¡¡YA VIENEN LOS REYES!!

With festive lights livening up the streets, Nativity scenes set up in various locations, and holiday tunes setting the holiday atmosphere, Spaniards celebrate the arrival of the Kings with a joyful parade called the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos. The kings ride upon horses or elaborate floats and throw goodies down to the children lining the streets. This is also traditionally the big opportunity for children to ask the Kings for presents.

That evening, before an early night in bed, children leave out their shoes in a spot where the Kings are sure to see them. The religious monarchs, just like Santa Claus,certainly love their sweets, so Spanish children often set out goodies to entice the Kings as well as hay to feed their camels. When morning arrives, children delightedly discover that the Kings nibbled the sweets, the camels ate the hay, and by their shoes there are wrapped presents just waiting to be torn into. The magical night comes to a close with a typical breakfast of Roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped cake decorated with fruits symbolizing the precious gems that adorned the royal trio's lavish clothing.

¡Feliz día de Reyes!

VISITA DE Y10 AL INSTITUTO CERVANTES

Hola chicas!!
El pasado lunes día 14, las alumnas de espaol de Y10 visitaron el Instituto Cervantes en Londres.

Tal y como nos explicaron allí, el Instituto Cervantes es una institución que a pesar de tener su sede en Madrid, cuenta con diferentes institutos del mismo nombre a lo largo de todo el mundo. El instituto Cervantes de Londres es uno de los más importantes, ya que posee una impresionante biblioteca sobre gramática y literatura tanto española como hispanoamericana.

El nombre del instituto Cervantes se debe a un importante escritor español autor de la novela El Quijote. Cervantes es el equivalente a Shakespeare en la literatura inglesa y además, como curiosidad, debes saber que murieron el mismo día, el 23 de abril de 1616.

Tras conocer los secretos de la biblioteca del Instituto Cervantes, pudimos disfrutar de una película española titulada Cobardes.

Aquí tenéis algunos de los feedbacks de algunas de las alumnas que disfrutaron de este dia tan español: (click on it to zoom it)

Día de Todos los Santos

All Saints' Day (Día de Todos los Santos) (officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), is a solemnity celebrated on November 1 in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.
In Portugal and Spain, floral ofrendas (offerings) are made on this day to their deads.

In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed.

There are a few traditional sweets that the Spanish eat on All Saints' Day. The most common is Huesos de Santo (literally 'saint's bones'), which is made of marzipan and 'dulce de yema'. Another is 'buñuelos de viento'.

In Mexico, All Saints coincides with the celebration of "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents), the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebration, honoring deceased children and infants.

¡¡¡¡¡¡Feliz Día de Todos los Santos!!!!!!

European Day of Languages
The MFL department went to Victoria Station for a Languages exhibitions regarding the European day of Languages, celebrated on Friday 25th and Saturday the 26th of September. A group of ten Yr7’s and Yr8 students went to the trip and they had a fantastic time! Students were told about the importance of learning different languages; they participated in different quizzes and were given materials to take home. Other students did some fantastic class work in which they had to choose a word in a different language and then create a poster with the word.

El grupo de MFL quisiera aprovechar la ocasión para agradecer desde aquí a la Consejería de Educación por el material con el que hemos sido obsequiados, y para, por supuesto, enviarles un cordial saludo.

SECONDARY SPANISH SCHOOL 2009

At the beginning of July the Modern Foreign Language Department at Haggerston School received The Award for the Secondary Spanish School 2009 at the Spanish Embassy.

Instituto Español del Año is an initiative of the Consejería de Educación of the Spanish Embassy (Department of Education at the Spanish Embassy) that seeks to identify and give recognition to those schools that excel in the promotion and provision of teaching of Spanish.

The status 'Instituto Español año 2009' is granted to up to 5 schools according to the following criteria:

• Provision of Spanish


• Pedagogical and curricular innovation


• Extracurricular activities


• Use of ICT


• International links

The fourth year of this competition was open to all primary, secondary schools and further education colleges in UK and has successfully drawn applications from 26 schools, both from state and independent sector.

A panel of experts visited the 10 short listed schools in May and June , attended lessons and interviewed head teachers, subject leaders, students and other members of the school community.

The scheme has gained increasing interest from the media and recognition from Ofsted in their reports of the winning schools. It has also helped to establish a vibrant net of schools where languages are an exciting part of the curriculum.

The Spanish Ambassador hosted a reception at the Spanish Embassy in London on Friday July 3 to present the Awards to the winning schools. Guests included Lid King, National Languages Director, who helped the Ambassador with the prizes, and representatives from national and local educational institutions and organizations.

The event provided an exceptional opportunity to learn from teachers and head teachers and head teachers as to why Spanish continues to be a success at Haggerston School.

DIA DE LA HISPANIDAD

Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492 in the Julian calendar and October 21, 1492 in the modern Gregorian calendar, as an official holiday. The day is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Día de la Raza (Day of the (Hispanic) race) in many countries in America, as Día de las Culturas (Day of the Cultures) in Costa Rica, as Discovery Day in The Bahamas, as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional in Spain, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Uruguay and as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) in Venezuela.

Today is also known in Spain as Día del Pilar, festivity in honour of Aragón's patroness the Virgin of the Pilar. On the Dia del Pilar there is a procession with cardboard giants, and a spectacular display of flowers dedicated to the Virgin.

It is also the Day of the Armed Forces in Spain.

FELIZ DIA DE LA HISPANIDAD Y FELICIADADES A TODAS LAS PILARES!!!!!!!!

Trabajo medioambiental con Year 9.

El lunes 29 y miércoles 1 de Julio tendremos una visita especial y aprenderemos mas sobre el reciclaje y cómo podemos ayudar al medio ambiente de una forma creativa y divertida.
The students will learn that waste disposal is a problem and that it can have some serious environmental impacts. Pupils will begin to make links between waste disposal in landfill sites and climate change as a result of gases released from rotting waste. Pupils will identify ways to reduce their waste by making some recycled products. They will be shown how to make a gift bag from newspaper, a necklace or bracelet from magazines and recycled paper.
Asi que estar pendientes porque pronto tendremos las fotos!