Staff 2008 - Latest Information

This year, I am putting everything on our web site rather than posting it. Our various forms and notes can be accessed via highlighted clickable links.

Please take a look at the 'Notes for Parents' and 'Notes for Students' that we send to parents and students (so you know what they know); the 'Event/Dates' list; a list of your colleagues and the 'Swimming Pool Rules'. Hereunder some points not covered in the 'Notes for Staff'. For the Sports/Social crew, we have the 'Notes for Sports/Social Staff''.

(10.00 on 9 July for Mary Hare; 10.00 on 11 July for Cheam) - you will be introduced to the other staff and attend a briefing from the Course Manager. If you have any questions you wish to raise please do so at this time.

The teachers’ induction with the Academic Manager, Sarah Robinson, and each School’s Senior Teacher will follow. Thereafter, teachers will have the opportunity to organise their classrooms and help the other staff prepare the school for the arrival of the students.

'Please read the Course Outline before arriving at Vacstuds in order to have an idea of what the teaching entails.  Part of the Course will be a film project, using TBL (Task Based Learning). Read the short guide to using Windows MovieMaker and try it out at home before you arrive if you get the chance.  A practical session for teachers will take place during the Course.

The rest of the Course will be more conventional teaching. About half the students have opted to take the Trinity Examinations in Spoken English so the Trinity Syllabus and its updates will influence these lessons. You will receive the printed Trinity syllabus when you arrive at the School, not through the post as mentioned in the e-mail of 11 June. A publication that Trinity have designed specifically for
teachers on Summer Courses is useful.  Some parts are more relevant to us than others, but it gives a good overview of the whole teaching and examination
process

There is a list of some of the resources available in the Vacational Studies library classified into grammar, vocabulary, functions and pronunciation.'

Teachers will complete a Progress Report after the first few days so that parents have an idea of their child's progress.  At the end of the Course, teachers will write a Final Report which will appear on their certificate of attendance.

In addition to the full range of nationalities, each school will have two British students (UK reps) who were interviewed and chosen by the Vacational Studies Foundation. The basis of their position at Vacational Studies is described in the 'Notes for UK Reps' to which they and their parents have agreed. We expect each ‘token Brit’ to be fully utilised linguistically and to justify his existence socially.  Sarah is in charge of their time during the mornings. I think no other organisation offers native-speaking students in this way. They will arrive on the same day as the staff. We also have a number of Scholarship recipients. Scholarship students are treated in the same way as the others. We do not reveal their status. They may choose to do so.

There will be a St John’s Ambulance ‘First Aid at Work’ course for staff from 14.00 to 16.00 on the day staff arrive.

Staff possessions to the value of £750 are covered against theft (only), not loss. Please don’t leave valuables lying around- and preferably don’t bring them. If you do, they should be locked in the Office. As I mention in the 'Notes for Staff', staff are covered for personal accident only when there is negligence involved. If you are injured playing or refereeing sport and there is no negligence, it is considered a risk of the game and is an uninsurable event.

Sports Day will be held on Tuesday 29 July if Monday 28 July is wet or on Wednesday 30 July if both days are wet.

Student use of mobile phones can, we have discovered, add a new and unwelcome dimension to the Course. We allow mobiles only on trips. Parents have been reminded about this in the last-minute information they have been sent.

Where possible, we shall try to take students where they want to go, rather than where we think they should go. On arrival, a coachload will split into small pre-arranged groups, each led by a teacher, and go in different directions. Try to find out if students have particular interests. It may be that they can organise a group. We can arrange transport and staff supervision. In 2007, for instance, a group of girls with Matron went on a shopping trip in London by stretch limousine.

As last year, the choice system is one at a time. Students can choose one hot choice or cold choice of main course and return for ‘seconds’ if they want another choice. Students can take one choice of dessert at a time and can return for ‘seconds’ if they want another choice. There will be a free choice from the salad bar. Each School will have a ‘Food Committee’. Staff are welcome to give opinions.

I shall again be filming activities in and out of the classroom for the 2008 video. It will be filmed digitally in HD.

If you have not given me yours, please do so now.

Password Protected Documents

How To Make Films In The English Classroom

Student Progress Charts

Student Progress Game