sparkles #12

April Fools' Day , also known as April Fool's Day or All Fools' Day, is an old custom celebrated on the first day of

April. It’s been widely celebrated throughout most European cultures since the 19th century, although it is not a

national holiday in any country. It is the day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other, both the

jokes and their victims being known as "April fools". False stories may be reported by the press and other media on

this day and explained the day after. A widespread theory for the origin of the holiday holds that those who continued

to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1st after the 1582 implementation of the Gregorian Christian calendar were

mocked as fools. Most April Fool jokes are in played for fun and not meant to harm anyone. The best trick is the one

where everyone laughs, especially the person upon whom the joke has been played. ▪ M.I.

DID YOU KNOW? - APRIL FOOLS’ DAY

days after Easter.

We dedicated the

Students’ Corner to

volunteering. We believe

it is an amazing thing to

be able to give back to

the community, share

what you have with

others, even if the only

thing you have to give is

your time. So, read about

the ways you can choose

your worthy cause and

how to get started - I

promise it will be worth it!

And just to show you that

we aren’t all about long

articles and giving pure

facts on various

important dates, I’m

proud to say that the

section on poetry and it’s

value is presented with a

twist by our very own

published and

established writer and

poet Slađan Lipovec,

born and raised near our

hometown Čazma.

Last, but not least, to our

esteemed colleagues, we

offer advice on how to

continue improving

yourselves daily to be

more and more

successful in your

classrooms and help your

students thrive.

Have an amazing spring

break, everybody, and

see you in May! ▪ M.I.

Spring break - battery charging...

Hello again, dear

Sparkles© fans, and

welcome to our April

issue. We’ve prepared all

sorts of things for you to

enjoy while on your

spring break! We’re all a

bit tired now so spring

break couldn’t be coming

at a better time for us to

recharge our batteries so

we can be fully prepared

for the challenges the

last two months of the

school year have in store

for us.

The April issue is, of

course, all about Easter

holidays, full of vibrant

colours and happy

thoughts. Moreover, you

will find out something

about St George - the

patron saint of England,

whose day is just three

Monthly newsletter for and by English learners and teachers

Editors:

Maja Ivanović, prof. Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar

Irena Pavlović, prof. mentor Srednja škola Čazma

email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sparkles.newsletter

Inside this issue:

Easter 2

St George’s Day 3

National Volunteer Week 4

National Poetry Month 6

Teachers You should never turn into 8

CONTRIBUTORS TO

THIS ISSUE:

Slađan Lipovec, writer and poet Romana Gašpar, School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar

Svjetlana Brkić Milivojević, School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar Ivan Lukovečki, cartoon artist Dario Vidić, High School Čazma

"The first of April is the

day we remember what

we are the other 364 days

of the year." Mark Twain

Issue 12/14 April 2014

EASTER

In the USA on Easter Day there is a traditional Easter egg hunt in every city and town. Parents tell their children that the Easter bunny hid many eggs in the park and the children must find them. They each have a basket with them and the child who finds most eggs wins. This tradition was introduced by German immigrants long ago. There is another ancient Easter tradition. On Easter Monday children roll their eggs down a hill. The first egg that reaches the bottom of the hill without breaking is the winner. The famous egg-rolling contest takes place outside the White House in Washington DC on Easter Monday when the President of the United States invites children to roll eggs on the lawn of the White House. Hot Cross Buns are a special Easter dish. These are small sweet cakes with a cross on top as a sign of Christ’s death on a cross. In Britain they are usually eaten on Good Friday. In many American cities and towns there is an Easter Bonnet Parade where girls and women with funny and bizarre Easter hats and caps march in the parade. Most women make their own bonnets and the most original one gets a prize. The most famous Easter Bonnet Parade is in New York City, on Fifth Avenue. ▪ M.I.

Easter is an important Christian festivity. On Easter people celebrate Christ’s resurrection on the third day after his death. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon in March. It is between March 22nd and April 25th. The origin of the English word Easter is uncertain. It probably comes from the pagan goddess of spring, Eostre. Pagan tribes had special festivals to celebrate the arrival of spring, many of which are still well known today. Flowers, eggs, rabbits and bunnies and the tradition of the Easter basket are the most famous symbols of Easter. This tradition goes back a long time; the pagans offered their eggs in grass baskets to the goddess Eostre. In Britain and in the United States people usually send Easter cards to friends and relatives. For most Christians Easter morning starts with a church service that can take place in a garden or a park. To celebrate Easter and the arrival of spring everyone wears something new: a new dress, a new suit, or new shoes. Before the Easter Day, American and British children paint Easter eggs with bright colours and designs. Coloured eggs were exchanged at ancient spring festivals. The egg is an old symbol of life and fertility.

THIS MONTH’S BUZZ

Easter eggs

in a basket

Easter bunny Easter egg-roll at the White House,

2013 Hot Cross Buns

St George’s Day - A Day for England

St George

The History of St George’s Day

In 1222 the Council of Oxford declared April

23rd to be St George’s Day

It was not until 1348 that St George became the

Patron Saint of England

In 1415, St George’s Day was declared a

national feast day and holiday in England

However, after the union with Scotland at the end

of the 18th Century, the tradition diminished and since has not been widely acknowledged and is

no longer a national holiday

Traditional customs were to fly the St George’s

flag and wear a red rose in one’s lapel

The hymn ‘Jerusalem’ was also sung on the 23rd

April, or the nearest Sunday to that date, in churches across the nation

The 23 April 1616 was also the date of the death

of the English playwright William Shakespeare

and UNESCO marked this historic date by declaring it the International Day of the Book

Facts of St George’s life have passed through the centuries growing in legend and myth. However, he

must have been some character in his lifetime for his

reputation to have survived for almost 1,700 years!

There are many accounts giving what are believed to be the facts outlining the life of England’s Patron Saint.

Below are the widely accepted ‘facts’ of St George’s

life.

St George was born to Christian parents in A.D.

270 (3rd Century) in Cappadocia, now Eastern Turkey

He moved to Palestine with his Mother and

became a Roman soldier, rising to the high rank of

Tribunus Militum

However, he later resigned his military post and

protested against his pagan leader, the Emperor Diocletian (245-313 AD), who led Rome’s

persecution of Christians

His rebellion against the Emperor resulted in his

imprisonment, but even after torture he stayed true to his faith

The enraged Diocletian had St George dragged

through the streets of Nicomedia, Turkey, on the 23rd of April 303 AD and had him beheaded

The Emperor’s wife was so inspired by St

George’s bravery and loyalty to his religion, that

she too became a Christian and was subsequently executed for her faith

St George & The Dragon

The medieval legend of St George and the dragon is over a thousand years old. The tale goes that the

dragon made its nest by the fresh water spring near the town of Silene in Libya. When people came to

collect water, they inadvertently disturbed the dragon

and so offered sheep as a distraction.

After time, there were simply no sheep left to offer the dragon and so the people of Silene decided to chose a maiden from the town by drawing lots. When the

results were read, it was revealed that the princess was to be the dragon’s next victim. Despite the

Monarch’s protest his daughter Cleolinda was offered

to the dragon...

However, at the moment of offering, a knight from the Crusades came riding by on his white stallion. St George dismounted and drew his sword, protecting

himself with the sign of the cross. He fought the dragon on foot and managed to slay the beast and saved the

princess. The people of Silene were exceptionally grateful and abandoned their pagan beliefs to

convert to Christianity.

“Cry God for Harry, England

and St George!” William Shakespeare

Devoting some time to volunteers is an amazing idea and that is why we've decided to promote National Volunteer Week, currently taking place in Canada. It is all about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to others that by working together, all of us have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.

This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to seize the moment and do one of two things: either share the spotlight that volunteering deserves but rarely receives if you are already into it or find out what you can do and how you can get involved. Simultaneously, you can leverage this window of opportunity to advance your individual cause and promote volunteer commitment in your community. ▪ I.P.

#6: It promotes personal growth and

self esteem as understanding community

needs helps foster empathy and

self-efficacy.

#5: Volunteering strengthens your

community. As a volunteer you help

support families & youth, improve

schools, beautify the community etc.

#4: You learn a lot. Volunteers learn

things about themselves (hidden talents

that may change one's view on their own

worth), government (through working

with local non-profit agencies, volunteers

learn about the functions and operation of

government) and community (by gaining

#10: It's good for you.

Volunteering provides physical & mental

rewards. It reduces stress and makes you

healthier.

#9: It saves resources.

Volunteering provides valuable

community services so more money can

be spent on local improvements.

#8: Volunteers gain professional

experience and you can test out a career.

#7: It brings people together. You

assist in uniting people from diverse

backgrounds to work toward a common

goal and building camaraderie and

teamwork.

knowledge of local resources available to

solve community needs).

#3: You get a chance to give back.

People like to support community

resources that they use themselves or that

benefit people they care about.

#2: Volunteering encourages civic

responsibility. Community service and

volunteerism are an investment in our

community and the people who live in it.

#1: You make a difference.

Every person counts!

National Volunteer Week

Where to find volunteer

opportunities?

Community theatres,

museums, and monuments

Libraries or senior centres

Service organizations

Youth organizations,

sports teams and

after-school programs

Historical restorations and

national parks

Places of worship such as

churches or synagogues

Online databases

Ask yourself if there is something specific

you want to do.

Do you want to…

…make it better around where you live

…meet people different from you

…try something new

…do something with your spare time

…see a different way of life / new places

…have a go at the type of work you might want to do as a

full-time job

…do more with your interests / hobbies

…do something you're good at?

Why

Volunteer???

Community Service:

Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer

STUDENTS’ CORNER

Tips for Getting

Started

LANGUAGE TITBITS

A Leopard Can’t Change His Spots

No matter how hard a leopard concentrates, it cannot change the pattern

on its skin. Just like that, people can’t change who they really are at heart.

Basically, this idiom means: you are who you are.

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve

People who wear their heart on their sleeve don't have nicely adorned shirt but

freely show and express all of their emotions, as though their hearts were on

the outside of their body.

When Pigs Fly

Simply said, pigs about to sprout wings and take flight anytime soon - I don’t think

so - so this idiom means never. If someone says things are going to be done when

pigs fly, don't wait for it - it is not going to happen.

Tie the Knot

To tie the knot is an idiom left over from the old tradition of hand fasting and means to get

married. Older versions of wedding ceremonies included the hands of the bride

and groom be tied together with a length of ribbon to symbolize that their lives were

fastened together permanently.

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Just like we actually should not choose what we are going to read according to

the picture on the book cover, it is a good idea to give something a chance even if

outward appearance is not immediately attractive. Things in life are

not always what they appear to be at first glance.

CHECK IT OUT! Have you heard this? Have you seen this? Have you read this?

The game, once more, is

afoot. The world's

greatest private

detective returns to solve

another case. Anthony

Horowitz is not the first to

add to the Holmesian

canon, but this novel is

the first written with the

endorsement of the Conan Doyle estate.

It is neither a pastiche nor an update. It is

(hence the cover) "the new Sherlock

Holmes novel". Horowitz is the anointed

successor. And to whom much is given, of

him shall much be required. I'm happy to

say it turned out he fulfilled the task. Old

and new Holmes' lovers will enjoy it. ▪

I.P.

12 Years a Slave is a 2013

British-American historical

drama and an adaptation of

the 1853 memoir by Solomon

Northup, a New York

State-born free African

American kidnapped in

Washington, D.C., in 1841

and sold into slavery to work on

plantations in the state of Louisiana for

twelve years before his release. The film

won three Academy Awards: Best

Picture , Best Supporting Actress and Best

Adapted Screenplay; the Golden Globe

for Best Motion Picture - Drama and the

British Academy of Film and Television

Arts the Best Film and the Best Actor

award. ▪ M.I.

Gravity: Original

Motion Picture

Soundtrack is the

music album of the

3D space drama

film Gravity,

written and conducted

by British film composer Steven

Price. Price's score has been applauded

by critics and audiences alike. It was

nominated for and won multiple awards

in the best original score category at

several ceremonies, among which is the

Academy Award for Best Original Score.

It’s been called the most intelligent and

most satisfying score for a science fiction

movie since “Mission to Mars.” ▪ M.I.

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in

1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April,

when schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and

poets throughout the United States band together to

celebrate poetry and its vital place in American

culture. Thousands of organizations participate

through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops,

and other events.

National Poetry Month is a month-long, national

celebration of poetry established by the Academy of

American Poets. The concept is to widen the attention

of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to

living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to

poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and

concern. We hope to increase the visibility and

availability of poetry in popular culture while

acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to

sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced

and appreciated.

National Poetry Month in the USA

Slađan Lipovec,

writer and poet

Wild nights - Wild nights! By Emily Dickinson

Wild nights - Wild nights!

Were I with thee

Wild nights should be

Our luxury!

Futile - the winds -

To a Heart in port -

Done with the Compass -

Done with the Chart!

Rowing in Eden -

Ah - the Sea!

Might I but moor - tonight -

In thee!

Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W.

Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999)

Like strong coffee to wake you up

…and poems are nothing else but some auxiliary lungs, necessary to breathe normally in a world which suffocates daily in exhaust and odour.

Branislav Oblučar

Let us not be fooled by appearances. By brevity. Brevity of the verse versus the length of the row of a sentence in prose, brevity of a poem versus the volume of a novel. Because different principles and laws rule inside of them. Naturally, this is not the discussion on which literary genre is more or less valuable, but on the ways of creating them and the mechanisms occurring while reading. And while we might easily become drowsy while watching a film or reading a novel, following the linear course of narration, poetry is like fragrant coffee, ideal for waking you up. It disrupts the linear course of understanding the text and the world and achieves other effects by intuitively combining the pieces of the world. Weather it is based on acoustic or visual connections, or any other principles, a poem requires more brain activity to be able to find the links among the verses and the words they are made up of. If we were to compare it to the concentration and eye movement, while reading works of prose, predictably, our eyes move from the left to the right margin and then again, predictably, into the next row, but a poem should be followed in all directions, from left to right, from top to bottom, returning many times and going through it again, so a sketch of the movement would look like an irregular electrocardiogram. And speaking of hearts, it is no coincidence, poetry first and foremost affects emotions, the generally accepted symbol of which is the aforementioned word, and that is its added value and the difference between the other literary kinds: to say as much as possible using a small amount of room and making it last forever. That is why, for example, in the poem “Wild Nights, Wild Nights” by Emily Dickinson, written over 150 years ago, multiple readings will unveil more general and individual truths about love and lust than in most contemporary so-called romance novels. And although searching for sole and singular meaning in poetry will never bear an expected rational result (we can never be certain of “what the author wanted to say”), perhaps that is the attraction it hides – to drive us to seek, to move forward, to embark on the adventure of reading. And since every adventure leads up to a new one, writing is the next step.

This, of course, is true of the ones who don’t feel like

sleeping. ▪ S.L.

The meeting of the Comenius project

Hidden Talents funded by Agency for

mobility and EU programmes took

place in the town of Kežmarok,

Slovakia. This was a teachers

exchange between Croatia and

Slovakia. Headteacher Dinka

Ivanović, coordinator Svjetlana Brkić

Milivojević , three teachers (Mihaela

Amić, Romana Gašpar and Natalija

Poredski) and their Spanish assistant

Paula Carerra Gonzales had an

opportunity to get to know the

Slovakian educational system,

compare it to the Croatian system and

discuss their similarities and

differences.

Svjetlana Brkić Milivojević and

Romana Gašpar presented their town,

school and talents discovered during

Spanish heritage became a six-day

holiday for the students of School of

Economics and Tourism Daruvar Maja

Supan, Nikolina Dočkal and Sanja

Pizerak who, accompanied by their

teachers Romana Gašpar and

Natalija Poredski, participated in the

second Comenius project meeting of

Agency for mobility and EU

programmes aptly named My

Heritage, Your Holiday.

Although meeting their peers from

seven different countries and getting

to know their way of life was the most

important part of this meeting, the

participants of the meeting in

Villanueva de la Serena presented

Hidden talents in Kežmarok, Slovakia (March 17, 2014- March 21, 2014)

My Heritage, Your Holiday – Spain!

time learning things they won't be

needing during their tertiary education

(primarily Arts, Music and R.E.), they

suggest introducing a set number of

core subjects (mother tongue, maths,

foreign languages, social studies and

science) and a number of electives to

answer particular student's needs.

Other ideas suggest introducing prep

(time after lessons spent in school

doing homework and studying), ask for

more interdisciplinary learning and

more projects, and wonder why there

aren't students' lockers and canteens in

all schools. Once again fifteen and

sixteen-year-olds have proven they

care about important issues and have

something to say about certain topics. ▪

I.P.

Ideal schools project

While teachers often spend time

discussing what a good school is

among themselves, we rarely ask our

students what they have to say about

the topic. The thought has crossed my

mind during the lesson about

alternative educational styles and I

decided to see how my sophomores

feel about their school and the

curriculum and what, in their opinion,

an ideal school looks like.

The presentations they created were

far from shallow; they've given it

plenty of thought and came up with

very persuasive arguments why some

things should be changed. The

problem they'd first deal with is the

number of subjects they have in

grammar school; instead of wasting

NEWS FROM SCHOOLS

The Roman

amphitheatre

in Merida

The project logo

– Daisy with

greetings in the

partner

languages

Filip

Sabolović

2.c

High school

Čazma

Maja Trulec

2.c

High school

Čazma

the project in German and English,

while their assistant Paula Carrera

Gonzales presented Spain and their

traditions, culture and customs.

The coordinators and the other

teachers have discussed the upcoming

meeting in Romania, the tasks that

have to be done by then and a short

talent show each country has to

prepare with their students for the

Romanian meeting in June.

Due to the hospitality of the Slovakian

teachers, the Croatian team had an

opportunity to see beautiful landscape

of the Tatra Mountains, towns of

Kežmarok and Poprad, and on their

way home visit Krakow, one of the

oldest and most beautiful cities in

Poland. ▪ S.B.M.

some of the sites in their countries

under UNESCO protection. The

students of School of Economics and

Tourism Daruvar presented Split and

Dubrovnik. The participants also

visited Merida, a university city under

UNESCO protection built on the

remains of ancient Roman buildings,

and medieval cities Trujillo and

Cacares. All partners had a task to

create a logo for the project, and the

students and the teachers of School of

Economics and Tourism Daruvar are

proud to announce that their logo was

chosen to present the project. The

author of the logo is Ivana Andričević.

▪ R.G.

We all know pretty well that not all of us

were born for the classroom.

Everyone has, during the course of studies,

encountered numerous teachers whose

teaching styles did not do much or that we

simply did not appreciate. Of course, such

people cannot inspire anyone or impact

one's academic development. Here are five

types of teachers no one should ever turn

into.

The Disciplinarian - very strict and loud - lashing out with an angry command when frustrated, upset, or disappointed - finds things like talking out of turn and being late completely unacceptable - nothing is ever his fault - students tend to be afraid of him

- shattering their confidence

The Friend - easygoing and lenient - lesson plans designed to be fun and active - tries to relate to students - never challenges students to step outside their comfort zones - never embarrasses them - students less productive due to lack of discipline and focus and not driven to work hard as they meet endless praise in the classroom regardless of performance The Shy Guy/Gal - too timid to be put in front of a classroom - speaks so softly students sitting in the back can't hear - lacks the self confidence to assert his

authority and even the most basic classroom management skills - students unwilling to give him the respect a teacher deserves and disregard instructions - leaves class each day feeling defeated - students prey on his weakness and will act poorly as there is no real consequence for their actions The Lecturer - believes that if something is repeated enough times, students will understand - requires that students just repeat exactly what he said - likely to lecture almost exclusively in his native language - when students struggle with material, will start speaking more loudly as if this will help - with this type of instructor students suffer from lack of speaking practice and do not comprehend the meaning behind the words The Timewaster - likes to dominate speaking time - regularly holds one-sided discussions about topics completely unrelated to the lesson - will half-heartedly attempt to engage students in material that is neither relevant nor interesting to them - upon failing will simply continue along the same path - classes end without getting to the main point of the lesson - students feel as if not gaining anything by attending classes and are frustrated

- particularly driven individuals do well through

self study ; the rest of the class will be sorely

deprived of the education they need ▪ I.P.

5 Types Of Teachers You should never turn into

TEACHERS’ CORNER

Have you tried...

Evernote is a brilliant tool for teachers as well as

learners because it makes it easy to remember things

from your everyday life using your computer, phone,

tablet and the web. For teachers, it is a handy way of

saving anything you come across online or create

offline that could come in handy later on, for use in lessons or as a reference. For learners, the

same applies, but in addition learners can use it as a repository for their work – an e-portfolio.

Get learners to create their own account and use it as described above, putting in anything they

feel worth holding on to. They could create notebooks for different things, including one or more

for their own work. You could also create a class account, for project work. Each group could

have their own notebook and use it for collaboration.

CPD in 10 minutes or less

This month's CPD in ten minutes or less calls for some introspection. The picture below lists all the

digital skills any 21st century teacher should have. Have you mastered all of them?

sparkles #12

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