School Traditions

SCHOOL TRADITIONS

Let’s talk about school traditions. School is not only learning. A school year is nine months long and it’s full of events! Many of them became traditions because they happen every year on the same dates. Some traditions are similar in all Belarusian schools, some are unique.

The school year starts on September, 1. This day is special for all: schoolchildren, their teachers and parents. The day starts with the school gathering when all classes and teachers stand in front of the school and listen to the welcoming speeches of their teachers, schoolmates and parents. Students look really nice in their new school uniforms! Everyone is excited to see their school friends and teachers after long summer holidays. After the school gathering teachers take their classes to their classrooms for the first lesson. When the lesson is over, students may have a class event – a picnic or a walk in the park or a class trip. The events of this day are usually the same every year but everyone waits for this day, likes it and remembers it.

Besides the 1^st of September, there are a lot other interesting traditions at school. They are the Teachers’ Day, Women’s Day, Health Days, Reunion Day, School Olympiads, Autumn and Spring Sports Weeks and others.

On Women’s Day there are concerts for girls and women in every school. Boys and men give them flowers and presents. On Teachers’ Day there are concerts for teachers. Pupils give flowers to their teachers. On Reunion Day all school leavers gather together at schools. They come and meet their teachers and their former classmates. On School Olympiads there are competitions in all school subjects. On Health Day schoolchildren have a talk with doctors and carry out class projects on health.

But my favourite school tradition is the Sports Week. I like it. You have the opportunity to show your athletic skills and abilities. We have Sports Weeks every season but my favourite is the Autumn Sports Week and it’s the last week of September. The Sports Week takes place in all school sports grounds: in the gym, on the football pitch and the basketball and volleyball courts.

Everyone from the 1^st to the 11^th class takes part in it. Our teachers take part in some events too. There is a wide range of activities which the Sport Week offers. It opens with a running race in which all students take part. Then we have competitions in different sports: we play sports games, run, jump. The week finishes with the Closing ceremony where the winners get their cups, medals and prizes.

STUDYING AT SCHOOL

Let’s talk about studying at school. All children at the age of six go to school. Schooling is free, universal and compulsory. Children leave school at the age of seventeen, so school becomes their second home. Its aim is to help students find strengths. School tries to develop their talents and abilities. It offers the best facilities for all the students. School encourages interest and enthusiasm both during and after classes. Our Belarusian school is famous for its tradition of Honesty, Friendliness and Excellence. Respect for each other is the golden rule, because every child is an individual.

School classes usually begin at eight o’clock. Children have classes five days a week. But on Saturdays they have some extra-curriculum activities. Every day schoolchildren have five or six lessons. Students have a timetable. There are many different subjects on the timetable. They study Russian and Belarusian, Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, PE and Handcraft. After the second lesson they have lunch.

Students have at their disposal a library, a foreign language study, Chemistry, Biology and Physics laboratories and a gym. The library has thousands of books, audio books, reference books and multimedia computers, which are necessary for making projects and self-study. Here the students can do their homework, search for the information on the Internet and relax reading books.

At the laboratories for Chemistry, Biology and Physics the students can conduct experiments and carry out scientific projects. It is necessary for those who want to learn Science in their future life.

The Language Study is a language laboratory with computers. Here the students can practice foreign languages and get help from experienced teachers. It is helpful if they want to enrich their vocabulary and to get a better command of a foreign language.

The gym is used for many different sports and after-class activities with all the equipment.

The classes are over at one or two o’clock. After classes the students go in for sports, dancing, drawing and other activities. There is a number of school clubs and societies for each pupil, which offer opportunities to develop different talents and skills.

Schoolchildren have autumn, winter and spring holidays for ten days. School is over at the end of May and summer holidays are the longest.

Seasons

There are four seasons in a year. They are winter, spring, summer and autumn. There are three months in each season. December, January and February are winter months. March, April and May are spring months. Summer months are June, July and August. Then Autumn months come: September, October and November.

Winter is the coldest season of the year. Summer is the warmest season. Spring is warmer than winter but it is colder than summer. Autumn is also colder than summer but it is warmer than winter.

Every season has its own charm and is good in its own way. There is much snow in winter. It often snows. I like to ski, skate and sledge in winter. In spring we enjoy the first grass, green leaves and the first flowers. The sun shines

brighter and the days become longer. Summer is the hottest season when there are a lot of fruit, berries and vegetables. Schoolchildren have their longest holidays. It's my favourite season. I like to swim, lie in the sun, play outdoors in summer. The weather is usually fine. Sometimes it rains. But the rains are usually warm.

Autumn comes after summer. It brings rains and cold weather. But it's a tasty and beautiful season. Because there are a lot of fruits in autumn: apples, pears, grapes, plums, watermelons and melons. The leaves are red, green and yellow and they fall down from the trees. On the 1^st of September we go to school. A school year begins.

Weather and Climate

1. Now let’s talk about environment. People say that our planet is in danger. Do you share this opinion?

Yes, I do. Our Earth is so beautiful. It’s full of wonders and gives people it’s reaches to live and enjoy. Our ancestors used nature as consumers and in the 20^th century man’s economic activities began to produce an increasingly negative effect on the environment. One of the consequences is acid rain. Another one is water shortage resulting from abuse of arable lands in agriculture. The third one is destroying the ozone layer of the Earth through pollution from factories & plants. The fourth problem is damage to water & soils. The fifth one is damage to wildlife: numerous species of animals & plants can disappear. In our country the worst problem is probably the effect of the Chernobyl disaster.

2. What do you think people should do to protect the environment?

We can’t live without fresh air, clean water, sunshine, and a lot of things which we take from nature. That’s why we must take care of it. We must learn to use the environment carefully & protect it from damage caused by man’s activities. It is the small efforts of each individual that can add up to a great result.

3. What would you like to ask your British friend about measures that are taken to protect the environment?

1. What environmental issues are the most crucial for your country?

2. Which waste in Britain are recycled?

3. Do people in your country save electricity/water?

4. Are there many “green events” in your country? Have you ever taken part in any of them?

4. A friend of yours wants to develop a programme to protect the city where he lives. Give him a piece of advice.

It’s not too late to solve ecological problems. And in your city you have the time. The money and even the technologies to make your city a better, cleaner and safer place. You can maintain a blog on environmental issues and green living. You can plant trees that are a great source of oxygen, turn down the heating to save the energy, say “no” to plastic bags and take your own shopping bag to the supermarket. Take your waste into separate bins for glass, for plastic and for metal in order to recycle it. Do these things yourself and ask your friends and neighbors to follow.

5. Green school of the year contest is held in the country and you want your school to enter it. Give ideas of some green events.

Eco-farming. We may use some agro-ecological methods at our school garden show the results (our harvest) in public and teach others.

We may fit energy-saving light bulbs all over the college and save electricity. We may take our old notebooks and other paper wastes and prepare them for recycling.

The organization of “Green” Saturdays with planting trees and bushes will be of great value too.