Welcome to the 11th issue of our Newsletter. We had our first ever Book Day here at SEK Budapest on the 26th of November. Students, teachers and authors all enjoyed this day full with activities for all ages.
Have a wonderful week!
Until next week kind regards,
Ms. Gabriella Gidró Director
We invite you to follow us on Facebook and visit our website!
Calendar
December 6 3rd Closing grades
December 6Mikulás
December 13Graduation ceremony
FEATURING
A könyv
A könyv a középkorban a magas szintű tudás szimbóluma volt. Amint megjelent a nyomtatás, a könyvek pár év leforgása alatt szinte mindenki számára elérhetővé váltak. Én úgy gondolom, hogy a könyvek a 19. században élték aranykorukat, amikor még nem jelent meg a közösségi média, ugyanis akkor könyvet kellett írni ahhoz, hogy másokhoz is eljusson a véleményünk, világnézetünk. A könyv egy tökéletes eszköz arra, hogy az ember diskurzust kezdeményezzen, emléket állítson vagy akár csak tiszteletet nyilvánítson ki valami vagy valaki iránt. Manapság az úgynevezett “posztmodern” korban az értékválság következményeként a könyvek népszerűsége csökkenni látszik, de én hiszek abban hogy ez a folyamat visszafordítható, és hogy a könyvek újra elnyerik méltó kulturális értéküket a nagytömegek szemében is.
The Book
In the Middle Ages, the book was a symbol of high-level knowledge. As the consequence of printing books became available to almost everyone within a few years. I think books were in their golden age in the 19th century, when social media was not present yet, the authors had to publish hard copies in order to share their opinion and knowledge worldwide. The book is the perfect tool for people to initiate discourse, commemorate, or even honor someone or something. Nowadays, in the so-called "postmodern" age, as a result of the crisis of real values, the popularity of books seems to be declining , but I believe that this process is reversible and that books will once again gain their worthy cultural value in the eyes of the masses.
Ferdinand André, 11IB
Día del libro
El español estuvo presente más que nunca durante día del libro este año.
Los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de escuchar un cuento de labios de la autora Teresa de la Vega. Ella vino al colegio y leyó uno de sus cuentos mientras se proyectaban imágenes para facilitar la comprensión de la historia a los estudiantes. Al final los alumnos dibujaron una representación del cuento.
Los estudiantes con mayor dominio del español participaron en un concurso de relatos cortos relacionados con la navidad, todos muy emotivos y llenos de valores de cooperación, empatía y buenas intenciones. Aquí están los estudiantes de diferentes grados, reunidos preparando la presentación de sus cuentos.
Pero el español no conoce límites, por lo que estar al principio del camino del aprendizaje del español no es excusa para no demostrar tus conocimientos de manera creativa, por lo que los estudiantes en niveles más básicos participaron en un concurso de poemas relacionados con los diferentes temas que están viendo en clase.
Esperamos que los estudiantes se lo hayan pasado tan bien como los profesores y estamos muy contentos del alto nivel de participación e interés mostrado por el alumnado.
Un saludo.
Álvaro Rodríguez Calvo de Mora.
Profesor y coordinador del departamento de español.
The Authors who visited SEK Budapest Book Day
Dániel Varró is one of the most prominent figures among the young Hungarian generation of poets, admired for his wide range of works and unique humour by the critics and audience alike. Having form and parody mastered, he has already shown his talent in many forms and genres: poems, children‘s poems, theatre plays and literary translation. His work has brought authenticity and a fresh breeze into contemporary Hungarian literature.
Dániel Varró was born in Budapest, on the 11th of September 1977. He wrote his first poems at the age of 12. He studied Hungarian and English literature and grammar at ELTE-BTK.
His poems and translations have been published since his adolescence. He co-wrote and edited many books besides his own pieces. His first published book was Mug of Azure in 1999, followed by Beyond the Smudgy Mountain, Andy Muhi and the Empire of Blotches (2003). Heart-Dessert came out in 2007, then He whose foot is size six inspired by the birth of his child, and its next volume: He who has his tooth out.
Theatergoers also know his name, for he has worked with many theatres in Budapest and in the country as a playwright and translator. A member of the József Attila Kör since 1999, Belletrist Association since 2005, and MAOE (Association of Hungarian Artists) since 2008.
Júlia Varga is a self-taught, independent poet. She started writing during her teenage years, and she released her first poetry collection, I., this summer with Hungarian and English poems.
She writes poetry, prose and plays – and occasionally she is a cultural journalist and copywriter.
Kindergarten teacher turned children’s author, Teresa de la Vega, is a writer hailing from Madrid, Spain who came all the way to Budapest just to read to some of the students on Book Day. Her published books include: “Cuentos para una tarde de lluvia” and “Dos Amigos.” A bit about the books: “Dos Amigos” is about the journey of a dog and a cat, who are great friends. They leave their hometown, and during their journey they come across danger but also some nice people. They enjoyed their trip and didn’t regret. The illustrators are Mexican friends of the author. “Cuentos para una tarde de lluvia” is a collection of real-life stories, written as nine different poems. One of the author’s personal favourites is the ‘Violin Man’. A story about a man who plays the violin by an open window, so his music can be heard all around the street.
Barbara Bakos grew up on the suburb of Budapest next to a little forest. She was always drawing as early as kindergarten, with her colorful fingers and the scribbled bits and bobs, and she always knew she was an artist.
Barbara graduated as an animation director at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest and began working as an art director, character and background designer for a television series and some short films, but she always knew she wanted to spend more time as an illustrator. “I have always had a big passion for creating worlds with my characters, making up how they are working together within an atmosphere, what they feel, and what is the story behind them.”
Now she is living between England and Hungary and misses her big ginger cat when she is not with her, along with her Johnny Cash discs. Since joining Bright, Barbara has illustrated many books for clients such as Parragon, Little Bee, Parragon, Maverick, Yoyo, Top That!, Oxford University Press, Penguin Workshop, Simon and Schuster etc.
Ms. Csilla Kleinheincz works as an editor and writer at the Gábor Publishing Company for six years. Additionally she works as a translator, from Hungarian to English texts. Often she writes and translates sci-fi and fantasy work which include books for all ages or for young adults. Her journey in the art of translating literature began at the age of twenty two, and has since been in this occupation for nineteen years, working at three publishing companies . Her ultimate dream is to write and spread awareness of current events and crises (e.g. climate change) In her free time she enjoys going to conventions.
A könyvnapon az ötödikesek karakter show keretében mutatták be egyik kedvenc könyvük általuk választott alakját egyes szám első személyben. Csakhogy ezúttal ezt nem a szokott iskolai egyenruhában tették, hanem az adott szereplő jelmezét öltötték magukra. Tehát így, regényalaknak öltözve verseny keretében ismertették osztálytársaikkal kedvelt regényüket illetve kedvenc karakterüket az adott műből. Majd a bemutatkozást követően ők maguk választották ki illetve választott meg a két leginkább szimpatikus figurát. A legtöbb szavazatot ezúttal Lakauer Gréta és Szalai István kapta. Mindketten könyvjutalomban részesültek.
Furó József - Magyar tanár
ADramatic Reading a Book Day egyik legizgalmasabb vetélkedője volt, hisz az irodalom a diákok által megtestesített formában jelent meg az osztálytermekben. A 8-9. évfolyam tanulói páronként egy-egy rövid dialógust kaptak számukra ismeretlen drámákból, s mindösszesen pár percnyi idejük volt, hogy a szöveget értelmezzék, saját képükre formálják, majd minden színészi képességüket, kreativitásukat, rögtönzési készségüket bevetve előadják. Jómagam a 9.b-ben lehettem részese ennek a nagyszerű közösségi élménynek, ahol minden páros nagy hatással volt rám, hisz a feladatukat komolyan vették, mégis érződött a tanteremben a játékosság, a játék öröme. A diákok számomra is meglepő módon nyíltak meg és ki az előadott mini dialógusokban, bevetve a színészi eszközök gazdag tárházát - hangsúlyt, gesztusokat, ásványvízből varázsolt könnycseppeket. Köszönöm nekik az élményt, s hogy részese lehettem mindennek. Nehéz volt kiválasztani, a jók közül kik voltak a legjobbak, végül Sütő Ármin és Victor Serra lett az 1. helyezett, Peter Izabelle és Csernai Dalma a 2., míg a képzeletbeli dobogó 3. fokára és Boncz Adél és Almási Mia léphetett fel.
The Dramatic Reading was one of the most exciting competitions of the Book Day when literature came to live in the classrooms by unbelievably talented acting of the 8th and 9th-grade students. The students worked in pairs and were given a short dialogue from dramas they did not read before. They only had a few minutes to prepare, understand and transform these to their own lifelike acts and then to present it to their classmates and the judges. They really showed their amazing acting skills and creativity. I personally had the opportunity to see these fantastic acts in 9b where all the pairs had a great impression on me, even though they all took their task very seriously there was so much fun and play in the classroom. The students opened up in different ways using a rich repertoire of acting skills and tools like emphasis, strong gestures, tears (from water bottles). Thank you for the experience and congratulations to all! It was really difficult to choose the best from these great performances but in first place, there is the pair of Ármin Sütő and Victor Serra, 2nd place went to Izabelle Péter and Dalma Csernai, and the third place on the imaginary podium went to Adél Boncz and Mia Almási.
Réka Vereckei - Hungarian teacher
A Book Day napján a Black Out Poetry az egyik legizgalmasabb irodalmi játék volt, ahol a diákoknak egy rövidke szövegből (amit az Állatfarmból kaptak) kellett létrehozniuk azt az egy mondatot, ami a legjobban összefoglalta vagy egy teljesen új megvilágításba helyezte azt. Mindezt úgy, hogy ehhez mindösszesen csak egy vastag fekete filcet kaptak eszközül, hogy kihúzzák azokat a szavakat, mondatokat, amikre nincs szükségük, de meghagyva azt a pár szót, ami által a megalkotott mondat egy önálló életre kelt, új műalkotássá vált. A fekete filcen túl persze más is rendelkezésükre állt, szárnyaló fantáziájuk, kreativitásuk, az a friss szemléletmód, ami őket jellemzi.
Miután létrejött az egymondatos műalkotás, jöhetett a már színes (vagy akár fekete-fehér) illusztráció, amely a legjobban sikerült alkotások esetében szorosan kapcsolódott az adott mondathoz, aláhúzva vagy éppen újabb réteggel bővítve annak jelentését, értelmezési síkját. Az általános iskolások közül a 7. évfolyamban Oberle Zoé és Marta Bariusso, míg a 8-os diákok közülHódosi Lilien, Tajvand Saniya, Chen Changyu lettek a győztesek. A gimnazisták közül Pap Botond alkotása nyert - Botond igazi irodalmat hozott létre ezzel a módszerrel, lenyűgözve a zsűri összes tagját, a 10. évfolyamban holtverseny alakult ki Boris Fanni és Nagy Mercédesz valamint Konrádi Kíra és Anya Babenkova párosa között, így mindannyian első helyezést vehettek át, a 11. évfolyamban Tamási Luca, a 12-ben pedig Váradi Kata lett a boldog nyertes. Ezúttal is gratulálok nekik és minden más résztvevőnek.
NEWS
The 1st graders have had their first official visit to the tale museum. The students took off their shoes to participate in a team activity before moving on to relaxing and listening to a story in the dark. They then had the opportunity to climb a ladder to find an egg that gave them energy in a treehouse. They finally finished in a castle where they had the opportunity to dress up!
Joseph Williams - 1st grade
Amerikai Magyar
Múlt héten kedden ismét ellátogattak hozzánk az amerikai egyetemisták, akik a 7.b és a 10.a osztály matematika óráin vettek részt, segítettek a diákjainknak a tananyag megértésében. A közös munka hatékony és élvezetes volt. Büszkék vagyunk és a 7.b és a 10.a osztály tanulóira, akik magas szintű matematika tudásról tettek tanúbizonyságot és jól kommunikálva, együttműködően és motiváltan dolgoztak az amerikai diákokkal.
American Math
Last Tuesday some American university students(future math teachers spending half a semester in Hungary) observed and participated during a math lesson in 7B and 10A classes. In 7B, students had a project lesson and the university students were able to monitor and check students’ work.We are very proud of both classes, 7B and 10A. They showed an outstanding understanding of the topics and were able to work together and communicate with the American students.
Kinga Borcsiczky and Lea Fogaras - Math teachers
LITERATURE CORNER
"Writings from the New Yorker 1927-1976" series from our IB Students
Over the past month, the 11th grade IB Literature students were encouraged to make daily observations of the fascinating world around them to compliment their exploration of their first literary work of the course: "Writings from the New Yorker 1927-1976", a collection of short observational prose written and published by the famed children's author, E.B. White. The unique style and characteristics of White are central to the overall understanding and appreciation of his literary works, which is why the class was assigned the task of transforming five of their own unique observations and channeling their inner "E.B." in order to truly present the nature of his work while simultaneously shaping their own individual writing styles.
For the coming newsletter, said works will be featured as a series from a handful of these incredibly imaginative students. Enjoy!
Emily LeBlanc - IB Teacher
Writing 2
The privilege of being the right flower
Some plants are liked by the honey bees and some aren't. Written on a billboard in the second row of the farm. A farm full of beautiful and lovely plants but not visible to all. In the early days of summer, during the golden hour, bees left the colony to collect nectar. Not from all, only from some, the ones that are special, the ones that are accepted, by who? Well, obviously bees!
The bees arrived at the farm where plants were living, looking at the plants, searching for the ones they like, as if the others don't exist, and even if they did, they are not seen by the bees. One of the oldest bees went searching for the right plants, looking at the plants with reluctance, not caring about the ones that don't bloom until he reached the one plant, he wondered if the plant had nectar or not so he asked the plant bluntly. At first sight, it was rude and certainly, the plant had got offended. If a plant doesn't make nectar and does not bloom it is not accepted by the whole society of the bees needing nectar. It is neither the plant’s fault nor the bees, It is the society's fault, perhaps it has grown with us. That’s how it is. They are the ones that should think a bit, just a bit in order to be enlightened, not from dark but from how they are. That makes a huge difference, a life changing change!
Sogol Sepidnameh - 11IB student
Thoughts on books from our students
Sogol Sepidnameh 11IB student thoughts:
Book is a magical treasure. Those little words in it can have an enormous impact on you. It is that mysterious that sometimes can make you doubt about something you believed in all your life. It must be really powerful to be able to do that. It can change your life and even the meaning of your life or It can even sometimes give a new meaning to your life. A book can even be your friend, your true friend. A friend that causes you no harm but only gives you benefit. This friend is available whenever you call it and can be your companion in ups and downs. It is a door to another world. The world of imagination, where there is no limitation and you can be whoever you want or do whatever you want. You can live with the characters of a story or even fly with the birds, go to the places where you haven't been to or you can even get to know different people with different backgrounds and get familiar with their culture, religion or any other thing without actually traveling to their country. With reading books, you have the possibility to make your own world just the way you like it to be.
All the information in it must be truly appreciated whether it is a story or an informative book. The words we see in it are the results of genius people’s thoughts in any field. A book can show the writer’s perspective of life, feelings, and characteristics which all, at a point in life can enlighten us and act like an adviser and be instructive, informative, helpful, effective and life changer. Although it is not like this all the time, some books do exist that can be just in contrast with what was mentioned above. Sometimes they can be destructive, truly destructive. However, It depends on the reader. For instance, if a book doesn't have a positive concept, the reader can get drowned in the negativity of the book, or learn from the negativity of the book and use the opposite in life.
Overall, books might look small but each of them is a door to the immense and enormous world around us."
„What books mean to me:
A book is precious and keeps me entertained,
The stories give me what I need
And I can enjoy them without guilt.
When they are good their effect is sustained.
My head gets filled with new adventures,
So I let myself get carried away in that glamour.”
"A book is something that allows me to indulge in an imaginary world. It allows me to relate to certain characters, to empathize with these characters, and even to envision specific scenes. Books are also a source of inspiration; they provide ideas that can later be developed into something more personal, as well as introducing different thoughts and opinions. In addition, books serve as an efficient source of learning; not only can we learn new vocabulary, we can also use the specific message (moral) of the book and apply it to our own lives."
"When we read a book, we don’t look at the letters, we go into the brain of the author and try to get the true information (even the information is not important sometimes). A book is first a form of media that can be used and understood by other people, but it is also a spirit that doesn’t need to be understood by anyone except the author himself/herself. So, what is a book in the end? It can be anything: a drama, a prose or a poem can all be a book (or a part of it)；at the end, 1 page of book would be more value than 1 million papers by its value."
*Definíció szerint: nagyobb terjedelmű írásműveket tartalmazó nyomtatott íveknek egyik szélén (a gerincvonalnál) tartósan összefűzött egysége, amelyet fedél, borító véd*. Te is hadarva olvastad végig a definíciót? Untatott? Engem igen. Véleményem szerint a könyv fogalmát nem lehet egyetlen mondattal leírni. Egy könyv ennél jóval többet jelent! A könyv számomra szavakba öntött gondolat, ami segíthet más szemszögből látni a világot, felfedezni valami újat, s kulcsfontosságú lehet életünkben, szellemi fejlődésünkben, világra való nyitottságunkban.
A könyv világában el kell merülni, majd megragadni mindazt, ami számunkra értékes és fontos. Ez meg nyilvánulhat abban ha, egy-egy tanulságot megfogadunk vagy egy-egy az olvasás során megfogalmazódott célt sikeresen elérünk.
A könyv lehet egy jó barát, hasznos útitárs, kéretlen tanár s emellett még annyi minden más."
Ady Endre versmondó verseny
A SEK tanulói évek óta részt vesznek a novemberi Ady Endre versmondó versenyen a költő hajdani, Veres Pálné utcai lakásán. Idén Végh Luca 7.a és Schweiger Illés 7.b osztályos tanulók képviselték iskolánkat. Gratulálunk Illésnek, aki ezúttal III. helyezést ért el! A versmondásért kapott "bronzérem" jelentőségét növeli, hogy nem voltak korcsoportonkénti kategóriák, így felnőtt résztvevőkkel versenyzett.
Furó József - Magyar tanár
ART CORNER
The art department together with the students really did a great job creating the walking books which brought happiness and fun to those who watched and also to those who presented them. An all-around the school creative project.
PRESCHOOL CORNER
Spanish in Preschool
One thing that makes us special here at the SEK Budapest preschool is our tri-lingual curriculum. It is a common occurrence to have our children walk out the school doors singing songs in Hungarian, English and Spanish, explaining why you might not fully understand some of the songs they sing at home.
This year we were lucky enough to have Alvaro come across from the school with his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to teach Spanish in the preschool.
Hayden Bryant
My name is Álvaro Rodríguez and I am the lucky Spanish teacher who gets to teach the preschool students.
My teaching methodology is based around active student centred learning where the students are the focus of the lesson. We usually start every class with the same song so they get familiar with the lyrics and sing it to awaken their spanish knowledge. I also only talk in Spanish during the class, this may be confusing for the first time but as the lessons progress they build an understanding of the expressions and order in an intuitive way.
Depending on the topic I use relevant video-songs and approach each student to sing with them to make sure they have an understanding. The students also play interactive activities on the digital board so they can apply what they have learned in a fun game. It usually takes a couple of classes to make sure everyone has an understanding of the content. I like to use different images on the floor (depending on the lesson it can be numbers, colors, animals, etc.) and play team games. A student from each team has to wait for me to say a number/color/animal and jump on the correct image.
Depending on the class P1, P2 or P3, the activities vary in complexity.
Donations Corner
There is a beautifully decorated donation corner in the Preschool where you can leave your donations - non-perishable food, clothes and toys - until the 5th of December. The present will be taken to the Mikulás Factory by our Preschool students as part of their field trip. The children can also leave their message of wishes to Santa here.
Thank you to those who already donated! Keep them coming for those in need.
WE WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE
Dóra Mile - Teraching assistant
I started my higher education at the University of Nyíregyháza in 2011 where I studied faculty of English and Pedagogy. I spent a year in Japan studying tourism then I graduated from the University of Debrecen with a Master's degree in English and Pedagogy.
Since my childhood I have been interested in the Japanese language and culture. My hobbies include drawing, reading, theater and studying. In my free time I like to spend time in nature for example hiking and travelling.
I chose SEK Budapest because I believe that I can use and improve my teaching qualifications and my English skills. It also made me curious to meet new people and cultures and learn new languages.
I do not regret my choice as I can spend my daily life in a very kind, cohesive and helpful environment. The children can study in a fun, cozy and friendly environment, the school is absolutely child focused. The classrooms are modern and fully equipped with new technologies. It is also worth mentioning that the school also has a number of interesting cultural programs which I like.
OUR SEK / IES PEERS AROUND THE WORLD
Three generations of valedictorian students
Student testimony
My name is Ana Paula Lopez, and I have two sisters, Natalia, the eldest, and Lucia, the middle sister. The three of us have studied at SEK Los Valles.
Recently, Natalia graduated from college, she is a physician now. And, Lucia is on her last year of Civil Engineering. After having dedicated a lot of hours to study and homework I outstand among the top scores of my class.
School has been a remarkable time plenty of achievements for my sisters and me. It seems that we are alike in many senses: being flag bearers, obtaining diplomas, and in the case of my older sisters being proclaimed as valedictorian students. I admire them a lot because they set a very high standard for my commitments, but at the same time they inspire me to follow their steps and become principled, knowledgeable, caring, tolerant and perseverant. I have learned that victories are gained step by step, last year I obtained my Cambridge KET certificate, and this will help me achieve and conquer other higher goals.
Being the youngest is amazing because I can count on my sisters ever, but at the same time it is a big responsibility. They displayed talents in both academic and sport fields; I have to do the same: find my own path with their help and also with the guidance provided by my teachers and parents.
Ana Paula López, Tenth grade
Colegio Internacional SEK Los Valles Quito - ECUADOR
Life Cycles
Helderberg International School's Year 1 class have been learning about Life Cycles. They have enjoyed a wonderful visit to Butterfly World, created their own Life Cycle Projects and presented these to their classmates. To top it all off, Beren bought in caterpillar which changed into a chrysalis and the class has been observing this closely. One day last week, there was great excitement as they walked into class in the morning, to find that a beautiful butterfly had emerged! They watched as she dried her wings and when she was ready, they let her go and watched her fly free. The children were in absolute awe as their Life Cycle learning came a full circle!
Helderberg International School SOUTH AFRICA
Contact
SEK Budapest International School
1021 Budapest, Hűvösvölgyi út 131.
phone: +36 1 394 29 68
