News 2009 / 2010

The English College provides an aptitude test before the actual entrance examination, to help you make a final decision. The test will be held on 11th February between 9.00 and 11.30 a.m. and will consist of three short papers: English, Maths and IQ, and there is a new possibility to try the Czech paper as well.
This aptitude test is not an examination and is not obligatory, and no marks or grades will be published. It will, however, enable us to advise you on the suitability of your child for the College, in case you have any doubts about whether your child will succeed at the College. If you would like your child to sit the test, please let us know before 10 February at the latest.
After the test, you may contact Mrs Rozkošná on 15 - 19 February. She will be able to give you information and advice about the entrance examination on Thursday 22nd and Thursday 29th April 2010. The invitation and further details will be sent out well in advance.
We would like to remind you that you have to fill in the official application form (SEVT) at your child’s basic school and hand it to us by March15th 2010 at the latest.

The performance is on at Alfréd ve dvoře Theatre on 4th, 5th (attention, the performance on Friday 5th February is already sold out!) and 6th February 2010. Production starts at 7.30pm and will be performed in English. The ticket price is 200 Kč. For reservation and bookings please, contact the website www.bloodloverhetoric.com or the mobile 728 206 951. Please do not use the official Alfréd ve dvoře reservation system for this occasion but use the provided contacts! Students acting in this production are Jan Kolář, Zuzana Veselá, Petr Zelenka, Anna Ledvinka, Anna Vítková, David Šmejkal, Stanislav Beneš and Aneta Kölblová. Theater Alfréd ve dvoře is located in Prague 7 in Františka Křížka 36. More information about the theater group, Blood Love and Rhetoric and the play may be found at http://r-and-g-are-dead.bloodloverhetoric.com/ We look forward to seeing you there!

On 15th - 17th January 2010 the department of physical education of English College in Prague hosted a slalom race for students from Prague International and Befriended Schools. The PIBS Skiing and Snowboarding Race took place in Pec pod Sněžkou for the second time. Seventy one racers from eight schools took part. ECP students took the first places in three out of four disciplines. The trophies were presented by the headmaster of English College in Prague Mr. Mark Waldron, who is a keen skier himself and spent the weekend skiing with the students. The results can be seen here and pictures here.

To support the victims of the Haiti earthquake two students at the English College, Zuzana Laskowska and Chhavi Maggu, who participate in the Global Action Schools, organized a charity concert. The money collected during the concert, accompanied by a donation from the Student Council, meant the ECP could forward 20 000 crowns to the account of the humanitarian aid organization People in Need. The concert took place during a lunch break and the school band, led by Jan Čihák with Michaela Tomášková playing saxophone, Ivan Mikyska (bass guitar), David Řihák (drums), Martin Kašík (piano) and Odessa Primus (vocals) played a few songs. Next sang the school choir led by Tomáš Pálka. Students who sang in the choir were Martin Kašík, Anne-Marie Mašková, Eliška Sirůčková, Jaroslav Horák, Lenka Švorcová, Sophie Bessisso, Lucie Angerová, Václav Špáňa, Ashot Papazyan and Kateřina Ostřanská and they presented the song I am sailing. This was succeeded by solo singers Tereza Vágnerová, Patricie Fuxová and Lenka Švorcová. After them the trio Anne-Marie Mašková, Václav Špáňa (both singers) and Jaroslav Horák (piano) interpreted Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Thong Nguyen Min played a Romance for guitar by an unknown author. Patricia Fuxová rounded off the concert by singing her own song called Tomorrow. She was accompanied on piano by Tomáš Pálka.

The last open day at the English College in Prague before the entrance examinations will take place on February 9th. Guided by the students of English College the prospective students and their parents have the opportunity to see the school, sit in the lessons or just peek into the classrooms where lessons are going on. The College´s students will explain to you everything they can about what is going on at the school in the curriculum as well as extra curriculum activities. At the same time this is a great opportunity to meet teachers and the Admissions Registrar who coordinates the entrance procedures and would advise with detailed information about entrance exams. Should you wish to do so, you may register for the interview with the headmaster -which is the first but by no means binding step in the admissions process. At about half past three a twenty minute presentation of the school will take place - the headmaster will introduce the college and the deputy heads address the guests as well. Following this there will be an informal meeting with the teachers over a cup of coffee. This is a good occasion to have all your own questions answered. If the last open day doesn't suit you please call the College and agree an individual visit. We look forward to seeing you.

The headmaster of the English College in Prague its staff and students would like to cordially invite you to the graduation ball. The young prague band Toxique with their singer Klára Vytisková will be playing during the evening. The event takes place 29th January in Narodní dům on Vinohrady, náměstí Míru 9, Prague 2 starting at 7.00 pm. Tickets cost 300 CZK each and you may obtain them from the Bursar´s office during workdays between 8 am and 4 pm. Come and celebrate with this year´s graduates in a stylish way - the ball has a Venice Masquerade theme.

The school will be closed from Monday 21st December until Wednesday 6th January. The reception will be manned from 9.00am to 2.00pm on 6th, 7th and 8th January. The Spring Term starts on January 11th.

Students on the photo sing Czech and English carols during the Assembly on the last day of autumn term. Many students received acknowledgements during this event for their outstanding performance on an academic field as well as in extra-curriculum activities.

IB and IGCSE trial examination timetables.

IB Trial exam timetable 2009.pdf
IGCSE trial exams 2010.pdf

We are proud to announce that two students of ECP ranked first and second in the first year of the Vaclav Havel Library essay-writing competition. Former president Václav Havel yesterday awarded the top prize for the best student essay to Kryštof Vosátka from the English College in Prague for his entry with the title "Boredom on Earth". Kryštof appreciated the award as well as the opportunity to talk with Václav Havel about democracy in the Czech Republic. Veronika Tykačova, also a student of the English College in Prague, was in second place. Altogether 86 secondary students submitted their essays on the common topic: "Twenty Years of Freedom from Communism - Freedom for what?". Read the essay here .

Any student of the College who would like to take part in the Prague International and Befriended School Skiing/Snowboarding Championships is to see the PE teachers in their office and register with a deposit of 1.000,-CzK and a simple note from the parents stating that they would like their son/daughter take part in the event. The balance of another 1.150,-CzK will be collected at the departure from the College on Friday, January 15th 2010.
See the proposal here.
Vladimir Gavrinev, Physical Education department

Today students had the opportunity to listen to a lecture by Barbara Day. Barbara spoke about the phenomenon of underground university - seminars organized by Oxford academics and Czech university scholars and students under the communism. The seminars were organized in the former Czechoslovakia in private apartments and represented an opportunity for the Czechs to stay in touch with Western universities although the communist regime prevented those not in their favour from travel and cooperation with academics from the West. These seminars were therefore often frequented by people who were expelled from their university jobs because of disagreement with the establishment of that time. The lecture was followed by a workshop in which students worked in groups and tried to evolve the impact of the 1989 changes onto their lives. Students then presented their findings to the whole year group.

The students responded well to this opportunity and it was satisfying to see them engaging with a topic that has had such a an important effect: of course they realise that without the changes brought about after 1989 something as central to their lives as attending the ECP would probably never have been possible.

Barbara Day is a writer, translator and Senior Fellow at the Prague Society for International Cooperation. She is a former Director of Jan Hus Educational Foundation (UK) and a long-time member of the board of governors of the English College in Prague.

The Headmaster, Staff and Students have pleasure in inviting you to our Christmas Concert in the Týnská Škola - Barokní knihovní sál, Melantrichova 19, Praha 1, on Monday, 30 November 2009 starting from 7.30 p.m. Admission is free but there will be a retiring collection for WaterAid - international water charity.

Every year the English College Foundation arranges work experience and internships for year 6 students and six of them have just returned from London. Marie spent the week as an intern for Oliver Heald, the Conservative MP for North East Hertfordshire and a former Minister under John Major. Marie considers this experience to have been a unique opportunity and a very valuable experience for her future professional life. She is very keen to study International Relations and Politics at the United Kingdom. She found the team she worked with very friendly. Being able to listen to several parliamentary debates, and meeting Opposition leader David Cameron she describes as priceless and she would recommend the programme to anyone.

To read more about Marie´s experience please visit her blog on http://oliverheald.wordpress.com/

We are looking forward to meet you! The school will be open to all visitors from 13.00 to 16.00. You will have an opportunity to visit classes before 15.00. At 15.00 there will be a short presentation on what we offer.

All Year 1 students spent an active weekend together with their tutors from 18th till 20th September 2009. After 3 days of activities, sports and other events in the nice forest clearing near Beroun students got to know each other better and they learned how to cooperate and help their classmates. The weekend went very well thanks to enthusiasm they have shown and also thanks to fantastic, sunny weather. Some photographs from the weekend are available here.

Honza Čihák, Year 1 and 2 Co-ordinator

This year ´s ECP Tennis Tournament knows its winners. Although only three schools participated in the end - the English College in Prague, Prague British School and Riverside School those who attended the event saw twenty nice matches. The finalists in both categories were the same as last year. Filip Hendrych played Dennis Salnikov from PBS and Jana Staňková´s rival was again Petra Kroupová also from PBS. The victory this year went to Prague British School in Ladies as well as Gentlemen category. The trophies for the winners were awarded by Mark Waldron, Headmaster of the English College in Prague. The weather was ideal for a tennis match and we hope that next year we will welcome in Dobřichovice even more tennis players.

The English College in Prague - Anglické gymnázium, o.p.s. is organizing a tennis tournament of international schools and Prague colleges. The event takes place on Saturday September 12th 2009 on the premises of the Tennis Club Sokol Dobřichovice.
Details here.

 

Dear parents and dear students,

I am sure you are well aware of the swine flu infection that is very contaigeous and is having an impact around the globe. Several cases of the A/H1N1 virus have already been confirmed in the Czech Republic.
We want to do all we can to ensure that this desease doesn´t affect the English College. I would ask you not to send your child to school if it shows swine flu symptoms and also not to send them here if they were in contact with people who might have been infected in the previous seven days.

Please note that the incubation period for swine flu is seven days, so if in doubt the child should stay at home for a week to be absolutely sure. We strongly recommend in such cases to seek also appropriate medical check.

The child´s tutor will work with her/him individually to catch up on the curriculum. Please do not underestimate the possible consequences of the swine flu appearing amongst the students of the college.
Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

Mark A Waldron, MA
Headmaster