YEAR-END AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAY

Dear Students,

Students' Parents and Relatives

as well as all Clients and Friends,

Independent will have

Year-End and New Year Holidays

from 24 December 2008 to 5 January 2009.

All office and course activities will resume

on

Tuesday, 6 January 2009.

Independent would like to wish you

a Merry Christmas

and

a Happy New Year

Warmest Regards,

Management

SUBJECT: INTELLIGENT PEOPLE

George W. Bush meets with the Queen of England.

He asks her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," says the Queen, "The most important thing is to surround you yourself with intelligent people."

Bush frowns. "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?"

The Queen takes a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligence test. Listen to this".

The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. "Please! send Tony Blair inhere, would you?"

Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

The Queen smiles. "Answer me this, please, Tony! Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"

Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, "That would be me."

"Yes! Very good," says the Queen.

Back at the White House, Bush asks to speak with Vice President Dick Cheney. "Dick, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?"

"I'm not sure," says the Vice President. "Let me get back to you on that one."

Dick Cheney goes to his advisors and asks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men's room and recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall.

Dick shouts, "Colin! Can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"

Colin Powell yells back, "That's easy. It's me!"

Dick Cheney smiles, "Thanks!"

Cheney goes back to the Oval Office to speak with Bush. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell."

Bush gets up, stomps over to Dick Cheney, and angrily yells into his face,

"No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"

(Thanks to Mr Ign Herry Djoko who gave me this story. Thomas A. Sutadi)

IS YOUR ENGLISH GOOD?

This text was contributed via email by FX Kabrini Y. Suryanita to show that it is wrong to think that English is just a matter of words. English should be used with the combination of vocabulary, context and meaning. Otherwise, people will laugh at you or misunderstand you.

SUM’S LOVE LETTER
Sum, an Indonesian woman who married an American man named Robbie, wrote this letter to Robbie as she did not want to meet him anymore. She thought her English was quite all right as she had ever learned it at school for years. With the help from thick English books, Indonesian-English and English-Indonesian dictionaries and the most updated thesaurus and the latest encyclopedia, she wrote the following sentences.

Hi Robbie, with this letter I want to give know you. I WANT TO CUT CONNECTION US. I have think this very cook cook.I know my love only clap half hand. Correctly, I have see you go with a woman entertainment at town with my eyes and head myself. You always ask apology back back times.Your eyes drop tears crocodile. You correct correct a man crocodile land. My Friend speak you play fire. Now I know you correct correct play fire. So, I break connection and pull body from love triangle this.

I know result I pick this very correct, because you love she very big from me. But I still will not go far far from here. I don't want you play play with my liver. I have been crying night night until no more eye water thinking about your body. I don't want to sick my liver for two times. Safe walk, Robbie.
Girl friend of your liver.

Note:This river I forgive you, next river I kill you !

Read the text above once again and find out what actually Sum wants to say. Help her to revise the letter so that Robbie understands Sum’s letter.

(I would like to thank FX Kabrini Y. Suryanita for sending the “story” above. She is a smart and humorous girl who really wants to improve her English. I hope her English will be better and better).

Thomas A. Sutadi

WHY DO ENGLISH TEACHERS HAVE TO IMPROVE THEIR COMPETENCE?

Contributed by Ms Ramadhani*

The development of transportation and technology has pushed the world into globalization. For example, TV programs convey the information from all over the world. It not only affects to the people’s life styles but also the education world.

In this globalization world, the best human resources are needed. The best human resources are produced by the best quality of teaching process. To improve the human resources, high quality teachers are needed too. English teachers have got roles to improve the education world through the best teaching process. That’s why the teachers have to improve their competences.

How to improve the English teachers’ competences?
Here are some ways for English teachers to improve their competences:
The more information you get, the better you are. Technology is the easiest way to get the information. You can search in internet to get the variety of information.
Attend the academic workshops and seminars. You need to improve your competence through academic workshops and seminars. Just take an academic workshop or seminar in your spare time.
Read more and more. You have to read a lot. Read from magazines, books, and newspaper. Do you like politics or sports? If you don’t like politics or sports, it doesn’t mean that all the reading materials are not interesting. Basically all the kinds of reading materials will help you to improve your knowledge. The multi topics are sometimes used in your class. You sometimes will come up with the politic problems to argue; e.g pro and contra about pornography law and issue will be a good topic to talk about in your class. Sports will be a good topic for the students to make an essay; e.g. the students retell the football match.
Watch and listen a lot. You can learn English from films and songs. You can watch a film with a pen in your hand. Take notes about interesting sentences or utterances. Find the meaning of the sentences and utterances, read and memorize them.
Share with your friends. You can share and exchange some teaching tips.
Use English in your daily activity.
Make a new best friend: DICTIONARY. A dictionary will help you to improve your English skills.
Don’t stop to learn new things.
Hopefully these tips will help you to improve your competence.
Good luck!!

*Ms Ramadhani is one of Independent’s teaching staff

LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH SONGS

A Song is a Way from 1000 Ways to Learn English…
Contributed by Ms Ramadhani*

Learning English is one of the important things in this global world. Almost all countries all over the world use English as their international communication. Do English learners also realize this? Nowadays, you will be left behind if you can’t use English. But students sometimes feel bored and unwilling to learn it. It’s the right time for you, English learners, to recognize other ways to learn English.

Actually English is fun. You don’t have to study tenses through the patterns. It just makes you snoozing..zzzz…. So, what should you do? Do you like singing?? Every one usually likes singing in his or her bathroom. Yes, you are all bathroom singers! All children, teenagers, and even old people like music. That’s why I can say: In fact, people all over the world like music. What are the simple examples? People use music to shake their stress away. Even music is used by a pregnant woman to improve her infant’s brain. Last but not least, a child of three is able to memorize the lyrics of a song by the time they heard it for the first time.

Singing a song is one of the ways to learn English for you. But of course, you need to sing English lyrics songs. People memorize the lyrics easily as music is fun and relaxing. People learn how to pronounce the verb or unfamiliar English vocabularies through English songs accidentally.

Here are some reasons why you can improve your English skills through English songs. The first is you can learn tenses. The tenses which are used in the songs can help you improve your grammar. The second is your vocabularies enrichment. Learners also enrich their vocabularies through English songs. You will try to find out what the meanings of the words in the song are. The third is listening. English learners actually practice their listening skill by the time they listen to the English songs. The fourth is you can practice your pronunciation and speaking skill through English songs. People learn how to pronounce the verb or unfamiliar English vocabularies through English songs accidentally.

These are some tips for you English learners. How to learn English from English songs? You’ll find the answers, here you are:

You have to choose the right songs. Choose your favourite songs and of course choose also the singers that you like.
You have to choose the slow songs. It will be easier for you to note the unfamiliar vocabularies from the songs, so that you can improve your vocabularies.
You have to try to find the text. But first of all, listen to it and guess the lyrics. You can search the text from the internet. This way will stimulate your listening skill.
You have to try to sing it with the right pronunciation. You can learn the pronunciation from the song and check it again in your dictionary. This will improve your pronunciation and your speaking skill.
If you find the unfamiliar words, find through the answer from a magic book A.K.A. dictionary.

# SINGING A SONG IS A GOOD WAY TO LEARN ENGLISH #
*Ms Ramadhani is one of Independent’s teaching staff

NEW CLASSES IN NOVEMBER 2008

Independent English Course opens new classes for Beginner students and Children’s classes. So far there have been around 50 new students joining the new classes. They come from SMPN 4 Bogor, SMP Taman Siswa Bogor, SMPN 6 Bogor, SD Pengadilan , SD Cimanggu, SMP Budi Mulia, SMP Bina Insani and some other schools. They are ready to have fun English classes which will help them to speak English correctly and fluently. For new students coming from elementary schools, some activities are arranged to make them love English. For SMP classes, the new students target to be able to speak simple English such as greeting, introducing themselves, describing something, describing someone, expressing feeling, etc. by the fourth week of December 2008. Happy studying.

DO YOU GIVE UP WHEN STUDENTS DON'T WANT TO SPEAK ENGLISH?

(Contributed by Ms Ramadhani Nuryunawati, S.Pd

Almost all students are interested in learning English for the first time. The students feel fun, happy and have got very strong motivation to learn English. They know that English is the most familiar foreign language in Indonesia. Along with the time, their point of view about learning English changes. They don’t like English anymore. They think English is too difficult to learn, uninteresting and boring. They also think English is complicated. Without blaming anyone, we point out that this is the teacher’s duty to support them.

The skills in learning a language are Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Writing and speaking are the productive skills, as they produce something in a form of written and spoken. Listening and reading are passive skills. They are called passive as they do not produce something except their understanding from what somebody says or writes. Although they are different, the students cannot separate these skills when they learn English. Although the time is for speaking class, the students still also listen or even read and write something that they’ve got while their friends are speaking in front of the class. Learning a language is a unity; it’s unique and it could be interesting.

Talking about one of the speaking skills, students consider speaking as the most difficult skill in learning English. On the contrary, people use a language to exchange information and to communicate with other people. Through speaking, students’ vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and other things are going better and better. The more the students practice, the better they speak English. That’s something that the students do not realize. Their mindsets make them afraid of English. They only have grammar etc. in their mind when they hear English.

Speaking activity can be done in a very simple way. For example, use some English expressions in daily life. A teacher usually gives a topic to the students to talk about. The topic is interesting (that’s what you say in your mind), but what do the students have in their mind? For the active students, it’s not a problem at all. How about the passive students? In the writer’s opinion they will say “What should I say? I have no idea”. Do you always find your students are not active in their speaking class? Or maybe your students do not want to speak English in your class? You have to know what the students’ problems are.

There are some reasons why students are unwilling to be active in their speaking ability. Here are some reasons that usually come out from the students who are always afraid to speak. The first is your students’ motivation. Usually, the students haven’t got high motivation in learning English. That’s your main duty to support your students. The second is your students think that English is difficult. For some students, there are some difficulties in learning English. For example, student A has got a problem with her or his pronunciation, students B has got a problem with her or his grammar. The third is your students feel shy. The next is your students haven’t got their self-confidence. The last is the students are afraid of making mistakes.

There are some tips for English Teachers to STIMULATE their students to speak English….

1. Make the best atmosphere. Don’t make them stressed.
Learning should be fun and enjoyable. Don’t ever make your students stressed.
2. Build up their self-confidence
3. Make some tight rules in your class; proper punishment is allowed.
The tight rule in your class is one of the ways to stimulate your students to speak English. You can start this rule from a very simple thing. Students are not allowed to speak “bahasa Indonesia” in your class, except when they really don’t know what the English vocabulary is. Nevertheless, when a student wants to ask something in Indonesian, he still has to ask for a permission to do it.
E.g. Your student wants to go to the toilet. Don’t allow him or her if he or she doesn’t speak English.
Student A wants to borrow something from his friend, but he doesn’t speak English. Their friends act as if they can’t hear his or her voice. He will have an effort to ask others how to borrow something in English.
4. Supports students or help students if they have some difficulties when they speak.
Sometimes students are stuck by the time they are speaking as they forget or don’t know what the words are in English. You may ask the other students. If they don’t know, help them by giving the synonym or the antonym of the vocabulary.
5. Force students to speak
People are usually able to do something by the time they are in an emergency state. Sometimes you may force your students to speak out, even for one word only.
6. Play a quiz or a game related to the topic / material to stimulate them to speak in English.
(Students like games and quiz)
7. Give them praise a lot for their effort or plus point if they are active
Each student likes getting a high mark; stimulate them through the class activity. Those who are active in speaking will get a plus mark.
8. Don’t ever underestimate your students
Each student has got their ability. Sometimes they are good at listening and speaking, but they are not good at writing.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY?

(Contributed by Ms. Ramadhani Nuryunawati, S.Pd.)

English is one of thousands of languages used for communication. What does make English so special? Why do so many people around the world learn English? It’s because English is a global language. A lot of countries use English as their first and official language and some others use it as the second language.

What about Indonesia? Why do many Indonesian people learn English? Even though English is still considered as the foreign language in Indonesia, Indonesian people realize that English is important to be learned. That’s why English is also included into Indonesian school curriculum. There are so many reasons why people learn English. Some people learn English because they need it for their jobs. Others learn English because they want to study abroad. Students learn English because they have to be ready to face the global world which uses English as a global language by the time they graduate.

There are four skills in learning a language; listening, speaking, reading and writing. English language learners have to be able to listen, speak, read and write in English when they want to use English. Actually there are not only the four skills which are important; vocabulary is also important. How are learners able to learn English without understanding the vocabulary? Learners will not be able to listen, speak, write and read in English if they do not know the vocabulary. In fact, the learners learn English for a very long time. On the contrary, they still feel difficult to learn English. So what’s the problem? They might have problem with their vocabulary enrichment. In other words, learners are lack of vocabularies. Learners are often lazy to learn new vocabularies or unfamiliar words. Lack of vocabulary often makes learners be stuck and think that English is difficult and complicated.

So, what’s the way out? Improving your vocabulary is one of the keys to make learners feel easier to learn English. How to improve learners’ vocabularies? There are three simple things that learners have to concern about in learning new or unfamiliar vocabulary: emotions, will and notebook.

The first thing is emotions. Those who are in bad mood in learning will not be able to absorb the materials effectively. So please, make yourselves enjoy, feel fun, and happy by the time you are learning English. The second is your will. There is a way if there is a will. Your will makes some efforts to learn English effectively. There will not be effort or curiosity if you don’t have a strong will. The last thing is notebook. You will need it any time. Your notebook helps you to learn new or unfamiliar vocabulary when you’ve got your spare time. Read your notebook for a minute by the time you haven’t got anything to do. It will really help you to improve your vocabulary.

Here are some tips for ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners to IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY….

1.Start to learn new or unfamiliar vocabulary right now!! Don’t make random list of your new or unfamiliar words. Instead, make them in a group of words.
ü Food:: apple, mango, watermelon, pineapple, and so on.
ü Verbs :: What do you do in your house?
Mencuci : Wash
Menyapu : sweep
Makan : eat
Minum : drink
2. It’s better for you to learn vocabulary in context, because there are some words in English that have got more than one meaning. Writing the examples in a sentence will help you memorize the meaning of the word.
ü Kurma :: I like date very much
ü Kencan :: Terry has got a date with his girlfriend today.
3. Learn your specific vocabulary list related to your job, daily activities, school or your hobby.
ü Your hobby is swimming. Your mind will try to find the words
Kolam renang :: Swimming pool
Pantai :: Beach
Penjaga Pantai:: Baywatch
ü You are a student. Try to learn new vocabulary in your class. For example: some verbs that you always do in your school time.
Belajar :: study
Duduk :: sit
Mendengarkan :: listen
4. Write your new or unfamiliar vocabulary in your notebook. Choose the small notebook to make it easier to bring with you.

## GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY YOUR ENGLISH LEARNING TIME ##

HOW TO MOTIVATE CHILDREN TO LEARN ENGLISH?

Earlier
The earlier the children learn English, the faster they will understand. The faster they understand, the more familiar with it they will be. The question is usually: At what age can my child start to learn English? In my opinion, the earlier the better.

Practise diligently
Try to stimulate children to practise English at home every day. You don’t have to be like a teacher in a school, who allocates time to teach his student. You can invite your children to practise English in any situations when your children do not think that you are teaching them on purpose. This can be done, for example, when you want to give advice to them. For example, say “I don’t like your behaviour” when you find your children do something wrongly.

Easy Words
Children still have limited knowledge and understanding over their life, but they are eager to know a lot about them. Parents can start with easy words that children need to know. Mentioning names of animals, things around children and some greetings such as “what are you doing” and “how are you?” is easy and fun for children.

Don’t force
Parents must not force their children to practise English. Forcing them can give them a traumatic experience. Teach your children slowly... in fun ways. Using some games and learning tools is the best way to attract children.

Pay attention
Tell your children slowly.... gradually... step by step... in easy language... that English education is very important for their life, and that learning and mastering English are very important for their future.

(The ideas above firstly came from Ms Inggrid N. as they were written in the Indonesian language in the Seputar Indonesia, Sunday 15 June 2008. Summarised, modified and edited for http://independent-ec.blogspot.com )

HOW TO LEARN ENGLISH WITHOUT TEACHERS?

INTRODUCTION

“Learning English” is a keyword that a lot of internet browsers click when they search for information in the internet. The reason is very simple: English is the most used international language. People usually think that they can learn English only at schools or English courses. In those activities they need teachers to supervise, guide and criticise. The result is sometimes unsatisfactory. That is why some English learners start to ask a question if there is another way to learn English effectively. Here we provide you with some information on how to learn English effectively without teachers.

WHY IS ENGLISH SO IMPORTANT

There are some reasons why English is so important that many people want to master it.
First, it is not a secret anymore that English is badly needed in our life. If you want to take part in global businesses, you have to communicate in English with your business partner, either orally or in written. Emails, proposals, reports and other journals are commonly written in English. Even in local business activities you are often required to borrow English words which have been used globally such as auditing, import, export, product, advertisement, etc.
Second, if you want to continue to higher education, you will be required to master a lot of subjects which are written in English. It is true that there are a lot of books which are written in your local languages. Still, mastering English will give you more advantages as a lot of journals, science books and reports are intentionally written in English so that more people around the world will understand them.
Third, in the world of jobs, English has been an "everyday meal". When you apply for a job, have an interview, start your job, and do your jobs, you are expected to speak English. Most people do not feel ready to do that.
Fourth, mastering English can be a means to conquer the world. Look around you: computer, internet, commercials, news, infotainment, and others...most of them are written in English.

How non-English-speaking people use English nowadays?

Many non-English-speaking people have been silent when they are invited to speak English. They are shy, afraid of being mocked, unable to produce any words as they do not master vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc. Shy feeling and fear come from their negative environment. Perhaps the neighbours or people around them are people who have negative attitude towards people who want to learn and master English. It is familiar for them to laugh at others although they do not want to be laughed at. They never admit that they deserve being laughed at... because they never want to learn.

In certain circumstances, some people sometimes do not know what to say as in their culture they are not accustomed to speak in front of a lot of people. In certain culture, young people are not accustomed to express their opinion in front of their parents and teachers. What they have to do is just listening. You can find the example in Indonesia or other developing countries in 1990s when a teacher would be very angry if a student asked silly questions or argue the teacher's statements. Students would be considered as impolite, rude and indecent. For years such students have been under this circumstance and that makes them stressed, passive and afraid. Even when you know what to say, you will find it difficult to say it because you do not master the vocabulary, you are afraid of mispronouncing the words, etc. In short, you are afraid of making mistakes.

How Some non-English Natives Master English?

Some people are more courageous than others. They realise that they are not much different from others. Still, there is one thing that makes them different: They are courageous to make mistakes. They are not afraid of being laughed at. They consider their mistakes as a process to be able to master English. One thing can be concluded here: DO NOT BE AFRAID OF MAKING MISTAKES!

It is said that there are some signs of people who have mastered English: The first indication is when someone could dream in English. The second is when someone can express his anger in front of the public in fluent English. The third indication is when someone can express his sadness in good English.

Why should be those three indications? It is because the activities have touched and planted deeply in your sub consciousness. In other words, if you have those signs, your English has been internalised in you... English has been yours.

Learning English Ideally

Ideally you have to use English every day and get involved intensively in the culture of English users. Living in a country where all its people speak English every day is the most ideal. You get along with the local people, you live the way they live. You will master the new language quickly if you meet and talk to the speakers of the new language every day and intensively. At first, it must be difficult, but later you will find it easier. Later you will get surprised that you can speak English like the way the English, Australian or American people speak.

The use of English in your daily life must be done continuously so that English really belongs to you; you can use it without thinking about it over and over. The words and phrases and sentences will come out spontaneously from your mind and mouth without any handicaps.

Effective Technique When the Ideal Way of Learning is not Effective Anymore

It seems very difficult to be ideal to learn English. You still live in a country where most people do not understand English. Or you live among them but you don't have a friend to talk to. Even your friends who can speak English do not want to speak to you. When you start to use phrases in English, people around you start to look at you with a strange look...

If you find difficulty to learn and master English, you will need a powerful technique to do it. There is always an effective way to cope with your handicaps. We got this technique from experiences. The technique is called Talk to Yourself Technique.

Wait, don't think wildly about "talking to yourself". I do not suggest you walk around while murmuring, smiling, dancing.... No. I do not want you to be CRAZY.

So, what is this new technique? Talking to Yourself here means: You have to make yourself busy with English every day so that English will be part of your life, be something spontaneous, something which comes out fluently fro your heart, mind, and mouth.

The Benefit of Applying the Technique

First of all I have to say that this technique is like formula milk for a baby who cannot enjoy its mother's milk exclusively for several reasons. Practising English in the real world is still the best... just like the mother's milk is the best food for a baby. However, if the real practice in real world cannot be done, use this technique... just like a baby who drinks formula milk because it cannot get its mother's milk. There is a lot of formula milk which claim to be the best. The technique I share with you here is also the best for me as a lot of people and I have used it. In the end, the result will tell you whose technique is the best and should be used.

There are some advantages you will get if you use this technique. First, you do not need negative friends because you will work and practise on your own. Second, you will not need to be afraid of being laughed at because they find no reasons to laugh at you. Third, you will not need to be afraid of making mistakes. Fourth, you will be free to express yourself as you are the master of time, schedule, space and opportunity to study. Fifth, you will not spend too much money besides reading this blog.

Some Requirements

Reading this blog until you finish it will not make you able to speak English fluently. There are some requirements you have to meet. To be able to apply the techniques I have prepared, I assume that you are in the follow situations:

Firstly, you really want to communicate in English. Secondly, you can read Latin characters and have ever studied English in secondary school/junior and senior high school or higher education. Thirdly, you really do not have a positive friend you can ask to practise English with you. Fourthly, you can spare about 30 minutes every day to practise English for about 4 months. Fifthly, you own a simple Indonesia-English or English-Indonesian dictionary. Sixthly, you are willing to do some assignments which I suggest in the other parts of this blog.

Basic Principles

The basic principle of these all exercises is repetition and internalisation of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, idiomatic expressions, and opinions. Slowly but surely you will be familiarised with planting all those things in your mental and memory.. in such a way that all those things will be yours... recorded in your mind and can be called out anytime you need them. Yes... the goal of our technique is you can express your ideas and opinions spontaneously, fluently and correctly. All those things can be achieved if you are willing to repeat the various exercises and plant them in you mind and heart. Repetition and internalisation are two keywords for your study success.

To be continued >>>

ELEVEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY ENGLISH AT INDEPENDENT ENGLISH COURSE

There are 11 reasons why you should study English at Independent English Course Bogor

(Ada 11 alasan mengapa Anda seharusnya belajar bahasa Inggris di Independent English Course):

1. Licensed Course. Independent is a recognised English course with formal license Surat Keputusan Kepala Dinas Pendidikan Kota Bogor No. 425/289-Disdik 2008. With the license, Independent’s existence is recognised and guided by Dinas Pendidikan.

(Independent adalah sebuah lembaga kursus bahasa Inggris yang resmi/legal atau memiliki izin dari Dinas Pendidikan Kota Bogor, yaitu dengan Surat Keputusan Kepala Dinas Pendidikan Kota Bogor No. 425/289-Disdik 2008. Keberadaannya diakui dan dibina secara formal oleh Dinas Pendidikan.)

2. Professionalism. Independent has got professional teachers and staff. Although it is still new, Independent has been trusted to teach some professionals, entrepreneurs, employees, school teachers, school students and college students.

(Independent memiliki tenaga pengajar/guru dan staf profesional. Meskipun lembaga ini masih baru, Independent telah dipercaya mengajar para profesional, wirausahawan, karyawan, guru, siswa sekolah dasar dan siswa sekolah menengah dan mahasiswa.)

3. Strategic Location. Independent is located in a strategic spot, which is accessible by public transport Angkot No. 12 – Pasar Anyar-Taman Cimanggu.

(Independent terletak di tempat yang cukup strategis dan mudah dijangkau kendaraan umum Angkot No. 12 – Pasar Anyar-Taman Cimanggu.)

4. Affordable Course Fee. The course fee for Regular Programme is only Rp 97.000/month. The course fee for private classes vary between Rp 75.000 and Rp 150.000/session, depending on where the lessons are held and which level the student(s) is/are.

(Biaya kursus untuk program reguler hanya Rp 97.000/bulan. Biaya kursus privat juga sangat murah, hanya antara Rp 75.000 s.d. 150.000/pertemuan, tergantung di mana kelas privat diadakan dan di level mana.)

5. Spectacular Member-Get-Member Programme.

(Ada program Member-Get-Member yang unik dan dahsyat.)

6. Award Programme. A student who pays the course fee on time, which is on 1st -10th of the month, will get a prize coupon. The coupon will be drawn out in a certain month. The winner will get special prize such books, utensils, DVD player or handphone.

(Program hadiah: siswa yang membayar uang kursusnya tepat waktu, yaitu pada tanggal 1-10 dalam bulan berjalan akan mendapatkan satu kupon undian yang akan diundi pada bulan tertentu. Pemenang undian akan mendapatkan hadiah khusus, misalnya buku-buku, alat tulis, DVD player atau Handphone.)

7. Discount. A 10% discount will be given to students who pay in advance all the course fee for 1 level.

(Diskon 10% diberikan kepada siswa yang membayar uang kursus di muka untuk 1 level/1 paket.)

8. Free Extra Courses. The first 15 students who register in July and August 2008 are given a free extra course in Sundanese (for SD/Elementary School students) and in French – Cours de Francais pour debutants (for SMP/SMA/High School Students) for 1 level. The programme runs from August to November 2008.

(Kursus ekstra gratis: bagi 15 pendaftar pertama kursus dari Sekolah Dasar dan yang sederajad yang mengalami kesulitan dalam pelajaran bahasa Sunda disediakan Bimbingan Belajar pelajaran bahasa Sunda selama 1 level. Bagi 15 pendaftar pertama dari Sekolah Menengah dan yang sederajad disediakan Kursus Gratis bahasa Prancis tingkat dasar selama 1 level. Program ini berlangsung dalam bulan Agustus-November 2008.)

9. Registration Discount. A 50% discount for the registration fee before 31 August 2008.

(Diskon biaya pendaftaran sebesar 50% bagi pendaftaran sebelum 31 August 2008.)

10. MBG Programme. A 100% Money Back Guarantee for students who feel that they do not make any progress at all or feel that they do not get anything from their study at Independent. This programme is valid for 1 month after the students start their course.

(Jaminan Uang Kembali 100% bagi para siswa yang merasa tidak membuat kemajuan apa pun atau tidak mendapatkan apa-apa selama belajar di Independent. Money Back Guaratee ini berlaku selama 1 bulan sejak siswa duduk di kelasnya.)

11. Extra Activities. There are some activities at Independent such as Conversation Club, Wall Magazine, Blogger Club, Competitions and Contests (colouring, drawing, drama, singing, etc.)

(Kegiatan di luar kursus. Ada kegiatan Conversation Club, Wall Magazine, Bloggers’ Club, Competitions and Contests seperti colouring, drawing, drama, singing, etc.)

(Merdeka)

NEW CLASSES TO OPEN IN AUGUST 2008

INDEPENDENT English Course is going to open new classes in August 2008. Classes are to start on Monday, 4 August 2008. Until the end of July 2008 registration is open for public. Children, teenagers and some adults have decided to join. Most of them take regular programmes. New students keep coming for registration.

The registration fee is Rp 100.000, but there is a 50% discount until 31 July 2008. The course fee is only Rp 97.000/month, much cheaper than any other courses' fee.

For students of SMP and MTs, and SMA/SMK/MA, INDEPENDENT gives a free French course for 1 level. For students of SD/MI, INDEPENDENT gives "Bimbel" on the Sundanese language lessons for 1 level. Meanwhile, there is always spectacular bonus for students who take part in MGM programme and for those who pay the course fee regularly.

Studying English at INDEPENDENT is definitely different from studying the language at other course centres. We have friendly athmosphere when everyone is known and respected.

Welcome to INDEPENDENT English Course at Jl. Raya Taman Cimanggu No. 50 RT 03/RW 01, Kel. Kedung Waringin, Kec. Tanah Sareal, Bogor 16163. For further information, contact Miss Irma at 2298154 or write email to independent.ec@gmail.com.

(Merdeka!)

WINNERS OF THE COLOURING AND DRAWING COMPETITIONS

This is the list of the Winners of the Colouring and Drawing Competitions held on Saturday, 12 July 2008 at Independent English Course Bogor.

COLOURING COMPETITION for Kindergarten and First Graders of Elementary Schools:

First Winner: Anisa Aprilia; Second Winner: Heinneken; Third Winner: Zsa Zsa.

DRAWING COMPETITION for Elementary School Students:

First Winner: Shofiyah Salsabila; Second Winner: Miranda D. Seimahuira; Third Winner: Anisa Dayu.

All winners got a trophy, a certificate, a voucher and a souvenir.

COLOURING AND DRAWING COMPETITIONS

On Saturday, 12 July 2008, from 9.00 to 12.00, Independent English Course Bogor organised a Colouring Competition for kindergarten pupils and the first grade students of elementary schools and a Drawing Competition for the second-the sixth grade students of elementary schools. There were tens of participants joining the competitions. The theme of the competition was "Save the Environment". It was not surprising that the pictures the participants coloured and drawn contained figures of trees, grass, animals, houses, etc. Unfortunately some participants failed to show up as some of them were sick, or were still out of town, or had to go to their respective schools in the morning. The winners of the competitions were given a trophy, certificate, a free course fee voucher and a souvenir. Some parents attended the competitions to give supports to their sons and daughters. The steering committee hoped that the activity would stimulate students and all participants to be more creative. All attending the event agreed that the competition was really fun. We hope that these activities will be continued in the future. Congratulations to all winners. Thanks to all participants and every one who got involved in Independent's first activity.