Dear Students
Yes, it’s snowy outside – not enough to make a snowman but certainly very pretty in the mornings! The big news this month is about our brand new website. We hope you like it - check it out at www.spinnakercollege.com. There’s more about our new Twitter service below. This month we have a variety of forthcoming events to tell you about, including the Christmas Party.
We love to hear from you, so don’t forget to tell your teacher if you have something to contribute for our next Christmas issue, or some of your own pictures to share with us.
Happy reading!
The Editorial Team
Forthcoming Events
London - 4th December
Join us for a day at our historic and lively capital. With plenty of tourist attractions, shops and activities it is guaranteed to be a fantastic day out.
Cost: £13.50 each (when traveling in groups of 4)
Meet: 8.45am (train leaves 9.00am) at Portsmouth & Southsea station
Brighton - 11th December
Come and join us for a day at this vibrant, coastal city. This trendy seaside resort is famous for its cobbled lanes, unique shops full of exclusive crafts and fashion, an impressive palace and, finally, its seaside pier.
Cost: £7 return (based on groups of 4)
Meet: 9.15am (train leaves 9.33am) at Portsmouth & Southsea
Christmas Party - 17th December
Kick your feet up at our annual Christmas do! There’ll be drinks, food and a merry atmosphere!
Check Facebook for further details!
Student of the Month
Congratulations to this month’s Students of the Month: Salem and Deblej, both from Libya.
Student Articles
Isle of Wight Trip by Afrouz from Iran and Faisrl from Saudi Arabia
A couple of wee
kend’s ago we went for a day trip to the Isle of Wight, which was arranged by the college. This was a red-letter day for us. The most enjoyable part of the trip was the experience of ice-skating. We were definitely “cruising for a bruising”. So we started to learn ice-skating but it was too hard to control our balance and we fell over loads of times. In the end, there were bruises on every part of our body. That day we laughed our heads off. As well as that, we went to Osborne House which was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. We were lucky that day because the queen was there and we had a good chat with her, she wasn’t the real queen, obviously, but a person in costume. This experience was really memorable and it helped us to get closer with each other and our teacher who was really patient and helped us very much.
An English Christmas
Every year British people get into the spirit of Christmas by decorating their Christmas tree, with baubles, tinsel and lights. Traditionally an evergreen coniferous tree, it often has an angel or star placed upon the top. Children will hang up their Christmas stockings by the fireplace in hope that Santa Claus will fill it with presents. These Christmas stockings were traditionally just old socks, however nowadays it is more common to either create your own or buy them specifically for Christmas. Families will also gather round and sing Christmas Carols, often for charity. They also have advent calendars which begin on the 1st December to help count down the days until 25th. Modern advent calendars usually have, behind each little window, a small piece of chocolate along with an image connected to Christmas or the Nativity scene. They come in a wide variety of designs that often reflect the buyer’s interests and hobbies. Alternatively you could get creative and make your own this year!
Twitter
Need help with your English idioms? Do you start looking at the floor when someone says “what are you on about?” or searching for a shopping bag when your friend tells you that their degree course is “in the bag”? Sign up to our new Twitter service for free, where you’ll get a new English idiom sent to you each weekday – with its explanation. Just click here
Jokes of the month:
What do you get if cross a snowman and a shark? Frost bite!
Where do mistletoe go to become famous?
"Holly" wood!
‘What’s On?’
Albert Road – Celebration of Christmas Lights 2010 – 4th December
Albert Road
4pm-6pm
Free
Join in the celebration for the Albert Road Christmas Light switch on, including local acts, entertainment and lots of fun.
Christmas Gift Fair– Every Weekend in December before Christmas
The Square Tower, Old Portsmouth
Free
10.00-17.00pm
Find a unique gift for Christmas or get some last minute presents at this craft exhibition.
Charles Dickens Christmas Walk– 5th December
Starts at the Visitor Information Centre, The Hard
Starts 2.30pm
£3.00 per ticket
Take a guided walk around the area where Dickens’ family lived and worked, including extracts from the famous novelist’s work.
Santa 5K & 10K Fun Run – 12th December 
Starts at The Dell, Clarence Esplanade
Free to Watch or £12 to run 5K £14 to run 10K
10.50am start
Dress up as Santa Claus and raise money for charity by joining the Santa Fun Run. Alternatively watch the thousands of Santas run through Southsea Common.
Port Solent Christmas Festival – 11th December
Port Solent
Free
11.00am – 17.00pm
Experience some traditional Christmas festivities with an interactive nativity scene, a Christmas Market, mince pies, mulled wine and Christmas Carols.
A Christmas Carol Performance – 7th December - 2nd January
The Groundlings Theatre, 42 Kent Street (near Queens Street)
£7.50 per ticket
Check website for times - http://www.groundlings.co.uk/show_list.php
Watch a re-made version of this all time Dickens classic, performed in their very haunted theatre!
The Magic of Christmas – 4th-5th December
Portsmouth Guildhall
Starts 7.30pm – Saturday
2.30pm – Sunday
£7.50 tickets
Come and listen to some popular music from movies and shows including some festive favourites sung by the Royal Marines Choir.
