June 2015 - English Language Partners

English Language Partners Auckland Central Newsletter
July 2015 Issue 80
Farewell from Estelle Swan
I'd like to say a very big thank you
for the lovely lunch, the beautiful
flowers and the voucher for a
photography course at Selwyn
Community Education. I have
loved working for ELPAC over the
last 15 years and would like to
welcome Eve as the new manager.
I think that you, the volunteers
and group tutors, do so much
as friends & teachers helping
newcomers to learn English and
also helping them navigate their
way through a new & bewildering
system. It’s been fantastic to hear
how home tutors have made such
a difference in people’s lives and
also to visit the classes and hear
the buzz of conversation. In
1996 there was only one group
with 4 people and now there
are around 30 groups per year
with Community English classes,
English for Employees & English
for Work programmes.
I plan to go roller blading with
my grandchildren who are 5
& 7, boogie board in the surf
at Sunset Beach take more
photographs, do a community
education silver jewellery
course, catch up with friends,
read lots and look for a part
time job.
Wishing you all the very best,
Estelle
Contents
1. Farewell from Estelle
2. New Tutors
3. A word from The Team
4. Academic
5. Movie night a success
6. International Cultural Festival
7 - 9 what our classes have been up to
10. Online resource
1 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Congratulations to our new Tutors: Term 1
Michelanne Forster, Yumi Eason, Sharmian Firth, David Georgalas, Lawrence Schaffler, Eduardo
Soares Mariano, Amber Jones, Jackie Dring, Stine Spellerberg
Nooshin Ghorbi, Julie Paul, Samira Kakh, Vikashni Sheila, Alison Broom, Anne Perera, Evelyn Jaffe,
Priyesha Mendis, Sara Guise. (Alison Wilson - absent).
Congratulations to our new Tutors: Term 2
Wijey Wijeyakumar, Grant Plimmer, Bianca Bettjeman, Nagajothi Nagarajan, Lucky Bamunuge,
Anne Mikhailiadis; Graham McClarty, Lori Walker, Wen Zhong, Clare Smith, Danielle Nutley,
Sally Barclay, (Eve Price – absent) Jude Wood, Rina Igarashi, Claire Ramos,Raye Ogilvy,
Sylvia Hsieh, Sheila O’Brien, Jackie Humphrey .
2 English Language Partners Auckland Central
The Team
Welcome to Eve Price
Kia ora,
To those of you I have already met I would like to say thank you for your warm
welcomes; to those of you I am yet to meet I would like to extend an invitation
to come and introduce yourselves at our Friday Tutor Support sessions.
I have now been at English Language Partners for a whole month and have not
stopped learning. My experience has been in the private tertiary education
industry, so while some things are similar, there are a lot of aspects that are
new. Prior to coming to New Zealand I lived and worked in Malaysia, where I
taught ESOL and IELTS. I did similar teaching in Auckland for a couple of years
before being promoted to management level and running the ESOL department
of an international Hospitality and Cookery school. While my cooking skills did
not improve in the slightest, I was able to sink my teeth into some exciting ESOL
projects.
So far my time with English Language Partners has been nothing but enjoyable.
Though like everyone else I was sad to see Estelle leave after her great contribution
to the organisation as a whole. I hope to bring my academic experience along
with my people skills and personal experience as a migrant, first in France, then in
Asia, and most recently here in New Zealand, to my role within the organisation. I
am really looking forward to continuing on Estelle’s legacy of an excellent centre,
and being able to work hand in hand with learners, volunteers and colleagues,
both here in Auckland and in Wellington.
Kind regards,
Eve Price l Centre Manager
Congratulations to all tutors who have
completed their NZQA assignments
since the last newsletter
Citra Bakhtiar, Carmel Claridge, Joanne Forde,
Mirjam Grayson, Glenys Henry, Allan Mackey,
Sarah Martindale, Priyesha Mendis, Natalie
Miller, Ali Nasirian, Remela Patel, Anne Perera,
Katy Renouf, Linda Sullivan, Alison Wilson, Sarah
Guise.
3 English Language
Partners Auckland Central
Classes in the Resource room.
English for Work classes are being on
Mondays and Fridays in our Resource room
for 8 weeks starting Monday
20 July to 11 Sept from 9.30am to 1pm
The Resource room will be unavailable while
these classes are in session. We apologise
for any inconvenience this may cause.
Have you completed
Assignment 4?
If the answer is yes, then phone Natalie on 523
0071 for your certification interview. You will
need to bring your 12 teaching
records,
the learning goals and the Learner Progress
Summary with you.
NEW LPS Form
There is a new “Snapshot LPS” form to use this year. This form has been trialled with
pleasing feedback so it is now on our National web site under Resources/Programmes/
ESOL Home Tutoring /Assessment for you to use with your learners. The older, lengthy
LPS form is also still available for your use if this is preferred. If you cannot download the
form, please contact the office and we can email a PDF copy for you to print out.
FreeB computer courses Friday afternoon chats
Please see the link below, this could be of use to
some of our learners
https://www.manukau.ac.nz/study-options/
areas-of-study/business-administration/
business-administration-and-technology/freebcomputer-training
Free computer training at MIT or community
sites. Students learn computing skills, or new
programmes, at their own pace and in their
own time. Courses include: Microsoft Word,
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft
PowerPoint, Email, Internet, Keyboarding and
Web Design.
For more information phone 0800 10 10 60
4 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Come on in out of the cold
and into our warm library
on Friday afternoon for
chats, help, advice and
maybe some laughs.
Friday Tutor Support Session starts
at 1pm, we would love to see more of you and hear
how you are doing.
Kind regards,
Eve Price l Centre Manager
Movie Night a success.
Our thanks go to Val Scott for organising our movie night and her generous
donation of food and wine.
Thanks also to New World Stonefields for the $150 grant
which allowed us to buy nibbles and drinks and also give
a $50 voucher as a door prize. Thank you to Robyn Martin
for organising the grocery items, and also to Sabrina
Huang for gifting six bottles of wine. The evening was
a great success with over 140 people there helping us
raise $1028.00 for ELP Auckland Central to help run our classes.
Thank you
to Graham Fabian, Manager of New World, 100 Lunn Avenue
Stonefields and Karen Palmer the office manager for the generous donation in support of
our movie night. The store provided nibbles and drinks along with a $50 grocery voucher.
T
T
utor Support Workshop
16 March the Movie ticket & wine winner was
Citra Bakhtiar winner of the NZQA Certificate draw.
utor Support Workshop
22 June the Movie ticket winner was Alison
Wilson winner of the NZQA Certificate draw.
5 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Auckland International Cultural Festival 2015
International Cultural Festrival
29 March 2015
What had been a wet and windy weekend turned in to
a beautifully sunny Sunday and with the sun came the
crowds.
People from all over the world sampled foods from
as many different origins. There were dancing and
sporting demonstrations on the various stages, as well
as an all-day soccer tournament which brought all
cultures together for the love of the game.
We would like to say a huge thank you to the volunteers
and staff who stopped by throughout the day and
helped us spread the word about what we do. It was a
great day to see the diversity of people around us and
soak up some of the elements of their culture.
E4E Learner Success
Hi, my name is Minerva, I am from Mexico and just want to say that this was a great experience and a very
nice way to improve my English skills.
I found this class a very enriching experience, not only because we learnt a lot about NZ culture, but also
because being a very multinational group we were able to learn from other countries and cultures as well.
We added many new idioms and expressions to our vocabulary and on top of that we improve our
pronunciation in a high degree. All this thanks to the amazing guide from Katy, who is a great teacher,
Learner Success - continues.....
6 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Class trips & Activities. CBD class visits
Highwic in Newmarket.
Val’s CBD Class visited Highwic and had a great time.
www.facebook.com/highwic
We also found out via Natalie that: The cost is $8 per adult if there is a minimum of about 12 in the
group. He (Christopher) does a presentation; then there is a kind of treasure hunt with various objects;
if you bring some bread and 500ml of cream you can also make butter.
Planning for next term?
It’s close to the bus and the train.
Then consider putting Highwic on the list for an educational visit:
Highwic a beautiful Victorian house in the heart of Newmarket
40 Gillies Avenue, Epsom
A visit to Highwic offers several hands on learning experiences:
•
Making butter using a 100 year old butter churn
•
Washing using a washboard and mangle in the laundry
courtyard
•
•
Outdoor and indoor activities
Life as a Buckland child in a dramatic interpretation of the Highwic story
N.B. Only suitable for 25 to 30 (one class)
•
Curriculum focused programme
•
Indoor lunch area
•
Options for 1, 2 or 3 classes
(maximum 60)
Car and mini-bus parking in the
grounds.
Christopher Hatfield
Visitor Services Coordinator Education

09 524 5729

[email protected].
nz

www.highwic.co.nz
Learner Success Continued
full of knowledge and very kind. She was very patient and always listened to our enquiries with real
interest and with the aim to help us to improve in any possible way.
I really appreciate the opportunity that English Language gave to immigrants like me
in order to improve our English skills and get involve within the NZ and Maori culture.
Thanks a lot for the opportunity and thanks to Katy for being such an amazing person!
7 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Class trips & Activities. Mt Wellington Trip
On April 1, we went to Mt Wellington with our English Class group. On the
last day of term. We went to by Kem’s car. We saw from the carpark on
Mt Wellington looking north, east and west. We saw Rangitoto, Waitemata
Harbour, Devonport, Sky Tower, Stonefields, Tamaki River, Mission Bay and
we walked on the mountain. We saw Manukau harbour. And then we went
to Mitre 10 Columbus Coffee Shop. We drank some juice and some food.
We were together shared, and then we go back.
By Roi Htoi
Last term I went Mt Wellington with my English class. We climbed hill.
Almost all students walked up and down. I chose the loop road. About at the same time we arrived
the start point.The teacher told us very stories about suburbs around the Mt Wellington. We were very
happy and fun. I like my teacher and class mates.
By Huo
I’ve visited several times Mt Wellington crater that was very curious scene for me.
Because my country never seen before it happened, volcano. Only we just learn it from textbook. Also
I saw spectacle view over Auckland. I was thinking beautiful country N.Z. Luckily I have been living in
here. I felt I won Lotto.
By Sophia
On April 1, we went to Mt Wellington with all my classmates and Kath. We went to by Kim’s car.
We stopped on the carpark. We climbed to the top of the mountain. I saw Stonefields, Devonport,
Sky tower, Rangitoto, Waitemata Harbour and lots
of place. After that we back the mountain and
went to Mitre 10 Columbus Coffee shop. I felt a
wonderful trip.
By Hkaw Shin
Our class trip to Mt Wellington. It was 1st April
2015. Our class trip day. Very happily
We gathered to the community hall. We left all
together in our vehicles at about 11am. We drove
up to the mountain. Our English teacher Mrs Kath
gave us maps, she showed us many places below
and we marked these on the map. Some of the
places were Sky City, Stonefields, the Panmure
basin, One Tree Hill, Airport, Panmure shops….
Some climbed up the mountain, with teacher. But I didn’t climb up because I have a knee problem.
After they came down we drove to a café called Mitre 10 Columbus and we had our lunch there.
By Dagma De Silva
On April 1, the last day of last term we went to Mount Wellington by car. When we arrived on the top of
the mountain we parking our car in the carpark.. Then some of us we walked to the top of the mountain
and some of us were stayed in the carpark. At the mountain the teacher explained and showed us
whereabouts the map of the view. Later we had a cup of coffee at Mitre 10’s Columbus Café. After that
we all went home. By Khim
8 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Class trips & Activities. Meadowbank ELG
On 19th March our class went on
an outing to Bastion Point. When
we arrived it was raining, so all of
us were wearing jackets, raincoats
and umbrellas, but it turned out
to be a lovely day. We walked up
to the top of the Savage Memorial
where we took some photos and
enjoyed stunning panoramic views
of Auckland harbour. We read the
information panel about Michael
Joseph Savage and met a lady from
Virginia who was also interested.
We then had a half hour walk on
Tamaki Drive all the way to the
yacht club jetty. There we saw some men fishing - one man told us it took him a whole hour to catch
just one fish. On our return to Mission Bay, we found a lovely café and had coffee and savoury muffins
(a first for some of us) while chatting. We really enjoyed the outing and we are looking forward to the
next one.
C
ake Decorating Day at the Mt Wellington
Women's English Language Group
Recently, Robyn’s Mt Wellington Women’s English Language Group spent the morning learning how
to decorate cupcakes and birthday cakes. Home tutor, Jo Budge, who is a regular volunteer helping
out with the children at the Mt Wellington class, revealed her hidden talents as a Master Baker and
brought along a vast array of icing piping bags, nozzles, colouring dyes and decorations to show the
women how to ice and decorate a cup cake and turn a plain sponge cake into a fancy dinosaur birthday
cake for a child. The learners enjoyed making butter cream icing and rolling out fondant icing, and then
decorating their cupcakes with a variety of designs.
They also made typical Kiwi party nibbles
of asparagus rolls, and cheese and salami
on toothpicks. The finished items all
looked fabulous as you can see in the
photo.
The class finished with an enjoyable
tasting of each item, plus there were
some leftovers to take home and show
their families. One learner said she would
be making the dinosaur cake for her son's
birthday in 2 weeks' time.
9 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Have you been learning items of clothing?
Give our crossword a go
Some of you may already know busyteacher.org but here we are highlighting two
of their tools that you can use to build exercises for your learners. They are a great
way of reviewing topic specific vocabulary and can be tailored to the level of the
learner by making them easier or harder. The first tool is the word search builder,
the second one is the double puzzle where the learner unscrambles to words and
uses the highlighted letters to discover the sentence. In these two exercises the
same words are used for you to get a feel of the difference in level between the
two word games. Good luck!
10 English Language Partners Auckland Central
11 English Language Partners Auckland Central
Come & learn English with us!
English for Employees classes are:
 For working people (evening & Saturday)
 NZ Residents & Citizens
 2 ½ hours, once a week, for 18 weeks
 Free
English for Work classes are:
 English for finding a job
 Work Permits, NZ Residents & Citizens
 3 hours, twice a week, for 8 weeks
 Low cost $80/8 week term.
English Language Groups are:
 English for everyday life
 NZ Residents & Citizens
 2 – 4 hours per week, for 8 – 10 weeks
 Low cost
All classes are taught in small groups, by qualified teachers.
English Language Partners Auckland Central
[email protected]
www.englishlanguage.org.nz
09 523 0071
Our thanks to
12 English Language Partners Auckland Central