Dickens’s 200th Anniversary

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period.  Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic novels and characters. 

 We are proud to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth with a stunning selection of his works, which you can find in the School Library.

Aujourd'hui, jeudi 2 février on fête la Chandeleur et pour respecter la tradition il faut faire sauter les crêpes. Alors, qu'est-ce que vous attendez pour mettre les mains à la pâte?

Voici une recette pour les gourmands:

Refrains pour la chandeleur:

Voici les deux vœux de Noël qui ont gagné !!!

Chaque matin, après t’être réveillé rappelle-toi que tu as encore à écrire la meilleure des pages du livre de la vie. Une vie très heureuse! Joyeux Noël!                                         

Par Mercedes Paniagua

Les mots qui ne sonnent pas bien ne doivent pas être dits.

Les mots qui ont un son agréable doivent être dits et écrits.

Les mots qui sonnent bien doivent être assemblés.

Chuchotez-les avec un son agréable à l’oreille de vos personnes aimées.

Bonne année 2012 et joyeux Noël!                                                                  

Par Dolores Puyuelo

Les cours de conversation auront lieu dans la salle 6.

BÁSICO                                                    de 17:45 h. à 18:30 h.

16 janvier       30 janvier       6 février      29 février      5 mars  

19 mars              26 mars

INTERMEDIO                                        de 17:45 h. à 18:30 h.

9 janvier     18 janvier    23 janvier     8 février          13 février           

27 février            12 mars              21 mars

AVANZADO                                            de 15:45 h. à 16:30 h.

 11 janvier     25 janvier     1 février                   15 février            7 mars                

14 mars              28 mars

n 1723, the Delaware Indians settled Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and the Susquehanna Rivers.  The town is 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, at the intersection of Route 36 and Route 119.  The Delawares considered groundhogs honorable ancestors.  According to the original creation beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their forebears began life as animals in "Mother Earth" and emerged centuries later to hunt and live as men.

The name Punxsutawney comes from the Indian name for the location
"ponksad-uteney" which means "the town of the sandflies."
The name woodchuck comes from the Indian legend of "Wojak,
the groundhog" considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather.

When German settlers arrived in the 1700s, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day, which has an early origin in the pagan celebration of Imbolc.  It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.  Superstition held that if the weather was fair, the second half of Winter would be stormy and cold.  For the early Christians in Europe, it was the custom on Candlemas Day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of Winter.  A lighted candle was placed in each window of the home.  The day's weather continued to be important.  If the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather.

The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College:

February 4, 1841 - from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary..."Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

According to the old English saying:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year.

For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.

If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay.

Pennsylvania's official celebration of Groundhog Day began on February 2nd, 1886 with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow."  The groundhog was given the name "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary'' and his hometown thus called the "Weather Capital of the World.''  His debut performance: no shadow - early Spring.

The legendary first trip to Gobbler's Knob was made the following year.

ince the 1993 release of the film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray as a TV weatherman (who wakes up and it's Groundhog Day over and over again!) and Andie MacDowell as his puzzled producer, attendance at the real event has expanded.  In 1997, there were 35,000 visitors in Punxsutawney, five times the Jefferson County town's 6,700 population.

The Groundhog Day festivities on February 2, 1992 were joined by Bill Murray studying for his role in the movie.  Then, Columbia Pictures set out to recreate the Punxsutawney Groundhog Day down to the smallest detail.  There were, however, many changes made.

Columbia Pictures decided to film the movie in a location more accessible to a major metropolitan center.  The highways in and around Punxsutawney were few, so Woodstock, Illinois was chosen as the site.  Unfortunately, Woodstock's landscape doesn't have Pennsylvania's scenic rolling hills.  Nevertheless, adjustments were made for the production.  The actual Gobbler's Knob is a wooded hill with a beautiful view; the Gobbler's Knob in the movie is moved to the town square.  The Punxsutawney Gobbler's Knob was recreated to scale in Woodstock's town square based on detailed notes and videos the crew made on it's visit to Punxsutawney.    [Photo: © Columbia Pictures]

The movie's script was changed to include the elaborate ceremony of the Inner Circle on Groundhog Day.  The original groundhog cast for the movie was considered to be too small.

Some of the store names in Punxsutawney were used in the movie, such as The Smart Shop and Stewart's Drug Store.  Punxsutawney's police cars were also recreated for the movie.  The groundhog-head trash cans and Groundhog Festival flags that line the streets of Punxsutawney were displayed.  Folks traveling to Punxsutawney to see the "Punxsutawney" they saw in the movie wonder why it looks "so different, yet seems so similar."

he groundhog, also known as a woodchuck (Marmota monax), is a member of the squirrel family.  Groundhogs in the wild eat succulent green plants, such as dandelion, clover, and grasses.

According to handlers John Griffiths and Ben Hughes, Phil weighs 15 pounds and thrives on dog food and ice cream in his climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library.

Up on Gobbler's Knob, Phil is placed in a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stump on stage before being pulled out at 7:25 a.m. to make his prediction.

Yolanda Magallón, alumna de francés de 2º de Avanzado, ha sido este fin de semana Campeona de España de Triatlón.

Felicidades en nombre del Departamento de francés. Enhorabuena Campeona!!!

Más información del evento aquí