Open Letter to the UN, by Grupo Tautianos (ESO)

Saint Andrew's Day (Scotland)

Every November the 30th all Scottish around the world celebrate Saint Andrew's Day, which is Scotland's official national day. This day is considered in Scotland as an official flag day and it's also a bank holiday there. The Scottish Government established that on this date the flag of Scotland, called the Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross, should fly high on all Scottish buildings and balconies.

Saint Andrew was one of Jesus's original disciples, the brother of Simon Peter and a fisherman by trade, who lived in Israel. After Jesus's crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, Andrew travelled widely in Greece and Asia Minor, preaching and spreading the word of God. He was finally caught by the Roman authorities, who were trying to stamp out the new Christian religion, and he was crucified on a diagonal cross. 300 years later, his bones were taken by ship to Scotland and that's the reason why a white diagonal cross over a blue background became the official national flag. Another widely regarded emblem of Scotland is the thistle, a typical inland and very prickly flower.

In Scotland and in many countries with Scottish connections (the USA or Ireland for example), St Andrew's Day is celebrated with Scottish cultural events in schools and all across the country including traditional Scottish food, parades, bagpipe music and dance. In Edinburgh, the capital city, there is a week of celebrations, concentrating on musical entertainment and traditional ceilidh dancing.

Maths Test 4º ESO, by Tomás J. Orta Carrasco (Maths teacher)

Andalusian Freshwater Life, by José Antonio Rodríguez (Biology Teacher)

Remembrance Day

Each year in November, the United Kingdom remembers the British men and women who gave their lives in the two World Wars and other subsequent armed conflicts. For this reason, the 11th of November is known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday or Poppy Day. The Field Poppy is a red flower that used to germinate and grow in the central European battlefields and, since then, it has been taken as the symbol for the fallen at war.

During the First World War, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Armistice was signed after more than four years of continuous deadly warfare. In many parts of the world, most schools, factories, shops, offices, public buildings etc. grant a two-minute silence at 11:00 am on 11th November. Traditionally, special events, church services and many military parades to honour the fallen are held throughout the UK on the second Sunday of November, which is the nearest Sunday to the 11th day.

Events and celebrations like this consolidate and strengthen the identity, unity and the historical heritage of the country and give honour to the millions of patriots who fought for a better world. It also teaches children about the miseries and sacrifice undergone by a whole nation in order to achieve freedom and welfare.

This year, Remembrance Sunday is held on the 10th of November, 2013.

Top 10 Most Read Books

All of us love to read a good book, but could you name the 10 most read books in the world? Over the last half century, hundreds of thousands of books have been produced, but only a select few have become the most popular and most read books in the world. Here you will discover some of the greatest pieces of literary work by highly talented authors.

According to American novelist and publisher James Chapman, this is the ultimate list of the 10 most read books in the world over the last 50 years. The figures show the number of books printed and sold but does not take into account multiple readings of the same book. Mr Chapman compiled this list after completing a long project of research. He consulted best-selling charts and publishing data worldwide, mostly among books translated in different languages. Come on, take a look!

Number 10: Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank
Number 9: Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Number 8: Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Number 7: Twilight - The Saga, by Stephenie Meyer
Number 6: The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
Number 5: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Number 4: Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Number 3: Harry Potter - The Saga, by J. K. Rowling
Number 2: Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung, by Mao Tse-tung
Number 1: The Holy Bible

I must admit some of the titles shown in the list were absolutely unspected, and others were quite evident. However, I believe a few books here are still missing, such as the Holy Quran (the Muslim Bible), The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet, or Don Quixote, by Cervantes. What do you think of the list?

About Halloween

Introduction. Halloween is a holiday in most English-speaking countries that is celebrated on the night of October 31st. Children wear costumes and dress up as ghost, witches, zombies, monsters, goblins and other scary characters and then, they go to peoples' homes saying: "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy and sweets.

Origins. The word Halloween comes from the original "All Hallows' Eve", that is to say, the eve before the Christian feast of All Saints' Day, which takes place on November 1st. This day is dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows) and martyrs. Halloween has pagan origins though, and for many scholars the Celts, in their harvest festivals or Samhain, introduced the celebration.

Costumes. On Halloween, it was believed that the spirits and ghosts of the dead came back to roam the earth. People then wore masks and "dressed up" in an outfit to look like one of the spirits to avoid being recognized as one of the living.

Jack-o'-lanterns. They are big empty pumpkins carved with monstruous faces that hold candles inside to project scary lights and shapes in the dark.

Trick or Treat! It is a short expression the children say to threaten people, and its meaning is basically: "Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you." The treat refers to getting the candy (or even money), and the trick is usually a prank, or any other mischievous action, played on the householders.

We are BEDA!

Last Thursday, 17th October, our dearest School was officially approved and introduced into the BEDA Program as we were awarded the distinctive BEDA badge that, from now on, will be shown at the school's main entrance.

The event was part of the BEDA Congress for Catholic Schools that took place in the Lasalle School of Maravillas, in Madrid; here we post a couple of pictures.

As a result, the school will apply some important measures to improve the English learning and will start up some amazing projects.

Let's all give a warm welcome to the BEDA Program! This is just the beginning...

Let's Certificate!

Times are changing... and English language is more and more universal every year. Students all over the world learn English at schools from an early age and millions of people speak English as a foreign language. It is a part of our education indeed.

In European countries, especially those attached to the European Union, English knowledge is more than just a useful communicative tool. It has definitely become the official language and even an obligatory requirement in order to have a successful professional career, either in a national framework or abroad.

Europe has developed the so called Common European Framework of Reference ("Marco Común Europeo de Referencia: Inglés") to establish the levels acquired in English language. The table below shows the different certificates and the information about the levels themselves. 

Take a look and help yourself with the information.

Calvin & Hobbes is so cool!

I just love "Calvin and Hobbes". I've always thought the series is a masterpiece. Bill Watterson, creator and drawer, is a genius, an icon, a reference.

The plot is simple, but brilliant: an imaginative five-year-old kid who behaves like a boy but thinks like an adult. His favourite toy is a teddy tiger that comes to life when others aren't around... but only in Calvin's imagination. The kid is terribly intelligent, moody, creative and very very naughty. The style and the speech is simple, but the message is deep and appealing, which makes the series suitable for both adults and youngsters.

"Calvin and Hobbes" is for sure one of my favourite English comics. Have a try. You won't regret it. Simply hilarious!

Click here for lots of comic strips!! Enjoy :)

http://calvinhobbesdaily.tumblr.com/