PTA Meeting

Tuesday - January 10, 2017
12:30 - 1:30pm
Room 1218

Come along and join our PTA Meeting! 

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3 Anti-Aging Skin Care Tips

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

While you can’t turn back the hands of time, there are some anti-aging skin care tips that can help you keep your skin smoother and younger looking. Below are 3 anti-aging skin care tips: Find the Right Cleanser for Your Skin Type Cleansing is a mundane task, but it is the backbone of a great […]

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Far Too Many to Thank

13 days.

I will miss my 17th anniversary with Chicago Title Agency of Maricopa County by 13 days, because on January 1st, Cindy and I begin a new adventure in Tampa/St Petersburg Florida.

I will be working with the Fidelity National Title – Tampa District operation. My role will be similar to the one I developed nearly six years ago here in Arizona. Education, training and consulting with real estate professionals will be my primary focus as I work with the FNT sales operation. I am happy to remain in the Fidelity National Financial family, but it is tough leaving the Chicago Title group in Phoenix. I have worked with amazing people since January 2000, both at Chicago Title and in the real estate industry. I am going to attempt the impossible by thanking as many as I can in this post.

Let me start with the PhoenixRealEstateGuy team. Nick Bastian, Shar Rundio, and Dean Ouellette thank you for allowing me to use your wonderful forum to share my message.

So, in the best chronological order I can muster, heartfelt thanks to:

Dwayne Prince and Bob Fortney for taking a chance on me. I had no experience in the industry when they hired me as a Sales Executive;

Jim Sexton for welcoming me into his John Hall & Associates office when all I could offer was donuts;

Bob Fortney and Laurie Milne for doing the unimaginable by making me a Branch Manager in 2001 after one year in sales;

Ari, Barb, Staci and Monica, the Metro Center escrow team that helped me learn the business and gave me a chance to earn their trust and respect;

Judy Powell and Alan Costley for their mentorship and continuing to take my calls;

Richard Klein for walking me through title issues and always finding a way to close the deal;

Steve Stevens, the best facilities manager ever for always caring about our branch and making us feel like we were his only responsibility;

Cindy Bennett for teaming up with me when we opened the Gilbert Branch in 2002;

Theresa Alberico for deciding to return to Chicago Title after a lunch with Cindy and me at Serrano’s in Gilbert;

Cathy Desso for joining her best friend Theresa in our new Gilbert location and never failing to make me laugh;

The many Owners and/or Brokers that trusted us with their team and their clients like Tom and Diane, Sandra and Bob, Dale and Matt, Jason and Kala, Del, Kathy, Kerry, Carmen, Tom, Bart and Jay to name a few;

Lisa Capes for bringing sales professionalism to the branch;

Lisa Christenson for filling the void left by Cindy’s retirement and her undying love for the Cubs;

Anna Everts for your intense desire to grow the branch and for insisting I sign up for Facebook, even though I balked and then insisting I teach Facebook to your agents;

Nick Bastian and Calie Waterhouse for not heckling me or ripping me online at the Chandler Chamber of Commerce social media presentation;

Jay Thompson for replying to a tweet in 2009, which led to many more things, including the creation of the Real Estate Tech Tank (RETT) in the vacant office next to the Gilbert Branch;

Shane Hollenback for saying hello at WordCamp and the incredible NASCAR experience;

Nick Bastian, Dean Ouellette, Shar Rundio, Jay Thompson, Kristin LaVanway, Shane Hollenback, Phil Sexton, D. Patrick Lewis, Dru Bloomfield, Irene Hammond, John Wake and others I know I am forgetting for the warm conversations and knowledge sharing that defined RETT;

The entire REBarcamp PHX crew for all of the hard work to bring this fresh and unique event to Phoenix agents. Hope to be back for the next one;

Justin McHood for making think so far outside the box it hurt;

Patti Counce for spearheading the idea that led to the creation of the role I now hold. Her ability to build support within the Admin team was crucial and so is her friendship;

Laura Amada for seeing the value of creating the position and being the first operation in the company to do so;

Susan Rains for keeping the numbers straight and always making feel warm and welcome;

David Miller for sending me to that CCIM social media class in Chicago with Todd Clarke and for seeing the value and relationship building opportunities of social;

Eric Wolfe and Dave Tornell for introducing me to progressive commercial brokers;

Everyone that sent prayers, thoughts and love during my cancer journey;

Our IT Guys, Nick Miller, Austin Premiere and previously Rick Geiger for putting up with an Apple loving, Google using dude in an Exchange environment;

The WCR crew that valued our relationship, including Tricia, Lyn, Kathleen, Kathy, Carli, Michelle and Stacey;

Lisa Tyler and Diana Hoffman for the one event tryout in Las Vegas that turned into a two your tour with the National Escrow Admin team;

Jill Bright, Becky Erickson, Brian Peitz, Shawna Hovis-Mayer, Jenn Zandell, Aerin Jacobs and all the past Sales Executives for calling me their “tool,” a term of endearment, I think;

Dana Crone, Alan Costley, Lalena Piro, Cathy Moreno, Dawn Woods, Jeanne Murphy, Stephanie Fife, Melissa Cocanower, Dewayne Huffman, Judy Powell, Jennifer Langford, Alan Costley, Terri Blackmun, Michelle Owens, Alyssa Perry and all of the past Branch Managers doing the difficult job of escrow. Without your support, I could not succeed;

Holly Mabery, Evan Fuchs, Paula Monthofer, Gary Nelson, Beth n James Adams, Mary Roberts, Lori Doerfler and the rest of the crew outside Phoenix I now call friends for warmly welcoming me into the circle of volunteers that rock Arizona and the suite at State Convention.

Matt Consalvo for allowing me to work in close collaboration with ARMLS;

Barb Freestone for her support and the opportunities to work with the Arizona Association of REALTORS, especially when she assigned a topic I had never presented before;

Gene Urban for the deep conversations and for magically sneaking me into his office for presentations;

Janet and Tonya at SEVRAR, Rebecca at SAAR, Diane at PAR and Roger at WeMAR for all of your support;

All of the local guests on The Real Estate Sessions podcast. Jay and Holly kicked off the show 17 months ago that now approaches 80 episodes;

And a huge thank you to my wife Cindy and our son Kevin, for understanding when hours were long and stress was high. Their support was critical.

So thank you all for helping and guiding and mentoring and laughing and agonizing with me through the last, nearly 17 years. I look forward to continuing these relationships online (what a concept! Building and maintaining relationships online!) in the years to come.

Lastly, we have room for guests in our new home. We can’t wait to show our Arizona friends around our new hometown of St Petersburg. Whether you prefer gators or manatees, we look forward to your visit!

Originally posted on Phoenix Real Estate Guy. If you are reading this anywhere but inside your RSS feed reader or your email client, the site you are on is guilty of stealing content.

(c) Copyright Jay Thompson. All Rights Reserved.

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Beelinguapp: aprender idiomas leyendo y escuchando – App Review

En KSE Academy no nos cansamos de recomendar herramientas con las que podéis aprender inglés de manera más efectiva. Ya hemos recomendado herramientas para escribir, webs esenciales y algunas apps interesantes. Y hoy os traemos otra aplicación móvil que pensamos que es muy interesante. Se trata de Beelinguapp: aprender idiomas.

¿Qué es Beelinguapp?

Beelinguapp es una app para aprender idiomas basada en la lectura (reading) y audición (listening) simultánea, con el apoyo de la traducción como herramienta de aprendizaje. Más que traducción como tal, esta aplicación móvil tiene la opción de mostrar un mismo texto en 2 idiomas diferentes, por lo que puedes apoyarte en tu lengua materna para comprender mejor lo que estás leyendo/escuchando en el idioma extranjero que estás aprendiendo. Se trata de una especie de audiolibro optimizado para aprender idiomas, ya que te proporciona el texto por escrito y su traducción.

¿Cómo funciona Beelinguapp?

Utilizar Beelinguapp es extremadamente fácil. Para empezar, al abrir la app, nos dará la bienvenida explicándonos qué es Beelinguapp y nos hará un pequeño tutorial de cómo funciona. Pero ya te digo, es muy intuitiva, por lo que no necesitarás tiempo para aprender a utilizarla. Echa un vistazo a las pantallas que encontrarás:

Una vez hemos pasado la bienvenida inicial, veremos una lista de “historias” a las que podremos acceder. Como ves, esta app ofrece un modelo freemium, es decir, parte gratis y parte premium (de pago). Sin embargo, ofrece muchísimas opciones gratuitas y las que no lo son, cuestan únicamente 0,50€, por lo que realmente merece la pena pagar teniendo en cuenta lo que ofrece.

Como puedes ver, en la parte superior puedes filtrar las historias por distintas categorías:

• Filtrado por idiomas: italiano, árabe, inglés, turco, hindi, ruso, francés, portugués, chino, alemán y español.
• Filtrado por nivel: principiante, intermedio y avanzado.
• Filtrado por categorías: ciencia y tecnología, cuentos y novelas, historias populares, historias para niños y viajes.

Descargando una historia

Para comenzar a aprender con Beelinguapp lo primero que debemos hacer es elegir una historia que nos interese. Para ello, utilizamos las opciones de filtrado y elegimos la que más nos llame la atención. Al pinchar sobre ella y darle a descargar, veremos las siguiente pantalla, donde podremos elegir los idiomas que nos interesan:

Una vez descargada la historia, ésta se añade automáticamente a la sección “Mis historias”, que podemos encontrar en el menú inferior a la izquierda. Desde ahí podremos acceder en cualquier momento a todas las historias que nos hemos descargado.

Leer y escuchar una historia

Empezar a aprender un idioma con una historia de Beelinguapp es muy fácil. Tras elegir y descargar la historia, nos vamos a la sección “Mis historias” y pinchamos sobre la que queramos trabajar. En mi caso, para este ejemplo, yo he elegido “Dormir y soñar”. Al elegir dicha historia, ésta nos aparece con el texto y el audio en el idioma que estamos aprendiendo, en este ejemplo estamos aprendiendo inglés.

A continuación tenemos diferentes opciones que podremos elegir con el menú superior:

• Podemos regular el volumen, el idioma del audio, el tamaño del texto y si queremos ver el texto resaltado conforme lo escuchamos.
• Podemos elegir tener el texto simplemente en inglés o en inglés y en español. Recuerda que estos son los idiomas que yo he elegido para hacer la review. Estos idiomas pueden ser diferentes según tus preferencias.
• Puedes ver quién trajudo la historia o reportar un error.

Aprender idiomas con Beelinguapp

Como ves, esta aplicación es muy fácil de usar y prácticamente gratuita, y además tiene muchísimos beneficios para aprender idiomas. Entre ellos, yo destacaría los siguientes:

• Al escuchar un texto leído por un nativo, estamos mejorando nuestra comprensión auditiva (listening).
• Mejoramos el reading, obviamente, al tratarse de una app basada en textos leídos.
• Disfrutamos mientras practicamos, ya que podemos elegir temáticas que realmente nos interesan.
• Nuestro vocabulario se verá muy beneficiado por el simple hecho de estar leyendo de manera activa y poder comprobar la traducción de cualquier expresión de manera instantánea con la pantalla dividida.
• Podemos aprender donde y cuando queramos, ya que se trata de una app móvil.

Disponibilidad

Actualmente, Beelinguapp está disponible únicamente para dispositivos Android (smartphones y tablets), pero están trabajando duro para sacar la versión para iOS. De hecho, han iniciado una campaña en Kickstarter con la que puedes colaborar para formar parte de este gran proyecto.

Si tienes un teléfono o tablet Android, descárgate la app aquí o visita su web para más información.

Conclusiones

A mí, personalmente este tipo de aplicación para aprender un idioma me encanta, especialmente porque se trata de un tipo de app poco común, con un gran potencial y extremadamente asequible. ¿Y a ti qué te parece? ¿La conocías? ¿La has probado ya? Cuéntamelo en los comentarios.

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La entrada Beelinguapp: aprender idiomas leyendo y escuchando – App Review aparece primero en KSE Academy | Academia de inglés.

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Season's Greeting

The International School of Beijing extends to all our friends and families warm wishes for a happy and safe festive season.

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Florida Hits Jackpot – Snags Bill Risser

Tis The Season: Business Tax Planning Guide to Prepare for Your 2017 Federal Income Tax

With the 2017 tax season around the corner, it is the time of year where we at Accounting Solutions Ltd. witness a familiar yuletide pattern among entrepreneurs in Chicago. Is is important at this time of year to try to … Continue reading →

The post Tis The Season: Business Tax Planning Guide to Prepare for Your 2017 Federal Income Tax appeared first on Chicago Accountant.

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4 Winter Skin Care Tips

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

The harsh cold weather outside along with the toasty temperatures inside brought about by your ever-reliable heating system, all contribute to the dryness of your skin during the wintertime. Help your skin by following the tips below: Moisturize More You may have found a moisturizer that works just fine in spring and summer. But as […]

The post 4 Winter Skin Care Tips appeared first on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

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Tips for talking to children with language difficulties about their school day

Our latest column for Special Needs Jungle was published yesterday, and it’s a topic I think will interest a lot of people.  Do your children tell you about what has happened at school?  Most don’t really.  It can be even more challenging to get any information if your child has language difficulties.  There are some ideas about how to talk to your child about their school day in this post.  Click on the picture to read the post.

This will be our last post before Christmas, as we’re both taking a break to spend time with our families.  Do keep checking out our Facebook and Twitter accounts though, where we have some great content due to go out over the Christmas holidays, as always.

Have a fantastic Christmas and New Year and we will see you in January!

The post Tips for talking to children with language difficulties about their school day appeared first on Speechbloguk.

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Share How Your Child Has “Unstoppable Joy” And You Could Win A Finish Line Gift Card!

Thanks for checking out today's post. After reading I'd love to hear your thoughts on the comments by clicking here ---> Share How Your Child Has “Unstoppable Joy” And You Could Win A Finish Line Gift Card!

Accomplishing my goals and gaining independence gives me unstoppable joy!

It’s hard to believe our son turned six months old today! I can still remember the night Noah was born and we found out that he was born with three copies of his 21st Chromosome (aka – Down syndrome.) I can’t explain the amount of joy that it gives me to be Noah’s dad. This “little” boy has worked so hard to achieve so many milestones already, and he continues to work so hard every day.

Our last blog post on this site was a letter I wrote to Noah the night before his first day of Kindergarten. When I get some time I’ll update you all on school has been going for him. It’s had it’s fair share of challenges, but all and all it’s been great for Noah. One thing that really gives Noah a since of joy is being able to exercise independence. For instance in the video below you’ll see Noah running into his school building by himself – it’s fun watching him do that in the mornings that I take him to school.

How Does Your Child Have Unstoppable Joy?

We’re running a photo caption contest from now until December 25th at 11:59 pm (central time) and the winners will will one of three The Finish Line gift cards. To enter the contest, simply share a photo of your child in the comments below with a caption telling what gives them unstoppable joy! I’ve partnered with The Finish Line Youth Foundation and The Special Olympics on this post to run give away 3 Finish Line gift cards ($200, $100, and $50.) On December 26th, 2016 I will pick 3 winners (1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place) to give away the 3 Finish Line gifts card to! The winners will be mentioned on this blog post!

Good Luck

You just finished reading Share How Your Child Has “Unstoppable Joy” And You Could Win A Finish Line Gift Card! on Noah's Dad! I'd love to hear what you think, please take a second to click on the link above and leave a comment. Thanks for being awesome! :)

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Share How Your Child Has “Unstoppable Joy” And You Could Win A Finish Line Gift Card!

Thanks for checking out today's post. After reading I'd love to hear your thoughts on the comments by clicking here ---> Share How Your Child Has “Unstoppable Joy” And You Could Win A Finish Line Gift Card!

Accomplishing my goals and gaining independence gives me unstoppable joy!

It’s hard to believe our son turned six months old today! I can still remember the night Noah was born and we found out that he was born with three copies of his 21st Chromosome (aka – Down syndrome.) I can’t explain the amount of joy that it gives me to be Noah’s dad. This “little” boy has worked so hard to achieve so many milestones already, and he continues to work so hard every day.

Our last blog post on this site was a letter I wrote to Noah the night before his first day of Kindergarten. When I get some time I’ll update you all on school has been going for him. It’s had it’s fair share of challenges, but all and all it’s been great for Noah. One thing that really gives Noah a since of joy is being able to exercise independence. For instance in the video below you’ll see Noah running into his school building by himself – it’s fun watching him do that in the mornings that I take him to school.

How Does Your Child Have Unstoppable Joy?

We’re running a photo caption contest from now until December 25th at 11:59 pm (central time) and the winners will will one of three The Finish Line gift cards. To enter the contest, simply share a photo of your child in the comments below with a caption telling what gives them unstoppable joy! I’ve partnered with The Finish Line Youth Foundation and The Special Olympics on this post to run give away 3 Finish Line gift cards ($200, $100, and $50.) On December 26th, 2016 I will pick 3 winners (1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place) to give away the 3 Finish Line gifts card to! The winners will be mentioned on this blog post!

Good Luck

You just finished reading Share How Your Child Has “Unstoppable Joy” And You Could Win A Finish Line Gift Card! on Noah's Dad! I'd love to hear what you think, please take a second to click on the link above and leave a comment. Thanks for being awesome! :)

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Are Foreclosures Necessarily Good Value in Vancouver?

by Jon Lumer

Everyone in Vancouver is looking for a deal. Rental rates are jumping to catch up with the sharp increase in property values and many tenants (as always) are looking at home ownership as a way to avoid paying rent to their landlord and start paying it to themselves, or at least their lender. Meanwhile, investors made dizzy by the capital appreciation they’ve witnessed in Vancouver over the last three years are desperate for a piece of the action or hope to expand their current holdings.

Many of these potential buyers, be they first-time home owners or investors, believe that picking up a foreclosed property could be their ticket to good value and an otherwise unachievable square footage in the neighbourhood of their choosing.

Is this a reasonable strategy? What are the potential pitfalls? What exactly is a foreclosure anyway?

A foreclosure usually occurs when an owner defaults on the mortgage payments to their lender and the lender decides their best option is to seize the asset that was mortgaged (the house or strata unit), sell it under the authority and supervision of the courts, and pay themselves out from the proceeds of that sale. The owner of the property is still entitled to whatever is left once all claims against the property have been settled.

Does this make foreclosed properties vulnerable to low bids? Not necessarily. In fact, the system is set up precisely in order to ensure that fair market value is paid for the property and the owner is not getting less for the home than what they should reasonably expect.

Once the court has authorized the lender that has foreclosed on the property to place it on market, a REALTOR©, acting for that lender and not the owner, will market the property while keeping good records of her efforts, market conditions and comparative market analyses, as well as any showings that result from the marketing.

If a bid is received that the lender accepts, a court date will be set. The lender will not accept a bid far below market value for the property, as they know the court is unlikely to allow such a sale to proceed, and the court has final say on the matter. This first bidder may negotiate with the lender and may submit a “subject offer,” but the terms of the contract are destined to be largely unfavourable to the buyer.

Why is that?

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Foreclosed properties are sold “as is, where is.” That means the buyer has no recourse if they are unsatisfied with the state of the property on possession. There will be no guarantees regarding any chattels, or even fixtures, the buyer may have seen while viewing the property. The danger of receiving the property in a sorry state is particularly acute if it is not vacant. This is quite different from the scenario most buyers will face when negotiating (through their agent) directly with the owner of a property.

The first accepted offer price will become public knowledge. Any interested buyers may now inform themselves of the value of that initial offer and present themselves at the court date to present their own offer. They must bring a bank draft for deposit if they are hoping to have their offer accepted. If their offer is selected and they do not have a bank draft, the offer will be rejected and another chosen. The court selects the best offer after having received all the sealed bids. There are no second opportunities once a winning offer is selected. The offers must all be subject-free. The person who made the initial offer which triggered the court date is also entitled to better their own offer at the same time other offers are being submitted. The values of all non-winning offers will remain undisclosed.

As with any multiple offer situation, the presence of many buyers encourages all buyers to increase their bids. This increases the likelihood that someone will pay at least market value for the property and quite possibly above-market value. The fact that everyone is physically present in a jam-packed courtroom should likely reinforce this tendency to increase one’s bid in the presence of competing offers.

What if there is only one offer?

In the case that there is only one offer, necessarily the initial accepted offer, a buyer may feel he is entitled to acquire the property even if his bid seemed quite low and he was surprised the lender accepted it. Not so fast. The court will still need to authorize the sale. In order to determine whether the sale is permissible, a few questions will be considered. How long had the property been marketed? The longer the marketing period, the less likely it is that higher bids will be forthcoming if the court does not authorize the existing contract. How many times was the property shown? If dozens of people have seen the property and only one has made an offer, it increases the likelihood that this is the best offer the owner could expect. How far off is the sale price from the assessed value? If the sale price is well below assessed value, this will appear suspicious, and further justifications may be necessary before the court consents.

This demonstrates that foreclosures are not necessarily quick or easy routes to acquiring property affordably in Vancouver. Some aspects of the process actually make it less likely that a buyer will find a true bargain in foreclosures.

Naturally, there is a great deal more to be said about foreclosures and I invite you to contact me if you have questions about these types of transactions or any other real estate related inquiry.

The post Are Foreclosures Necessarily Good Value in Vancouver? appeared first on Mike Stewart Real Estate Specialist 604-763-3136.

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BC Government Provides Down Payment Assistance to First Time Home Buyers

The post BC Government Provides Down Payment Assistance to First Time Home Buyers appeared first on Invis Team RRP.

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Announcement to MS leavers

To MS leavers, don't forget to submit your withdrawal form and yearbook form to MS office before the end of today. Thanks!

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3 Common Tattoo Removal Options

This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.

Thinking about getting your tattoo removed? If so, here are some of the most common options you might want to consider, including: laser removal, medical methods and removal creams. Below are 3 common tattoo removal options: Laser Removal Today, lasers are the most common method of tattoo removal. They work by targeting the ink with pulses […]

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Grade 8 Xinglong Astronomy Observatory Field Trip

Thanks for all the positive feedback about this trip! The optional overnight trip to the observatory will be Thursday, January 19 to Friday, January 20. Permission slips go home today! All are welcome, even if you selected a different option on the survey. Please return the forms and payment as soon as possible if you are interested. 

 

Gr. 8 XINGLONG TRIP TRAILER: http://ift.tt/2gFAAZH

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SIMPLY PIANO AUDITION RESULTS

Thank you to all the performers who played for our judges,  displaying a range of talents and diversity of repertoire. The selected students are  from each level of MS and HS Grades 6-12. Students may seek feedback on your performance. The successful students names have been posted on the PA notice board. Some of the postings are listed as provisional or tentative depending on a brief conversation we need to have about the length of programs and other considerations.

Thank you again for sharing your hard work and talents.  Please direct any enquiries to Mr Freeman.

 

Mr Freeman, Ms Schapel and Mr Yu

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MS STUCO Meeting

A reminder that there is a STUCO meeting today at 12:40pm. Please wear your hoody for a group photo and bring your lunch.

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'tis the season to be reading ebooks

Make sure to check out some ebooks or audiobooks for the holidays. The library has an extensive collection through Overdrive. You will find links to Overdrive on the library pages on Dragons’ Gate. Once you have downloaded the App onto your tablet or phone you will be able to read books anywhere without adding bulk to your luggage. Come and see us in the library to help you get started with Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks.

 

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December Market Update: Insurable And Un-Insurable Mortgages

The post December Market Update: Insurable And Un-Insurable Mortgages appeared first on Invis Team RRP.

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¿Con cuánto se aprueba el examen de Cambridge English?

Como profesor de inglés y director KSE Academy, esta es una de las preguntas más comunes que nos hacen nuestros candidatos, y no es de extrañar, pues parece ser que muy poca gente fuera del gremio conoce la respuesta. Sin embargo, en este artículo voy a resolver todas vuetusstras dudas. Y si aún así te queda alguna, pregúntala dejando un comentario al final del artículo.

¿Cómo puntúa Cambridge English los exámenes?

Cada examen de Cambridge English tiene un sistema de puntuación diferente, aunque bastante similar entre los más comunes, como pueden ser el Preliminary (PET), First (FCE), Advanced (CAE) o Proficiency (CPE). En estos casos, cada examen está dividido en 4 o 5 partes (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking y Use of English), y cada parte cuenta un porcentaje equitativo del examen. Si tiene 4 partes, cada una tiene un peso de un 25% y si tiene 5 partes, cada una un 20%. Dentro de cada parte, algunas preguntas cuentan 1 punto mientras que otras cuentan 2, dependiendo del examen. Los criterios de evaluación de cada examen de Cambridge English pueden leerse en su página oficial. Aquí puedes elegir cualquiera de sus exámenes y ver cuánto puntúa cada item en cada parte.

Hasta aquí fenomenal. Para averiguar la puntuación, simplemente sumamos los puntos de las preguntas correctas, y luego aplicamos los porcentajes del 20 o 25% a cada parte, y sumamos. ¿Pero cuánto necesitamos para aprobar? Sigue leyendo.

¿Qué puntuación necesito para aprobar mi examen de Cambridge English?

Bien. Hasta final de 2014, era bastante sencillo de recordar, pues para aprobar un examen simplemente tenías que tener un porcentaje en contreto. De hecho, era así:

• PET: 70%
• FCE, CAE y CPE: 60%

Cuando hacías un examen y salía la nota, simplemente obtenías un porcentaje en el cual nos basábamos para saber si habías aprobado o no. Y según fuese más alto o más bajo, sabíamos si habías aprobado con una A, B o C.

Pero eso cambió en enero de 2015. Desde entonces, aunque sigas teniendo que obtener un 60 o 70% de la puntuacion del examen, tus resultados ya no son publicados en forma de porcentaje, sino en forma númerica no porcentual. Esto fue porque, en enero de 2015, Cambridge English Language Assessment publicó su todapoderosa escala de resultados, llamada “Cambridge English Scale“.

Cambridge English Scale

Aunque parezca mentira, la Cambridge English Scale simplifica bastante las cosas, aunque no a primera vista. Sin embargo, si echamos un vistazo rápido, veremos lo siguiente:

A la izquierda:

1. Los descriptores de Basic user (usuario básico), Independent user (usuario independiente) y Proficient user (usuario  competente), según el Marco común europeo de referencia para las lenguas.
2. Los descriptores de niveles lingüísticos específicos según el Marco común europeo: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2.
3. La escala de Cambridge English, que va desde los 80 puntos hasta los 230.

Y aquí, como veis, es donde ocurre la magia: Cambridge ha diseñado su escala y la puntuación de sus exámenes para poder utilizarlos de manera lineal con los niveles establecidos por el Marco común europeo. Por este motivo, si un candidato obtiene una puntuación de, por ejemplo, 175, sabremos que ese candidato tiene aproximadamente un nivel B2 alto. Pero lo mejor es que no hace falta que sepamos ni qué examen hizo ese candidato.  Aunque es cierto que solamente hay 2 exámenes que se encuentran en la línea de los 175 puntos: First (FCE) y Advanced (CAE). El resto no conciben esa puntuación, ya sea porque es muy alta (para KET o PET) o muy baja (para CPE).

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Cambridge English Scale y el Marco común europeo funcionan de manera lineal. #CambridgeEnglish
Click Para Twittear

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Déjate de rollos, ¿cuánto tengo que sacar para aprobar?

Okay, ya te lo cuento. Pues básicamente, para aprobar necesitas la siguiente puntuación, según el examen:

Key (KET) – A2

• Pass: 120 – 132
• Pass with Merit: 133 – 139
• Pass with Distinction: 140 – 150

Preliminary (PET) – B1

• Pass: 140 – 152
• Pass with Merit: 153 – 159
• Pass with Distinction: 160 – 170

First (FCE)

• Pass with Grade C: 160 – 172
• Pass with Grade B: 173 – 179
• Pass with Grade A: 180 – 190

Advanced (CAE)

• Pass with Grade C: 180 – 192
• Pass with Grade B: 193 – 199
• Pass with Grade A: 200 – 210

Proficiency (CPE)

• Pass with Grade C: 200 – 212
• Pass with Grade B: 213 – 219
• Pass with Grade A: 220 – 230

Así que ahí lo tienes. ¿Qué puntuación necesitas obtener? Depende de tu examen, pero lo mínimo para aprobar es la puntuación mínima de Pass (KET y PET) o Pass with Grade C (FCE, CAE y CPE). Además, si hacéis algún otro examen de Cambridge, también podréis saber si habéis aprobado o no con esta escala. El único que, aunque aparece, no tendrá este tipo de puntuación, será el examen de IELTS, muy específico para estudiar carreras completas en universidades del Reino Unido, entre otros países.

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¿Tienes alguna duda? Pregúntala en los comentarios. Y si estás en Granada, pásate a preguntar en persona por nuestra academia de inglés en c/ Arabial 4. Estaremos encantados de resolver tus dudas sin ningún compromiso.

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FTC - Holiday Hours

December 17 - 24: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

December 25 & 26: CLOSED

December 27 - 31: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

January 1: CLOSED

January 2 - 8: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

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Band Performance

Come to lunch on Dec 13^th and enjoy a performance by the Grade 7/8 Band

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Final Principal's List

The final Principal’s List for 2016!

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Departing Students Laptop Return

Departing student laptop return is this Wednesday at 8:25 in the MPR. Please remember to bring your:

• laptop
• charger
• two-prong adaptor
• extension cord. 

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Daily Schedule (December 13)

Today is Day E - 1

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MATHLETES!

Bring your lunch and join us toady to learn more abouut the top ten tricks of successful Mathletes!

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Yukon Residences – Cambie Corridor 3- & 4-Bedroom Pre-Construction Townhomes + Garden Homes

At a Glance

• four 4-storey buildings
• 33 3- & 4-bedroom homes
• 70 underground parking spaces
• close to top-ranked schools
• adjacent to Winona Park & Langara Golf Course
• lush setting along Habitat Connection Corridor
• close proximity to Canada Line

On The Park
Alabaster Homes is pleased to bring you Yukon Residences, a boutique collection of exquisitely-appointed townhomes and single-level garden homes distributed amongst four buildings aligned on a north-south axis. Located at the northwest corner of West 59th and Yukon, east-facing residences will enjoy beautiful, unlimited views across the expanse of neighbouring Winona Park. Langara Golf Course to the north, and its perimeter Langara Trail, offer even more green space to enjoy in this tranquil, tree-lined neighbourhood.

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At Yukon Residences, your daily necessities are close at hand. Steps away at Marine Gateway, you’ll find a T&T supermarket, Shoppers Drug Mart, Steve Nash Fitness World, Cineplex Cinemas, restaurants, banks, and other services. Best Buy, Canadian Tire, and Sport Check are just four blocks east on Marine Drive. Many more shopping options are within a 15-minute ride on the Canada Line, be it Oakridge Centre, Aberdeen Centre, McArthurGlen Designer Outlets, Richmond Centre, Robson Street, or Pacific Centre. Plans for a future Canada Line station at 57th & Cambie mean the greater convenience of quickly reaching Richmond, Downtown Vancouver, and YVR International Airport will increase the value of your home. Now is the time to get on board! Your opportunity is arriving on the inbound track.

Pricing for Yukon Residences
As this development is currently in pre-construction, pricing has yet to be finalized. Be the first to receive updates on Yukon Residences. Sign up to our VIP list above.

Floor Plans for Yukon Residences
Finalized floor plans have yet to be published. We look forward to sharing with you the 3- and 4-bedroom townhouse and garden home options that are sure to be popular with young families seeking a sustainable urban lifestyle.

Amenities at Yukon Residences
The range of amenities at Yukon Residences have not been confirmed at this time. However we expect residents will enjoy private patios, a central courtyard, and space for urban agriculture. Parents will appreciate being able to take their children next door to Winona Park with its playground and more than five hectares of sports fields to keep them active and healthy.

Parking and Storage
Two levels of underground parking plan to provide residents with 70 parking spaces. However, details concerning the mix of parking types, bicycle parking, and storage options are currently unavailable.

Maintenance Fees at Yukon Residences
Details will be released with pricing information.

Developer Team for Yukon Residences
The same successful developer team that brought you Osler Residences and Shaughnessey Residences, has partnered again to develop this incomparable parkside property. Alabaster Homes is a boutique Vancouver developer inspired by the city’s neighbourhoods. From the classic beauty of Shaughnessy to the urban energy of Oakridge, their vision is to enhance communities and create new legacies. Formwerks Architecture has a reputation for sensitive, user-friendly architecture that embodies clients’ functional requirements within an artistic building form. Their experience ranges from single-family homes to multi-family projects and commercial buildings.

Expected Completion for Yukon Residences
To be announced.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in the Cambie Corridor, Kerrisdale, or Southeast False Creek?

Check out these great Cambie Corridor Presales!

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Tudor House by Formwerks – 15 Cambie Corridor Pre-Construction British Rowhomes

At a Glance

• 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom townhomes
• 15 residences in a 4-storey building
• classic Tudor-style architecture
• close proximity to amenities, parks, schools
• walking distance to rapid transit
• Oakridge Centre & Marine Gateway shopping
• less than 10 minutes to YVR airport

Timeless British Rowhomes
Formwerks Boutique Properties presents Tudor House, an exclusive collection of 15 Westside townhomes designed according to classic Tudor architecture, including pitched roofs, steeped gables, and decorative timbering. Each residence will be generously appointed with single-family home features, such as spacious kitchens, full-size appliances, luxurious finishings, and walk-in closets.

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Tudor House is ideally situated near amenities, parks, and top-ranked schools, such as Winona Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Langara Golf Course, York House School, Vancouver College, Marine Gateway, and Oakridge Centre. Convenient rapid transit options bring the world to your doorstep. Vancouver International Airport is less than 10 minutes away when you board the Canada Line at Marine Drive Station, as is award-winning Asian dining in Richmond and the multicultural culinary options of Downtown Vancouver. This is what makes Vancouver one of the world’s most livable cities.

Pricing for Tudor House
Pricing has not yet been made publicly available. However, we recommend you sign up to our VIP list above for priority updates on Tudor House.

Floor Plans for Tudor House
Choose from a selection of 1- and 2-bedroom garden-level suites, along with 3-bedroom and 3-bedroom plus den townhomes. Contact me today for available options.

Amenities at Tudor House
These details have not yet been given to us. However, the location of Tudor House alone puts it in close proximity to an enviable variety of leisure options.

Parking and Storage
Details have yet to be formalized. Sign up to our VIP list above to ensure you are immediately informed of any updates concerning Tudor House.

Maintenance Fees at Tudor House
Included with pricing information, when available.

Developer Team for Tudor House
In over twenty years of practice, Formwerks has developed a reputation for sensitive, user-friendly architecture. This has been achieved by carefully listening to clients and translating their wishes and needs into architecture that embodies their functional requirements within an artistic building form. Their buildings reflect a public mood for comfort and tradition without the cold and austere qualities found in much of today’s architectural mainstream.

i3 is a multi-disciplinary design firm offering a full range of services to both single- and multi-family home builders. Their areas of expertise cover the complete range of project needs from the most preliminary design stages to final completion.

Expected Completion for Tudor House
Sales start in Fall/Winter of 2016.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in the Cambie Corridor, Kerrisdale, or Southeast False Creek?

Check out these great Cambie Corridor Presales!

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Analyst: Data on Foreign Ownership in Short Supply

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20 stocking fillers for speech and language.

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?  If not, this post may be for you!  I often get asked for Christmas present ideas of things which will help support speech and language skills.  So here are 20 ideas of stocking fillers.  I’ve tried to keep them both small and fairly inexpensive.  Most of them are for younger children, but I have included a few for older children at the end.  This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

1.  Bubbles.  Bubbles are fantastic for speech and language.  You can see some ideas of how to use them here.  These particular ones are touchable bubbles as a bit of extra bubble fun for Christmas!

2.  Reusable stickers.  Stickers are great for language anyway as there is usually a range of different pictures to talk about.  Reusable ones are particularly good as you can use the same stickers over and over again – put them in different places and talk about where they are, what people are doing etc.  Make up stories about the pictures with your child.

This is a farm set, but there are also sets on other themes – pirates, fairies etc.

3.  Dolls’ house furniture.  Toys like this which encourage imaginative play are great for language development.  This is a set of wooden bedroom furniture at a very reasonable price – there are lots of other sets too.  Get some mini people of some kind and get them to do things.  Then talk about what they are doing with your child.

4.  Mini figures to go with your dolls house furniture.  Any figures will do but ones like these are good as their limbs move so you can make them sit, lie down etc.

5.  Finger puppets.  Again there are loads of these.  This particular set went in my daughter’s stocking last year and they were great for the price.  Puppets are great for pretend play – be silly with the puppets, make them do funny things and always talk about it with your child as you play!

6.  Stacking cups.  For toddlers, these are great for first words, joint attention and listening skills.  Say “up” as you add each brick, then see if your child can wait for you to say “go” before knocking them down.  

7.  Orchard Toys games.  Here are the farmyard dominoes – you can read our post about this game here.  Orchard Toys do great educational games at all levels, you can also read other reviews of ours on Pigs in Pants, Slug in a Jug, Farmyard Heads and Tails, Robot Run, Can You Guess?, Rockets and Comets and Colour Match game.

8.  Face paints.  These can be great for many children, but some really hate the texture and the fact that their face looks different.  If you have a child who enjoys them though, face paints are a great way to get your child looking in a mirror, pulling faces and making sounds!

9.  Balls.  Another great, versatile therapy toy.  There are all sorts of interesting balls you can get – this one has flashing lights in it, so may not be suitable for some children.  You can find ideas on how to use a ball in therapy here.

10.  Bath games.  In the bath is a great place for talking!  Many children are relaxed and engaged at this time.  Make the most of it with bath toys.  Here is a nice set of bath stickers I found to make people with – there is lots of vocabulary to talk about here!
11.  This looks like a fun variation on a ball game!  Basketball for the bath – good for all ages!

12.  Musical instruments.  These are great for developing listening skills and rhythm.  These rainmakers are great sensory toys too – many children love watching them as well as listening to them.

13.  Card games.  There are many nice, simple card games for children with lovely pictures for working on simple vocabulary.  Choose one that ties in to your child’s interests.  This is a lovely Gruffalo memory game as an example.

14.  Books.  These are great for language development.  Find lots of ideas of how to use books here.    If your child doesn’t show much interest in books, pick ones with simple colourful pictures and make them as interactive as possible with flaps to lift or buttons to press for sound.

Here are a few for older children to finish the post with!

15.  Travel Guess Who.  This is a great game for asking and answering questions.

16.  Dobble.  This is a little more expensive, but it’s a great game for language and would fit nicely in a stocking.  You can read more about how to use this game here.  

17.  Photo props.  These are very popular at the moment in our age of social media and selfies! In fact, these are a great way to get slightly older children looking in a mirror, making silly faces, playing with their voices and taking on different characters.  I particularly like these speech bubble ones I found – talk with your child about what the character they are pretending to be might say or think!

18.  Story cubes.  There are lots of sets of these with different themes.  This is an intergalactic set!

19.  Lego.  Construction toys have lots of possibilities for language.  There are lots of ideas about how to use Lego in speech therapy in this post.  I especially like the Creator 3 in 1 sets as you can make 3 different things out of the same bricks.

20.  Don’t Say It game.  This is perhaps a little large for a stocking filler but it is a great game and easy to differentiate to different levels too.  Wilkinsons currently have it at a great price.

Have you found any more stocking fillers which are great for language development?  Do let us know about them in the comments!   

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