Bike to Work Week May 28 - Jun 1

Bike to Work Week is May 28 to June 1st!

Do you usually drive to work or school?
Do you usually take the bus or skytrain?
Have you thought about taking your bike?

Now is the time to do it along with 
other people in your neighbourhood.

Bike to work, keep track of your trips
and you may win a prize!

Check here for more info:
http://www.biketoworkmetrovan.ca/

Victoria Day - May 21st

                                             

Victoria Day will fall on Monday, May 21st this year.

It is a holiday that is celebrated across Canada.

This day celebrates the birthday of

Queen Victoria of England.
In Quebec, it is known as National Patriot's Day.

It is the first long weekend of the summer season.

It is an extra day for people to get out to the parks
and enjoy a walk or a hike outdoors.

It is also the time when many gardeners finish
planting their gardens.

It is usually warm enough at this time of year to
 plant warm-weather crops!

Mental Health Wellness Week

May 6 to 12 is Mental Health Wellness Week. 

VCC is helping to raise awareness about what services are available to people with mental health challenges. The college would especially like to reach out to those students who are new to Canada.

Would you like more information?
Come to the Broadway campus
Wed May 9:  Building B Event space - 11 am - 2 pm
or
Come to the Downtown campus
Thurs May 10: Library foyer - 11 am - 2 pm

VCC Info Night

VCC Info Nite

Come and find out about
the140 programs that VCC has to offer!

When:  October, 2012
Check back for the exact date!
http://www.vcc.ca/infonight/

FREE ESL CLASSES FOR ALL LEVELS

Starting now, students don’t pay course fees for English classes at VCC. They will only pay student fees ($24.11 Student Union Fee and up to $27 in other college fees). For example, a class that is four mornings per week now costs $37.55. There is also a one-time $30 application fee. So the total cost for a four morning per week class would be $67.55 the first term, and $37.55 the second term.

For more information about how to register, call 604-871-7145 or visit eslprograms.vcc.ca.

Are your learning goals SMART?

Everyone makes goals to learn new things. Sometimes it's hard to meet your goals, and it feels frustrating. Some teachers in the U.S. have a system they call SMART. They say learning goals must be

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T - Timely

'Specific' means 'exact'. Not "I want to learn English", but "I want to improve my spelling".
'Measurable' means you can measure your success. For example, "I learned to spell 6 new words this week."
'Achievable' means you can achieve, or succeed in meeting your goal. Not "I will learn to spell 1,000 new words this week!"
'Realistic' is similar to 'achievable'. You really can meet your goal if you try.
'Timely' means it's a good time for you to try this. For example, spelling is important to you now because you need to improve your writing for work. At another time, it might be more important to work on your speaking skills.

When you set SMART goals, you will feel successful. You can learn English (or anything!) one step at a time. Good luck!

BEST WISHES FOR 2012!

Happy New Year!

Polar bears



On January 1, 2,000 people went for a Polar Bear Swim at English Bay Beach. More people went for a dip in other locations around Metro Vancouver. In some places the swimmers paid a small registration fee for charity. (To see pictures click here.)

Why do people swim in the cold? Some people want one more exciting party to end the holidays. Some people want to really wake up for the new year.

A lot of people make New Year's resolutions. These are plans to change something in your life. You might make a resolution to get more exercise or to call your mother more often. You can make a resolution to study English harder! It's always helpful to have a learning goal. If you want some ideas for learning English, look around this web page.