BERRIO-OTXOA NEWSLETTER

BERRIO-OTXOA SCHOOL Best information magazine of the school!

ANDREA MAYO ALEJANDRA GARCÍA IRUNE RODRÍGUEZ OLATZ ROMÁM LUCÍA DEZA OLAIA FERREIRO

KNOW ALL THE SE C RETS OF OUR S C HOOL

INDEX Calendar How has Covid-19 affected the school?

The school trip Berriolimpiadak Juan MarĂ­a The Graduation Tutoring talks Extracurricular activities School's social medias Global exams Erasmus + PES Students' evaluations about the school The vegetable garden Interview with a Mennesian Brother Interview to Deiene Zorriketa Horoscope Test: Are you a good student?

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Crossword Memes

How has COVID19 Affected school?

Information of the rules and changes in school due to the Coronavirus pandemic How does the coronavirus affect school? Due to COVID19 pandemic, our lives have changed drastically. From our everyday relationships to school. There are several rules we have to follow and things that have changed to keep ourselves coronavirus free. · The desks on the classrooms are positioned specifically to

maintain an adequate safety distance · Each grade has its own stairs assigned to keep the safety distance · Students can’t eat their meal in the courtyard, again because of the distance, they have to eat it in the last minutes of the previous class · Every person gets the temperature tested every day · The use of masks is compulsory · We aren't allowed to move desks without disinfecting them · Some activities are cancelled, such as the Erasmus project, the school trip… · The everyday schedule has changed · There are hydroalcoholic gels everywhere to keep a virusfree school.

THE SCHOOL TRIP Where do they go? How long is the trip? When is it?

Since they are young, they have always dreamed about the school trip. It’s a very exciting thing for them. It’s done in 1st grade of bachelor, in the Easter week and there are several destinations throughout Europe. The trip is basically one week where the students go to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and París, where they go to Disneyland Paris. They obviously go with their classmates. Obviously, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, everything has changed, and this couldn’t be less. Last year it had been cancelled, and it seems that we are going in the same path this 2021 year, because it's difficult to travel in this time, and it's not 100% safe yet.

BERRIOLIMPIADAK On December 21, 2020, the Berrio-Otxoa school organized an unusual event between first baccalaureate students. This event was called “Berriolimpiadak� and took place in the sports centre off the school. Each year the school Berrio-Otxoa chooses a theme and activities made related to the theme. The theme is the Olympic Games. In language, Euskera and Spanish we have made texts of opinion about that and related works, and Latin students are the organizers of this event.

OLYMPIC GAMES We simulate the Olympic Games with different tests but this year due to the coronavirus, the games have been somewhat different. The running test has been replaced by a wheelbarrow race, where half of the way was one person down and another holding, and the other half the other way around. Who gets there first wins. The second test that has changed is combat, this year it has been replaced by the game of removing the handkerchief, who will be last wins. The tests that have not changed areDisc throwing, the one who throws it further away wins and Jump, the one who jumps further away wins

The show started with Latin students dressed in Vestals. In ancient Greece, they were the people in charge of the Olympic fire and in charge of doing things correctly. After that, the traditional music started and activities started.

JUAN MARÍA FESTIVAL THE MOST INCREDIBLE FESTIVAL

But one of the best parts of the Juan Maria Festival is the T-shirt delivery. Every grade has got a colour and in the front part of the T-shirt, there is a drawing made by one of the students and in the back the grade’s names.

7th grade is blue; 8th grade, green; 9th grade, yellow; 10th grade, red; 11th grade, pink and 12th grade, orange. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, this year’s JM week has been different but the essence has still been there. We are hoping that next year everything will go back to normal.

In Berrio-otxoa we love our history. We love it so much that we are given a week a year in order to celebrate Juan Maria, the founder of The Hermanos Menesianos. It is a week full of different activities for all of the students in Berrio-otxoa School who are over 7Th grade. Of course, younger students have other sorts of activities but they are more infantile. Even the oldest have the opportunity to cook and have cooking competitions, we haven’t been able to have them though due to the coronavirus.

Normally, the big party is on Thursday 26. Every student, from grade 7 to 12 go to the school’s sports centre and do different activities. There are competitions such as sokatira, basketball, soccer… After games have been played, teachers deliver the prizes and the diplomas.

GRADUATION THE VERY LAST GOODBYE

One of the most beautiful and personal experiences that exist at Berrio-otxoa School is the graduation ceremony or prom. As you may know, after senior year students have finished their classes they get together and celebrate their years here. It is celebrated at the parish nearby and students give emotional speeches. Students are able to invite their family. It is a very special moment to recollect all the experiences that have happened at Berrio-otxoa School. In case you may not know when students finish the senior year and before summer holidays begin, in order for students to go to university have to take some exams called EBAU or selectividad. So, after they finish school and before they start studying for them, then is when the graduation ceremony happens.

But, with the Covid restrictions, the graduation ceremony, among other activities has been changed. Last year’s prom was online and of course, is not as special as other years’, but it was interesting in its own way.

TUTORING TALKS

At the Berriotxoa school, there are many talks. Professionals on a subject come from abroad and tell us about it. The talks are usually about drugs, sexology, the "Cruz Roja", about refugees, poor people etc ...The talks are usually repeated every year, it is not bad to know about these things, but they can make talks much more important for adolescents as well as; self-esteem, mental health ... things we need to know that no one teaches us. In general, the talks are very good, that the professionals of each subject come to the school to talk to us about it is a great point in favour for us and it is appreciated that they talk to us about topics such as sexology, which is a very important topic for teenagers. The talks usually last 1 hour, although many of them are spread over several days.

There is a lot of variety in the schedule and ages and it doesn’t matter if you are from the school or outside, you can sign up.

Maybe you haven’t the age for some of the activities but sure there is another one which you might be keen on. Some of the sports practised in the school aren’t just from school. The neighbourhood basketball and football teams(SANTUTXU) play at Berrio-otxoa. DENA BILBAO, which is a famous dance group from Bilbao, also gives classes in Berrio-otxoa.Nowadays, we are living a really worrying pandemic which has really affected our daily life. In the case of sports, it has been a handicap, especially group sports. However, the school has tried, when it has been possible, to practice taking account of all the covid restrictions.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Here in Berrio-otxoa, we have so many extracurricular activities depending on your age or your hobbies. We could say that there are 3 main types; sports and dance, formative and for adults. Some of the sports are football, basketball or track and some of the dances the school proposes are ballet or urban dance. However, everything isn't just sports, some of the formative offerings the school gives are idioms, like English, Chinese or euskera, or programming. And the last one would be the one for adults. While in many schools there are only activities for the children, here in Berrio-otxoa, we also have activities for the parents of the pupils or any other person who isn’t related to the school. Most of the activities for the adults are most related to being relaxed and mental health, there is also dancing and jiseido.

Interview to a school's basketball player Lucia Deza

I have been playing on the school's team for 4 years. It’s true that it has changed my life a lot, giving me another point of view. Thanks to it I have met a lot of people and have helped me to learn that everybody is not the same and can’t be treated the same way. This year, because of covid we have trained in some strange ways, we had to sanitize our hands, the sole of our trainers, the basketball and any other material we use. We have been training with our facial masks at first then without them and now with them again. We also started playing matches but we had to stop until now. We hope we can start again playing and training as usual because with the new restrictions everything has been cancelled by the Basque Basketball Federation.

SCHOOL'S SOCIAL MEDIAS The school has an account called @berriotxoa in many social media like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or Facebook, where they upload videos and photos. This account is mostly to show parents and anyone who wants to know how the centre works by videos and photos of the activities carried out from the youngest to the oldest students. Sometimes they also upload trips the children do, talks given to the students of ESO and Bachiller, or photos of the activities carried out by those who participate in the PES. Moreover, they also upload many videos and photos of the canteen staff and how they work, as well as teachers, who make videos on various topics. This is a really good way to show what is done at school.

GLOBAL EXAMS

ERASMUS + In 2019 a new project started in Berrio-otxoa school. This project’s objective is to put in contact the students at this school with other students from different schools and different countries of Europe, like Germany or France. At first, the intention was to make four meetings during two years: one in each country. But with this new pandemic, this has been something impossible to do, but fortunately, some of these students have had the chance to go to Germany and complete the first part of this huge project.

The 15th of November of 2019 ten students of fourth of ESO set out on a one-week trip to Germany, where they met with other students from Poland, Germany, and France. There, they worked on international groups learning about different topics, like the history of each country.

They also visited new places like Munster, which was a city near Paderborn, the village where students stayed during their stay in Germany.

One of the best advantages that this project has, is that most of the students stayed at German family’s homes, living together during all this week, and having the opportunity to learn the language, the traditions, or the typical food of the country. The easiest way to communicate with people was speaking in English with them, that after all, was the main purpose of this trip.

After talking with some of the students that have participated in all this stuff, we have drawn a conclusion: This project apported to students an incredible experience where they could meet new people and new cultures. Obviously, all of them would repeat this amazing week, and they will never forget all this.

PES Here in Berrio-otxoa, there is an amazing and interesting project called PES, which comes from Projecto de Educación Social, which means social education project. It is indeed a very special project dedicated to helping people and bringing them joy by your presence. It is an opportunity to get closer to people and it provides you with a very personal feeling which is impossible to describe. It is presented to teenagers who are in junior year of high school (1º de Bachillerato).

Once a week students go to a place they desire and help children, adults… There are many places to choose from such as hospitals, nursing homes, other classes… It is a way in which you can help people in need. After the school year students who decided to take it up will be given a diploma.

IRUNE'S OPINION As soon as I was told about the social education project I decided it was an incredible idea and I took it up right away. I am helping here in Berrio-Otxoa School, I go with 3º grade students. Every Tuesday I go to one class and help the teacher. I help during one period called Amalur which means Mother Earth. During that period, if it is a sunny day, we all go to the vegetable garden and plant seeds or water some plants. There is also a tiny farm in which there are chickens and rabbits. Children also feed them and collect eggs. It is amazing to see how children behave in nature. We also teach them to recycle and to take care of the environment. It is a one in a lifetime opportunity and it shows you how important it is to help others that yourself. I would recommend taking it up as you can’t say no to new experiences.

OLATZ'S OPINION I had always wanted to participate in this project, and it was one of the things that I was most excited about this course. I help in “Fundación síndrome de “Down y otras discapacidades intelectuales del País Vasco”, which is a foundation created to improve the life quality of people with intellectual disabilities by offering support programs that promote their full inclusion and social participation as citizens. I go on Mondays from 16:00 to 17:30 with a group of four people around my age with different kinds of disabilities.

I help them with any difficulties they may have, whether it is writing or explaining something they don’t understand. I really enjoy spending time with them and listening to how their weekend has gone.

They have taught me the different realities that exist and they have made Monday my favourite day of the week.

STUDENTS' EVALUATIONS ABOUT THE SCHOOL

After doing a research of the opinions that some students have about the school, we have concluded that most of them have the same point of view: The temperature of the classrooms is very low, so students are very cold during the winter. They also think that some of the teachers are not good enough to teach their subject, but, as in all places, there are some of them that give excellent explanations and that are able to have a good relationship with their pupils, trying to help them as much as they can. Furthermore, Berrio-otxoa school has many good things, like Juan Maria or the study trip, which are the favorite activities for students.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Berrio-otxoa School has been said to be one of the greenest schools in Bilbao. Indeed, it has even got a program called Agenda 21 in order to promote recycling, reusing, and reducing. So that these values can be taught to children, who are today’s future, a vegetable garden and a tiny farm has been placed inside the walls of the school. The vegetable garden has got flowerpots and children plant different kinds of vegetables.

This activity is inside one of the schools subject (Amalur), which has got some theory classes (in which the environment and its importance is explained) and practical classes (in which they put into practise everything they have learnt).

This sort of subjects is very important for the development of children because they will have taken in these values.

We have decided to do an interview with a Mennesian brother, as they are a big part of this school. In particular, this interview is with Jose Ángel, who teaches Biology and Geology, Maths and CTMA in ESO and Bachiller.

INTERVIEW WITH A MENNESIAN BROTHER What does being a Mennesian Brother mean for you?

“For me, it is being available to other people.”

How long have you been a Mennesian Brother?

“Since I went to Nanclares when I was 15 more or less. I didn’t plan to be a Menessian brother, I was going to go to Gijón to study, but brother Lorenzo made it very attractive. Years passed and when I finished my studies at COU I did my novitiate.”

How is your life living in school?

“Teaching classes. We also have our internal regulations, our schedule, in which we pray every morning from seven in the morning until a quarter to eight, and if I have class at eight o'clock, I leave a little bit earlier to have breakfast and be able to arrive to give a class on time. Then in the evening at 8:15 p.m. we have mass.”

What does being a Mennesian brother bring to you?

“As I said, being more available to people, because otherwise if you have a family you are less available.”

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

“I have always liked sports and I have been a handball coach on some occasions, in fact, Sandra, who is now a player in the Spanish national team, was coached by me in his day. I am a die-hard Atlético de Madrid supporter. I also like to go to the mountains and from time to time we go on outings, in fact on Saturdays we usually go on community outings. I also have family nearby, in Miravalles and Llodio and I like to be with them.”

INTERVIEW WITH DEIENE ZORRIKETA How did you become a teacher?

“My first option wasn’t being a teacher, then i realised as I was trying to make money, in college, i realised that making someone learl and seeing that person’s face when they understand what you’re teaching, it’s actually very rewarding, it really helps me out realising that what I do matters."

Have you always wanted to be a teacher?

“I actually wanted to be a doctor, until I was in my year before college, my idea was to be a surgeon, and then I got to selectividad, I got the grades I needed, I cried and then I realised that I wanted to be a teacher.”

If you wouldn’t be a teacher what would you be nowadays?

“Right now, if I wasn’t a teacher I would be a doctor, a surgeon.

Probably an oral surgeon.”

Do you like your students?

“Some more than others, I love my students but what happens is that whenever you finish a year your students are your previous years students and you love them and you don’t like the ones that you have, the new ones. And then, as time goes by, they grow on you and you end up loving them as much as you loved the previous ones" What are your hobbies?

"I love snowboarding. It's my passion, I actually bought a new board but I can’t use it because we cannot leave here. I love boxing and crossfit, and I love cooking. I’m a pretty good cook, Maitane always steals my food" Do you think Euskera is teached in a good way? " I think that I try to teach it in a different way. Everything can be

taught better but I think languages should be taught differently.

I think that grammar should be given importance whenever you

EN ESTE NÚMERO:

are little so we can give more influence and more importance to the use of it, the language of it, the pronunciation, the writing,...

I D E A Sthe PAR A P U E R T Abecause S A B I E R Twe A S have - 3 instead of so much grammar to teach you NUEVOS ANUNCIOS - 3

the bases in order to be able to do the next step, and if we don’t have that we cannot do the next so we are a little in between.”

FEBRUARY HOROSCOPE AQUARIUS It will be a good month to go on a journey, but only in the company of your important person. You need a rest and you know it.

PISCIS This won't be your month. You will receive bad news from someone you love but you can’t stop with your characteristic optimism which will motivate you to work and personal development.

ARIES Be careful, your bad temper will play a trick on you. You must relax and have a drink.

TAURUS February is your month. You will be in the center of interest. Be careful of what you do or you might make a mistake and hurt someone.

GEMINI It will start really bad, you will make many mistakes and maybe think that it can’t go better, but it can. From the second half of the month you will achieve many great things.

CANCER Try to focus on yourself, take care and relax. Try to connect with your most hidden feelings to understand what is happening now.

LEO You have been a bit distant with everyone during the last month, but in this month you will find great people who will make your life more fun.

VIRGO Your personal situation will get a bit complicated and confusing, but don’t worry, it will get better. Remember to drink a lot of water.

LIBRA In February you will have lots of things on your mind. As a result, you can be distracted and tired. Try to avoid using elevators.

ESCORPIO It is your lucky month. You will find a person who complements you and your work will finally be recognized.

Buy the lottery, you may win it.

SAGITARIO You might have lots of difficulties this month, don’t think too much about it and take it easy. You are a great person. Cheer up!

CAPRICORN It will be a very hard time for you, and unfortunately quite monotonous. Watch your back from your closest people.

DATES

TEST: ARE YOU A GOOD STUDENT? Here are some questions to see which one of you is the best student. Let's see! Remember to count your points right after finishing each question.

1.How often do you study? the day before the exam (1 point) two or three days before the exam (2 points) every day (3 points) 2.What do you do in class? take notes and pay attention (3p) nothing (1p) sometimes I listen to the teacher (2p) 3.Do you do homework?

Yes, regularly (3p) No, almost never (1p) Sometimes, when I want to (2p) 4.What is your relationship with your classmates?

Bad, I don’ care (1p) Good, I try to help them in whatever I can (3p) I don’t do anything (2p) 5. Do you think you work as hard as you should?

Yes, I do m best (3p) No, I don't care (1p) I could do more (2p)

BASED ON YOU RESULTS If you have from 5-8 you should make more effort If you have from 9-11 you are not bad, but you can do more!

If you have from 11-15 you are doing great!

Which is the best subject ?

We have done some polls to the students about the school, to see their opinions about it.

Some of the subjects rankings may vary because there is a different amount of people in different kinds of "bachiller", with different subjects.

1.Physics and Chemistry 2.TIC 3.Economy and P.E. 4.English 5.Latin 6.Anatomy and history 7.Technical drawing 8.Maths 9.Basque 10.Spanish 11.Religion 12.Phylosophy

WORD SEARCH: GUESS THE TEACHER!

WORD SEARCH: GUESS THE TEACHER! : ANSWERS

MEMES

31 OF JANUARY, 2021

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