LanguesVivantes.com
Program Overview:
- Courses in Dutch, French or English in Bruges, Belgium
- Courses available during the Easter and summer holidays
- Accommodation in residences in single rooms with full board
- Activities and courses 7 days a week
- Duration: 1 week (7 full days) and up
Residential Language Courses in Bruges: Dutch, French or English
Belgium, one of the founding members of the European Union and home to its most important institutions, straddles the border between Germanic and Latin cultures. This cultural exchange between the Dutch speaking Flanders to the north and the Francophone Wallonia to the south makes this a dynamic and stimulating environment. Indeed, residents of what is today Belgium are major contributors to our global cultural heritage, having produced such great artists as Bruegel or Renée Magritte.Bruges is a beautifully preserved medieval trading city built over a network of narrow canals and waterways. Our school is right in the middle of the old town, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and just a 5 minutes walk from the famous medieval belfry and market square. Often referred to as “the Venice of the North“, this inspiring backdrop offers the perfect environment for youths to improve their Language skills while still making the most of their their holidays.
The School
We have been hosting holiday language courses for youths for many years, and have developed an excellent and comfortable infrastructure. Our classrooms are equipped with the latest didactic equipment for our courses and we have access to the highest quality sports and recreation facilities for our extra-curricular activities. Our motivated, experienced, and professional staff give students the perfect opportunities to improve their language skills in the heart of Europe. For our courses in French and Dutch, we welcome students at all proficiency levels, from absolute beginners to very advanced speakers. For our English classes, we accept beginner to low intermediate level students. We strongly recommend that students aged 15 and over or students with advanced English knowledge concider our English classes in England.Our focus on fostering a comfortable environment allows students to acquire the reflexes and nonchalance necessary to communicate in a foreign language. In addition to the courses and sporting activities, the student's cultural education is completed with excursions and other activities that allow the student to experience their beautiful surroundings. All activities are, naturally, conducted in the student's target language.
Courses
We offer 3 programs in our catalogue:-
Language and Culture
The most academically intensive of our offerings, this course consists of 5 language lessons per day, 6 days per week, principally oriented toward conversation, followed by excursions in Bruges and its surrounding region. This program is designed both for students who wish enrich their linguistic and cultural knowledge and for students who have encountered scholastic difficulties that they need to address. Naturally, this program does not neglect extra-curricular activities, including sports.
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Language and Sports: Tennis, Horsemanship or Omnisports
This course consists of 4 language lessons each day, complemented with 12 hours a week of sport in the discipline of the student's choice. Sport sessions are taught by professional coaches at a well-reputed sporting facility and are, of course, conducted entirely in the student's target language. Facilities are top-notch and include both covered and outdoor tennis courts and a riding school with two indoor tracks and over a hundred horses.
The omnisport program is a mix between tennis, field hockey, kayaking, basketball, table tennis, squash, soccer, and many others. The exact schedule will be determined by the weather and the desires of the participants.
The sports program is complemented with excursions into Bruges and the surrounding region.
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Combined Courses
Students wishing to spend more than one week working on their language skills but who want to vary their program a bit may combine the courses listed above in consecutive one week blocks. For example, a student can take 1 week of English and Excursions followed by a week of English and Sports, or a week of Tennis followed by a week of Omnisports.
Furthermore, students can create combined courses that target more than one language. For example, students can take 2 weeks of Dutch followed by 1 week of French.
Accommodation
Accommodation is in a large college in the old town of Bruges, near all of the historic monuments and a short walk from classes and sporting facilities. Each student has a single room with a washbasin, although there are a limited number of double rooms available on request for two friends who would like to room together. The college provides full pension, that is, three healthy meals per day.Families who are on vacation or who have relatives in the immediate proximity of Bruges can opt for a non-residential plan. In this option, we will provide classes and activities from 9:00 AM 5:00 PM, daily, including a mid-day meal. Families are required to provide the student with lodging, morning and evening meals, and transportation to the school each day. Please see price table for reduced fees for this option.
Course Costs
Includes all taxes & enrollment fees
| Fees 2009 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Price per week* | |||||
| Language & Excursions | 395 € | |||||
| Language & Omnisports | 415 € | |||||
| Language & Tennis | 430 € | |||||
| Language & Horsemanship | 465 € | |||||
| Reductions and Rebates | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non residential programme | 150 € | |||||
| Family price reduction | 15 € | |||||
| Price reduction 2nd week | 10 € | |||||
Including courses, room and board as described
Fees
Course Fees: The complete fee structure for this program is laid out in the table to the right. Fees include:- A single room and full board
- Placement testing on arrival
- All language and sports courses and activities and excursions, including transportation and entrance fees
- The syllabus
- 24 hour adult supervision
- Use of sports facilities in accordance with reserved options
- Evening activities
- Accident insurance
- CD ROM of pictures of the experience and a copy of the student newspaper
- Price reduction for 2 weeks stays, to be deducted from total amount (can be combined with a family price reduction)
- Family price reduction: from the second enrolment from the same family, to be deducted from total amount (can be combined with the 2 weeks stay price reduction)
Dates
Courses are available on the following dates:-
Easter 2009
Date Language* Culture Omnisp. Tennis Horse-riding 5/04 - 11/04 N, F & E X X X - 12/04 - 18/04 N, F & E X X X - -
Summer 2009
Date Language* Culture Omnisp. Tennis Horse-riding Exame preparation
(Dutch only)05/07-11/07† N, F & E X X X X - 12/07-18/7† N, F & E X X X - - 19/07-25/7† N, F & E X X X X - 26/07-1/8 N, F & E X X X - - 2/8-8/8 N, F & E X X X X - 9/8-15/8†† N, F & E X X X - X 16/8-22/8†† N & F X X X X X
- * : N = Dutch, E = English, F = French
- † : These dates are available for students as young as 8 or 9.
- †† : These dates are also available for youths aged 17 to 19.
Practical information
- Participant groupings: age grouped by age 10 to 12, 13 to 15 and 16/ 17 years.
- The programs are from Sunday to Saturday (7 days and 6 nights)
- Arrival is on Sunday between 3:30 and 4:00 pm, departure on Saturday between 10:00 and 11:00 am.
- Students will receive a placement test on arrival on Sunday to allow them to begin classes immediately Monday morning.
- The programs are available during summer and Easter holidays.
- Accommodation and board on weekends are included for stays of more than one week
