Valentina Saavedra criticized the incidents of manifestation

The President of the University of Chile Student Federation said that what happened yesterday in the march convened by the Confederation of Chilean Students, “violent situations are always present after the marches, but what happened yesterday is definitely unacceptable” she said to La Tercera.

Valentina Saveedra also said “the students will never support the ones that are looting and burning places”.

After the march there were 172 people arrested and 9 policemen wounded.

2nd Graders Invited to the Hub by 7th Grade Class

7th graders from Miss Poli’s class worked all last week to prepare the Hub for a visit from a 2nd grade class for the very first time. They prepared some great games and activities and helped the younger students practice their English. The 2nd graders and 7th graders both had a great time, and both of them had the chance to hear, speak, and read in English in a fun environment.

One group of 7th grade leaders created their own game that combined Headbandz, Pictionary, and Charades.

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Continue reading 2nd Graders Invited to the Hub by 7th Grade Class

Students and Teachers Celebrate Final Classes with Games in the Hub

What better way to finish off a great year of improving English than by playing some fantastic board games in the English Hub? That’s what several 7th-11th grade teachers thought during the last week of classes. They brought their students to play popular US board games from “Settlers of Catan” to “The Game of Things.” See if you recognize some of the games in the pictures below! 20141126_08452620141126_121334 20141126_091814We were also thankful for a visit from a volunteer from the USA, Ms. Tara, who is a language teacher from Minnesota.  Continue reading Students and Teachers Celebrate Final Classes with Games in the Hub

Students use organizers in the hub to write exceptional paragraphs

10th graders from Ms. Melo’s class visited the hub to work on writing well-organized paragraphs. They completed a graphic organizer to write a sentence in groups, and then designed their own organizers to match their topics.

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Here are some pictures and samples of their excellent work–some chose serious themes, and others are quite funny!

The PSU system, in which Chilean students are selected to enter at different universities according to the scores they get, is a really bad method. In the first place, they determinate every teenager’s future, at a very early age in which is impossible to know what they want to do with their lifes. Secondly, it doesn’t measures all of the habilities people has, such as helping or advicing poeple, or others like running, strenght, dancing or even painting, which may be really important for some persons. Finally, because of the difficult that this test has and the importance the society has given to it, many students get really stressed and freak out at the moment of doing it, that they can’t express all of the knowledge they truly have. Therefore, PSU isn’t a good method to select students and it should be changed.

-Sofia Pavanati

Continue reading Students use organizers in the hub to write exceptional paragraphs

Students try to catch the lyrics of American Pop

Some high school and middle school students recently visited the hub to select some of their favorite American music and try and transcribe the lyrics. Their choices ranged from fairly easy (Avicii “Hey Brother”) to very difficult (“Monster” by Rihanna and Eminem). Few students did a perfect job, but they were excited to pick up the words they had missed after checking the lyrics online, and learned new vocabulary to understand the songs better. Maybe in the near future, some of the students can perform in a Karaoke competition!

High Schoolers in Georgia Make an Inspired Choice for Homecoming King and Queen

NBC News reports that teenagers at a High School in Dunwoody, Georgia–in the Southern United States–showed that not every high school is full of bullies and exclusion. Watch the inspiring video below about this school’s project to include students with special needs, and the inspiring result.

“Homecoming” is an important tradition in American High Schools–it is a weekend in the Fall which features a football game, a formal dance for students, and of course, voting for a “Homecoming King and Queen.” Being chosen for this honor is something many students dream of, and if they win, will remember for the rest of their lives.

Inspiring: inspirador

Students Give Opinions about School Uniforms

This week, students discussed their feelings about school uniforms. Here are the best student comments:

“Yes [students should wear uniforms] but maybe they could be a little different between students , due to the lack of expression that the uniform gives us. For instance, in American Private schools students get different choices, for shirts, ties, shoes, etc… There is a uniform code but its not as strict as the one that we have here.”

-Máximo A.

“I said no, but , if every person wears what they want it can be a mess so the school use the uniform just to control that”

-Augustin G.

“Students should be able to choose from different uniform options, as well as Max said, in many schools from other countries, this is something very common. Although uniforms give the school a great and respectful “identity”, it’d be fun to try something new.”

-Martin B.

“No, because the uniform is repetitive, it would be more entertaining, not always be uniform, we should occupy street clothes, and when important events take school uniform.”

-Maria Jose V.