School life
Social Programme :: TSE Student Card :: Tandem Partners
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8.30 am – 5.00 pm
In 2010 Bank Holiday are as follows: 1st January, 2nd April, 5th April, 3rd May, 31st May, 31st August. Students are invited on school trips and excursions which are FREE.
Emails and the Internet
Computers are available in the Totnes Room for email and Internet access from 12.30 pm –1.30 pm and from 3.15 pm - 4.15 pm.
Social Programme
Included in your course is a free social programme. This is because we believe that you learn English in a variety of different ways - in the classroom, in the host family and, just as importantly, in social situations like school parties and playing sports.
Socialising together with students of other nationalities and cultural backgrounds, as well as getting to know the teachers and staff from the school at our school parties give you the chance to broaden your horizons so that you will return to your home country having learnt more than just better English!
Steve takes you on weekly excursions to Dartmoor, the South Devon coast or local cities so that you can enjoy the beautiful countryside outside the Totnes area and explore the historic and modern cities of Exeter and Plymouth. There is a small cost of £12 per person for a full day's guided excursion!
We sometimes also arrange extra trips to the cinema, theatre and local shows. There is an extra cost for these trips.
Our free social programme (accompanied by one of our teachers or social leaders) includes:
- Introduction and tour of Totnes on first Monday of your course
- Weekly basketball, table tennis and badminton sessions
- Weekly DVD evenings and free internet access at school
- Weekly Thursday afternoon workshops in English culture, art, singing, drumming, sport, natural health and politics
- Weekly pub quizzes and live music nights in local pubs
- Monthly school parties
Extra social activities at extra cost:
- Weekly Sunday trips to either Dartmoor, South Devon coast or places of interest £12 per trip. Subject to minimum numbers.
- Weekly evening trips to cinema, village pubs, theatre, music evenings, usually £6 + entrance fees
Our Social Programme is available each week on your TSE Online e-learning page. Simply login by filling in your username and password.
TSE Online e-learning
Sample Social Programme
| Monday
| 15.15-16.45 Totnes Tour. |
| Tuesday | 15.30-17.00 Guided e-learning with a teacher (Free)
19.00-23.00 Powerplant - Hi octane percusiion led music with an electronic sound.
|
| Wednesday | 19.30-22.30 DVD evening and Internet access (Free). |
| Thursday | 15.15-16.45 Reflexology workshop (Free). 20.00-23.00 Folk Singing at the Union Inn (£6.00). Please sign up and pay in the office. |
| Friday | 16.00-17.00 Badminton at Kevicc (Free) |
| Sunday | 10.30-16.30 Day excursion to Avon Dam on Dartmoor and Buckfast Abbey (£12.00). |
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TSE Student Card
Every student at TSE will receive a TSE Student Card which gives valuable information including host familiy details in case of emergency. It also allows the student to get great discounts in a number of shops and attractions in Totnes. Among the shops and attractions are: Salago - Totnes's great department store, Finishing Touches for craft material, Totnes Book Shop, Totnes Photographic, Out of the Blue for presents to take home, Harberton Art workshop for art materials, Greenlife the organic supermarket, Foredeck for clothes, FAB for beauty treatments and products and clothes, Stoned for Jewellerey, Totnes Museum, the Guildhall, Totnes Castle and cafes like the Red Wizard and the Mansion Cafe.
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Tandem Partners
As you know, a tandem is a bicycle made for two riders, both pedalling together in a common direction (hopefully!)- the success of the ride depends on the riders' ability to work smoothly together in a coordinated way and if this is achieved, then the tandem bicycle can go at tremendous speed with little extra effort from each rider.
This is the principle behind our TANDEM language partnerships. TANDEM is a method of learning languages through exchange - a learning duet where two people work together to learn each other's language.
If you are attending any of our wide range of courses in Totnes we can try to arrange a Tandem Partnership for you. This means that we will arrange for you to meet your TANDEM partner on a regular basis (maybe once or twice a week) for informal conversation practice. The English person will be learning your language so you would spend half the time speaking English and half the time speaking your language.
This system increases fluency and authentic listening and gives both partners the opportunity for a cultural exchange.
- TANDEM partnerships last 2-10 weeks
- Wherever possible, people of similar ages and interests are paired
- The introductory session takes place in the school and partners decide where they will meet.
- We cannot always find TANDEM partners for all students, but we do our best!
This is a FREE service. If you want a Tandem Partner just ask Meike in the office. We cannot always find TANDEM partners for all students, but we will do our best!
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