ESL & LBS Newsletter March 2010 Volume #24

Northland Adult Learning Centre, Algoma District School Board, 440 Northland Road, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6C3N6

Phone: 705-945-7109, Fax: 705-945-7004, Web Site: http://northland.adsb.on.ca

Literacy and Basic Skills/English as a Second Language

Journeys

Announcements

The next GED EXAM is April 14 & 15

Registration Deadline

March 5

March Break March 12—March 19

No Class

Easter Weekend Good Friday-April 2

Easter Monday-April 5

No Class

Passport to Unity

Multicultural Festival

Sunday, March 21

from 12pm-5pm

Essar Centre

Workshop with Heidi

Exam Day Jitters

March 30 at 10:00 A.M.

Northland

Polar Bear Swim

February 14, 2010, the last day of Bon Soo and Valentine’s Day, was a wonderful for me. It was the first time I went in the Polar Bear Swim. At noon, my wife and I went to Bellevue Park and filled out a registration form. There were lots of peo-ple there. I waited outside for about 20 minutes with only a few clothes on, but I didn’t feel cold. There were also many peo-ple watching and cheering. When it was my turn, I was very excited. I took off my shoes and ran into the river with my partner. My feet felt cold while I was running in the snow. I jumped into the river thinking about nothing. It was amazing, but also crazy. I made it and my wife was very excited, too. It was a great weekend!

By Yongguang (ESL)

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Chinese New

Year February 14, 2010 is Chinese New Year. It is also called Spring Festival, for it’s the start of the spring season according to the lunar calendar. The zodiac sign for 2010 is the fierce, brave and competitive tiger, bod-ing well for the year to come. Luckily, it is on Valentine’s Day this year. Every Chi-nese person tries their best to prepare food and gifts for the New Year. Lots of Chinese are on their way home, but the bad

weather sometimes brings them great trouble. Many planes, trains and buses will be delayed, leaving thousands of people in trouble for the Chinese New Year with their family.

The Chinese New Year is the greatest holiday for all of domes-tic and international Chinese. During New Year’s Eve, family members get together for dinner and enjoy Spring Festival Par-ties on TV. Most people will cut their hair and wear their favor-ite clothes before New Year’s Eve in order to be more beautiful.

During New Year’s day, most people will visit their relatives and good friends, and give gifts and best wishes to each other. There are many celebrations on TV. The Chinese New Year Dragon and Lion Dance, which show-cases the best of Chinese traditions and customs, will be

held on the street. For centuries, The Chinese have shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. Hoping every-thing is perfect, people never talk about unhappy things at New Year’s beginning.

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Valentine’s Day is on February 14th. It is a day to celebrate love and friendship. Some men and women are expected on this day to receive gifts, flowers and chocolates, and they usually go out to have a romantic candlelit dinner. Some-times they celebrate with friends. For us, it is not necessary to wait until February 14th to celebrate the love. My worst valentine’s day was when I had the “great” idea to give a real bunny to my boyfriend. He was veterinarian, but I’m not very sure that he liked it!

By Isela (ESL)

I am married with Minesh, who is very kind, lov-ing, and peaceful. He has a caring nature that is very important to me and my son. He is a jolly man who makes me happy. He spends his spare time with my son and me. He has a powerful under-standing. He has good thoughts that make a bright future. He is an intelligent man whose mind is broad. He is a sports man who has sportsmanship. He plays ta-ble tennis, cricket, and volley-ball, which is good for his health.

By Kiran (ESL)

Korean New Year's Day

In Korea, New Year's Day is on February 14, which is one of the biggest days. This day is celebrated ac-cording to the Lunar Calendar. On New Year's Day, we celebrate the beginning of the new year. We commemorate our forefather on the morning of New Year's Day with lots of food and beverages. Also, we wish for health and happiness. On the night before New Year's Day, seniors usually keep the young awake because of our superstitions. The superstition is that if we sleep the night before New Year's Day, our eyebrows turn white. Believe it or not! After the commemoration, we eat food together, and the young people play Sebae to express their respect for the seniors. When the young finishes playing Sebae, the seniors give money or presents to them. (I like it so much) After that, we play some games such as Yootnori, jegichagi, and neoltuegi. All of the families com-pete against one another. It is not only very fun and exciting but also very sound because the families get to-gether for the game. By Hyunsoo (ESL)

Different Experiences Getting My Driver’s License

Last week, I took a written test for my driver’s license. It was the first exam, so I drove last weekend with my husband for practice. I am planning to take a road test. This weekend I drove for the first time in Canada and I think Sault Ste. Marie is the best place for a new driver because it is a quiet city. By Christina (ESL)

Winter Activities

Last weekend was fabulous for my family and me because we had the opportunity to enjoy some outdoor activities together such as cross country skiing, skating, as well as tobogganing at Finn Hill. In addition, my husband and I had the chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day and enjoy delicious drinks. I usually enjoy the weekend off because it is very important for me to spend time with my kids, even more if my husband doesn’t have to work, and we can plan some activity together. I have been here for almost 6 years; however, it’s only until now, in the last 3 years maybe, that I enjoy outdoor activities and last weekend was very nice. By Iscla (ESL)

Oink, Oink, Honk, Honk I was in Venezuela from December 16th until February 15th. I did many things. I went to the beach with my family and friends and visited other good places in my country. I had a car accident two weeks ago because I hit a pig with my car and lost control. The car turned over. However, nothing happened to me. Finally, the last Saturday before I returned to Canada, I had a barbecue with my friends. They said bye and we en-joyed the whole day. By Alberto (ESL)

Murray Lake I went to Murray Lake on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I drove for three and a half hours. The road was easy. The weather was beautiful with sunshine. After, there was an awesome sunset. I caught fish. I rode a snowmobile with my friend’s dog “Forest”. He likes to ride. I went skiing. It was very quiet on the lake. Sometimes I heard birds. We made a fire in the forest. On Monday I returned home. On a little mountain I saw a bobcat. He was a beautiful cat. I had a great time.

By Tanya (ESL)

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The Paghman District

The Paghman District is located at the west of Kabul City. The area is green with plenty of trees and fruit. Located at the bottom of the Hindu Kush is a popular place for wealthy Af-ghans and a beautiful place for other people to visit. It is a place where people relax and spend the weekends there with friends and relatives. It is known for its beauty, with many lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

Kabul River, the only main river in the Kabul province, is fed by springs and snowmelt runoffs from Paghman.

After King Amanullah Khan and Queen Soraya Tarzi's return from Europe, Amanullah brought in foreign experts to redesign Kabul. They created, at the en-trance of Paghman, a European style monumental gate.

The Paghman Garden is a very popular tourist attraction near Kabul. People come here with their friends and family mem-bers for relaxation. At the end of the twen-

tieth century, this beautiful garden was transformed into the battle grounds of Mujaheddin, and thus it marked the end of this wonderful garden. Still now, there exist some remains of the garden which has become a picnic spot in recent times.

By Zakira (ESL)

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Venezuela

hot, tropical

swimming, surfing, relaxing

sunglasses, sun tan lotion, umbrella, rain coat

walking, blowing, working

cool, beautiful

Ukraine

Water

wet, clear

refreshing, swimming, sailing

boat, fish, worm, roots

running, growing, planting

dark, mud

Land

By Tanya & Alberto (ESL)

Man

brave, strong

smoking, drinking, swimming

basketball, football, clothes, diamond

laughing, smiling, crying

beautiful, intelligent

Woman

Party

noisy, crowded

talking, dancing, laughing

drinks, food, sofa, bed

thinking, relaxing, reading

quiet, peaceful

Rest

By Zakira & Yongguang (ESL)

Mexico I’d like to invite all of you to visit Mexico, which is a beautiful country with different places and different people.

Mexico’s beaches attract a lot of tourists throughout the world which have sunny days almost all year.

You won’t feel alone because there are lots of tour-ists. If you feel thirsty because of the temperature there are delicious beverages which are called pina coladas, margaritas, coconut and corona beer which are very famous. By Lorena (ESL)

Diamante Poetry

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Different Cultures in One Class

We are ESL students at Northland Adult Learning Centre.

Jennifer has been coming to North-land since October 24, 2009. She is from China. She is a full-time stu-dent.

Yongguang is from China. He started the ESL class an January 4, 2010.

Karen is from Argentina. She has been studying English at Northland since November 2009. The ESL courses at Northland have different teachers and volunteers in the after-noon class. We focus on grammar and writing with Leslie, who is the teacher. During this course we have practiced listening writing, speaking and reading.

The classroom, which is very big, has tables around it with grey chairs. At the back it has 2 round tables for having lunch. It has all the necessary things to heat, prepare and serve the food.

Northland educational centre is lo-cated on Northland Rd. in the west end. It has different programs such as GED, LBS, Computer, Math, and ESL.

As a part of the course, we do dif-ferent activities such as cross coun-try skiing, snow shoeing, corn maze, a Halloween party, a Christmas party, and volunteering at the soup kitchen.

By Jennifer, Yongguang, Lorena, and Karen

Get Improved, Be the Best!

If you want to find knowledge and nice people in just one place, come to Northland Adult Learning Centre. This is your opportu-nity to improve your skills and make new friends as well.

Let’s meet some of the people who you will find here. Bev and Leslie are some of the teachers for the ESL course. Bev is so witty, she is always trying to help her students with an open smile on her face. Leslie is a great professional. She is a little bit seri-ous sometimes but always helpful and patient with her students.

Do you want to know a little about the different personalities that we have here as students?

Hyun Soo is really a nice girl. She takes her studies seriously and gets along well with everyone. Isela is smart, witty and calm. When you are not expecting it, she will make you lighten up. Al-berto is a good person who is always positive and interested in learning as well. Anne is a friendly and smart person. She knows a lot of English and she loves to help others. I am sure that you want to meet those people.

Take a look at how much fun our students have here. I have been sharing experiences with my classmates since last Sep-tember, when I started the English classes. I have had the chance to learn about food, culture etc from different counties. Last month, we went to Hiawatha to go cross-country skiing. Snowshoeing was fun as well.

The ESL classroom is very long. It can accommodate about 20 students with tables and chairs. It is also very well-decorated with different kinds of pictures and information. The students who study full-time have two round tables in the classroom to enjoy their lunch and also exchange cultural experiences. The building is very clean and safe. You will always find someone around to help you, and it is also located in a quiet area of the city.

The school has different programs for learning:

ESL: it is a program which handles courses of English as a Sec-ond Language. It is from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am – 11:30 am and afternoon classes are from 12:00 am- 2:30 pm.

Night class: it is held on Monday and Thursdays from 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm.

Also Northland Adults Learning Centre has other programs, such as: GED, LBS, Computer classes, Mathematics and the S.F. Howe Learning Centre.

Sometimes the students learn about Canadian culture: how to bake a cake, pie and other food. On special days, they have par-ties to celebrate these dates. It is a fun way to learn more about Canada.

By Anne, Hyun Soo, Isela, and Alberto

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Recipe:

Pears with Maple Cream

Ingredients 4 ripe but firm Anjou pears, peeled 8 chopped dates 2 tbsp (25 mL) minced ginger in syrup 2 tsp (10 mL) grated orange rind 1/4 cup (50mL) white wine 1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream 1/2 tsp (2 mL) nutmeg, optional

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut top off pear. Scoop out core with a melon baller. Combine dates, ginger and orange rind. Stuff into pear core. Lay or stand pears in baking dish. 2. Combine wine, maple syrup and whipping cream and pour over pears. Bake for 15 minutes, basting and turning occasionally or until pears are tender. Sprinkle with nutmeg. 3. Pour basting sauce into pot and boil 5 to 7 minutes on high heat or until thickened slightly. Place pear in centre of plates spooning the sauce around it or place in balloon wine glasses and pour sauce over. Serve warm or cold.