been travelling and teaching English in England and Switzerland for the last 7 years. He's now back in Australia and studying Sports Science at university. Be sure to say 'Hi and welcome to Maewill' if you see them around. SHELLY BEACH Friday, 14 March 2008
The
conditions were perfect for a BBQ on Friday. For many students it was their
first BBQ in Australia and their first time to Shelly Beach. Here's what they
thought. Sebastian said, "It was an amazing activity because we shared time with the students and were able to play some sports. It was a nice sight to see all the students together. I hope we do it again".
Santy said, "Oooo.....(eyes reminiscing!), it was beautiful! Everything was beautiful. The friendship. The time we spent with each other. The time we spent with the other college (ed. 'who gate crashed our party!!). The girls on the beach. They were beautiful. Everything was beautiful!"
Lus said, "A nice experience. It was a wonderful day and we played many crazy games. It was my first time at Shelly Beach and I had a great time."
And the loquacious Aimee thought it was 'Fantastic!' So, all in all a great day. The boys, and a few girls, had a challenging time learning the rules of touch rugby and the idea of passing backwards was difficult to pick up, but they got there in the end. Despite Aimee's pleas to allow tackling and clothes-lining into the game, the game progressed into a fast and furious encounter.
Lewis tested the water with the lads from Peru and Colombia and after a feed of snags and steaks, everybody chowed down on icecream (some even trying the steak icecream speciality....ergh!!) TARONGA ZOO Friday, 07 March 2008
We all had a lovely day and avoided the rain for once. The new students especially enjoyed the ferry from Circular Quay where they got to see the famous sights of
Sydney i.e. the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Sebastian said the zoo was amazing. He saw a lot of interesting animals. "The ferry was so beautiful, I could see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and got some excellent photos. We saw a
Tasmanian devil eat a rat." Tyler liked the sky safari, travelling over the zoo and seeing all the animals. He enjoyed the tigers which he said were very active and all the African animals, the hippo, the zebras and the rhinos as did Lucas.
Miki and TT enjoyed the elephant talk and thought they were funny and cute. They also said the koalas were cute but too lazy and the tiger was very crazy and moved around a lot. They thought the seal looked sad and shy.
Dave's favourite animal was the lion because it was very handsome. He didn't like the elephants because they were very fat.
Lucas' favourite animal was the red back spider because it's dangerous. INDOOR
ROCK CLIMBING Friday, 29 February 2008
Last Friday, we went indoor rock-climbing near the school. We were very excited before arriving there. Everyone listened and followed the instructions carefully because for most of us, it was the first time trying it. Some students mastered it well, but some didn't. They had a scared look on their faces. However, we all had great fun.
CHINESE YOUTH ARTS PERFORMANCE February 2008 There were some special visitors to Maewill this week - the Chinese Youth Arts Performers have just completed a lightning tour of venues in Sydney and before they left for China they managed a final performance at MEC. Students were treated to a selection of traditional and contemporary Chinese music, dance and performance. On behalf of all the staff, students and teachers at Maewill, thank you for sharing a piece of Chinese culture!
- More News here
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