Newsletter December 2009 Volume 1, Issue 1
Inside this issue: Comenius Sept.2009
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School News
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Community news
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Problem Pages
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A Wonderful Week in Thouars Students from all 5 countries met up in September to plan the year ahead. See page 2 for more student perspectives.
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Comenius Project – Cultures Galore! At the end of September, students from Bexhill High School ventured into France, home to the famous Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Bayeux Tapestry and many more famous sites. The objectives of the trip were to be able to work in media teams of students from other countries, to learn about everyday life and the cultures of other countries. The Comenius project is named after Jan Amos Comenius, often considered the father of modern education. Comenius is aimed at schools, colleges, and local authorities across Europe. The project has two main aims – to develop knowledge and understanding among young people and education staff of the diversity of European cultures and languages and the value of this diversity. The second is to help young people to acquire basic life skills for their personal development, for future employment and for active European citizenship. Whilst working on the project the students from Bexhill worked with others from the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and France. It also gave one of the students, Natalie Packham, a chance to explain the peer mentoring scheme that Bexhill High has run successfully for many years. Students were given time to spend a day with their French exchange student and their host family, getting to know about the village of Thouars and the interesting lives they lead. When working on the project students from Bexhill High interviewed the publicity officer of the local Theatre in Thouars, in order to write up a report about the theatre’s place within the community and how it was working to reach its younger members and involve those who would not traditionally be interested in the theatre. The students from Bexhill were able to make a direct comparison to the entertainment and cultural facilities in their home town. Other interviews took place in local amenities across the town. All in all, new cultures observed positively by the students from the High School and a great time was had by all. For more in depth information on this school project visit this website - http:// www.britishcouncil.org/comenius.htm, and you and your school could participate in this worthwhile project! Alternatively, speak to one of the students already involved! Greg Thompson, Year 11
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Redaktionssitzung der Comenius-News in Thouars Das ist der Name der Online-Zeitung, die von europäischen Schulerinnen und Schülern der Graf-Friedrich-Schule aus Diepholz dem Lycée Jean Moulin aus Thouars und Schulen aus Slavicin (CZ), Castellammare-di-Stabia(I) und Bexhill-on-Sea (GB) im Rahmen des europäischen Bildungsprogrammes 'Comenius' seit letztem Jahr erstellt wird. Die Idee hinter diesem Projekt ist die Verbesserung der Kommunikation der Jugend in Europa. Nach der Premiere im letzten Jahr in Castellammare und deren Fortsetzung in Bexhill-on-Sea folgte nun die Neuauflage in Thouars, der Diepholzer Partnerstadt. Hierbei lag das Hauptaugenmerk neben den zahlreichen Besichtigungen der durch eine lange, interessante Geschichte geprägten Gegend auf den beiden Projekttagen in der Schule. Am ersten der beiden Tage wurden die Themen für das kommende Schuljahr herausgearbeitet, die hauptsächlich aus den Bereichen „Probleme in der Schule & Familie“ kamen. Hierzu werden im Laufe des Jahres Berichte auf einer „Problempage“ erscheinen. Diese Seite soll als Plattform für Schuler dienen, die Probleme im Alltag, also in der Schule und / oder der Familie, haben. Hier könnten in naher Zukunft Probleme erläutert, Erfahrungen ausgetauscht und Lösungsvorschläge vermittelt werden. Daneben werden in der Zeitung Artikel (in Deutsch, Englisch oder Französisch) über die am Projekt beteiligten Städte erscheinen. Die nächste europäische Veröffentlichung ist vor Weihnachten geplant. Die Schülergruppe trifft sich im März 2010 in Diepholz wieder, um die Redaktionsarbeit fortzusetzen. Die am Projekt beteiligten Lehrer nutzten die Zeit in Thouars, um Ideen zu einem neuen europäischen Bildungsprojekt ab dem Schuljahr 2010/11 zu sammeln. Voraussichtlich steht dann der europäische Film im Zentrum der Betrachtung. Gerrit Logemann, class 10
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CO2 league – Environmental issues Our team consisting of eight members, participated in CO2 league last month. And what kind of event is it? CO2 League is a competition where we test our knowledge of climate protection. The contest consisted of the following tasks: Introductory Seminar, Climate Campaign, a day without CO2, Conference (Uherské Hradiště) for the best four teams of secondary and primary schools. At the introductory seminar, we found a basic knowledge of climate protection, we discovered how CO2 is harmful to our country and what kind of prevention there can be and besides that we got to know how to prevent leakage of high CO2 into the atmosphere. The whole event started in our school last year in June. During September and October, we worked on the campaign intensively and our effort ended with the ´´the International Day of Climate Action´´, which is held on 24th October. Our activities were as follows: ¨Noticeboard, Painting for Prima, Presentation, E3guard, Press releases and Polls. On the Day of the climate we made a presentation and we turned off all computers at our school and teachers had only their laptops for the teaching. We had to present their work, we have done the whole climate campaign day without CO2. Here we were well acquainted with the work of other schools. Everything ended with a subsequent announcement of results and rewarding participants. It was very interesting experience for us. WHO´S the “E3 GUARD“? A person who has a duty in the school - to check after the lessons and during breaks - if the lights are turned off, - water is not flowing from the taps - and trashbins are not over-filled!!! We all enjoyed the competition!!! We learned many things and learn some new information how to be environmentally friendly!!! LIGA CO2
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LIGA CO2– Svetovy den zivotniho prostredi Naše družstvo skládající se z osmi členů, se účastnilo minulý měsíc CO2 ligy. CO2 liga je soutěž, kde jsme si vyzkoušeli své znalosti o ochraně klimatu. Soutěž se skládala z následujících úkolů: Úvodní seminář, Klimatická kampaň, Den bez CO2 a Konference v Uherském Hradišti pro nejlepší čtyři družstva ze středních a základních škol.Na úvodním semináři jsme zjistili základní znalosti o ochraně klimatu, dozvěděli jsme se, jak škodí CO2 naší zemi a jaká je prevence, abychom zabránili vysokému úniku CO2. Odehrávalo se to minulý školní rok v červnu. Během září a října jsme vymýšleli a následně uskutečnili naši klimatickou kampaň, kterou se zakončil Mezinárodní den za omezení přírodních katastrof , který je 24. října. Naše aktivity byli následující: Nástěnka, Malování pro Primu, Prezentaci, e3hlídka, Tisková zpráva a Ankety. V Den pro klima jsme uskutečnili prezentaci a vypnuli jsme všechny počítače na naší škole a nechali jen notebooky pro výuku.Vše jsme jim sepsali a poslali jim naši závěrečnou zprávu a dokumentaci. Nakonec jsme byli vybráni mezi čtyři nejúspěšnější střední školy a následně jsme jeli další měsíc na Konferenci do Uherského Hradiště.Museli jsme prezentovat svoji práci, kterou jsme udělali za celou klimatickou kampaň a Den bez CO2.Tady jsme byli i seznámeni s prácemi jiných škol. Vše končili následným vyhlášením výsledků a odměněním účastníků. KDO JE TO “E3 hlídka“? Hlídka, která má za povinnost: zkontrolovat po skončení přestávky chodby a záchody – aby bylo zhasnuto, netekla voda a koše byly vynesené. Všem se nám tato soutěž líbila. Naučili jsme se mnoho dalších věcí a dozvěděli nové informace, jak být šetrnější k životnímu prostředí!!!
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Au mois de novembre les activités de notre lycée étaient très nombreuses
Le 11. novembre 2009 on a organisé ‚la journée ouverte‘ où notre groupe dramatique a présenté un petit de quelque chose de son art dramatique pour les étudiants à venir. Presque toutes les classes de notre lycée ont visité un spectacle ‚Vingt milles sous la mer et puis un concert du groupe folklorique ‚la Vigne‘. Les étudiants des dernières classes ont organisé traditionnellement leurs soirées, où ils étaient décorés avec des rubans comme les candidats au bac. Aussi la conférence avec un voyageur M. Mara à travers de la Nouvelle-Zélande était très intéressante. Pendant les semaines suivantes les étudiantes qui ont participé au séjour en France (à Thouars), elles présenteront leurs remarques de cette échange pour les autres élèves. La vie quotidienne de notre lycée est toujours vivante et tout le monde espère de poursuivre ces activités.
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Thouars students study films / Lycéens au Cinéma C'est une action culturelle organisée dans notre lycée qui consiste à emmener des lycéens au cinéma voir des films de qualité pour les étudier en cours par la suite. L'année dernière nous avons vu 3 films: Le petit lieutenant Mamma Roma Some like it hot Le 1er film, nous l'avons vu en français, le 2nd en Italien sous titré francais et le 3ème en Anglais sous titré francais. Ensuite nous les avons étudiés en cours de Francais mais aussi en Anglais. Cette année nous allons voir aussi 3 films : la Cérémonie (film français adapté du roman anglais A Judgement in Stone de Ruth Rendel) Freaks en Anglais (film américain des années trente) The Host (film d' horreur et d'anticipation coréen) Ensuite nous étudierons en cours de francais et également en Anglais. Pour chaque film nous devons aller au cinéma par nos propres moyens. Nous les voyons dans le cadre scolaire donc durant notre journée de cours et nous trouvons cela une expérience riche et intéressante.. Last year in our school, we went to the cinema and we saw 3 movies, it was very interesting for our culture and we are lucky because it permitted us to watch old and recent quality movies. We studied those movies in our French and English lessons. It permitted to understand them better and often to like these movies better. This year we will return to the cinema to watch other movies and will study them. The foreign movies are not dubbedch, but there are always French subtiltes. We find that very interesting, it makes us open up to different forms of culture. Some of us enjoyed Mama Roma, the Italian film and it made us discover many aspects of Italian culture and history. Maeva, Aurore and Elise
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An Eye-Opening Documentary on Illegal Immigration On Monday our class saw a documentary shown on the French TV programme « Envoyé spécial » . It was about immigrants from Africa who want to go to Europe. This documentary was made by a journalist who decided to be exactly in the same conditions as the immigrants. He also took his camera and filmed every part of this « trip ». These African immigrants want to go to Europe because they hope to have better conditions of life and to find a job. This documentary denounces human trafficking. Immigrants must pay 1,000 euros to smugglers to leave. And the conditions are terrible: they are piled up in a lorry, can hardly breathe, they have almost no water to drink and are scared all the time of the police coming to arrest them We saw them repair with their own hands a boat to cross the sea from the south of Morocco to the Canary Islands and they had a long wait in the desert with very little food. Then, when their boat went to sea, there were too many on board (36 in a simple canoe!) and the motor was too fragile. The boat capsized,. 3 passengers died : a real tragedy. After that, 10 decided to give up their project and to return to their countries. The others repaired the boat and 2 weeks later they set off again. It was a long and dangerous journey :there was too much water in the boat (it leaked!) and the immigrants had to scoop with buckets...When they were near the Spanish coast of Spain, the engine broke down. The police eventually spotted them and arrested them. Some had to stay in camps in Spain, others were deported back to their countries. This documentary was very touching and it raises a topical problem. The journalist who made this documentary is really extraordinary because he was ready to die to denounce the immigrants' suffering and human trafficking. He accepted to suffer to defend human rights. We can't help feeling sympathy for the immigrants'plight and seeing this documentary has made a lot of us aware of the human aspect of this problem. Emeline
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Vending Machines: What a Passion!
Do you know how we youths(and not only) succeed in ruining ourselves? Just eating... Nowadays our society draws its inspiration from the classic American model, so diet too is radically changing... People who buy fast foods or snacks at vending machines are ever more. Nowadays’ diet, in fact, is characterized by commercial products like cheeseburgers and Mc Donald’s hamburgers. These foods have nutrition properties that cause many detriments to people who eat them, especially in great quantity. We Italians are very lucky to have Mediterranean diet based on a large quantity of produts that supply all the proteins we need. So why do we ruin ourselves with canned and packaged snacks? Some decades ago fast foods were not so spread, so diet was healthy and traditional. My mother always tells me that, at my age, she had breakfast with milk and biscuits and not with coffee from vending machines; new generation is now accustomed to this situation, and also in the schools every day many students queue to buy those “disgusting things”. In my school this is “normal”, in fact , in the corridors is impossible to see guys who don’t eat packaged rolls and snacks. Last day, going to vending machines I noticed that they were nearly empty after first hours...this is a clear example of how this habit is spread inside “the student population”. No wonder if many people who have eating disorders have got an age between 12 and 25 years. This phenomenon is widespread even out of school. Vending machines are now a piece of forniture in every public places. Notwithstanding this, I think that a good dish of pasta can’t be replaced by any other packaged food even if it is apparentely better.
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Growing up among school desks Trip among the classrooms of the High School Francesco Severi of Castellammare di Stabia
We will remember them as “the most beautiful years of our life” Here we are, all sitting in the classroom: a place of formation, of rebellion, of discovery, of the birth of lifelong friendships, a place where we all spend a more or less long period of our lives, engaged in sharing hours of our time, trying to delineate the relation, never easy, between who is “behind” and who is in front of the desk. In this place, we teen-agers are ready to risk everything: discussions, convictions, certainties. In fact, ,classrooms often seem a “battlefield”: on one side there is the desire to grow, to mature and to belong to the world of adults, on the other , there is the desire to rebel to the rules imposed by the “old ones”, both to cancel social injustices and to know oneself better. In both cases our desire is to grow living our lives in the best possible way, despite the reality we speak about among our school desks, is very hard. Actually taking an active part in school life, means fighting with our own strength against a world which absolutely wants to change our ideas and transform each of us in a “fashionable person”, or, one of the many. We try to have our personality wondering what to do in our life, how to realize our dreams, our projects, but when we realize that the road is difficult, we are taken up with discouragement, we can also fall in serious problems such as depression, caused by our inability to face reality and grow up. This problem is very frequent, but most of the time it isn’t visible to the eyes of everybody, because everything seems the same in classrooms, while changes occur in each of us: we are teen-agers in our heart and in our mind. You teen-ager among the school desks, skim through your diary ,because there is all of you in there: your thoughts, your memories, and feelings that no register is able to note down. Stop , smile and think that despite difficulties, it is beautiful to grow up!
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Für viel Lärm wird an der GFS gesorgt Seit dem letzten Jahr herrscht bei uns an der GFS in Diepholz ein Riesen Chaos, da unsere Schule erneuert und erweitert wird, sodass wir schöne farbenfrohe und technisch gut ausgestattete Räume haben. Dafür nehmen wir den jetzigen Lärm und das Chaos gerne in Kauf. Zurzeit haben wir großen Mangel an Räumen in unserer Schule, deshalb wurde diese mit Containern ausgestattet. Aber auch die Jahnschule, die sich gegenüber von der GFS befindet, erklärte sich bereit, uns bei diesem Raummangel zu unterstützen. Wir sind froh, wenn das ganze Chaos ein Ende hat und wir in die neue Schule einziehen können, doch dies wird noch ein paar Jahre dauern. Mona A., Esra E. und Lisa P. , Klasse 8 A lot of noise at the GFS Since last year, there is a big chaos at our GFS in Diepholz, because our school is getting renovated and extended. After this renovation, it will be more colourful and there will be rooms with new technologies. But at this time, we accept the noise and chaos for having a new school. We have not enough rooms at the moment, so the school ordered containers which are used as classrooms. But also the Jahnschule, which is across the way, is helping us in this difficult situation. They are providing rooms for us in their school. When the chaos is over, we will be happy to have the possibility to learn in a new school, but this is going to take a few years. translated by Jasper Brüning, class 10
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GFS-Schüler absolvierten Praktika Für die Schüler der zehnten Klassen der Graf-Friedrich-Schule in Diepholz heißt es jedes Jahr nach den Herbstferien, zwei Wochen lang in einem Praktikum Arbeitsluft zu schnuppern anstatt die Schulbank zu drücken. Die Schüler haben ca. ein Jahr vor dem Praktikum Zeit, sich einen geeigneten Beruf auszusuchen und einen Praktikumsplatz zu finden. Während des Praktikums müssen sie dann jeden Tag einen Bericht anfertigen sowie zu verschiedenen Schwerpunktthemen etwas schreiben und am Ende eine komplette Facharbeit abgeben. Die Berufsfelder der Praktikanten sind hierbei sehr unterschiedlich. So suchten sich zum Beispiel viele Schüler einen „tierischen“ Beruf aus und absolvierten ihr Praktikum beim Tierarzt oder auf einem Gestüt. So auch Anika Koopmann, die sich die Tierklinik Dümmerland ausgesucht hatte. Sie durfte sowohl bei der Behandlung von Kleintieren dabei sein als auch auf Bauernhöfe fahren, um Großtiere zu untersuchen. Linn Masch verbrachte ihre zwei Praktikumswochen auf dem Gestüt Ismer im Tierpark Ströhen. Hier konnte sie ins Berufsfeld einer Pferdewirtin mit dem Schwerpunkt Zucht und Haltung hineinschauen, sich aber auch um andere Tiere, wie zum Beispiel Elefanten, kümmern. Doch neben diesen Berufen fanden auch „normale“ Berufsfelder wie Industriekauffrau/-mann, Verwaltungsfachangestellte/r oder Bankkauffrau/mann großen Anklang. Eine weitere eingeschlagene Richtung der Praktikanten lag in der Arbeit mit Kindern. So wurden auch Praktika als Erzieher/innen in Kindergärten oder als Grundschullehrer/innen absolviert. Von den meisten Praktikanten war viel Gutes zu hören und fast allen hat das Betriebspraktikum bei ihrer späteren Berufswahl geholfen. Somit bleibt zu hoffen, dass die GFS dieses Projekt noch lange weiter führt, um noch vielen Schülern die Möglichkeit eines Praktikums bieten zu können. Rieke , class 10 Practical Work-Experience for GFS-Students Every year after autumn-break the Graf-Friedrich-School in Diepholz gives their grade 10 students the opportunity to find out more about the work-world. One year before they should try to find a workplace they are interested in and apply for two weeks of work-experience. During the work-time the students have to write a diary of their experiences that will later be marked by a teacher. The job divisions students chose are quite variable, a lot of them select a workplace with animals as a veterinary surgeon or horse-keeper. But also jobs like industrial manager, banker and administrator are as popular as working with children in a kindergarten or in elementary school. Most students think very positively about their work-experiences and said that it will help them for later decisions. It is also a great variation to our everyday life at school, so everyone wishes that this project will go on at the GFS to offer more students such experiences. Translated by Annalena Brokering, class 10
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Schüleraustausch nach Großbritannien 2008 Nach zehn Stunden Fahrt wurde nun auch der letzte von 31 Schülern nervös, als wir die Insel erreichten und waren beeindruckt von der unglaublichen Landschaft. Zwei Stunden später begrüßen uns unsere Gastfamilien in Hastings nachdem wir von Mitgliedern der S-E-T-Organisation eingeführt worden waren, die unseren Aufenthalt geplant hatten. In diesen Familien würden wir die folgenden vier Tage verbringen, bis wir England wieder verlassen würden. Aber wir konnten nicht wirklich die britischen Lebensweisen kennen lernen, da wir die gesamte Zeit mit Stadttouren und Besichtigungen von berühmten Sehenswürdigkeiten verbrachten. Am Dienstag, unserem 1. Tag, entdeckten wir Hastings durch eine Stadtralley und einer Shoppingtour. Es ist ein niedlicher Fischerort mit nur 90.000 Einwohnern im Südosten Englands. Danach gingen wir nach Battle und lernten dort etwas über den wichtigen Kampf vor tausend Jahren, einem Hauptthema in der Geschichte von Großbritannien. Einen Tag später mussten wir früh aufstehen um nach London zu fahren, worauf wir uns sehr gefreut hatten. Wir haben nicht nur die ganzen Sehenswürdigkeiten, wie „Big Ben“, „Westminster Abbey“ und „Buckingham Palace“ gesehen, sondern wir konnten auch fühlen, was es heißt in so einer großen Stadt voller Lebendigkeit , Stress, Schönheit und Gefahr zu leben. Nach diesem langen Tag waren nicht nur unsere Portemonnaies leer, weil wir so viele Souvenirs gekauft hatten, sondern auch unserer Energie, weil wir nicht für jede Strecke die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel, wie die berühmte Londoner U-Bahn „Tube“ genutzt hatten. Am folgenden Tag besuchten wir die Partnerschule „Technology High“ in Bexhill, welche in der gleichen Situation ist wie unsere Schule: ein kompletter Neubau für 25 000 000 Pfund. Wir nahmen an verschiedenen Unterrichtsstunden teil, welche sich darauf konzentrierten, die Schüler auf Berufe vorzubereiten, nicht auf das Studium, deshalb sind sie praktischer, was es sehr viel interessanter für die Jugendlichen macht. Nach dem Mittagessen in der Schulkantine führten wir unseren Tagesausflug fort nach Brighton, einer Universitätsstadt (mit 160 000 Einwohnern). Vom 300m langem Steg hatten wir eine wunderschöne Aussicht auf das rauhe Meer, bevor wir im Zentrum shoppen gingen und per Bus zurück nach Hastings fuhren. Leider waren wir immer müde, wenn wir zurück in unseren Familien waren, sodass wir nicht soviel Zeit mit ihnen verbringen konnten, aber dennoch schlossen wir gute Beziehungen und tauschten Fotos und Adressen. Für alle von uns war es eine gute Erfahrung und wir würden es immer wieder machen. Von Ann-Christin Bloch Ins Deutsche Übersetzt von Svenja Guhr
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Trip to Hastings After ten hours journey even the last student of our 31 group members became nervous while entering the foreign island and being impressed by the awesome landscape. Two further hours later our host families welcomed us in Hastings after being introduced to us by a staff member of the S-E-T organization, who helped planning and searched for housings. In those families we would spend the following four days till Friday when we already left England. But actually we couldn't get a view of the British way of life. As we spend almost our whole time by walking trough diffErent towns and seeing the famous sights. On Tuesday, our first day, we explored Hastings with a town ralley and a shopping part. It's a cute fishing village with almost 90.000 inhabitants in the south east of England. Afterwards we went to Battle and learned something about the important fight thousand years ago, a main point in the history of Great Britain. One day later we had to get up earlier to start the journey to London, that we had looked forward so much. We've not just seen all the sights like 'Big Ben', 'Westminster Abbey' and 'Buckingham Palace', we also got a feeling what it means to live in such a big city full of life, full of stress, full of beauty, full of danger. After this long day not just our purses were empty because of buying so many souvenirs also our power has gone, because we've not moved every way with public transport like the famous London underground 'tube'. The following day we visit the partner school 'Technology High' in Bexhill, which has the same situation like our school: a complete reconstruction for 38 million Pounds. We took part of different lessons, which are concentrate in teaching the students for jobs, not for studies, that's why they are more practical, what makes them much more interesting for the youth. After having lunch in the school canteen we continued the day trip to Brighton a university town (about 160,000 inhabitants). On the 300 metres long pier we had a beautiful view of the rough seA, before we went shopping in the centre and returned to Hastings by coach. Unfortunately we were always tired when we arrived back in our families that we couldn't spend so much time with them, but we still get a close relationship, changed photos and addresses. For all of us it was a good experience and we would always do it again. Ann-Christin Bloch
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69 von 100 Rädern in Ordnung Kontrolle an der Mühlenkampschule Diepholz: 100 Fahrräder kontrollierte Polizeioberkommissar Thomas Gising auf Einladung von Schulleiterin Annett Dreger am Mittwochmorgen an der Mühlenkampschule in Diepholz. Die Polizei befand 69 Fahrräder für „okay“ und vergab eine Plakette. Bei 30 Rädern entdeckten die Kontrolleure Mängel – besonders bei Licht und Bremsen. Auch fehlten Reflektoren. Ein Fahrrad war dermaßen verkehrsunsicher, dass es stillgelegt wurde. Unterstützt wurde die Polizei von Hausmeister Frank Hahn, Vater Jörg Heemann sowie Ingrid Barmbold, die dasProjekt als Lehrerin betreute. Diese Kontrolle war angekündigt. Das nahmen einige der 260 Schüler zum Anlass, ohne Rad zu kommen. Im Frühjahr hatte es an der Mühlenkampschule bereits eine nicht angekündigte Fahrradkontrolle gegeben. „Ziel ist, dass die Kinder, die mit Fahrrad kommen, ihren Weg zur Schule gut und sicher bewältigen können – dazu gehören funktionierendes Licht, Reflektoren, um rechtzeitig von Autofahrern erkennt zu werden, und funktionierende Bremsen“, so Annett Dreger. Die Polizei fordert alle Eltern dringend dazu auf, ihren Sprösslingen klar zu machen, dass sie insbesondere jetzt, wenn es vor Schulbeginn noch dunkel ist, das Licht ihres Fahrrades zu ihrer eigenen Sicherheit unbedingt anschalten sollten. Kira Abeling On Wednesday morning Mr Thomas Gising controled 100 bicycles at the Mühlenkampschule in Diepholz; 69 got an “okay”. 30 bicycles had massive lacks like defect lights, brakes or missing reflectors. One bike even was set aside. The police got support from the caretaker, Frank Hahn, a parent, Jörg Heemann and the teacher Ingrid Barmbold, leading the project. This control was announced, so many pupils left their bikes at home and came by foot that morning. “The aim of this project is, to help the pupils get to school safely.” said Annett Dreger. The police asks every parent make clear to their children, that it’s very important to turn the light of their bikes on, explicit when it’s dark outside. translated by Gerrit Logemann
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Bexhill’s Local Sports Bexhill has a variety of sports clubs and tournaments. Swimming is very popular and so is rugby. However, everyone has to know football. There is a healthy football community. Schools seem to be very enthusiastic about football too. Bexhill High School has large afterschool club and several teams which compete against other schools. Bexhill High has 2 football teams. The year 10 & 11 teams. Both have recently played in a match in a local tournament. Their coach said “they’re a bit rough, but a good team none the less.” So far, each team has played 1 match. The year 11 team played St. Richards and won 4-2. The year 10 team played William Parker and lost to an embarrassing final score of 0-7. However, there is still hope for the teams as they are both through to the next round of the tournament. Bexhill High also has an amazing rugby club with over 30 regular players who arrive each week and another 15 who participate at least every fortnight. In fact, Bexhill high has recently played a tournament against all the other schools in the area and the year 11 team won the final. When interviewed, Mr Eldrigde said “The year 10 team has some very strong backs and some sturdy fronts.” He also said that “The year 8 team is improving each week and will hopefully beat St. Richards and William Parker when they play next.” Mr Eldrigde told us of a match with the year 7 team on the 12th December. We will be there to report on the match. We have an exclusive interview with Nigel, who played in the rugby matches against Buckswood and St. Richards. When asked about Buckswood he said “Buckswood? They were a good team to play against. But in my opinion I thought they were lacking in organisation. They argued with each other every time whenever we scored; due to this we were able to bag 49 points in that match.” Bexhill High students can also become members of Bexhill Elite Sports Leadership Academy. However, BESLA isn’t just about playing sports. Students can become match referees, sports journalists and coaches. BESLA also helps out with sports days for students at the High school and local primary schools. “I really enjoy BESLA” said a member. “It’s great!” Bexhill also has an amazing swimming and cricket team. Charlie and Chris, who are brilliant swimmers, allowed us to interview them about the swimming and there routines. Charlie told us… “I started swimming when I was about 8. I started because my Mum and Dad advised me to, so I could swim in the sea when I was older. I really enjoyed it. I’m currently training for a competition on the 28th November. I’m training hard 3-4 times a week.” When we interviewed Chris, he told us… “I was about 8 when I started to have swimming lessons. I enjoyed it so much I just started to swim more. I train 5 times a week and I’m not training for any competitions at this period in time. I prefer to swim breaststroke and I need to improve on my technique in butterfly.” When we went to the local cricket team we found Charlie again and he agreed to be interviewed, this time about his other passion, cricket. “I enjoy playing cricket. I’ve played in a tournament against all the teams of east Sussex. It was a fantastic team effort and everyone played well. Because of this, we reached the final and one!” Overall, it can be said Bexhill has a fantastic sporting community and has amazing potential.
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reached the final and one!” Overall, it can be said Bexhill has a fantastic sporting community and has amazing potential. Jack Wood To watch and hear the Bexhill Sports Bulletin in German please visit the Comenius News Pages on-line & click on the link. (Presenter Jack Wood).
The New School
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As The New School Takes Shape... The new school is an “exciting but scary” new prospect. Two main groups that are influenced by this change are the staff and students. Caroline Mortlock (staff) and Daniel Smith (student) are two people that have been heavily involved in the creating and development of the future Bexhill high. We have interviewed them to find out some of their views on different aspects of the new site and the changes that are occurring. The views for the new school have been varied but are positive. Ms Mortlock says “its very very exciting but scary”. “Lots of people have been involved and it is scary how now very suddenly it has all come together”. A major part of the new schools are the ‘pods’, these will be “ two times the length and three times the width” of the usual classroom, they will have four teachers in each pod with a maximum of 90 students. This will enable them to have develop there own specific way of learning”. “It will create a relaxed atmosphere. By having 4 walls around the classroom it is shutting down learning not opening it up.” Dan commented on many of the concerns that are surrounding the new school. The new school hours have caused anxiety but Dan simply and positively answered “It will give time for extra curriculum activities and it will enable people to do what they do not normally do in school time, there will probably be exceptions for outer school clubs that go on during these new hours.” Ms Mortlock added, “ Students and staff wont have to take anything home, when they leave the school that will be the end of the day”. “it will be good for younger students and although getting home in the winter evening may cause problems there will be a lot of transport available.” This is the community’s school, months ago there was a meeting that everyone involved came to: Council, Parents, Governors, Architects, Students, Staff and Primary school representatives. They told us what the they wanted from the new school. “It will be hard, but we will deliver!”. “This is a school where everyone achieves, its time to sweep away all the old ways and change learning for the better”. “Were the example, people think were going to fail we’ll prove them wrong!” Angharad Morgan and Alexandra Hunt. For an exclusive interview in French with Principal Mike Conn please visit the Comenius News Pages on-line & click on the link. (Interviewed by Belinda Whent and Courtney Laver , Year 9)
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Community News
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Our great personality - Jan Pivečka
Jan Pivečka was a very admirable person. He was ambitious, disposed to help other people and he supported education and culture in Slavičin. Unfortunately he died a few years ago – on 5th of January 2004.
He was a student and later he became also friend of Tomáš Baťa. Mr. Pivečka established a shoemaking company called Japis. Thanks to him Slavičín was famous for shoemaking industry. Mr. Pivečka and his company are well-known in the Czech Republic. Nowadays his company's name is Prabos. Prabos is not prospering well now because of the world-wide economic crisis. Jan Pivečka is the founder of „Foundation of John Pivečka“ (in Czech „Nadace Jana Pivečky“). The motto of this foundation is „Never give up“ (in Czech „Nikdy se nevzdávej“). Pivečka's foundation helps young shoemakers, students, children and adults to extend their education. Jan Pivečka is the patron of our grammar school called „Grammar school of John Pivečka“ (in Cech „Gymnázium Jana Pivečky“).
Jan Pivečka was an amazing personality. It was always pleasure to meet him and to spend some time with him. He was a man of high age but young soul and he could understand young people. We think that Foundation of John Pivečka is a very important part of our small town of Slavičín. They organize many courses where people can learn languages and other things which can help them to improve their skills and knowledge. Many young people visit this centre and pupils of our school often help at different occasions.
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HERR PIVEČKA – wäre 90 Jahre Geworden Unsere Schule trägt den Namen von Jan Pivecka. Wer war Herr Pivecka? Die Antwort ist nicht einfach. Er war Schuster, Unternehmer, Gründer der Stiftung, er arbeitete in vielen Ländern der Welt und wir konnten bestimmt noch viel mehr Aktivitäten finden, in denen er gut oder sehr gut war. Er hat oft mit jungen Menschen diskutiert. Er hat ihnen gezeigt, dass sie besser sein kınnten. Deshalb grőndete er seine Stiftung. Ende November fand in Zlin eine Veranstaltung statt. Es war eine Theatervorstellung und dann haben sich Menschen zusammengetroffen und haben seinen 90. Geburtstag gefeiert. Er war leider nicht mehr dabei. Menschen haben Musik gehırt, die er gern hatte, sie haben Mährischen Wein getrunken, den er gern hatte, sie haben über ihn gesprochen. Viele haben versprochen der Stiftung zu helfen. Nach seinem Tod arbeitet die Stiftung weiter. Sie ist zum Treffpunkt junger Menschen geworden. Wir besuchen die Stiftung sehr oft. Oft kınnen wir dort auch unsere Eltern oder Großeltern sehen. Sie lernen dort Sprachen, Arbeit am Computer, Buchhaltung. Ohne die Stiftung wäre das Leben in Slavicin ärmer.
Jan
Pivečka Stiftung in Slavičín
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An Exhibition on the Berlin Wall comes to Thouars French version A Thouars, du 5 novembre au 4 décembre 2009, s'est tenue une exposition intitulée « Berlin, le mur de la honte ». Basée sur le thème de l'Europe, le Centre Régional « Résistance et Liberté » de la ville, située aux écuries du château, a choisi parmi différents sujets celui-ci sur le mur de Berlin. Composée de nombreuses photographies et de quelques montages vidéos, ainsi que de quelques plaquettes montrant la construction et l'évolution du mur dans le temps. Cette exposition retracait vraiment bien l'histoire du mur ainsi que le ressenti au niveau européen. Grâce aux photographies prises par des reporters durant cette triste époque, on peut également voir les sentiments, le vécu et les attitudes des habitants. De la construction à la destruction du mur la nuit du 9 au 10 novembre 1989, on peut comprendre, grâce à cette exposition, l'importance de la liberté. Cette exposition peut aussi aider à prendre conscience de certaines choses semblables dans le monde : par exemple le mur en construction séparant le Mexique des Etats-Unis. English version In Thouars, from the 5th of November to the 4th of December, there is an exhibition called « Berlin, the wall of shame ». Based on European history, the « Resistance and Freedom » Regional Center, located in the Castle stables in Thouars , chose this subject because of the 20th annivesary of the fall of the wall. Composed of many photos, about 50, and of some videos and leaflets showing the construction and changes of the Berlin wall that was built in 1961. This exhibition shows the history of the wall and the feelings it caused among Europeans . Thanks to the photos, taken by reporters during that sad time, we can understand the feelings, the lives of Berliners on both sides of the wall. From the construction to the end of the wall on the night of th 9th and 10th of November 1989, we can thank this exhibition for making us understand the importance of freedom. This exhibition can help us to become aware of similar things happening in the world nowadays : for example the wall in construction between Mexico and USA, or in Cyprus as well as in Israel. Manu and Félix
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20 ans: Chute du Mur à Berlin Des témoins de l’ancien RDA informent les élèves de la Graf-Friedrich-Schule. Rouler le fil de fer barbelé, débarquer les morceaux du mur, Kay-Uwe Fiedler a aidé 1989 à casser le mur entre l’ancien RDA et la RFA. Il faisait son service militaire dans l’ancien RDA et il travaillait dur pour casser le mur. Monsieur Fiedler était un témoin de l’époque au lycée à Diepholz « Graf-Friedrich-Schule ». Pendant le jour du projet européen « 20 ans chute du mur », il a parlé avec d’autres personnes de l’ancien RDA sur la vie et ses expériences du socialisme. Il a commencé son service militaire le 1er novembre 1989. »Le 9 novembre, personne ne savait où continuer à travailler. », a dit M Fiedler. »C’était chaotique. Le lendemain, il a eu des journaux de l’ouest dans la caserne… ». Mais son service militaire a continué. Quelques semaines après la chute, il a muté près de Lübeck, mais toujours en RDA où il a enlevé les installations frontalières. A cause de la réunification, son service était terminé le après 11 mois (au lieu de 18 mois), le 3 octobre 1990. Kay-Uwe Fiedler a informé les élèves aussi de la vie scolaire en RDA. Il était p.ex. footballeur à l’école de la jeunesse sportive de Hansa Rostock, devait être membre du FDJ (Jeunesse Libre et Démocratique) et membre des jeunes pionniers Uta Ehlert présentait un paquet avec des produits typiques de l’Est que les élèves et les profs ont pu goûter. Autrefois, les familles de l’Est profitaient des paquets que leurs familles de l’Ouest ont envoyés, hier elle a apporté des produits qui sont encore fabriqués comme des pralinés, des chocolats et des bonbons La chute du mur- Uta Ehlert l’a ratée. Elle était à Berlin ce jour- là pour des raisons professionnelles. Elle travaillait pour les transports en commun, mais le soir elle a pris le train pour renter à Thüringen. .Aujourd’hui, elle vit à Stemwede et elle est collaboratrice de la Nordwestbahn. La professeur Christina Mählmann de la Graf-Friedrich-Schule vient de l’ancien RDA. Quand le mur est tombé, elle a habité à Greifswald (ville jumelée avec Osnabrück). Elle a apporté des cartes d’identité, des livres et des jouets de l’ancien RDA. Liana Kliemannel est aussi témoin de cette époque. Elle a quitté l’ancien RDA par Varsowie et vit maintenant à Lemförde. Les élèves ont fait aussi un sondage en ville sur la chute du mur : toutes les personnes interrogées sont heureuses sur la chute du mur. SchülerInnen der 10d/Französisch
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Bexhill’s Museum gets a Makeover On the 26th of November the well known comedian Eddie Izzard turned up in Bexhill, His mode of transport was not by car nor bike but in fact he had ran half a marathon to officially open the new Bexhill museum. The museum was first built in 1914 so after a whopping 95 years it has now had a make over. The new museum now consists of a Sargent Gallery and a new Costume Gallery housing the collection from the former Bexhill Museum of Costume and Social History, As for the New technology gallery, This has been dedicated to Bexhill’s motor heritage. The £2m-plus project wouldn’t have been able to take place with out the donations from the Heritage Lottery, The Rother District Council and the Society of Bexhill Museums not forgetting other donations, The opening was also a celebration to mark the end of the project which took an over all 10 years. Mr. Izzard said that “A lot of Bexhill has stayed the same so it’s good to see some regeneration” With the Bexhill museum being refurbished what could follow? Could this be the start of a new Bexhill with things modernised for the younger generations? Article by Nathan Paterson
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Access All Areas - Creative Showcase This October the annual Access All Areas Youth Festival was based in and around the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill. This is a three day festival including numerous activities, ranging from fashion workshops to dance classes to youth music bands displaying their talent. Included in all of this we had the BBC’s co-operation, also holding some of their own activities, including the B.B.C. Blast Van coming to our school, Bexhill High. In this van, year 9 students had the chance to make music using computer software with the help from B.B.C. experts. Teens aged from 12 to 19 were able to take part in activities starting on the Friday the 23rd. There were only a few activities this day, which included fashion workshops, parkour (free-running), and an ‘MC party’ where teens who had been taking ‘rapping’ classes got to show the skills they had learnt. On the Saturday, the activities continued at 10:00am, starting with a show case of a disabled basket ball team and the ‘Youth Bank Dragons Den’ based on the television programme. This was where applicants between 13 to 19 ,(25 if disabled), put forward propositions for government grants of up to £500 to do various activities with their youth groups, whether this be Scouts, youth club, sports groups or any other youth group. This was successful and an enjoyable day for everyone. Two hours later, it was ‘Youth Band Night’. This involved eight bands playing, including students from Bexhill High playing in bands. These bands include ‘Why So Serious?’ and ‘Frequency’. The gig lasted three hours and a had a good turn out of people. This was a great chance for local bands to publicise themselves and show off their talents; along with people having a good night out. The festival finished on the Sunday with more activities including dance workshops, music workshops and ‘Make your own 3-D game’ which involved young people making their own games using ‘Mission Maker’ computer software. The festival finished with a showcase of all the high points of the festival filmed over the weekend and also the skateboarding films made by local skaters for the ‘Big Spin’ Competition. Article by Josh Browne. Photos by Joe Martin
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Problem Pages
Please remember this is not professional advice - read it, take it on board—we hope it may help you. However, if you can relate to some of the letters and/or feel you can’t cope speak to a teacher or the professional at your school who can help you.
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These letters will be answered in the next edition of Comenius
Stress from school My biggest problem is stress from school. It’s very difficult and I still have to learn. I am afraid of not passing the new school leaving exams that could mean that I won’t go to a university. It’s my biggest dream and I would be glad if I studied psychology. But some of our teachers are saying that this exam will be very difficult. I think they don’t realize how unpleasant this is for us. Because of school and marks and their words I feel stupid and stressed up. Some teachers don’t appreciate our effort. On the other hand, I understand them, they want to help us. Sometimes I can’t sleep before exams and I don’t want to disappoint my parents as well. And when I’m standing in front of the board and being examined the stress is much worse. I have fear from not succeeding!
PC addiction
- losing friends
Nowadays, more and more people are addicted on computers. A lot of them can’t imagine a day without the Internet, PC games, facebook etc. Personally, I don’t have problem with these things, but many friends of mine are PC addicted. They come home from school and spend their free time in their virtual word. It is better for them than being with me. They say it is not true but I don’t know whether to trust them. I’m afraid of losing my friends. I want to spend more time with them, which seems to be impossible. They think only about the PC world.
PC addiction – bad school results I have problems with the will to learn. I want to learn, but I never do it. There are many other better things such as TV, computer, chatting and going out with friends, hobbies, and having some fun. Then I usually get the worst marks in school. But I say to myself: “No stress!” Only a few teachers are able to force me to learn (sometimes) and motivate me. But most of my time I spend sitting in front of my PC! I can’t help myself.
Religion I’m a young person and my problem is connected with religion and my faith. I’m deeply religious and some of my classmates make fun out of it. In their opinion, religion is only for old people and not for young generation. But they make fun of sth they don’t understand. To their mind religion is a collection of fairy-tales, which were made up by the Catholic church. For me, belief is a very important component of my life, but I have problems with my classmates who laugh about that.
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These letters will be answered in the next edition of Comenius-News
Family problems Besides other problems, my biggest problem is my family. I have no one to talk to. Relationships are quite OK, but sometimes I don’t know if I can call them my family. I miss friendly relationships, more time spent together and communication. When I come home from school, my sister is always sitting in front of the PC, dad is lying on the sofa and watching TV – he doesn’t communicate with us, he behaves in the way like he has no family and mum is working, that’s why she is often tired. But she is the only one I can (sometimes when she is relaxed) talk to. Our family looks like an incomplete family, that’s what I want to change. I wish to talk with my parents about my problems, experiences, my daily life etc. I want to have friends in them.
Eating disorders My long-termed problem is with eating disorders. At first when I was 15 and was stressed up from school or my parents I used to eat everything what I saw to calm down. Once I ate the whole bag full of foods, I felt awful and vomited out. I tried to gain control of myself. I stopped eating sweets and fried food, but nothing tastes me. I feel sick and I can’t eat everything. When I eat sth I need to go and vomit it out. I’m getting slimmer and slimmer and my mum thinks that I am mentally sick. I went to many doctors and psychologists but they say that I am the only person who can change it. I don’t know how.
Death and future I have big fear from the future. I’m afraid of the school leaving examination, finding a job, people that I will meet one day, but the biggest fear is from the death. I’m often sad because of it. I’m afraid that sth bad will happen to my family or my boyfriend. Moreover, I have fear from my own death. For example, I often think about the future and then I imagine what bad things can possibly happen. I deal with this problem mostly when I’m alone or have some time to think about it.
Communication Many young people meet in pubs or bars, at discos or maybe on concerts where they chat, have fun, drink and enjoy themselves. All these things are not allowed to me because I’m ill (epilepsy). I must go to sleep at 10 o’clock, I mustn’t drink alcohol, listen to loud music. When I come to school, my friends talk about their parties reminding experiences and fun they had the night before and I always stay behind and listen to their stories. Then I don’t know how to communicate with them and if I don’t know to talk with them – I don’t know to communicate with anyone. Problem is to make new friends as well and to keep the old ones.
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One of the major problem I have met at school is smoking. During adolescence most of us are vulnerable and easily influenced. Genrerally our friends are the ones who encourage us to start smoking. As they are our friends, it is difficult to say no. What' s more if you refuse, most of the time, you are excluded. In that way lots of teenagers, like me, start smoking against their will .The problem is that it's easy to become addicted to cigarettes. I know from experience that it's difficult to stop smoking. It is terrible to see how cigarettes affect pupils more and more. The best thing to do is not to start!!!
L'un des problèmes majeurs que j'ai rencontré au lycée est la cigarette. Pendant l'adolescence la plupart d'entre nous sont vulnerables et influençables. Très souvent ce sont nos amis qui nous incitent à fumer pour la première fois. Il est alors difficile de leur dire non puisque ce sont nos amis. Ceux qui refusent sont la plupart du temps rejetés, exclus. Aisni beaucoup de jeunes, comme moi, commencent a fumer contre leur grès. Malheureusement il est très facile, surtout pour des adolescents, de devenir accros a la cigarette. Je sais par experience qu'il est très difficile d'arrêter de fumer. De nos jours la cigarette atteint de plus en plus d'élèves et de plus en plus tôt. Mieux vaut se faire d'autres amis qui vous accepteront tel que vous êtes au lieu de fumer et d'en payer les conséquences plus tard. La meilleure chose a faire est de ne jamais commencer!!! by Solène Palmieri)
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Eating disorders among young people “We are what we eat” Once one’s image was in the background because when there were wars, famines and pestilences the most important thing was life. The ideal of beauty has changed from prehistory to the present, but not radically.For example in the Middle Ages being healthy was enough to be beautiful;later beauty meant having beautiful hair and a solid look. Thinness wasn’t in the canons of the times. The world was divided between people who could eat their fill and people who died of hunger. In this world “cellulitis” aroused envy. The strange thing is that today we are fatter than our grand-parents were but our ideals of beauty want us thinner. An embarrassing result: in the sixties a teenager who turned over the pages of a magazine found images that looked like us. Now instead we are surrounded by alien images which have nothing to do with us. They are false. Certainly it wasn’t enough to explain everything, however alimentary troubles were practically non-existent in the sixties. But if as a matter of fact people are so different from the ideals of beauty, why do they insist on persecuting us with impossible images? One of the most common thoughts among young people is: ”I have something missing”. But why this stress? Why do plenty of young people feel holes in their stomach? Nothing of material lacks to teenagers. Something which isn’t for sale lacks to them. Our society has a lot of advantages and infinite faults. You must wish, consume and buy, otherwise you activate a mechanism of frustration which is that sense of dissatisfaction that you feel when you want something that you can’t have. You often try to change your appearance thinking that also changes your inner aspect. You change your body thinking you are also changing your soul. If the images of success are perfect, you have to be perfect. But it is an impossible and self-destructive mission. Frustration increases and we try to calm the void with the material goods that promise us happiness. What we lack is still lacking and meanwhile those perfect and happy images are more and more distant and unattainable. In this way it will be more and more difficult to remember that what we really lack are feelings, strong and genuine emotions. All things which are not for sale. Let’s reflect on what we see and on the feelings we experience. And when we feel like buying something to eat between meals or not eating anymore, let’s ask ourselves a question: what are we trying to achieve? And while we consider these question, let’s give our body and our mind all that they need to become healthy but not perfect.
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Not only in Classrooms Among yawns, interrogations and explanations, “F. Severi” school of Castellammare di Stabia hides inside itself a “world apart” of students with their teen-age problems. Students’ life, more than in the classrooms, often takes place in the corridors, near to vending machines, in the gym and in the dressing rooms. The first year of high school is exciting almost for all the “new teen-agers”: the thought that life can change with the passage from babyhood to youth. Teachers often try to don’t make study heavy and teach us how to look at reality in a different way. New schoolfellows never seem all nice but after some years starting prejudices fade out and give space to a large family. For me the class is a large family because most of the time we are all toghether: confrontation with your classmates helps you growing up and resolving difficulties you have. Our growth also takes place outside the classroom, in the corridors, where, not intentionally, you often meet wonderful people who you were speaking bad about just a second before. Life in the corridors is noisy, exciting, funny or, in sad moments, insufferable. Wander trough the corridors there are ever more youths going to vending machines not only to have a snack but also to take a breath between two hours. Those who don’t wander trough the corridors or near to vending machines are usually in the outdoor gym smoking in company or just talking. Among corridors, vending machines and the gym, tension pilled-up in the classroom dissolves and the corridors and open air places are the “siren” that attracts us.
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Schlechte Arbeiten, schlechte Noten, schlechtes Zeugnis... Kennt ihr das Gefühl, wenn morgen eine Arbeit ansteht und ihr euch total unsicher seid? Wenn ihr das Thema überhaupt nicht versteht und ob ihr genug und auch das Richtige gelernt habt? Bei uns ist es auf jeden Fall so! Bei uns ist es manchmal so, dass wir 3 Arbeiten in einer Woche schreiben! Dazu haben wir noch viele Hausaufgaben auf und dann kommt man sehr schnell in Stress! Schlimm ist es, wenn man planlos vor der Arbeit sitzt, weil man nicht genug gelernt hat oder sogar viel gelernt hat aber alles vergessen hat! Aber am schlimmsten ist es, wenn man eine gute Note schreiben muss, weil man sonst eine 5 auf dem Zeugnis bekommt! Tipp: - Fangt schon ca. 1 Woche vorher mit dem Lernen an! - Lernt nicht alles auf einmal, teilt es auf 1 Woche auf! - Macht euch einen Lernzettel mit den wichtigsten Sachen/Notizen! - Wenn ihr etwas nicht wisst, fragt unbedingt euern Lehrer! Es hört sich vielleicht nicht so leicht an, aber wenn man sich wirklich daran hält, können die Noten besser werden. Was macht ihr, um gute Noten zu bekommen? Viel Glück =) Berit und Jacqueline, Klasse 8c
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Bad tests, bad marks, bad reports ...
Do you know the feeling, of writing a classtest tomorrow and you feel totally insecure? You don't understand the topic and you don't know if you have learned enough and the right things? Referring to us it is like that! In addition to that sometimes we have to write three examinations a week. Moreover, we have to do a lot of homework whereby we get stressed. It's very bad, if you sit in front of your test without a plan because you have not learned enough or you have a blackout. But the worst case is, if you have to write a good mark, so that you get a five on your report! Tips: - start to learn for the test one week before - don't learn everything on one day, devide it into a week - make a note with all the important information - if you don't know something, ask your teacher Maybe it doesn't sounds easy but if you stick to this your marks can get better. What are you doing to get good marks? Good luck =) translated by Alina Eickbusch
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Exam stress
In our school in Germany, exam stress is a very serious topic. The school subjects are divided into two halfs, one for the major subjects like maths, German, English and so on and the other one for minor ones like history, geography and biology. Each part has some special times to write the exams, but unfortunately they overlap themselves. So this “super-trouper” system doesn't work. I hope that you have some ideas how to manage this better...
In unserer Schule ist der Stress wegen der vielen Arbeiten ein wichtiges Thema. Die Fächer sind in zwei Gruppen geteilt, eine für Hauptfächer wie zum Beispiel Mathematik, Deutsch und Englisch und die andere für die Nebenfächer wie Geschichte, Erdkunde oder Biologie. Jede Gruppe hat verschiedene Zeiten für das Schreiben der Arbeiten, aber leider überschneiden sich diese. Es stellte ich also heraus, dass dieses “supertolle” System nicht funktioniert. Vielleicht habt ihr/ haben Sie ja Ideen, wie man dieses Problem besser organisieren könnte.
By: Katharina Hobeck, 10d (GFS)
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Dear Problem Page I am struggling to find time to start revising for my exams. I have been taking out all my anger from this out on my friends and family, I need to start planning out my time to revise for the exams. I cannot seem to concentrate at home, my house is always noisy with my little brother around and I just can’t concentrate, what shall I do? I cant seem to get into revising I find it so difficult to start or I just get bored, I just need an extra boost to get me going, I need a routine to stick to. Please help me with the problem.
Dear Anonymous. The problem you are suffering from is exam stress. This is common to most teenagers who are going through exams at this time. I recommend that you should start arranging to meet with a Year 11 Academic Mentor. This person helps you through any problems you are having within the school such as bullying, family issues, school work, and exams. You could also request to meet with a Peer Mentor. The Year 11 Peer Mentor has been through the exams and will understand what you are going through. From Problem Page.
Dear anonymous, I know you may find these times hard but there are many people in school that offer support. If you are finding it difficult to study at home why not use the ILC (independent Learning Centre) , it is open after school and in this time you can use the computer, books and teachers for all your coursework and revising needs. Teachers are always around after school, in lunch times and break where you can always get help and advise for revising tips. I hope this has helped you. From problem page.
Dear anonymous, There are plenty of ways to revise for your exams so you need to pick which is best for you. There are people in your school who can help you with this such as Connexions, Learning Support, CAMHS and the Peer Mentors. All of these solutions will give you a boost in revising so don’t worry. Connexions is a team of people who deal with futures plans, revision timetables and careers. Learning Support has Teaching Assistants who might come into any of your lessons to work with an individual during the day. They can help you concentrate on your work and help you when it comes to exams. CAMHS gives you relaxation sessions to help you manage your anxiety. Peer Mentors are a selected group of students ranging from the ages 13-16. These students give you one to one sessions once every week for you to tell them any problems you may have at home or, in your case, exam stress. I hope this helps you and you are able to revise with your head held up high. From problem page
