M O N T H LY M A G A Z I N E
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JOIN IN Enjoy! really! w e l o v e i t !
2007-2008
T O R R A S I B AG E S h school the best hig
Torras i Bages 40th anniversary
e s r u o c This Monday First day at school Here we are again!
Tuesday Our ideal teacher We know he´s out there, but where?
Wednesday Five ideas to improve our school Suggestions!
Thursday Jessy factfile
O UR F I R S T D AY
T
he first day back at Torras i Bages, we
arrived at school feeling nervous as it was the first day of class. We were enthusiastic about returning to see our friends but we were tired. The entrance was rebuilt but not yet finished, everything was a mess and it was hard to enter because there were many cables and ladders along the corridors. In our new classroom we found a surprise, we have a new computer! We went to class and found that we had new classmates. Last year the class was very talkative but this year it isn’t because the
naughty students have repeated the year and this year there are some who are repeating the course in our class and they are quiet. As our tutor was abroad with other students, our technology teacher from last year taught us. Our class didn’t have a blackboard so we had to move, only to write the timetable and listen to information and new rules of the school. The day was very short and we went home when the teacher finished.
My life
Friday Our trip to El Periodico We are with real reporters! What a hard life it is!
AND MUCH MORE..........
First day at school
O
ur first day at school was normal. We saw all the teachers, our friends and classmates again. The head teacher did a speech to us all. There wasn’t any electricity and some books didn’t arrive on time. Most of the teachers were new and some teachers weren´t there because they were in France with third and fourth year students. In our class there are two new students. One of them is from Bulgaria and the other one from Ecuador. The teachers explained their subjects, and the new teachers introduced themselves. At five o’clock we went home and we were tired. That’s all.
Our first day at school was terrible because it was being rebuilt and the fire alarm wouldn’t stop and it prevented the headmaster from talking. Later in the classroom our ”tutor” gave us our timetable. That day we had woken up at seven o’clock, so we were the first to arrive to the high school Torras and Bages .
Go up!. Our friends are waiting for us!
Our first day at school was crazy. There wasn’t any electricity. Because of this, the printers and computers didn’t work and the teachers couldn’t give us any photocopies. The school was being rebuilt. It lasted 2 or 3 days. In the first week some teachers didn’t come to school because they were abroad in France. They arrived a week later. Our classroom was a little different from last year because there was a new computer. Also, there were new classmates: Desislav and Leonel. Desislav comes from Bulgaria, and Leonel from Ecuador. Desislav doesn’t speak Spanish and we help him all we can, speaking to him in English. Another change was the timetable. On Mondays, in the evening we finish at 6 o’clock and in the 2nd of ESO we finish at 5 o’clock. On Wednesdays and Fridays, we have got 1 break and last year we had two breaks. Esmeralda and Laura
FIVE IDEAS TO IMPROVE OUR SCHOOL
More time Before the end of each class , the teachers must let us have fifteen minutes to do our homework. Because if we have a lot of homework for the next day, we’ll get stressed.
5 ideas
Trips
We need to have more trips to other places that we haven’t visited yet. Because we need to know about other cultures and places.
We are going to write five brilliant ideas to improve our school:
Important Classrooms Improve the classrooms because they are a bit dirty. I think that all the pupils can paint them together.
Teachers The teachers aren’t mean to the pupils.
More important Time Computers Lockers We think that we need lockers for a place to leave our books. Because some days our bags are very heavy.
We think that the computers should work better. Because we will be faster looking for information.
They should cut the hours spent in the institute.
Speaking That we can speak more with our friends in the classroom.
Very important Teachers
That the teachers are beautiful.
Conclusion Better equipment
As you can see, there are lots of things to do! MIguel and Daniel
We think that we need better equipment for sports.
Maryam and Mireia
Five ideas to improve our school Same levels in each class. At present in the classes there are some students who are more intelligent than others. Therefore there are very different levels and there are students that don’t progress and get bored. To improve this problem we think that students should be divided into different levels.
S G N I SAY Building The building needs to be redecorated because it looks old-fashioned and it needs a new, more modern image. Though this year the windows and the parking are new, the colour of the building is dull.
Find the sayings which correspond to the definitions.
SAYINGS To be caught red handed There is no pleasure without pain.
He has green fingers To live from hand to mouth
Many kiss the hand they wish to cut off Take the rough with the smooth More time between classes
Lockers In our school we don’t have lockers and we need them because we carry many unnecessary books every day. If we have lockers we could carry just the books we need to study and to do homework.
Between classes there isn’t enough time. We think that we need more time to relax because if we are relaxed, we will learn quicker. During this time, we would remain in the classroom peacefully and we would have a rest.
What can´t be cured must be endured No gain without pain.
DEFINITIONS a.You say this about someboy who has just enough to live on.
b. Without effort, there is no real satisfaction. c. This means that you have been found doing something forbidden Fights Sometimes there are fights in front of the school after classes. This is a bad image. We suggest having more surveillance or the police around because the teachers can’t stop them.
NOW IN CATALAN How many equivalent Catalan sayings can you write? -
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Our Ideal Teacher ur ideal teacher is a handsome boy. He is tall and strong. He wears tight T-shirts to show his fit body. He has got light brown eyes and hair. He has got a perfect smile and a small nose. He is very friendly. He teaches very well because he explains everything. He respects us and does unforgettable activities with us. He teaches P.E. and his lessons are funny. He doesn’t only teach P.E though, He teaches us to be people. He listens to our opinions and gives us good advice. Five minutes before the end of the lesson he puts relaxing music on and we do massages amongst classmates.
O
Our ideal teacher is Marcos Sanchez because in P.E classes we
person. We trust him. He isn’t as boring as other teachers. We´ve had very good times with him! He doesn’t demand too much of us. He is very nice and a comforting person. We trust him. He isn’t as boring as other teachers. We´ve had very good times with him! He
Our ideal teacher has long, curly, dark hair, green eyes, gold earrings and is thin. She is beautiful, active, cheerful, intelligent, hard-working, strict and a nice woman.
can do what we like.
Our ideal teacher is tall, thin and
While in the tutorial classes, he is
fit . He has got brown eyes and
quite strict.
short, black and straight hair. He
He is a very nice and comforting
always wears designer clothes.
• Handsome • reliable • active
"The mediocre teacher
• funny
tells. The good teacher
• strict
explains. The superior The great teacher inspires." --William Arthur Ward
is tall thin and fit . He has got brown eyes and short, black and straight hair. He always wears designer clothes.He teaches P.E. and his lessons are funny.He doesn’t teach P.E only, he teaches us to be people. He listens to our opinions and gives us good advice. Five minutes before the end of the lesson he puts on relaxing music and we do massages amongst classmates.
O u r id e a l te a c h e r
teacher demonstrates.
doesn’t demand too much of us.He
Does this person ex ist?! The students are very de manding as you can see!
A teacher has dissapeared: Students suspected
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ho disappeared? A Catalan teacher. a) When did the teacher disappear? Last Monday. b) Who was the last person who saw him? The 3rd year students 5th . Group A. c) Has the teacher got any enemies? No, he hasn’t. d) Did the teacher leave any clues? No, he didn’t. e) Was the teacher married? Yes, he was. f) Has the teacher got any problems with his wife? Yes, he has. g) Has the teacher ever been to prison? No, he hasn’t. h) i) j) k)
Did the teacher belong to the mafia ? No, he didn’t. Was the teacher loved by his pupils? Yes, he was. What do you think has happened? I don’t know. Where were you when the disappearance happened? We were in geography class.
Police interview
l)
The police are investigating
Do you think that it could be someone from the school? It could be.
was in class teaching and he went to the toilet and never came back. He is a good person.The teacher has disappeared possibly, because of an act of jealousy. He was last seen at 10:37 a.m.
The Catalan teacher has dissapeared The catalan teacher
There’s a small group of students who did not like him and also two
teachers who were angry with him because he was everybody’s favourite teacher. The possible suspects of the kidnapping are the teachers or that group of 1.-How did he disappear? students. 2-Is he a good person? The catalan teacher was in class teaching and he went to the toilet and never 3.-Why did the most beloved teacher came back. disappear? He is a good person. 4.-What time was he kidnapped? The teacher has disappeared maybe, because of an act of jealousy. 5.-Has he got any enemies? He was last seen at 10:37 a.m. 6.-Who are the possible perpetrators of There’s a small group of students who did not like him and also two teachers the kidnapping? who were angry with him because he was everybody’s favourite teacher. 7.-Is he the first person who has The possible authors of the kidnapping are the teachers or that group of disappeared? students. 8.-Why did they take him? It wasn’t the first disappearance. The same thing happened to a P.E teacher 9.-Is he bold and strong? ten years ago. 10.-Has he had a relationship with a Nobody had reasons for kidnapping him. student? He was bald but some hair was left in the toilet, it belonged to the kidnappers. 11.-Why didn’t they leave a ransom He had a relationship with Mireia Muñoz Bellido and Maryam Badr. letter? There wasn’t any evidence of a rescue or a rescue letter. 13.-Is the English teacher jealous of Mariam is jealous of Mireia. him?
GIGGLESWICK EXCHANGE e have been on an school exchange and we had an english girl stay in our house. They arrived in Spain on the 7th February. They came to our school and we met up with them. We went to the languages classroom and we ate something. Later they went to Barcelona and we did normal classes. They returned at 5 o’clock and we met them at the school
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door and we went home. Later we went to the shopping center and we drank something. We returned home. That night they met our familys.
we went to the disco. At 10 we returned home.
The second day we went to school as usual. We left our english friends at the school door. We went to class and they visited Barcelona again. We met them at 5 o’clock in the school entrance. At 6.30
A NOT HER V IEW Second day: They stay
their teachers all
ed with
day and in the
afternoon we went
(up&down) until ha
-First day: They arrived at half past eleven and the teachers prepared a welcome: there was some food (bread with tomatoes, strawberries, sausage, and some drinks). When they finished eating, they went with their teachers and at half past five they returned to school to meet us. We went to la farga: we went shopping and then we went to have a drink in a bar.
to the disco
lf past nine.
Third day: They we nt out without us. We did n’t see them all the day. Fourth day: We we nt to the beach in Sitges . We ate lunch and then we played volleyball. Th en, we went to meet them and we found them at chur ch of Sitges.
-Fifth day: In the morning they stayed with th eir teachers and visite d Barcelona and at ha lf past
five they return to school to meet us. We we nt for a walk in the aftern oon.
Extra-curricular activities at Torras i Bages
T
here are different extracurricular activities at Torras i Bages: basketball, football, aerobics, karate, revision classes , volleyball and other activities for parents. In basketball there is a mixed team but in football there is one girl team and there are a few boy teams and there is a parents team too.There is one volleyball team.There are a lot of people in the karate group. Many students go to the revision classes because there is a teacher that helps you with your homework. These activities take place from Mondays to Fridays but the teams sometimes play at weekends. Last year I did aerobics and Football is the most popular sport in our centre football but this year I play football. My coach´s name is Ivan and he’s studying at Torras i Bages school. He is 17 students that go to an activity years old and he’s very friendly and very course.. The AMPA are the handsome. I play in this team organisers of these activities. At because I like it and we have fun.. the end of the course the AMPA In our class, there are many give trophys to the best teams and to the best players.
Another student´s opinion There are a lot of extracurricular activities for entertainment at Torras I Bages. The activities that the school provides this year are: Football, volleyball, karate, aerobics, homework, football for parents, chess, guitar and basketball. The schedules of
these activities aren’t very organized, but, for every extra-curricular activity, there is an hour or two hours a week, (depending on the activities). They are usually practised in the afternoon from 5 o’clock to 9 o’clock at night. The AMPA (parents association) also supplies the sports uniforms and material. Activity prices aren’t very expensive, and it is easy to pay (usually every month): the most expensive one is 30 euros . Many people that teach these activities are school students (older than us) because they like teaching. Every week day there are different extra-school activities: Tuesdays and Thursdays- aerobics Mondays , Wednesdays and Fridays- football... In our opinion these activities are very important because we meet our friends and enjoy ourselves.
TORRAS I BAGES 4O th ANNIVERSARY Torras i Bages school was inagurated at the end of October of 1968 with 600 pupils who used its classrooms and who were excited to start a new chapter in their lives. There were new teachers who were enthusiastic to share their knowledge with the new students. Society in the last few years has changed a lot and so has education. Torras i Bages started with a high school degree of 6 years and after that it was 3 years of BUP and COU but now we are studying ESO (4 years) and
“bachillerato” (2 years). The 23rd April, which is the day of Sant Jordi, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Torras i Bages. At nine o’clock, the teachers joined us in the gym and they handed us the prizes for poetry and for the narrative competition. After that, we went on a bicycle race around Hospitalet which lasted 2 hours. When we arrived at school, the teachers and some pupils who hadn ´t raced had prepared a meal. The meal was sausages with bread (“pa amb
tomàquet”) and drinks.
Dear , dilapidated building !
Duis montes
a no th er vi e w
On the 23rd of April, our high school Torras i Bages celebrated Saint George, a traditional catalan festivity in which men give a rose to women and women give men a book. And we also celebrated the 40th anniversary of our high school inauguration. That morning we did a bike race, and we gave prizes for Catalan and Spanish literature, and for the “Cangur”, a maths challenge. While a lot of people were cycling, the others were doing
activities in the sc hool playground. And fin ally, when the cyclists arrived, all of us ate “butifa rras”, “chorizos”, and “pa amb tomàquet”. We did a book crossing, too. Unfortunately we couldn’t participate in the festivity, but our friends to ld us that it was a grea t day because it was funn y and
there were a lot of different activities
.
An interview with a new student
H
i! We are writing an interview for a school magazine. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?
What is your name? My name is Ivan Miroslavov Ivanov How old are you? I am fifteen Where are you from? I am from Bulgaria Do you have family in Spain? Yes, I my mother, my father and my brother are here. Where do you live? In L’Hospitalet de Llobregat Why did you move to l’Hospitalet? Because my parents were here. Do you like this city? What do you like and what do you dislike? Yes, I like it. I like everything about it. What is your opinion about the school and your classmates? The school is cool and I have found some friends here, and everyone is really nice. What are your feelings here? At the beginning I was really angry because I didn’t want
to come here, but my parents made me come and now I like it. Do you have difficulties with spanish and catalan? Yes, I do. I have difficulties with both languages. Do you like our traditional food? Yes, I do. What was your timetable in your country? And what was your routine? Well it was very fun. School in Bulgaria starts at 7:30, and finishes at 2:00. After that I would go out with a friend and I make up hip-hop songs, but usually I would hang out with my friends. In Bulgaria you have to be at home at 11:00, but I wasn’t. At weekends we would have parties, and stay there. Did you practise any sports in your country? And here? I practised football for 2 years and after that I did handball for 3 years, and now I don’t practise any sports. Would you like to go back to your country? Why? Why not? Yes, I do want to because I have a lot of friends there and everyone speaks the language which i understand.
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Visiting York
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York is the place where the students of our school will visit when they go to the change with Giggleswick. The students who went there last year enjoyed it a lot , that’s the reason why our school always goes there. They told us that it was a fantastic trip, so we decided to look for some information, here it is: York is a historic walled city in North Yorkshire, England, at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss. York was the county town of Yorkshire, to which it lent its name. Important things of York are: Walls : The English city of York has, since Roman times, been defended with walls of one form or another. Actually York is the city in England that
has got more km of wall than any other cities. Minster Cathedral: is the secondlargest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. It is the seat of the Archbishop of York (the second-highest office of the Church of England).
The MInster
A Minster Gothic detail
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! the Roman Walls
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A trip to Com Radio and El Periódico entertaining moment of the evening! When it finished the presenter invited them to come again at any time. The students enjoyed this experience very much.
T
he institute Torras i Bages (in L’Hospitalet del Llobregat) assisted at a radio station; ComRadio. When they arrived, they visited the station and the students enjoyed seeing the specialists journalists working. The station was very big and beautiful. As a surprise, they were interviewed on the radio by the presenter Miquel Gimenez, from 8 p. m until 9 p.m. The presenter asked a few questions relating to studies, boyfriends and music. It was the most
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Miguel Gimenez, the reporter we met
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El Pe ri od ico The process A few of us went to “ El Periodico ” by bus. At half past nine we left the school. We arrive there at half past ten. There, we watched a video and then , the guide showed us the factory and she explained how people work at nights. These newspapers are produced in this factory : -“El Periodico” -“Sport” -Leaflets (Decathlon…)
The process is as follows: -First, the machine s carry on the rolls of paper to the ware house until they are used . -Later, the rolls of paper are unwrappe d with a machine and transported to an other machine.
-Then, the newspa pers are made with the rolls of paper and the
machine.
Interview with an experienced teacher, Mª Jesús Pérez We are going to interview one of the first teachers that teaches at this Secondary school. She is a Maths teacher.
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-Do you like being a teacher at Torras i Bages?
Yes , I like it very much . -How many years have you been in this school?
32 years. -Have the students changed a lot in recent years?
Very much, mostly their interest, discipline has got worse as the pupils behave worse than before. -How has the maths programme changed in the last few years?
Practically the programme hasn’t changed. Before there were 5 hours and now there are 3. That’s how it has changed. Nearly by 30%..
-Do you think that it’s difficult to teach maths to pupils?
Yes, it’s hard because the pupils always resist from learning. -Do you find many students interested in maths? And how many took the degree in maths?
Some of them. More than interested, some are very good at maths. I’m not sure about how many students took the degree in maths. I think 4 or 5.
Numbers are everywhere
-If you hadn’t studied maths, what subject would you have studied?
Medicine. -Do you enjoy your time teaching here?
Globably yes. Good times outnumber bad. More satisfaction than dissapointment. Prova El Cangur
-Is teaching maths tiring?
I like teaching very much and I don’t get tired. -Why did you decide to be a maths teacher?
I decided to teach maths because it was the best job I could choose. I like it so I do it..
My school
Interview to the Headmistress, Conchita Guasch The current head teacher of IES Torras i Bages is Conchita Guasch. She teaches history at this school.
wanted to have a degree came to school and now it’s different, a lot of mixed ability students come.
1. How long have you been teaching in this school?
5. How does immigration affect the school?
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27 years.
2. How long have you been head of this school? 8 years. 3. Are the students more problematic now? In a school where there are 600 people, it’s inevitable that there will be problems, it’s normal. It depends on the people too. 4. And in the past, how were the students? In the past only the pupils who
There is more diversity now. In the past the people who came, were Spanish, and now they come from China, Japan, Bulgaria.. 6. How´s the school´s appearance changed in the last few years? There is more tecnology now. We have improved a lot, but we have to continue improving it. 7. Has the students academic level changed? Why? In the past only the students who wanted to do ca degree came here, and now pupils don’t
know what they want to do, and a lot of them don`t finish their studies. 8. Why did you become a head teacher? Because I like administration. I did a project and I passed it. 9. Do you like your job? A lot. 10. How long are you going to be headmistre ss for? Until June.
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Our classmates are nice, the majority of the students get on well with each other.
Why study at Torras i Bages school? Our school is the best in L´Hospitalet because: The building is bright, big and comfortable. The teacher sta are friendly, although some of them are quite demanding and bossy.
The level is good. We could do much more but we are very lazy. There are many extra-school activities and trips organised
by the foreign languages departament. In short,we like our schoo. We think that we are lucky to study here.
ALT 3 YEAR 2 0 0 7 /0 8
R e p o r te r s Lorena Alés Miriam Bard
Thanks to the students and teachers who have participated in this project. Rosa Bastida
Jessica Balino Esmeralda Callejas MIquel Calpe Andrea Castro Eli Cruz Cristina Diaz Jaqueline Guajala Laura Mellado Mireia Muñoz
Ana Ruiz Dani Serrano 3rd A-B-C
IES TORRAS I BAGES Avda. Can Serra 101, L’Hospitalet de Ll.
e ng li sh D e p art me nt Ro s a Bast id a, Car me R oi g . year 2007/08