Christmas FREE events in Brisbane!

Hey guys, Christmas is coming soon!!

I guess this is the first Christmas in Australia for many of our students. You must be excited already! 

Christmas in Australia is celebrated during our Summer Months. No snow and log fires for us, though our Christmas Cards and traditions usually depict those of colder climates. Australia is a multicultural country and with this, our traditions are often mingled and derived from a mixture of other countries.

Do you have any plans for Christmas? Brisbane has a lot of exciting events for FREE before Christmas.

Don't miss out on these exciting events!

Lighting of the Christmas tree

* Dates : Fri 3 December 2010
* Times : 6:45pm
* Venue : King George Square
                 (between Adelaide Street and Ann Street, Brisbane CBD)

Join Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, a host of special guests and Santa for the lighting of the Brisbane City Christmas tree.

Entertainment for the event will feature performance excerpts from Queensland Ballet’s The Nutcracker and plenty of your favourite Christmas carols. Presented by Brisbane City Council

IGA Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols in the City

* Dates : Sat 4 December 2010
* Times : 7:30pm; gates open 5pm
* Venue : River Stage
                 (City Botanic Gardens, Alice Street, Brisbane CBD)

Come and join the stars as we celebrate the reason for the season at the Brisbane Riverstage on Saturday 4th December 2010 the IGA Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols.
Stars for the night include Stan Walker, Paulini, James Morrison, Emma Pask, Colin Buchanan, The Idea of North, Troy Cassar-Daley plus many, many more.

World by Night

* Dates : Fri 10 December 2010
* Times : 7pm - 9pm
* Venue : King George Square
                 (between Adelaide Street and Ann Street, Brisbane CBD)

Take a trip around the world in Brisbane’s own backyard!

BEMAC are pleased to present the city’s best world music, including a special performance by the winner of 2010’s Q Song World Music category.
Bring a blanket and stretch out under the stars, or kick up your heels and tango. Take your pick from the amazing array of food from across the globe; discerning Christmas shoppers can browse for gifts with a world flavour.
http://www.bemac.org.au/ Presented by BEMAC and Brisbane City Council

If you need any more activities or Christmas event information,

please talk to our student service officer Erika.

[Teacher's Story] A few things you may not know about me

 A few things you may not know about me:

I went to 5 different primary schools and two high schools. My father was in the Royal Australian Air Force when I was young so we moved around a lot. I have lived in NSW and Victoria but I am proud to call myself a Queenslander! I’ve been in Brisbane for more than 15 years now.

I have also spent a lot of time abroad. In 2003, when I was 20, I went on a 12-month working holiday to Ireland and met some of my mother’s aunts, uncles and cousins. I came home to finish my tertiary studies in International Business and Japanese at Griffith University and then went back to London for another 14 months. In my travels I visited several countries including France, Spain, Scotland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the USA. There are still many places I would like to visit especially South America, Japan, and Italy. 

The most exciting place I’ve visited is Villamarxante, near Valencia in Spain. In August they have a really big party that lasts for a whole month. They have parades, fireworks and bulls running around the streets. I got to light the horns of one of the bulls on fire so that at night the people could see it coming.
  

I think I am a good example of your typical Australian female. I love to play outdoors. I love camping, hiking, rock climbing, going to the beach and playing soccer. I love the Australian way of life and although I still want to see other parts of the world, Queensland will always be home to me!

[Student's Essay] Impression of Brisbane

Having grown in a little place where mountains and plains are the only thing that fill one's eyesight, skyscrapers and tall edifice of modern world are never been a part of my vision since then. Brisbane has all that. It is a place where people of different races seem to rush everyday. It’s a busiest place to be in. The coolest place I have been to as its temperature is degrees below to what I have been used to.

Modernized is the word I can associate Brisbane with.  The tall buildings and modern infrastructures around the city are the things modern world has. This is the first thing that caught my attention the first time I step and it still continues to amaze me until today.

Also, it’s hard not to notice how busy this city is. People are rushing to work every morning with their suitcases and cups of coffee. They walk very fast like there always something they have to catch.

Brisbane temperature is way too cold that keeps me wearing jacket everyday.  It goes degrees below compare to the humid and tropical temperature of Philippines. However, it is not cold enough that I have to light a fire inside the room.

Having been here is the best treat life has presented to me. The experience and the good things it has brought surpass all the inconvenience it may have caused, if there is any.

Dante Bacareza

Upper Intermediate class

IIA goes Flexible Learning Program

Well the wait is over.  Beginning on the 15 of November 2010 IIA will be entering into a new era by offering 3 Streams for students in order to maximize their study as well as leisure/work time while in Brisbane.

Starting Date  :  General English 15th Nov 2010
                        IELTS Direct     10th Jan 2011

We understand that coming to Australia is not just about studying English but the out of school experience also.  The whole student journey needs balance between study, leisure and work so we painstakingly devised a new system to meet those 3 needs.

Students can choose to either study 20 hours per week in the morning, afternoon or evening stream depending on their lifestyle. 

Time Table

• 20 contact hours per week.

• Optional supervised self study before or after class.

To make sure every second counts while at IIA we also revised our class content to provide a more intensive, practical and enjoyable experience.  Increasing intensity while decreasing time was a challenge but we will actually improve on our current high quality due to the flexibility of the new system. 

Some changes for General English:

• 5 Different elective classes per week for Intermediate to Advanced classes in addition to Core studies
• More practical out of class teaching.
• Grammar workshops in addition to class times.
• Skill development classes for Elementary and Pre-Intermediate levels focusing on Survival English in addition to Core studies to help new students adapt to living in Australia
• Classroom excursions (monthly) E.g. Art gallery, library & Farmers markets balancing classroom theory with real life practice

IELTS Direct Examination Preparation Course (6weeks)
Platinum Program :

• The big change here is that weekly mock tests will be run every week after or before class to provide authentic examination practice.  IELTS students can do as many tests as they wish during their course so that a level of comfort and understanding can be reached before they do the real thing.
• Intake Dates 2011 : 10 JAN, 21 FEB, 04 APR, 16 MAY, 27 JUN, 08 AUG, 19 SEP, 31 OCT

Another benefit is that more students will allow for more activities and we are all brainstorming some great ideas for the future.

I have just briefly outlined some of the great changes occurring at IIA but rest assured we aim to make 2011 an even bigger year for IIA and its students. 

David Hlupic

Director of Studies



Who is the winner of Murder Game??

Did you have a fun Halloween weekend?

Just before Halloween, IIA students had a fun friday afternoon.

Delicious snacks and drinks!

Our halloween game: making a mummy in 5 minutes...
Ready, set, GO! 

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5 minutes later!!!

Who do you think is the best Mummy?

1. Sweety Mummy with candies - Ana Paula

2.One-eyed Mummy - Erin

3. Sexy Mummy - Pam

4. Terminator Mummy - Andres

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The winner is Terminator Mummy!!!

Do you remember our Murder game? (refering to " Halloween Week - Murder Game")

Friday was the last day of the game. Guess who was the person with the most knives?

See how many people they killed!!!

The winners were Andres and Ana Paula. They killed 18 students each. Good job!!

They got gift vouchers for a Brisbane city cruise. Congratulations!!

It was a fun and exciting Halloween week at IIA!
Everyone tried to survive the game at school and got to know each other.