YourLanguage

Guide

ISSUE XVI - SEPTEMBER, 09

CONTENTS:

1

Investors in People

Investors in People...................Our New Teachers...................IH YL Conference.....................So Beautiful & Wild..................Study Abroad offer...................IH WORD.................................IH QUIZ!!!..................................Laugh and Learn......................

p.1p.2p.2p.3p.3p.3p.4p.4

www.ih.kiev.ua

Our Dear Clients,

We are happy to announce another successful start to the new academic year at IH Kyiv! For our new clients we say WELCOME! For our returning

clients we say WELCOME! and THANK YOU! Our school has long been recognised as a leading international provider of language teaching and teacher-training services. Our team of professionals is working hard for you to enable you to get the most from your language learning for your professional, personal and cultural growth. This year we celebrate our 17th anniversary. On 24th November 1992 International House Kyiv was established. It was the first and only language school in the country with qualified native speaker teachers and internationally trained local teachers working together as a team. Our beginning was a successful start of a new era of language learning in Ukraine. Our use of the Communicative Approach for language teaching, so well known in the world, is now the standard throughout our country. This year we are also hosting the IHWO Young Learner Conference. Young Learner DoSes and teachers from over 140 affiliated schools in 50 countries are coming to IH Kyiv to share their teaching experience with each other. Our mission statement is the same as always: by providing you, our clients, with language educa-tion, we help our country to blend with the world. This year’s vision statement is “Team Work and Professionalism” and replaces last year’s which was“ Quality and accuracy “. We are proud to be a unique place where all the staff is so eager to be at their professional best, motivated and ready to share their skills for your benefit. We have accomplished a lot, but professional growth as well as personal growth has no end. Finally, always remember that we are here to make your learning experience the best possible. Our door is always open to handle any administrative issue you feel is important. We hope that you achieve all your personal goals in learning English and that you feel satisfied enough to tell your friends about the people you’ve met here, the things you’ve learned and the new international friends and knowledge you’ve gained. Again, thank you from our team.

Sincerely,

Tetyana Oratovska Director International House Kyiv

IH KPI OFFICE: 7 Vanda Vasylevska st. T: 238 9870, 236 2264; IH OBOLON Office: 24 Heroiv Stalingrada ave, office 126 T: 428 03 30, 428 0331

Nice to see you, our respected reader! The IH Team welcomes you among our friends: present and potential clients. All your opinions, comments and wishes regarding the content of IH Compass are highly appreciated. We are always trying to become better and remain your favourite Language Guide :)

Your IH Compass Team

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IH Compass - Issue XVI, September 2009

Our

New

Teachers!

IH Young Learners’ Conference

238 9870, 238 9796info@ih.kiev.uawww.ih.kiev.ua

My name is Anna Basarab and I’m a new teacher at IH Kyiv. I like reading books, traveling and Japanese food. I’m very friendly and helpful. There are two cats living in my apartment and I’d like to have more. I like Betty Boop cartoons. I even have a Betty Boop doll. Also I like fashion shoes and bags and spend almost all my money on them. I really enjoy working in IH Kyiv. I think IH Kyiv is a perfect place for a teacher to develop his or her professionalism and to work in a friendly team.

Hello students and staff at International House! I’ve just joined the International House team, coming from far away Australia, to live in Kyiv. This might seem strange – why is an Australian, with a Ukrainian name choosing to live in Kyiv? Well, actually, my family background is Ukrainian, and for a long time I have wanted to visit the country my family came from. So far I have rich and interesting impres-sions of Kyiv: beautiful churches, efficient public transport and an addic-tion to mlyntsi z syrom! I look forward to making this city my new home.

I’m George, 22 and recently got CELTA certificate. I feel very happy and appreciative to be a part of the IH Team. I think it’s the best place to work and develop for a starting EL teacher. I live in Kiev, and in my free time I like to meet friends and hit the swimming pool. I’m really into languages. Recently I started learning Chinese. I love to cook. My favorite cuisine is Japanese and Mediterra-nean. I love animals. I have a cat and a dog at home.

Hello Everyone! My name’s Diana Vaselenko and I’m an English teacher, who has just moved from International House Kharkiv to International House Kyiv. I’m really excited about being here and working with new people. I would say that my two greatest passions in life are English and art, and I’m doing my best to combine and apply both of them in my job.

Every year International House World Organisation holds several conferences for its members. This year the Young Learners’ Conference will be held in Kiev from 19 - 21 November. It will be the 18th YL Conference and IH Kiev are delighted to be hosting this event. The conference provides an opportunity for Directors, Directors of Studies, Senior Teachers and YL Coordinators to share ideas, problems and solutions. The theme for this year is ‘Strength through Diversity: Investigating, exchanging and upgrading our resources.’ We are expecting participants from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary and many other countries. Having compared our schools at the previous conferences, we can say that teachers of children in all countries are dealing with the same issues. The aim of our annual meetings at the conferences is to share or find solutions to these problems. We believe that our teachers are privileged to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share experience with the biggest schools in the world. We also have a chance to compare the standards of teaching, learn new techniques and approaches in methodology, which makes our school and our YL teachers unique in the Ukrainian market.

www.ih.kiev.ua

IH Compass - Issue XVI, September 2009

238 9870, 238 9796abroad@ih.kiev.uawww.ih.kiev.ua/abroadSergiy & Iryna

Study Abroad Department

WORD

So Beautiful and Wild

www.ih.kiev.ua

3

Winter Holidays in England!

education abroad

for 2 weeks!

The price includes:• 20 English lessons a week• full-board homestay accommodation• tours of London, Windsor, Bath etc.• entertainment, disco, bowling, sport etc.• return transfer• insurance and visa fee• paper work

The price doesn't include:• flight cost (from 3000 UAH for 2-way tickets)• pocket money

Deadline for booking -15th October 2009!

S e e d e t a i l s o n o u r w e b - s i t e !

3 - 16 January 2010

It’s been a while since your language guide offered you a journey. Last time we visited The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This time IH Compass is going to introduce to you one more English-Speaking country. So, get ready! Our next stop will be in Australia.

Australia is an island, a country and a continent at the same time. The capital of Australia is Canberra which is the main city within the Australian Capital Territory. It may be hard to believe, but Australia, just as Great Britain is a federal constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. The economy of Australia is a prosperous, free market economy dominated by its services sector. Also, Australia is one of the most laissez-faire capitalist economies according to indices of economic freedom, which means that the state should never intervene in the marketplace. In addition to the countless advantages and to all the interesting facts of the economical and political structure of Australia, the country has a lot of exciting natural sights. Since Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans, the beauty of the shores is breathtaking. The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback. Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest inhabited continent. The reason given for the formation of the Australian deserts is the location of the continent. Some of the big Australian deserts can contain some smaller ones. For example, the Western desert is comprised of the Gibson Desert, the Great Victoria Desert and the Great Sandy Desert. In the center of Australia is a very special place, where Ayers Rock is situated. It is a large sandstone rock formation that the local Pitjantjatjara people call the Uluru. This word has no particular meaning in their language, also known as Pitjantjatjara, but it is also used as a local family name by the senior Traditional Owners of Uluru. The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, but over time a lot of people of other nations inhabited the country. The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland was made by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who sighted the coast of Cape York Penin-sula in 1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but they made no attempt at settlement. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. Centuries later British people were given another chance to emigrate to Australia. After World War II British people were offered to immigrate to Australia by paying only 10 pounds. Such type of policy of the Australian government considerably increased the population of the country. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the resident population of Australia is projected to be 21 912 103 citizens.

Don’t be confused by the words, that seem to be known to you, but are truly unknown. Your IH Compass will guide you though all the difficult paths of English vocabulary. This word is given by our teacher John Hall - the Head of Exams Department.

Nervous Pronunciation: ['nə:vəs]Function: adjectiveDate: 14th centuryMeaning: 1. easily worried or frightened: He’s not the nervous type.2. anxious: He spent a nervous night waiting for the test results.Synonyms: worried, afraid, anxious.

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IH Compass - Issue XVI, September 2009

from http://basicjokes.com

Dear Compass Readers, please send all your comments and ideasregarding our newspaper to marketing@ih.kiev.ua or leave the

information on www.vkontakte.ru/club7645724. See you in October!SEE THE COLOUR VERSION OF THE NEWSPAPER ON OUR WEBSITE!

International House Kyiv gives you the chance to learn more about IH schools and about different English-speaking countries. This quiz is designed especially for you to find out more about Canada. So, go ahead and send us the correct answers to info@ih.kiev.ua or bring them to the office. The lottery will be held on Wednesday 30.09 at 19.30. The deadline is 19.00 on 30.09. The video of the prize draw and

the photo of the winner will be published on our website. Hurry up! This is your chance to get

a 50% discount for one semester in any option!!!!

IH QUiZ!!! ?Adults

groups only!

Laugh and Learn

www.ih.kiev.ua

1. What Canadian city is on the same latitude as Kyiv? a. Ottawa b. Montreal c. Moose Jaw d. Calgary

2. What is the name of the famous honeymoon spot in Canada? a. Niagara falls b.Vancouver c. Frank Side d. Iqaluit

3. What is the nickname Cana-dians call their one-dollar coin? a. Crow b. Birdie c. Loony d. Frog

4. What are the official languages of Canada? a. English and Canadian b. English and French c. English, French, Spanish d. English and Spanish

5. What is Baffin Bay? a. A strait between Canada and Russia. b. A sea between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. c. A place in Texas named after the famous Canadian. d. A part of Greenland.

6. A maple leaf between 1876 and 1901 appeared on all Canadian coins. On which coin does it appears today? a. a penny b. 5 pence c. 10 pence d. 50 pence

7. Which province of Canada doesn’t have a regional tartan? a. Ontario b. Quebec c. Nunavut d. Nova Scotia

8. The national anthem of Canada is called: a. God Save the Queen b. O Canada c. A Mari Usque Ad Mare d. I am Canadian

9. The Parliament of Canada is made up of: a. the Crown, an elected House of Commons, and an appointed Senate b. The Prime-minister and a senate c. The president and the Prime- minister d. the crown, the house of lords and the house of commons.

10. How many teachers from Canada work for IH Kyiv? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. none

One morning in a posh hotel breakfast room, a guest called over the head waiter. "Good morning, sir! I'd like to order two boiled eggs, one of them so undercooked that it's runny, and the other so overcooked that it's hard. I also want some rubbery bacon, burnt toast, and butter that's so cold it's impossible to spread. Finally, I'll have a pot of extra-weak coffee, served at room temperature." The bewildered waiter almost stuttered. "Sir! We cannot serve such an awful breakfast to you here!" "Why not?" the guest replied. "That's what I got here yesterday!"

A large two - engined train was crossing America. After it had gone some distance one of the engines broke down. "No problem," the engineer thought, and carried on at half power. Further on down the line the second engine broke down, and the train slowed to a dead stop. The engineer decided he should inform the passen-gers about why the train had stopped, and made the following announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."

A business man called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discus-sion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don't, I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!"