Ice Skating Disco

A review from ISC student Cathy Zhang

"Last Friday a group of us went to an ice skating disco which was an amazing experience that we all enjoyed a lot. I was the only one who had never skated before so I started with a really nervous motion. Larisa helped Sherry and I to walk and slide on our skates, teaching us to keep our legs straight to help glide better on the ice. It was quite difficult for us to keep balance at first.

When we dared to leave the edge of the ice skating rink, Lisa helped us to move apart, held our hands and skated with us. I found it was getting easier for me to control where my legs went, and I began to attempt going faster. I even started to be able to control the direction that I wanted to go. Suddenly, all the main lights went off and they were replaced with disco lights that reflected off the ice. Disco music also began playing and soon enough my confidence increased and I started skating as if I was flying. I went around the rink a couple of times increasing my speed and confidence until suddenly I lost my balance and couldn’t control where I was going. I then experienced my first fall on the ice! However, I was not the only one; Li fell over 8 times but still enjoyed himself!

 I really enjoyed the experience and it is an activity I would like to do as I would love to improve on my new skills."

ISC Citizenship Trip - Royal Courts of Justice

"d’Overbroeck’s is an interesting college. The College staff always make sure we make the best of our studies in the UK and that our time is spent usefully. Most of the time we study for our exams in the classrooms on various sites, but the College also organises some educational learning experiences for outside the classroom. Yesterday was one of these experiences.

All the students from the International Study Centre went to London to the Royal Courts of Justice for a mock trial workshop and tour. The whole trip was related to our Citizenship Studies and all four English and Citizenship teachers came with us – Sandra, Nyree, Anna and Dave. The day before the trip, all the students read through the script and got to know the story and their notes. This meant that we were already aware of the case and the characters which made it easier to follow and understand.

The students who had roles within the mock trial took their parts seriously and you could see they were experiencing new feelings and emotions. The students got more confident as the trial progressed, interacting with the other characters and asking questions.

After the mock trial, we were then taken on a tour around the whole building. We were all very excited as this is not an event that happens every day. We got to view the some of the many courtrooms within the building and also see how different Judge’s clothing has changed from centuries ago, to the present date.

 I can honestly say that this was one of the best educational trips so far and in my opinion, d’Overbroeck’s College should continue to organise this activity for students in future years.

-Vivian Decheva. Aged 16 and from Bulgaria

ISC Citizenship Trip to the Royal Courts of Justice

"After getting off the coach we all stood back for a moment to admire the Royal Courts of Justice.  It had a gigantic door with an impressive number of steps leading up to it. We then entered the court, which was incredibly big on the inside. Lamps were hanging on a long chain coming from the high ceiling of the building. At first we had to pass through security and then we all followed the guide that showed us around the place until we arrived in the room in which our mock trial was to take place.

In the mock criminal the suspects (a teenager and a young adult) were played by Alberto and Sarah. The play was interesting and the staff provided costumes and wigs like those worn in a real court case. The room in which we performed was also interesting.

There were a vast number of seats and shelves of books ranging from 18^th century to now. After the mock trial had finished, we had a tour of the court when we had the opportunity to see some real trials taking place and saw judges discussing with each other outside the rooms. "

by Luca from Switzerland

Student Profile: Julia

Julia originally joined us for one year GCSE programme and is now studying A level Biology, Chemisty, Maths, Psychology and preparing for her IELTS exam in the Sixth Form.

“To study abroad has always been my dream and I always knew the UK was the best choice to accomplish it. My adventure started at the International Study Centre at d’Overbroeck’s. I must say, it was the best experience I ever had in my entire life. The pupils and teachers surrounding me were substitutes of my family back home. They helped me to achieve my goals in a friendly, home-like environment. I am eternally grateful to the members of the staff and friends who supported me.

Oxford, in my opinion, is one of the best places to study A-levels or GCSEs. It is a peaceful city where everything is neatly organised around you. As a result, you do not need to struggle to find anything. The family I live with is absolutely great. They are warm and nice people who always help me if I run into any problems, They prepare very tasty food and they try to maintain a balanced healthy diet for me and other students who also share the house.

d’Overbroeck’s is a place where you come to study and work hard to achieve the best you can. A place with a supportive and fun team of teachers. The best thing about being here is actually being here. As you can challenge yourself a lot. “

ISC Bowling Trip

Last week we held our annual Bowling Night for the International Study Centre students.

Twenty plus students along with three staff members made their way down the the Ozone Leisure Park in Oxford for an evening of fun and games.

The students were spread over four bowling lanes, from there they battled it out to find the ISC's top scorer.

This was a totally new experience for some students, who enjoyed finding the most suitable sized and weighted bowling balls and managing to throw the ball down the lane without it getting disqualified for crossing over the foul line or having a ball in the gutter.

For the more experienced bowlers, this was an opportunity to try out new skills and techniques whilst improving their speed and aiming for  'Strikes' and 'Spares'.

The clear winner of all 3 competitions was Iskandar Mammedzada from Azerbaijan who impressed us with super speeding bowling and tricks such as spinning and curving the ball.

After the bowling sessions had finished and the students had eaten, the battle continued in the arcade. From the basketball shootout, to the motorbikes, car rallying and the dance mat the students' had their fair share of fun.  Nothing but smiling faces and energetic discussions on the mini bus drive home - the true sign of a successful evening out!