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A big hello to all our friends and partners around the world. This is GEOS Ottawa’s first international newsletter, and we’re very excited to introduce ourselves. From now on we’ll be sending out this information every month, to help you get to know our school, our city, our staff and students. We are looking forward to welcoming some of your clients very soon, so they can experience it all firsthand.
Please find below one of our English teachers. Her name is Jill Fournier:
Like a lot of people who work in Ottawa, Jill wasn’t born here. Jill is a western Canadian girl from Calgary, Alberta. She started working with GEOS in Ottawa in March 2010. In that time, she has taught every kind of English class we offer including all 6 levels of ESL, TOEFL iBT and the Work and Study Seminars. Jill also has a lot of experience teaching English in different countries around the world. She has taught in Moscow, Russia; Beijing and Shanghai in China; and in Barranquilla, Colombia, which is the hometown of the singer Shakira. As you would expect from all that traveling, Jill has a great interest in languages. She speaks Russian and French and she’s also learning to speak Spanish. This helps her appreciate the difficulties that students’ have in learning a new language.
 Hello! My name is Mamiko, and I’ve been studying in GEOS Ottawa since 3 months ago. I have writing, speaking and grammar class everyday. All my teachers are very friendly and reliable. They teach me not only about studying from a textbook, but also Canadian life and culture in general. I have made a lot of international friends here. We often enjoy school activities together. For example we went on a ski trip recently. Ottawa is a really good place for winter sports. Besides, this city is quiet and safe. It is a good place for studying too. Why don’t you join us?
Mamiko Shiga, Intensive English (12 weeks). Mamiko is from Japan. She has a Working Holiday visa and is now looking for a part-time job in Ottawa
 I have been studying here for four months and I can see how much I have improved my language skill. That is absolutely because of GEOS. In my opinion, if you want to learn a language you should have fun and studying in GEOS provides that. So if you’re in Ottawa don’t lose the chance to come to GEOS. You’ll meet people from all over the world, and lots of things will interest you so don’t hesitate.
Talal Al-Dhahri, Super Intensive English Plus (24 weeks). He is from Saudi Arabia. Talal plays the guitar really well, and often plays and sings in the student lounge.
Welcome to the Capital of Canada!
Although Ottawa is not as famous as many other capital cities, it is surely among the most beautiful. Its European charm and convenient size make it a wonderful place to live and study.
Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital more than 150 years ago because of its central location, and that makes it easy to travel to other cities. We’re only 2 hours from Montreal and 5 from Toronto. Our students also often visit Quebec City, Niagara Falls, Boston and New York.
Ottawa has Canadian Culture at its best. There are more than 26 museums, the beautiful Parliament buildings, art galleries, theatres, and concert halls. And there’s nowhere better to enjoy the Canada Day party on July 1st. http://www.ottawatourism.ca
It’s a city of festivals, and the people of Ottawa love welcoming visitors to join the party. Every month brings exciting new festivals, concerts, exhibitions, and sporting events. We have Winterlude, Blues Fest, Jazz Fest, the Tulip festival and so much more. http://www.ottawafestivals.ca
Canada is famous for its natural treasures, and Ottawa has everything you could ask for - beaches, parks, woodlands, hills, rivers, and lakes. There is a great variety of outdoor activities to choose from. So, what are you waiting for? From canoeing and white-water rafting to skating and skiing, we’ve got it all.
Winter in Ottawa
January and February are the coldest months, but the people of Ottawa make sure they enjoy the snow and ice with a variety of winter sports and events. GEOS organizes lots of student activities such as skiing, snow-boarding, ice-skating, sledding and snow-shoeing. It’s great fun.
Winterlude February is also the month when we welcome visitors from around the world to Winterlude – one of the biggest winter festivals in the world. It runs for 3 weeks from February 4th to the 21st. http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/winterlude/
Brazilian group
Every year we welcome a group of students from the south of Brazil for a 4-week Winter Study Tour. These brave students leave the heat of the Brazilian summer (up to 40C) to experience winter in Ottawa. For many of them it’s the first time they have seen snow. This year we had our largest group ever; 58 students and 3 group leaders. We’ve had a blast and hope to do it all again next year.
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Currently we have 29 Nationalities represented in the school among our 192 students.
Saudi Arabia: 36%
Brazil: 32%
Korean: 6%
Libya: 3%
Canada: 2%
Japan: 2%
Turkey: 2%
Venezuela, Mexico, China, Spain, Dominican Republic, France, & Vietnam: 1% each
Others: 7.5%
Intensive English – 24 academic hours –
A program based on the Communicative Method of language teaching that is second to none! GEOS is the only private school in Ottawa to operate 6 levels of ESL year-round.
Our morning course, called Integrated Skills (IS) allows students to develop their ability in all four skills of English (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Our afternoon program is called Active Listening (AL) and focuses on improving the practical communication skills of listening and speaking.
Super Intensive – 31 academic hours –
Many of our students choose to enhance their studies with an extra elective class (7 hours per week). Our current elective classes are:
Levels 1&2 – Pronunciation
Levels 3&4 – Grammar Works or IELTS Preparation (Intermediate)
Levels 5&6 - IELTS Preparation (Advanced)
Super Intensive Plus – 36 academic hours
A recent addition to our course options, our Writing classes are available for all levels and are designed for students who need extra practice with spelling, written grammar and composition.
Full-time TOEFL iBT Preparation Program (Advanced) – 24 academic hours
GEOS Ottawa is the perfect choice for the more serious student who is thinking about applying for university in Canada. Our very popular TOEFL iBT program prepares students in all aspects of the test to significantly increase their chances of passing.
Private Instruction / Closed groups
In addition to our regular scheduled group classes we also offer private and small group lessons in English and French with flexible schedules and class content to suit the needs of the student.
On February 22nd we will begin a new round of Work and Study Program seminars. This program of 10 classes helps student prepare for a job in the Canadian workplace, with resume writing tips, job hunting sessions and interview role-plays and advice.
Please look below for pictures of our student activities in January and February:
Now you have read our first monthly newsletter, you have all the information you need to answer the questions below. You may need to use some of the website links provided –
THE PRIZE - We’ll give an Ottawa Prize Pack with lots of tourist goodies to 5 lucky winners
1 - Which European Monarch made Ottawa the capital city of Canada?
2 – What are the start and end dates of Winterlude festival?
3 – In which province is Ottawa located?
4 – What is the date of Canada Day?
5 – What elective classes are available for level 3 and 4 students?
6 – How many nationalities are listed in our nationality mix?
7 – What is the name of our Academic Coordinator?
8 – How many hours per week is the Super Intensive Plus Program?
9 – When will the next Work and Study Seminars begin?
10 – What is the general email address of GEOS – Ottawa?
Please submit your answers at info@geosottawa.com by March 31, 2011. Have fun and good luck!
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