Hi Guys,

Lets remember a couple of things that you need to know about E-Reception.
1) When you open the data base is going to ask you for a user name and a pasword, please look at the top of the screen, it will be always TEST plus the number of the computer.

2) Then you will be able to enter as usual with your Student ID, remember the passwor is the same ID

3) Update your details, address, mobile number, emergency number, e-mail, etc.
4) Then you go to “PRINT LETTERS” and chose your option.
Remember if you want to take holidays you MUST book them 7 days in advanced or they wont be authorized. If you need a Council Tax letter add your address in the UK.
5) If you want your certificate and your course was longer than 8 weeks, you must do the “certificate” exam and chose your level.
6) If you want to change level, you also need to do the “certificate” exam, and chose your courrent level. But please remember that we are not going to change levels for the next couple of weeks, because the term is about to end and you will have a end of the term exam and tutorials with your teacher. The next term start in January.

Remember to take a copy of the HANDBOOK, and read the rules of the school.
Victoria

Re-reading Philip Norman’s outstanding John Lennon, the Life last week, I was struck by the fact that the ten year old future Beatle used to have a recurring dream in which he was surrounded by half-crown coins: so many that he couldn’t fit all of them into his pockets. ( A half-crown was a large silver coin worth 12.5 pence but which would have the buying power of £5 in today’s money.) His subconscious was presciently predicting the riches he would amass in later life.

Similarly, albeit with far less resonance for world popular culture, something, good or bad, related to every blog I do seems to happen me within a week of each posting. Unfortunately, this week was no exception…

Last week I posted about the hell of standing, tired on a tube and how finding a seat can be an unexpected joy. Last Friday, frazzled and exhausted to the point of near-tears, I spotted a seat on the Central Line. Well, it wasn’t exactly free: a guy had his bag on it.

‘Excuse me, can I sit down please,’ I said with the last fibres of humanity remaining to me and a weak smile of politeness and entreaty. The bag was slowly, sullenly withdrawn and only when my grateful rearend made contact with the worsted fabric of the  seat did I realise the  potentially life-threatening severity of my mistake. Friday the 13th; I should’ve known… I had sat down beside a ‘bread’. (Cockney rhyming slang : ‘Bread and Butter…….Nutter)

I have a lot of sympathy for the mentally ill, but I must also confess to being more than  a little afraid when confronted with someone whose actions seem unpredictable, especially when  their language would shock a docker suffering from Tourette’s who’d just drunkenly discovered that his 15 year old daughter had maxed his credit card to buy VIP tickets to see John and Edward in Hawaii  and that this money was non-rufundable.

‘Take my bag’s seat will ya, ya f******* ****. I’ll f******** slit your f******** throat and jab all my f****** fingers in yourf******* eye, you****’

In a voice that ranged without any apparent reason from gentle singsong to the screams of the damned, rising and falling like  a Rachmaninov piano concerto, this subterranean Golum hissed at me all the way to Shepherd’s Bush, his language becoming more gruesome, his threats more sexual, more violently  imaginative, involving acts of depravity that would make the Marquis de Sade wince in outraged prudery….

All the while I pretended that my headphones prevented me from hearing him, though my  iPod wasn’t on. All the while I desperately avoided his increasingly invasive attempts to make eye contact with me by re-reading the same sentence about Boris Johnson over and over and over again.All the while, all the while , over and over and over and indeed over again.

‘Why didn’t you get up and walk away?’

Two reasons:  First, I felt that any sudden movement from me would be all he’d need to spring into murderous  action, so thought it best not to antagonise him. Second, I was tired.

I have no doubt that it was only my fervent  silent prayers to Saint Christopher that got me home in one, uncut piece.

All I’d really like to say in this week’s blog is this: Flowers, puppies and happiness. Got that? Flowers, puppies and happiness!

Mike

Hi Everyone,

The world is always in constant change. Things change fast and you need to be able to follow and catch up with the fast paced rhythm of life. It is natural to fear what is new, because new things will force you to adjust to something completely uncertain and adjustments most of the time can seem difficult at first. But remember that there is no need to fear change; all you need to do is keep calm and carry on. Learn the new rules. Get used to the way things work and make sure you are familiar with the whole process not only a bit of it, so you can actually understand the reason why things can go right or wrong.

Get involved! Be a part of it! It is important to play a role in life. Do something. Do not be scared of experiencing new things. Live it! Feel it! Give it a go! Go ahead and try it! A new house, a new taste, a new look, a new book, a new passion… If life gives you the chance to change just renew your faith and go for it. Let the thrill of being alive flow through your veins. Let yourself be seduced by the sweet embrace of life.

The English Studio is also following the fast pace of this changing world which we live in. We are always focused on the welfare of our students. We are always finding new ways to improve our services because we want our students to have the best learning experience ever.

So make that change! Learn English at The English Studio.

Have a great week.

Evilin

Dear agents,

Thanks for the new enrolments we have been receiving this week. There is an updated agents’ contract to be signed. We sent emails to all of you during the week but some messages bounced back. We need signed and stamped copies before we process your new bookings. Please email me if you haven’t received it so far.

Could you also make sure you always enrol students with their current details? It is one of the Home Office requirements that the schools keep updated info of all registered students, in case we need to contact them after their arrival. Please always add their telephone numbers, home address and email. Note that this does not affect our communication with agents.

After a very busy year, we all deserve a break! The school will be closed from 16th December to 6th January (new students start on 11th January 2010). During the month of December, teachers will be evaluating students and having tutorials to plan the following term. If new students are scheduled to start during this weeks, please remind them that, even though they will not be submited to tests, they must come to classes because of their attendance. We kindly ask you to advise your students to start their courses in January. Not only will they attend a brand new term, from the beginning, but they will also get a very special discount (our famous Academic Year).

Have a very good weekend.

Evaldo

Hi Everyone,

It is always important to remember that all students under student visa, studying 15 hours per week must attend the skill-classes. These classes are free and compulsory. There are signs in evey class room and reception where you can check the information about your exam skill classes.

Make sure you attend all your classes and keep your attendance records high.

Keep smiling,

Evilin.

A nice thing happened to me on the tube the other day..Normally, when I leave work in the evening, it’s very difficult to get a seat on the tube and most people are too exhausted to be polite enough to offer up their seat. Generally speaking, I’m the sort of person who does offer their seat up, but I admit that sometimes I am too tired : or I’ve had too bad a day.Or maybe I’m just a horrible person.

At Holborn, the train is usually too full to have any chance of getting a seat, but at Tottenham Court Road (The next stop on the Central Line) loads of people get off, so  a wily, foxy operator such as I  can manouevre themselves onto a prized throne.

The other day, though utterly exhausted, I was about to leap into a seat when I saw a lady who had clearly had a worse day than me, forlornly standing with her shopping. In a moment of selflessness in no small way inspired by the fact that the lady looked like my mum, I gallantly offered my seat to her. Of course, selfishly I was expecting her to bow and beam her thanks to me as though I had just liberated her from a third world jail. All she did, however, was wearily nod her head..

I couldn’t believe it! Ok ma’am, I’m not expecting you to name me as sole beneficiary in your will, but, y’know,a ‘thank you’ wouldn’t be out of place here.

Then I started thinking,’Well, if you’re only offering up your seat in the expectation of a thank you, you are a sad, craven little man: expecting thanks is as selfish, in its way, as pretending not to see someone who needs a seat. Shame on you.’

As I was mentally beating myself up, the train pulled in to Oxford Circus where a gaggle of tourists alighted and there on that cold November evening my Shangrila appeared. A lovely, fresh empty seat! I  sat down gratefully and closed my eyes all the way to Shepherd’s Bush.

Mike

Guy Fawkes Night is an annual celebration on the evening of 5 November. It marks the downfall of the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605, in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to destroy the Houses of Parliament, in London, United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, celebrations take place in towns and villages across the country in the form of both private and civic events. They involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires on which traditionally “guys” are burnt, although this practice is not always observed in modern times.  These “guys” are traditionally effigies of Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. Although the night is celebrated in York (Fawkes’ hometown) some there do not burn his effigy, most notably those from his old school. In the past, before the fifth, children traditionally used the “guys” to request a “penny for the guy” in order to raise funds with which to buy fireworks. However, this practice has diminished greatly, perhaps because it has been seen as begging, and also because children are not allowed to buy fireworks. In addition there are concerns that children might misuse the money.
In Sussex, it is a major festival that centres on Lewes necessitating the closure of the town centre. The night also commemorates the Glorious Revolution and 17 local Protestant martyrs that were burnt at the stake during Marian Persecutions by the Catholic Queen Mary I. The night begins with torchlight processions in costume by a number of local bonfire societies and culminates in six separate bonfires where effigies of Guy Fawkes, Pope Paul V and topical personalities are destroyed by firework and flame. The burning of an effigy of Pope Paul V is carried out by the Cliffe Bonfire Society alone and they are barred from marching with the main procession.
In Ottery St Mary, in Devon, burning barrels of tar are carried through the streets. Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for its tar barrels, an old custom said to have originated in the 17th century, and which is held on November 5th each year. Each of Ottery’s central public houses sponsors a single barrel. In the weeks prior to the day of the event, November 5th, the barrels are soaked with tar. The barrels are lit outside each of the pubs in turn and once the flames begin to pour out, they are hoisted up onto local people’s backs and shoulders. The streets and alleys around the pubs are packed with people, all eager to feel the lick of the barrels flame. Seventeen Barrels all in all are lit over the course of the evening. In the afternoon and early evening there are women’s and boy’s barrels, but as the evening progresses the barrels get larger and by midnight they weigh at least 30 kilos. A great sense of camaraderie exists between the ‘Barrel Rollers’, despite the fact that they tussle constantly for supremacy of the barrel. In most cases, generations of the same family carry the barrels and take great pride in doing so. … Opinion differs as to the origin of this festival of fire, but the most widely accepted version is that it began as a pagan ritual that cleanses the streets of evil spirits.
Guy Fawkes Night is less commonly celebrated in Northern Ireland, where autumn fireworks and bonfires are more commonly associated with Halloween.         VICTORIA

Dear agents,

As The English Studio is the students’ official sponsor, it is absolutely essencial that we check all documents before issuing them a visa letter.

As soon as you enrol the students through the agents’ area, send all documents to bookings@the-englishstudio.com (if you email a particular member of the staff, you may have to wait longer to get the letter). The essential documents are:
1. passport scans;
2. copy of a valid certificate clearly mentioning the students’ level of English;
3. copies of the bank statements proving the requested funds.

Note that all documents, including bank statements, must be in English or officially translated.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Evaldo

Hi everyone,

It is extremly important that you attend your classes regularly. Low attendance can cause you unecessary stress in your student life. Not only will students with low attendance face delays in their Oyster card application, but they also won’t be able to receive their certificate in the of the course. Visa students will be reported to the Home office if they have attendance lower than 85%. So make sure you come to class frequently and in case of illness always contact the school to justify your absence. Send an email to: reception@the-englishstudio.com and explain why you are not coming to school.

Remember to talk to your teacher in case you have any doubt about your attendace.

Wish you all a wonderful time.

Cheers,

Evilin.

Last Saturday, my wife and I battened down the hatches and watched X-factor, hoping that hordes of feral, ghoulish costume-clad children would not descend on our door, demanding sweets, with the implied threat of redecorating our porch with flour, eggs and I daren’t imagine what else. It got me thinking how Hallowe’en has changed and evolved.

Hallowe’en comes from the old Celtic festival called Samahain (pronounced ’sawan’) and was in fact the beginning of the Celtic New Year. So, you might ask, why do we have all the witches and wizards and things that go bump in the night accoutrements? Well, the reason is that according to ancient belief, Hallowe’en was the night upon which the door between the land of the living and the land of the dead briefly creaked ajar.

When Ireland became a  Christian country, this tradition was transferred to the idea of All Souls  Day, when it became traditional to visit a church and to light a candle for loved ones who have passed on. I suppose it’s always nice to think that someone is watching over us…On another subject, somebody must definitely be watching over John and Edward: Ireland’s most embarrassing export. How did they survive another week? What is wrong with the world? Just like what really lies behind the mysteries of Hallowe’en, we’ll probably never know..

Another thing we’ll never know is why I didn’t check the other blogs before starting this one! I’ve just seen that my colleague Victoria has done a much  better blog than mine about Hallowe’en, so please read her one not mine! next week , I intend to write about something Victoria has no interest in and is not going to blog about: perhaps the unrecognised genius of John and Edward!

Mike