Dear daytime students,
Due to the winter storm, Monday’s English classes (Monday, February 23rd) are canceled.
Please stay safe and warm, and we’ll see everyone on Tuesday, February 24th.
Category: New York
Daytime Holiday Party
Our daytime classes enjoyed a fun and festive holiday party this past Thursday! 🎉
Hello to all our students! Thank you for joining us and bringing such great energy to the day. 👋
Happy Holidays from each of our classes. 🧑🎄 🎅
A fun game of Kahoot! determined the order in which classes ate.
Congratulations to our Kahoot! winners! Thank you for bringing so much energy and festive fun to the game.
We had a fantastic assortment of foods for our potluck party, with something delicious for everyone to enjoy. 🌮 🍰 🥟
Halloween 🎃 👻
Halloween, which takes place every October 31st, is one of the most popular holidays in the United States. Originally based on the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), Halloween has evolved into a modern celebration where children of all ages dress up in costumes and go door-to-door “trick-or-treating,” asking for candy from friends & neighbors.
Halloween is also a time to enjoy the spookier side of life. People celebrate ghosts, zombies, haunted houses, and all things creepy and fun – often with Halloween parties for children and adults alike.
For more information about Halloween, check out wikipedia.
Halloween Vocabulary
- 🚪 Trick-or-treat – the Halloween activity where children dress up and go door to door for candy
- 🎃 Pumpkin – a round orange vegetable often carved into a jack-o’-lantern
- 👻 Ghost – the spirit of a dead person, often imagined as white and floating
- 🧙 Witch – a woman with magical powers, often shown with a broomstick and pointed hat
- 🧛 Vampire – a creature that drinks blood and avoids sunlight
- 🧟 Zombie – a dead person who comes back to life, usually walking slowly
- 🕷️ Spider – a creepy-crawly insect often used in Halloween decorations
- 🕸️ Web – what a spider makes to catch insects; also used as decoration
- ☠️ Skeleton – the bones of a body, often shown as decorations or costumes
- 🏚️ Haunted house – a spooky or abandoned house believed to have ghosts
- 😱 Scary – something that causes fear or makes you feel afraid
- 🦇 Bat – a flying animal often linked with vampires and the night
- 🍫 Chocolate / Candy – a sweet treat made from cocoa, popular during Halloween. Sweet treats given to children who go trick-or-treating.
- 🎭 Costume – special clothing worn to look like someone or something else
- 💀 Skull – the bone part of a head, often used as a spooky symbol
Here are 5 fun & interesting facts about Halloween:
- 🎃 Origins in Ancient Celtic Festival: Halloween comes from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), celebrated on October 31st. It marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, a time when people believed the boundary between the living and the dead became blurred.
- 👻 Costumes to Scare Spirits: People originally wore costumes and masks to scare away or confuse ghosts and evil spirits that were thought to return on Halloween night.
- 🍬 Trick-or-Treating Traditions: The practice of trick-or-treating began in medieval Europe as “souling,” when poor people would go door-to-door on All Souls’ Day (Nov 2), offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food.
- 🕯️ Jack-o’-Lanterns Came from Turnips: Before pumpkins, the Irish carved turnips into lanterns to ward off evil spirits. When they immigrated to America, they found that pumpkins were more plentiful and easier to carve.
- 🦇 Popular with Americans: Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the U.S., with Americans spending billions of dollars each year on costumes, candy, decorations, and parties.
The Treasure That Is the NYPL
The Rose Reading Room, photo by Max Touhey
Field trip!
We encourage you to visit and get to know the New York Public Library. There is so much to learn, and the library is the place to do exactly that!
Nearest to University Settlement is the Seward Park Library. This building opened in 1909 and is at the eastern edge of Seward Park.
Seward Park Library
192 East Broadway
NYC, NY 10002
https://maps.app.goo.gl/DcPUYMmihfPkb6P26
Did you know?
— The New York Public Library features more than 6 million items in its circulating collections. You can find everything from books, e-books, and audiobooks to music and movies.
— The Library has a free e-reader app, SimplyE, that you can download and then read e-books on your mobile device.
— Explore local museums & attractions with Culture Pass! If you have a library card from the Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, or New York Public Library (serving the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island), you can reserve free passes to 100+ cultural institutions across NYC.
— You can print documents at the Library from your mobile device. Black and white printing is available for 20 cents per page.
— NYPL offers free internet access. With your library card, you can reserve a computer to use at almost any location.
— NYPL is better than Google! Ask questions and chat with the expert staff in real time, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM. https://www.nypl.org/get-help/contact-us/chat
— In the summer months, many NYPL locations are official “Cooling Centers.” Some of these are even pet-friendly!
— Many locations have free yoga (in Spanish), film screenings, as well as sewing and craft groups.
Get your library card now!
If you’re 13 years old or older and live, work, or attend school in New York State, you can apply for a free library card right now using this online card application—then visit your nearest NYPL location to receive your physical NYPL card. A physical library card is your key to checking out physical books and materials, signing up for Culture Pass, and more.
Fall Activities in NYC
The heat and humidity of summer is slowly fading into fall’s crisp, cool air & the beautiful, vibrant colors of autumn in and around New York City.
As fall approaches, here are some fun suggestions for things to see and do in New York.
Check out the fall foliage 🍂 🍁 in Central Park
Stroll through Central Park. The Ramble, Bethesda Terrace, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir offer beautiful views of the fall foliage.
Central Park Fall Foliage: https://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/guides/where-to-find-fall-foliage-in-central-park
Central Park Conservancy: https://www.centralparknyc.org/
Attend the West Village Halloween Parade: 🎃 👻
Don’t miss this iconic and incredibly spooky parade in Greenwich Village. You can watch from the sidelines or even join in the costumed fun!
Village Halloween Parade: https://halloween-nyc.com/
Explore the High Line: 🌇
This elevated park offers unique perspectives of the city skyline- it’s a fantastic spot for a leisurely walk and some urban fall foliage.
Friends of the High Line: https://www.thehighline.org/
Celebrate Oktoberfest: 🍻 🍺
Many beer halls and venues across the city host Oktoberfest celebrations with German food 🥨, beer, and lively music. Grab your lederhosen and join in the fun!
German-American Steuben Parade New York: https://germanparadenyc.org/oktoberfest/
Catch a Broadway Show:
Come join Alexander Hamilton, Simba, and Galinda 🧙🏻 & Elphaba in all the fun! Fall marks the beginning of the new Broadway season, making it a great time to see a new production or a classic favorite.
Broadway.com: (A comprehensive site for tickets and information on Broadway shows): https://www.broadway.com/
Are you an athlete – or do you know one? Watch- or, if you’re feeling energetic, run – the New York City Marathon. 🏃♂️ 🏃🏼♀️ 🏃🏽♂️ Sunday, November 2nd
NYC Marathon: https://www.nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon
Go Apple or Pumpkin Picking (outside the city): 🍎 While not in NYC itself, a short trip to the Hudson Valley or Long Island allows for classic, fun fall activities like apple and pumpkin picking at local farms. Many offer hayrides, corn mazes, and fresh cider donuts.
Masker Orchards (Hudson Valley): https://www.maskers.com/
Apple Ridge Orchards (Hudson Valley): https://appleridgeorchards.com/pick-your-own-apples/
Attend the New York City Wine & Food Festival: 🍽️
For foodies, this annual festival in October brings together renowned chefs and culinary experiences, offering tastings, cooking demonstrations, and more.
NYC Food & Wine: https://www.glwd.org/events/new-york-city-wine-and-food-festival-nycwff/
Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (or its balloon inflation):
Experiencing the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade firsthand is an unforgettable experience.
Come see Santa 🎅🏻 and the giant turkey 🦃 !
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: https://www.macys.com/s/parade/
Grammar: The Past Perfect Tense
What is the Past Perfect Tense and why do we use it?
The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.
Structure:
had + past participle
The past participle is usually the same as the past tense for regular verbs (e.g., walked, played), but can be different for irregular verbs (e.g., eaten, gone, seen).
“had” stays the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, etc.).
Why Use the Past Perfect? 🤷♂️
It helps show what happened first in the past when there are two past actions.
compare:
Past Simple only:
I left when he came.
(Not clear which happened first.)
Past Perfect + Past Simple:
I had left when he came.
(Now it’s clear: I left before he came.)
Here Are Some Common Words with Past Perfect: before, after, when, already, just, never
Example One:
She had finished her homework before she ate dinner.
– First she finished her homework, then she ate dinner.
Example Two:
By the time I arrived at the station, my train had already left.
– First the train left the station, then I arrived at the station (late) 😢
Test yourself: Quiz time
1.By the time we arrived at the theater, the movie _____. 🍿
A. started
B. was starting
C. had started
D. has started
2. She was tired because she _____ all night. 🥱
A. worked
B. had worked
C. has worked
D. works
3. After he _____ lunch, he went out for a walk. 🚶
A. had eaten
B. was eating
C. eats
D. ate
4. They _____ the bus before we got to the stop. 🚏 🚍
A. had missed
B. miss
C. missed
D. were missing
5. I didn’t want to watch the movie again because I _____ it already. 🚫 📽️
A. see
B. was seeing
C. had seen
D. have seen
Answers: 1) C. had started 2) B. had worked 3) A. had eaten 4) A. had missed 5) C. had seen
KEEP COOL IN NYC!
Many people like summer sunshine, but too much heat can be dangerous and unhealthy. Hot and humid weather can cause heat illness and even death. If you or someone you know has these symptoms, you need to cool down quickly!
- Heavy sweating
- Muscle cramps
- Light headedness, feeling faint
- Headache
- Decreased energy
- Loss of appetite, nausea
Luckily, New York City has increased the number of ways to Keep Cool during heat emergencies. The parks department has concentrated on water features, drinking fountains, and tree cover as ways to beat the heat outside.
Here’s a link to a map of all the places where you can cool off:
https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/health-and-safety-guide/cool-it-nyc
Spray showers are fun and feel great for kids. The sprinklers are turned on when the temperature reaches 80 degrees F. These are indicated on the map as well as the beaches and outdoor pools that are open to all. NYC even provides free sunscreen at the pools.
There are thousands of drinking fountains across the city – even some for pets!
The map also shows the parks with thick tree coverage, as well as the shadiest blocks to walk.
Another option: If you’re looking for a fun and safe way to beat the heat, consider requesting an official hydrant opening. You can go to your local firehouse and they might open and close a hydrant safely for you.
And if you’re not an “outdoors person,” NYC has many cooling centers. They are located in air-conditioned facilities that offer people relief from the heat, such as:
- Libraries
- Community centers
- Senior centers
- NYCHA facilities
To find a cooling center: https://maps.nyc.gov/oem/cc/
Most important: drink lots of water even if you’re not thirsty, wear loose light-colored clothing, and avoid sun and strenuous outdoor activity between 11 AM and 4 PM.
Enjoy the summer in the city!