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Monday, May 26, 2008 - Newsletter “Montreal - The GEOS Insider”
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| WARM GREETINGS FROM GEOS MONTREAL! |
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Spring is definitely here with warm weather and streets filled with happy Montrealers and visitors from all over the world. May and June are the time when the busy season kicks off, and we are especially lucky this year to be receiving seven Holiday Groups from Mexico, Japan, Colombia, and Italy. The school is sure to be a busy and happy place with activities every day for 4 months.
We've added a lot of staff to welcome our many students this summer, because we want to be sure that the school remains the warm, fun, and caring family environment of which we are so proud.
To our current students: get ready for a great summer! To our future students: we look forward to meeting you soon! To our past students, we look forward to continuing to hear from you.
Uri Carnat - School Manager
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| SCHOOL ACTIVITIES |
May has been an exciting month here at GEOS Montreal. We’ve had some rainy weather, and we’ve had some beautiful sunshine. The flowers have started coming out, and people are going to the park in record numbers. Summer is definitely in the air!
The new season started out with a friendly game of soccer in the park. Spectators cheered on a group of teachers and students, as they battled on the bumpy field at Jeanne-Mance Park. Team “Os” ended up beating team “Ge” in a very close match featuring spectacular skill and sportsmanship. With the talent that we have here, soon we will be competing for the GEOS World Cup!
 Then we came inside for an international Potluck feast! Mexican, Italian, Iranian, Korean, Japanese and even Lebanese food made our mouths water and delighted the senses. We also had nice music and conversation. Check out the pictures on FaceBook!
After that, we went to Ottawa to celebrate the Tulip Festival. We had a tour inside the Canadian parliament buildings, and after we headed over to Byward Market, Major Hill Park, and Dow’s Lake. Ottawa is such a beautiful city during the Tulip Festival.
We ended the session with a bang in the final Happy Hour Party of the month. Together we went to frappe – a local sports establishment – and enjoyed the terrace, the pool tables, and of course table soccer!! What an exciting event. 
Next week we plan to check out the Annual International Montreal Beer Festival. An exciting international event with beer samples from all around the world. GEOS staff members will of course only be sampling the fine juices, but we look forward to it all the same.
This is only the beginning of the Festival season here in Montreal. We’re looking forward to: The Grand Prix, Main Madness, the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival... Just to name of few.
Summer in Montreal… Doesn’t it sound like fun?
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| TESTIMONIAL |
I totally remember when I arrived in Montreal. Everything was covered with snow and it was taller than me. 27th Feb. 2008 11pm. Finally I'm in Montreal.
I prepared pretty long time for come to Canada, except study English, so first time Montreal wasn't special until I visited school. I don't know Uri remember that we met first, but I did. Uri, Billy and one lady, maybe Sayaka, were receive me with warm hands. I heard many thing about Canada before I come to here, so I had a prejudice, but it was fade away. They were hospitable to me who is "exit" is more familiar than "sortie."
My Montreal and GEOS life have started with GEOS people. My teachers - Matt, Amit and Lotoya who is a new and other teachers. They already know about my problems. So everytime correcting and trying until I'll have correct answer. And staffs - Uri, Billy, Marcus, Sayaka and Yasu have many information that I want. So they always give me a new information or search.
I'm satisfied with GEOS and Montreal except classroom is little bit hot. Every GEOS people are good friends everytime.
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| TEACHER OF THE MONTH |
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The teacher of the month this month is Matt Ritchie. Loved and respected by all, we will miss him greatly as he left this month to follow his dreams. Come back when you are finished Matt! :)
For one thing, Matt LOVES his job. Seeing the students' improvement over the months has been very rewarding - and it makes him nostalgic to think about it. He will miss saying hello to the students every morning.
The best part about GEOS Montreal for Matt was the international cultural mix It is a big change from his days of teaching English in the Czech Republic. Here he has met people from all over the world.
The students think that Matt is the absolute best. That was clear with the surprise farewell party that was thrown in his honour on his last day.
He plans to travel throughout the Western United States this summer. In particular he would like to see Los Angeles and San Francisco. As much as we will miss him, we wish him luck on his trip, and only wish that we could be there!
Some little known facts about Matt include that he was a major in theatre in university. He has done some commercials, as well as acting for the Montreal Fringe Festival. Maybe one day he'll be famous?
Matt would like to say a big thank you to Moises, Beto, Jackie and Song-I - students that have touched his life, and will remain forever in his memory.
Matt, we already miss you. Hope you are having a nice trip! Thanks for all of your hard work Matt!
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| NATIONALITY REPORT |
We are very proud of our Nationality mix for this month. Currently we have 18 Nationalities represented in the school among our 153 students
Take a look where our students are coming from:
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| UPCOMING COURSES |
Don’t forget!! Full-time students studying English or French can have a 50% discount on any of these courses. Here are some of the most popular courses: 
If you have any questions regarding the programs or the starting dates, just send us an email by CLICKING HERE
You can download our 2008 School Brochure here.
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| A DAY IN THE LIFE OF |
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Learning a new language at Geos-Montreal has been a wonderful experience for me. The 3 main reasons are: The city itself, qualified teachers and personnel, and interesting extra academic activities and social activities.
Every morning I find that no matter the time or the weather, Montreal’s public transportation and facilities make it easy to go to GEOS. Also it’s an interesting city that motivates and captures my attention.
In addition, when I arrive at the school I can tell that teachers and personnel are always kind and ready to support and take care of me and the students; at the same time they have high professional and individual standards.
Besides classes, GEOS offers me a wide spectrum of extra activities that can be academic; such as reading & writing, toefl, business English, so I can achieve personal goals. There are also social activities with positive impact in my learning process because it allows me to interact and practice the language with students and locals, in a more relaxed environment.
These are some reasons why learning a new language at Geos has been a significant experience that I won’t forget.
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| PORTE OUVERTE SUR LE RÊVE |
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Trois coups
de soleil
de marteau
de coeur
le palais s'ouvre
galerie de portraits
au plaisir du Louvre
y défilent belles marionnettes
Roméo et Juliette
petits et fragiles pantins
se tenant par la main
chapeau sur la tête
ventre arrondi parfois
au pas, au pas, se pressent
comme des soldats de bois
la lumière brûle et mon coeur bat
rythmé par le chant des alouettes
même au temps des rois, tour s'achète
sauf, peut-être, le temps qui passe
et les corps qui se prélassent
dans la beauté du monde
dans l'éternité d'une seconde
Jérôme Commun
Montréal, rue de Sherbrooke, le 28 mai 2008
Jerome has been teaching in GEOS Montreal for almost 1 year now. He composes poems for students who graduate from his class and he read them at our General Assembly each Friday. His poetry and musical skills are appreciated by both his students, and the staff. Thank you Jerome! Merci beaucoup!
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