eTwinning Quality Label

We've just got great news ! Our school, I.E.S. Infanta Elena, have just been awarded the Quality Label for our etwinning project Twinny's Journey

Twinny in Galapagar

Twinny in Galapagar
Filmed and edited by the student David Cervantes (E3D) davidcervantes

Saying Goodbye

Our friend Twinny has only spent five days at our school in Galapagar but it has been a really intensive and enjoyable experience for all of us. Yesterday we all kissed him goodbye and gave him as a present a flight ticket to Italy. His leg still hurts and we want him to get there safe and sound.

We are looking forward to hearing from him soon.

Twinny's friends at I.E.S. Infanta Elena

Students' Exchange

Hello! We are going to tell you about an exchange that we´re doing with Italy.

The Italian students arrived here last Sunday and we have visited many places with them. We have seen museums, castles, palaces… But late in the evenings we have gone out to have something to eat in different restaurants and we have shown some party places to the Italian students.

It's a pity that Twinny couldn't come with us. He was so busy!

In a month’s time, we are going to Italy and we will do the same. Apart from going sightseeing and visiting different places, a pupils’ exchange is a great opportunity to meet new people and get to know their customs. We recommend it to you. It is very funny.
Bye. XXX

Inés & Antonella (E4D)

School Championships

When Twinny arrived in IES Infanta Elena he looked for our chess team, because he likes witty games, especially chess. As you know gnomes are very intelligent, and they think chess is good to develop our mind.
At our school there are chess lessons in the afternoons. They are part of the Project “Campeonatos Escolares”, which promotes sport in the Community of Madrid. The pupils can enroll in a full list of sports.
On Tuesdays we improve our chess techniques in a small class with chessboards and a chess instructor called “Ignacio”. On Thursdays we go to the computers room and play online against pupils from other schools in Madrid.
It is very amusing because we learn chess among friends. If you like chess you can play it using the same software as us. It is called “Chessbase or Playchess”, depending on the version, it’s free and you can download it from
http://www.chessbase.com/download/cblight2007/index.asp.

And remember, you can become a new chess master!

David E3D

Hi! In this picture I'm doing taekwondo. For me it is the best sport I can do at our school in the afternoons. I had never done this before but now I like it very much.

Jon Ander (E1B)

Hi! My name is Celia and I like doing sport. In the picture I am playing volley. I want to learn how to play it very well.

Hello! My favourtie sport is volleyball and I love taking part in school competitions.

Maricarmen E1ºB

My name is Patricia. I'm a last year student and the volleyball team coach at our school. I have been training younger students for two years now and I really enjoy it. In the picture above I am with my players after a training session. We hope to win the schools' league this year. Up to now we have played four matches and we have won three of them.

Getting a Taste of Spain

At the Baker's

In Galapagar there are small supermarkets and big ones too, but we wanted Twinny to get a taste of our most traditional food, so we took him to some small shops.

At the baker's he saw the different types of daily fresh bread, buns, pies, cakes and pastry we like eating.

Paloma and Coral

Getting a Taste of Spain

At the Butcher's

When we got to the butcher's he was slicing 'jamón', a delicious type of cured ham from an Iberian breed of dark-skinned pork.

There was a great variety of meat: pork, beef, lamb, chicken and all sorts of sausages and salami.

David, Pedro, Paloma and Coral

P.S. You can watch a video about Iberian 'jamón' at http://www.aquisabemosvivir.com/

Getting a Taste of Spain

At the fishmonger's

At the local market we visited the fishmonger's. Twinny was astonished to see so much fresh fish and shelfish.

Can you see the mussels, shrimps, squid, octopus, sole fish, swordfish, hake, cod, salmon....etc.?

Sara and Marta

Getting a Taste of Spain

At the Greengrocer's

And finally we went to the greengrocer’s, where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables as well as dried peas and beans. How many can you name?

Seasoned with olive oil these are some of the ingredients for our Mediterranean diet.

Marta and Noelia

Getting a Taste of Spain

Takeaway restaurants

Here our classmates are showing Twinny a typical roast chicken takeaway where you can also get chips, fried green peppers, Spanish omelette, meat fingers...etc.

There are many bars and restaurants in Galapagar and some of them also serve international food such as pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, kebab or Chinese spring rolls!

In Spain it is very common to go to a bar before lunch and have some 'tapas' with a glass of wine or beer. 'Tapas' are small portions of cured ham, cheese, shellfish, omelette or other meals.

Erika, Rocío and Marta (E3D)

Our Lifestyle (2)

When we showed Twinny around our Galapagar, he especially liked this small house that looks like half a house!

Twinny was at the railway station too. Many people work in Madrid and commute every day by train, bus or car.

We didn't use to have roundabouts but a few years ago someone decided to import them from England and now we have lots of them!

Pedro, David, Laura and Paula

Our Lifestyle

Galapagar is about 40 kilometers away from Madrid. Not many years ago it was a small rural village with little houses made of stone.

Nowadays it is getting bigger and bigger and you can see houses of all types: blocks of flats, row houses. semi-detached, detached houses and even villas.

It is usual for some houses and communities to have a swimming pool and sport facilities such as a basketball and/ or a tennis court.

E3D Group work

Our Lifestyle. Bullfighting

Bullfighting is an old tradition that has always been very popular in Galapagar. Many people, old and young, enjoy watching the ‘corridas’ which take place during the local festivities in September. There is a reason for that. The most famous breed of bullfighting bulls are raised here by Victoriano and his nephew, José Tomás, is considered the best bullfighter in Spain nowadays. Not everybody likes bullfighting, but many people appreciate it as an art which demands a lot of courage and training at a bullfighting school.
Here Pedro and David are in front of Jose Tomás’ ‘peña’. He has got many fans and they meet at this club regularly.

Dany and María E3D

Our Environment

Galapagar is very close to a mountain range known as Sierra de Guadarrama.

Yesterday afternoon we went on a short trip with Twinny to show him some interesting views on the outskirts of our town: residential areas, a rural landscape of beautiful meadows and pasture land dotted with very old holm oak trees, cows and bulls grazing in the fields, typical stone walls and astonishing granite rock formations.

Here Twinny is admiring a typical landmark in Galapagar : the famous 'Canto del Peso'

David, Pedro, Laura & Paula

Our Environment (2)

We also visited a very little chapel where the villagers walk in procession. Then we took Twinny to a small lake where he met some ducks, sat down on the remains of a Roman road and went to the top of a very old and unique Roman bridge over the river Guadarrama.

We all had a very good time together

David, Pedro, Laura and Paula (E3D)