In this weeks Upper-Intermediate classes we have been writing stories about our dreams and desires and what we would do if…..

Michela from Italy wrote this lovely piece which really made us all smile and so I thought I should share it with you all.. Thanks Michela, I hope your dreams come true!!!

If I were rich and famous for one week I would….

I would travel to as many places around the world as I could. I would visit New Zealand, Hollywood, Paris (with a boy on a romantic trip!) New York, Rio, where I would learn to Samba! I would go to Disneyland and above all I would go to California because I have been told that California is a very gorgeous and beautiful place to be.

I would also like to but a Villa on the beach in Byron Bay, one my village in Italy and one other in another country. Inside my villas there will be several enormous swimming pools, saunas, waiters, chefs, cleaners and a huge TV in the living room. We will have lots of parties with “free entry” for everybody and endless amounts of caviar, champagne and plenty of pizza!!!

I will also appear in all the magazines and newspapers and I will act in a new film which will be produced by me, with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt staring in it. The film will be titled
everybody is Crazy about Michele”

We will go out in a limousine which has inside of it a mini-bar and a handsome boy who will serve me with sweet cocktails with strawberries and cream. I will buy a convertible Ferrari and a lot of dresses, one of which will be a tailor made Valentino.

I would also like to try many extreme sports in the best places in the world to do this. I will offer many drinks to my friends and we’ll all go together to the best clubs in the world. Moreover, I will give a little bit of my money to charity! I would also like to buy many famous artworks to decorate my house. On the last day of my rich week I will have a mega-party with all of the friends I have in the world where Robbie Williams will sing live to us all.

At the end of this time I will wake up from this wonderful dream….. and I will cry cry cry!!!

Thanks for sharing!

Just a friendly game of volleyball at Clarkes Beach to end a very hot day at school.. I think that we all agree an even better way to end a volleyball match is to then have a dive in the ocean.

Casual – experienced kitchen hand and excellent customer service for sushi bar in Byron CBD. Phone Lubelia 0401852765

Part-Time – sales person for ladies retail fashion in Byron Bay, must have minimum of 3 years experience. Phone 6853973

Professional Cleaners Required – Good pay, flexible hours. Phone Cherry 0413190266

Festival Staff – Required for food stall at Blues Festival. Cook, prep and service staff, must be available for 5 days / nights from 1-5 April. Phone 0403257304

Casual Bottler – Ginger Nectar are looking for a mature person to join our friendly production team and operate our bottling machines 1-2 days per week. Phone Lois 66809433

Today we said goodbye to a very special student… Gustavo our Brazilian star left GV Byron Bay but not without a few tears and presents from his classmates and a card signed by all!!

Gustavo came to us in September last year with beginner level English, he looked so worried and very confused in his first few weeks here!! Gustavo worked very hard and always asked a lot of questions which kept his teachers on their toes. His laughter carried outside his classroom and into the front office daily. With his amazing work ethic and passion to learn, Gustavo is now at a place where he can understand and communicate effortlessly with everyone he is in contact with.

We will miss your magical smile, your high energy and your big heart. From all of us here at GV Byron Bay, we wish you all the best for the future.

Just a little reminder that the Blues Fest is coming.. and don’t forget if you are a “local” if you buy two tickets for the Thursday event, you get another FREE!!

If you need any help with tickets come and talk to Justin or Rebbecca in the office.

Today is Simon’s Birthday, which meant cake for the FCE class…

Happy Birthday Simon! We wish you a wonderful year….

CHEF – Required for busy Byron café, straight shifts, casual, view to full-time for right person. Phone 0411738547

FARM HAND – For organic orchard, experience with machinery required, possible accommodation available. Phone Steve 0418866525

EBAY SPECIALIST – Needed to sell popular shoes, high commission. Phone 0421195997 or sales@mtjewelry.com

GARDEN MAINTENANCE – General labour in exchange for accommodation in Myocum. Phone – 66847065 or 0423936745

We had a traditional Chinese Cooking day, which was great fun and most importantly DELICIOUS! Thanks very much guys for all your effort!

Before the upcoming IELTS Course start date on the 22nd of March, GV Byron Bay’s Director of Studies, Justin, has given us some helpful tips on the Listening component of the exam.

GV Byron Bay's Director of Studies, Justin

The IELTS Listening Test:

Key facts:

–          30 minutes to listen plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers onto the answer sheet.

–          Four sections

–          40 questions in total.

How to PREPARE for the test:

In the test you have to listen to a wide range of accents: Australian, New Zealand, British, American, Canadian etc. The best way to practise this is to listen to as many different sources of spoken English as you can. Easy ways to access a wider variety of accents is through watching things like the Australian Network, the BBC, CNN etc. Within the test, there will also be a variety of different situations in which people are speaking. For example, you might hear examples of radio shows, friends hanging out, lectures at University etc. A good way to prepare for this is to practise listening to different situations such as TV soap operas, lifestyle shows, radio shows, and other media which have less formal spoken English, as well as things like documentaries or the Discovery channel, which are usually more formal in their spoken form.

TOP TIPS TO FOLLOW DURING THE EXAM:

You have time to look through the questions at the very start of the exam. Make sure you get used to using your time in the most efficient way possible. PREDICT what kind of information you think you will hear, and also try and predict what kind of word or words you will need to use to answer the question.

Think about the form of the words, are they looking for adjectives, nouns, adverbs etc? Try and guess as much as possible BEFORE the listening starts.

Listen REALLY carefully to the introduction of each question. This will give you useful clues about the situation and the topic you are about to listen to.

At the end of the listening test, CHECK YOUR WORK carefully. You have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Make sure that you use this time wisely. Have a look at your answers. Do they fit grammatically? Is your spelling correct? Remember, spelling is important in the IELTS exam.

Have a look at this Listening task type as a quick example:

Listening task one:  table completion

You have to complete the table with words from the recording. You should write no more than three words or a number in each space.

Study the table carefully before doing the listening.

Strategy: Try and predict any possible answers. This will help you when listening to the key words in the test. Also have a close look at the parts of the table that are complete. These will help you predict the type of answer that is needed.

HINT: Always check the numbering to see whether it goes across or down the table.

There are several different listening task types. If you are interested in learning more about the exam and our courses come and see the Director of Studies in the office any time.

***Click here for the answers***

Music Teacher – required for new music school in Byron. Music & teaching qualifications required. Please call 66808432 or 0438620261

Housemaid – required for Byron motel, part-time / Casual,  must be available weekends, no experience necessary. Mature, honest, reliable, own transport. Phone 66808275

Dance Teacher – Ballet, Contemporary and / or Jazz. Phone 66847779

Today some of our students decided that instead of waiting for the circus to come to town, they would be the circus!! As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words….

We had a lot of fun for Australia day doing a wide range of activities from egg and spoon races to the traditional throwing of the thong!