Love is in the Air at LSI!!

Love is in the Air at Language Systems International!!! 

Since February is the Season of Love throughout the United States, it’s only natural for the Students and Staff at LSI to feel the spirit of Valentine’s Day.  LSI Students were given numerous opportunities to express their love and joy in plethora of ways all through the month.

LSI Torrance and NorthEast Los Angeles campuses expressed their love and friendship for one another by having their students exchange Anonymous Pen-Pal Letters throughout the month.  LSI students were able to get to know their counterparts at other schools by writing Secret Pen-Pal letters to each other!  The activity was so successful, that quite a number of students are continuing their pen-pal correspondence even to this day!  In fact, many of these LSI Pen-pals are looking forward to the upcoming 2014 Annual LSI Basketball Tournament as a chance to finally meet their secret pen-pals in person!

LSI Torrance also decided to deepen their pockets (along with their stomachs) by providing their students with a Valentine’s Candy / Toy-Gram Activity.  LSI – Torrance students had the option of buying chocolates or Valentine’s Teddy Bears for their significant others or friends at an extremely affordable price ($2)! 

On February 14th, ALL LSI campuses provided students with even more Valentine’s related activities!  LSI  - Downtown LA provided students with a rich and indulgent Chocolate Fondue Fountain during the early morning hours!  At LSI – NorthEast Los Angeles, students felt even more love by participating in a Dating Game Activity!  The ultimate winners, won an all-expense-paid trip to the most classic of dating spots… The Movie Theater!

Happy Valentine’s Day LSI!!!

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Discover L.A.: Catalina Island

If you are looking for a romantic place to go for a long weekend or Valentine’s Day, I would strongly suggest nearby Santa Catalina Island.  This island is roughly 26 miles from the coast of Los Angeles harbor.  It is one of a chain of islands called the Channel Islands.  It is the only one of the Channel Islands that caters to tourists.  You can reach the island’s only city, Avalon, quite easily by boat from Long Beach or San Pedro. 

Catalina Island became a popular tourist attraction in the 1920s and was frequently visited by movie starts and millionaires.  It was known as a popular place to go for a day or for a weekend with your sweetheart.  In the 1950s a band called The Four Preps made the island well-known nationwide with their hit song about the island.  The chorus of this song lets you know that Catalina is a place for lovers:

Twenty-six mile across the sea

Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me

Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance, romance, romance….

So take your sweetheart or a group of friends and head on down to the seaport of Long Beach or San Pedro and make the one hour trip to Catalina.  The island features beautiful beaches, great restaurants, scuba-diving, zip-lining, glass bottom boat rides or just strolling along the bay with your true love.  If you decide to go by yourself, you just might meet someone new to fall in love with!  After all, Catalina Island is the island of romance! 

Taken from our monthly e-Newsletter

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Afternoon Hike

LSI Torrance enjoyed a beautiful afternoon hike on February 8th.  Teachers Katie and Lorena were joined by students on an adventurous, rugged hike in gorgeous Rancho Palos Verdes.  The hike was through the Portuguese Bend Nature Reserve, which boasts breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This 4-mile hike was great exercise and a lot of fun!

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OC Ice Skating acitivity

On Friday January 13, a group of 25 international students from LSI went Ice Skating at the Anaheim Ice in Anaheim, CA.  This facility is where the professional hockey team the Anaheim Ducks practice.  The countries represented in this group were: Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Peru, Brazil, Switzerland, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and the USA.  For some of the students it was their very first time to go ice skating.  We had a great time!  The place was packed on a Friday night with lots of students from local high schools and colleges.  It was a great way for our Language System students to experience American culture while also trying to pretend like it was Winter in California.  Everybody fell at least once, but no one had to call 911 or visit the hospital afterwards.  It was a very successful activity and the whole group felt a lot closer after our skating time was up and we had to head home.

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Hiking

Katie is the TOEFL teacher at LSI South Bay.  About once a month, she leads students on hikes in the Palos Verdes area.  Katie leads a hiking group in the South Bay, so students have the opportunity to meet local people and practice with native speakers.  There are breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and on clear days, you can see all the way to Catalina Island.  The group has a chance to see local wildlife such as rabbits and even snakes, and enjoys watching the sunset from the top of Palos Verdes.  The hikes are great exercise and are always followed by a picnic.  

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Study Session

Every Thursday afternoon I do a Study Session at Starbucks.
Right after the morning classes we finish, we walk to the nearest Starbucks, inside Marriott Hotel. Students from all levels come with their textbooks and homework. As we all enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, they study for their test the next day or do their homework. I go around the circle helping them with all kinds of questions that they stumble upon while studying, including vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and everything in between :)
It's a great chance for students to meet other students from other levels in a relaxed environment and practice/study English outside of school.

Written by: Bhumika Chettiar

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Lunch Activity

One of the students had recommended this Japanese curry place nearby school. And many students in class seemed interested in going so I decided to make it into an activity. About 10 students showed up from various levels and we had fun talking and eating. The best part of the restaurant was that we could choose how spicy we want our curry to be - from level 1 to level 10
Most student chose between 1-3. I tried 5, I think I would like to try level 6 next time :)

Written by: Bhumika Chettiar

http://www.languagesystems.com/