Saint Valentine's...What a load of crap!!!!

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Valentine’s Day…what a load of crap !

I can’t stand Valentine’s Day. I really can’t. I can’t stand the cards and I can’t stand the cheesy music. I really can’t stand them. You see. I’m single guy and Valentine’s Day just reminds me of that fact. For me, Valentine’s Day is a reminder that I’m alone. Valentine’s Day reminds me that I don’t have anyone to give roses to. It reminds me that I don’t have anyone to listen to cheesy, romantic music with. Valentine’s Day really rubs my face in the fact that I’m a loser in love. I really can’t stand that. In fact I hate Valentine’s Day. I abhor it. I loathe it. Do you get the picture?

Let’s start with the music. It’s cringe worthy Radio and TV stations go into romantic overdrive. Don’t shake your head and tell me that I’m imagining all this. Seriously, I really can’t stand the cheesy music that radio stations play on Valentine’s Day. That’s not to say that I’m music a snob. I enjoy a love song from time to time. I even enjoy a bit of Mariah Carey in the shower. But Valentine’s Day just takes it to a whole new level. Come on!!! You know exactly what I mean. You turn on the radio on the way to work and it’s love, love, love. You turn on your TV to watch the news at night and what do you get? More love,love,love. You open up applications on your smartphones and…you guessed it! Even more chessy love. Pass the sick bag.

And another thing! Chocolate didn’t even exit when Saint Valentine walk the Earth. How then did chocolate get hijacked by LOVE? Here’s how I see it. Chocolate is delicious. Chocolate is sensuous. Chocolate is indulgent. Delicious is good, right? Sensuous is great. And indulgent just rocks my world So why restrict chocolate to just one day? Don’t you want to eat delicious, sensuous and indulgent chocolate everyday? Especially on normal days when the price hasn’t been marked up by 75%. That’s not say that I`m a cheapskate. I’m anything but cheapskate. Cheapskate is just not a word in my vocabulary. But I can’t stand being ripped off when I want a little bit of chocolate around Valentine’s Day. It makes me see red.

And red is all I see, literally and figuratively around Valentine’s Day.I see red every time I go into a shop. Honestly, it’s everywhere I go. I go into the supermarket to buy some chocolate and I see red. Figuratively speaking, I go crazy. I go into a petrol station to pay for my petrol and in ten seconds, I see red. On the walls, on the counter; there’s red stuff everywhere. Don’t you think Saint Valentine himself would see red if he were to come back and walk among us again? For s start, he’d think we only ate chocolate and danced to Phil Collins ballads.

But there’s one Valentine’s cliché that’s worse than all others. It’s worse than the cheesy love songs on the radio. What am I talking about? Go no, what have I left out? Think about it. I’ve left out the most obvious Valentine’s Day cliché: red roses. Listen, I think red roses are lovely, but they are when you don’t feel that you must buy them. You must present them to your loved one in the most spectacular way. You must buy a variety without thorns and you mustn`t think about how much they will cost you. That’s too many `musts` for a day that celebrates love.

If I still haven`t convinced you that Valentine`s Day is a load of crap, well you can`t win them all! Maybe you`re one of those hopeless romantics who loves cheesy songs, expensive chocolates and red roses. After all, what do I know? I`m single.

 

  By Justin McCarthy.

Life at school

We have selected another essay by one of our students. We hope you like it.

I SPENT SOME OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE AT SCHOOL. IS THAT TRUE FOR YOU?

      Yes, it's true. I spent some of the best days of my life at school. There have been bad times, I have spent nights studying, I worked very hard and then I failed. But it is also true that I had a lot of unforgettable moments with people I loved. There have been sentences, opportunities and events that are remembered with a smile. Of course, there are people to whom I have affection and I have known at school. I have always learned something new, some value or knowledge. For that, all worth it.    
      On the other hand, I would like to be a teacher in a future and it is beautiful to see young people involved with their work, showing passion and commitment. They love what they do and they give you the best of themselves to complete their education and be a better person. It is really an admirable profession because it is necessary much vocation and to have infinite patience.
       I think we shouldn't believe that it is a waste of time because in the end you are just forming, it is essential to have a good education and defend you with your knowledge in life. It is important to keep that in mind and know that not everything is an effort to study and spend part of your free time. Although this is also true, it is not only that, it's more than that because it's exclusively for you, for yourself. And the mistake of a lot of people is that they are not able to see that everyday there are other people giving them values. And these last ones are the most important in life, because science, history, English or French can be very useful in life but very little will serve you if you have no principles such as respect, education, honesty or loyalty. These values are also reinforced in classes such as philosophy and perhaps are not too considered. However, for me, it is more important. It is a subject that humanizes, which teaches knowledge but also educates in values.
      To conclude, I would like to say that if we all speak with sincerity and really appreciate the daily work in classrooms, we all could say that we have experienced some special and memorable day at school.


Essay written by Rocío Gallego Rodriguez. 2º bachillerato A

New Conversation Club

Next Wednesday we're starting our brand new conversation club. It will be held every Wednesday at break time in classroom 212. The inital idea is to form groups of up to seven students who want to put their English into practice with our teacher assistant Aimee Foster.
If you love English and want to improve your fluency in oral English, please contact your teacher and enrol in this new experience. Remember that English is fun.

Poster to promote the activity

Fire drill in our high

Fire drills are a big part of being safe in school: They prepare you for what you need to do in case of a fire.

Schools are required to conduct a minimum number of fire drills each year and will generally conduct a drill near the beginning of the school year. (Today, 3rd of December, we're running one in our high school) The purpose of these drills is to make sure that the school building can be completely and quickly evacuated in an orderly manner. A little practice can help to eliminate panic in the event of a real fire.

In Case of Fire

In the event of an actual fire, it is very important that members of the school staff do not panic and work to keep all students calm. A quick and orderly evacuation of students and personnel should be the top priority. Other important steps are to sound the fire alarm and to close classroom and office doors after exiting. Closing the door behind you can help to minimize the spread of smoke and fire. Do not try to fight the fire yourself, just get out as quickly and calmly as possible.

The Purpose of the Fire Drill

Fire drills are intended to ensure, by means of Training and Rehearsal that in the event of fire:

• The people who may be in danger act in a calm and orderly manner.
• Those people who may have designated responsibilities carry out their tasks to ensure the safety of all concerned.
• The escape routes are used in accordance with a Predetermined and Practised Plan.
• Evacuation of the building is achieved in a speedily and orderly manner.
• To promote an attitude of mind where-by persons will react rationally when confronted with a fire or other emergency at school or elsewhere.
  

 Evacuation

• On hearing the fire alarm, pupils must be instructed to leave the building in single file and in a calm, orderly manner.
• The person in charge of each class must indicate the exit route to be used and everyone must be directed to a Predetermined Assembly Point.
• Specific arrangements must be made for pupils with physical or mental disabilities to ensure that they are assisted during evacuation.
• No running is to be permitted to avoid panic.
• On staircases everyone must descend in single file. Overtaking of classes or individuals must not be permitted.
• Anyone who is not in class when the fire alarm sounds must go immediately to the assembly point.
• No one must be allowed to re-enter the building until told to do so by the Fire Service in attendance, or, in the case of a fire evacuation drill the senior person in charge.
  

Assembly

• An area outside the school premises must be designated as an assembly point.(The entrance of the school and the bus park)

To revise Future tenses, have a look at this video from the Flatmates series

Creative essays for unit 1 in 1º Bachillerato

After Unit 1, students of First of Bachillerato had to make up a story using some of these words from the unit: watch out!, foreign, exotic, goal, rural, tour guide, crowded, isolated, give up, rafting, face, journey, landmark.

Here are some of the best essays. We hope you like them.

The great rescue. (by Nerea Pérez)

Last summer, something that I'll never forget happened. It all began when my dad told me that we were going to go to a rural, foreign village in the mountains. The first thing I said was "Are you serious?" I didn't want to go to an isolated village. I wanted to go to a big city full of interesting landmarks. It was going to be the worst journey I've ever been on, but my parents had already decided.

We arrived at nine o'clock in the morning, and a tour guide was going to take us to a river to do rafting. I thought it was dangerous and I didn't want to do that, but I think it would be a great goal to achieve in that journey. We went hiking to the river. The route was very long, so I had time to speak with the tour guide. He seemed like a strange, but great man and I told him that I was afraid of doing rafting, but then he told me something that I'll never forget, "You have to face your fears and never give up."

When we arrived to the river, we got into the boat. It was crowded! There were eight people in each boat!

We began to go through the rapids, and suddenly a little girl fell from the boat. Everybody shouted "Watch out!" but it was too late. Nobody tried to help her, but me. Even though I was really scared, I jumped from the boat and I rescued her. It was amazing!

I just remembered the words that the tour guide told me. Now, I know that facing my fears can save a life. The girl was okay, and those were the best holidays of my life.

Untitled (by Raquel Carriquí)

Our goal was to go on a journey to a rural, but exotic place. It was very expensive, but we didn’t give up. We faced the problem, we looked for villages in foreign countries and they were cheaper! We decided to go to an isolated village in France. We did many activities there, such as rafting and hiking... Then, we wanted to visit one of the landmarks of the village, but we had to cross a crowded street. When we were crossing that street, someone shouted at me, “Watch out!” and then, I crashed into a cyclist. Luckily, I came out uninjured.

Untitled (By Alicia Martínez)

Have you ever thought how it would be the feeling after achieving a goal that everybody thinks is almost impossible? Kylie wanted to know, so she decided to set off a long journey all around the world from the most isolated places to the most cosmopolitan cities. One day she woke up and she said,  " Today is the day, " and she started organising the trip. Everybody thought that it would be a mistake and that she would give up in a few days, but all of them were were wrong. She travelled alone and she brought with her a video camera, but also a very important thing: a notebook. She decided to write all her thoughts and experiences during the trip, like a diary, but she didn't imagine that such an insignificant book would become one of the most famous books of the moment, many tv programmes and journalists would be interested in her. Kylie started visiting isolated and exotic places and rural areas because she lives in a big city and she had left it. She didn't want to hire any tour guide or do any guided tour. She had an idea in her mind, she wanted to achieve this objective by her own, without any help and by this way, show to everybody how independent a woman can be and also that if you have a dream or whatever, nobody must try to stop it, you have to face problems that life puts in your way. You learn from mistakes and experiences.”Try to improve the person you are”, this is one of Kylie's mottos, a woman who has seen the most important landmarks like Coliseum, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and many more monuments which have been part of her amazing journey.

Now, Kylie lives in a crowded city in Germany and she continues writing; she has realised it is her passion. Don't stop dreaming,but watch out! Keep in mind that life is not like fiction.

SILES’ MEMORIES  (By Ramón Izquierdo)

The perfect place. An isolated village from the hustle and bustle of the modern city, amazing view points, colourful landscapes and the neverending list about things to cheer yourself.

Initially, the main landmark of the place is “El Cubo”, being an amazing building lifted in the arabic period. Across the village, I saw the people’s rural lifetime, who were taking conversations loudly window-to-window, hanging clothes on walls or eating the typical food. My journey was complete when an eloquent tour guide showed us what you can do in the Natural Park. The hilly landscape gives you the opportunity to do rafting, hiking, climbing, … you’ll never give up the chance to come again!

Moreover, in spite of the movement of the foreing people, the place is always relaxing, empty; never crowded. However… Watch out! Visiting strange earmarks can be fun while dangerous. Face your work problems, escape to the mother nature and achieve your goals !

Our new cultural assistant, Aimee, introduces herself

Hey!!! I’m Aimee, your local Canadian for the year! :)

A bit about me in case you’re curious: I’m from a small town in the North Peace Region of British Columbia, Canada. It’s usually cold and snowy here, for about eight months out of the year because we are so far north, but we still go outside and enjoy winter sports such as sledding, skating, floor hockey (hockey in a gym), and snowboarding. I love all of these sports, but my favorite is snowboarding. Also, we don’t live in igloos, but we make them for fun! It’s a beautiful region with a lot of farmland and the economy is maintained by a massive oil and gas industry.  

Currently, I live in the next province over, Alberta, where I’m pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Education. This province is known for its farming and Alberta Beef. My city, Lethbridge, is a bit smaller than Jaén and has a train bridge with a unique structure that makes it the largest of its kind in the world. (You can see in the picture below ↓.)

During the school year, I’m involved in campus activities including managing a club, organizing and hosting events, playing sports, and engaging in cultural events throughout the season. Conveniently, I also live about two hours away from two of the most beautiful national parks in Canada. When I have time, I love to go to the mountains to hike. I also join friends and go bridge jumping or tubing in our local canals and rivers during the summer. In both places I’ve lived, there is a lot of wildlife and in the national parks you can easily run into moose, bears, and occasionally a cougar.

I love learning about cultures, playing sports, and exploring nature. I’m excited to learn life Spanish, well Siles, style. As this is my first time in Spain (and in Europe) I have a lot to learn. I speak a little Spanish, but I’m still learning, so I may not understand when you speak to me...yet! By the end of the year, hopefully I can speak as fast as you. :)

Everyone in Siles has been warm and friendly; thank-you for welcoming me into your community! I look forward spending this year sharing with you and meeting more of you soon! :) See you around!