英会話スクール・英会話教室草津駅前校（滋賀県）のスクールブログ

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

今回は今月のキャンペーンをお伝えをいたします！

春のBIGキャンペーン！

大人コース特典
・レッスン料 5,000円オフ×3ヵ月
・日常会話のテキスト1冊プレゼント

Kidsコース特典
・レッスン料 3,000円オフ×3ヵ月
・テキスト1冊プレゼント

レッスン開始を4月や5月から始めたい方にも
3月内のご入会手続きで適用可能です！

John先生が岡山へ旅行に行ったときのお話を紹介いたします✨

A day trip to Okayama

Hello,
My name is John.
I like travelling.
Here is a story about a trip I took.
The morning was sunny and the platform quite busy as I stepped onto the train.
I was excited because I had never been to Okayama before.
The Shinkansen was clean, fast and, of course, on time.
When I arrived at Okayama station, I got off and walked along the main road to Korakuen gardens.
It took about twenty minutes by foot.
When I arrived, I paid the entrance fee and entered a different world, a shrunken world.
The trees are beautifully pruned and the grass cut to perfection.
The large pond has many Koi carp, red, orange, gold , yellow and black.
I found a spot to sit down and I had a picnic. It was delicious.
After visiting the garden I went to the castle which looms over Korakuen. It was nice but it is not an original castle…
I had a wonderful day in Okayama. I would love to return one day.

Do you like travelling?
Where is your favourite place to visit?
Please tell me about a day trip you went on.

続いてはMbali先生の自己紹介です！

Greetings!

Golden week is coming soon and this year I’m doing something extra special – I’m going to Okinawa! I’m really looking forward to this trip. Golden week is the perfect time for a change of scenery, and Okinawa feels like the ultimate escape. Beautiful blue ocean, white sandy beaches, warm sunshine – it’s exactly what I need.

One of the things I’m most excited about is slowing down and enjoying island time. I want to wake up without an alarm, take long walks by the beach, and just relax while listening to the sound of the waves. I’m also hoping to try lots of local Okinawan food. Fresh sea food, Okinawa soba, and maybe even some Blue Seal ice cream are definitely on my list! Of course I plan to explore too. I’d love to visit the Gyokusendo Cave, Cape Manzamo, and Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, among other places. I’d love to visit Shuri castle and Naminoue shrine to soak in the unique culture and history that make Okinawa so special.

Golden week always feels like a pause before life gets busy again, and spending it in Okinawa makes it more meaningful. I can’t wait to make new memories, feel the ocean breeze, and come back refreshed and inspired. What are your plans for Golden week?

I look forward to listening to your plans when you see me at NOVA!

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

本日はConnie先生とJoseph先生からのメッセージです♪

先にConnie先生からわかりやすい文法の説明です！

A Tiny English Mystery: “I have lived” vs “I lived”

Hello everyone!

Today we are going to solve a small English mystery

Why do we say:

I lived in Kyoto for 3 years.
But also:
I have lived in Kyoto for 3 years.

What is the difference??

Let’s make it simple.

Step 1: Is it finished?

I lived in Kyoto for 3 years.

This means:
* The action is finished.
* You don’t live there now.

Think: Closed box. Past. Finished.

Example:
– I lived in Osaka when I was a student.
(Now I live somewhere else.)

⸻

Step 2: Is it still continuing?

I have lived in Kyoto for 3 years.

This means:
* It started in the past.
* It is STILL true now.

Think: Open line → continues to now.

Example:
– I have lived in Kyoto for 3 years.
(I still live here!)

🎯 Easy Rule

If it continues now → have + past participle
If it is finished → past tense

That’s it. Really.

⸻

Let’s Try Together!

Which one is correct?

1️⃣ I ______ studied English for 10 years. (and I still study!)
2️⃣ I ______ studied English when I was in high school. (finished)

Answers:
1️⃣ have studied
2️⃣ studied

Did you get them right?
⸻

✨ Small grammar.
✨ Big difference.
✨ You are improving every day.

See you next time for another tiny English mystery!

続いてはJoseph先生から奈良へ遊びに行ったお話です！

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

本日はAndy先生からのメッセージです♪

🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴

Horsing Around!

There was a special event for kids at the Ritto school on 2/21 and we enjoyed making horse puppets to celebrate the Chinese New Year!

The Chinese New Year lasts from Feb. 17 to March 3 and this year it is the year of the horse!

Did you Know Ritto is somewhat famous for its JRA Horse Training Center? Maybe you’ve noticed the new horse images on the ground as you walk to the NOVA school from JR Ritto Station. The sticker for the Ritto NOVA school also features a horse!

I was born during the year of the horse and grew up around horses.  I learned to ride horses at a young age but haven’t ridden in many years.

People born during the year of the horse (1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026) are supposed to be independent, freedom-loving, hardworking and energetic.  I’m not sure if that’s true but it sounds nice!

What animal represents your birth year?  What do you associate with that animal?

I’m looking forward to chatting with you about this when you see me at NOVA!

Useful phrases:

• “What animal represents your birth year?”
• “I was born during the year of the (horse/tiger/monkey/snake/etc.)”
• “Horse around” = an idiom that means to play, do silly things

Kind regards,

Andy

🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

本日はLinda先生からのメッセージです♪

Greetings from our very kind Yamashina and Ishiyama instructor Linda!

Hi Everyone!!!

My name`s Linda!!! I’m from London in the U.K.

I grew up very close to many famous places in the city. London Bridge and Tower Bridge were both just a 15-minute walk from my family home, along with the Houses of Parliament, Waterloo, and the London Eye.

My hobbies change all the time—mostly depending on the weather. In general, I enjoy music, art, and cultural activities. I’ve played the saxophone since I was 11, I surf when it’s warm enough, and I also really enjoy sleeping… a lot.

Since arriving in Japan in September 2025, I’ve loved exploring this beautiful country. I’ve visited breath-taking places like Lake Biwa, Toji Temple, the Sky Garden in Tokyo, and even enjoyed fresh, sweet pineapple juice by the sea in Okinawa. My favourite foods in Japan are soba noodles and tempura tofu.

My favourite quote is “Peace, Love and Hair Grease.” It’s original… well, I actually stole it from my brother. He used to say it instead of goodbye—because goodbyes are hard.

An English tip for my students: it’s always better to try than not try at all. Make mistakes. It’s okay.

Take care & stay warm.

Regards,
Linda

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

本日はAndy先生からのメッセージです♪

Sticker Collections

Sticker collections are all the rage among elementary school students these days and it’s been fun to see what kinds of stickers the kids are collecting.  When I was a kid I had a small sticker collection too but it wasn’t anything like what these kids have.  The 3-d bubble stickers are really trendy.

Did you know that NOVA has stickers?   Each NOVA school has its own unique sticker and I have a small collection from different NOVA schools I’ve visited.

One of my students has visited almost every NOVA in Japan and almost has the whole collection! That’s a lot of stickers!

Do you collect anything? What was trendy to collect when you were a kid?

Let’s talk about it with your instructor next time you’re at NOVA!

If you see me, ask me about my stickers and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.  I might even be able to share one with you!

trend= (noun) something many people are doing

trendy= (adjective) popular right now

be “all the rage”= (idiom) very trendy, frequently talked about

Kind regards,

Andy

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

本日はKIDSの生徒様の大変お得なキャンペーンのご紹介です！

【ご入会者】

ご来校で：NOVAうさぎグッズプレゼント

ご入会で：①新年度レッスンテキストプレゼント

②オリジナルレッスンバッグ＆カードケースプレゼント

※入会月の入会キャンペーンも適用可能！！

 【ご紹介者】

ご家族ご友人のご来校で：NOVAうさぎグッズ プレゼント

ご家族ご友人のご入会で：①Amazon ギフト券（Email タイプ）2,000 円分

②新年度レッスンテキスト1冊プレゼント

■期間3月31日（火）まで

今年は豪華特典がたくさんあります★
英語を始めてみたいと思われている、

ご友人やご家族の方へお得に始められるキャンペーンをおしらせください♪♪

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

大人気キャラクターNOVAうさぎに加え、

新しいキャラクターが仲間入りします！

みなさまは投票されましたか？

これからは7体のNOVAうさぎファミリーと共に

NOVAをさらに盛り上げていきます📣

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+**+*++*+*+*+**+**+*+*+*+*++*+

Greetings from Nikayla!

Many overseas people are coming to Japan recently, have you ever wanted to try and speak to them in English?
It can be a bit challenging speaking to strangers, in Japan, we usually keep to ourselves but if we see someone we want to talk to, we should try making conversation.

Some common questions to ask include “Where are you from?”, “What brought you to Japan?” and “What Japanese food do you like?” These questions are simple and easy to remember.

Have you ever visited another country? Were you able to speak in English?

It’s always a good idea to step out of our comfort zone (so that we can grow).
I’ve been studying Japanese for about two years now, but I always get nervous when I have to speak in Japanese. Does this happen to you too?

What advice would you give someone who is trying to learn your language?

I think confidence comes from knowledge, so if I can learn more on sentence structure then it would be easier for me to communicate.

Let’s share our experiences in class next time!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+**+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

あっという間に2月ですね！

まだまだ寒い日が続きますので、暖かくお過ごしください🥺

今月入会される方対象のとてもお得なキャンペーンがやってきました！

期間：2026年2月1日（日）～2月28日（土）

入会特典
月会費12ヶ月間無料！
こども英会話「NOVAバイリンガルKIDS」の場合、さらに、「NOVAオリジナルレッスンバッグ」プレゼント！

体験レッスン・コース説明カウンセリングはご予約制となっております。
どうぞお気軽にご連絡くださいませ。

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

本日は大人のプレミアム紹介状のご紹介です🌟

<新規の方>

【ご来校特典】
NOVAうさぎ塩ラーメンプレゼント！

【ご入会特典】
①テキスト1冊
②カウンセリングレッスン1回
上記２点プレゼント！

<紹介者様（生徒様）>

【ご来校特典】
NOVAうさぎ塩ラーメンプレゼント

【ご入会特典】
①テキスト1冊
②5ポイント℗
上記２点プレゼント

期間：2026年3月31日まで

Andy先生からのメッセージです♪

Animal Kingdom Event Lesson

On January 24^th there was a special event kids’ lesson at the Ritto school. In the lesson we practiced “What’s your favorite animal?” and we talked about elephants, pandas, monkeys, giraffes, and lions.  It was a lot of fun!

“What’s your favorite animal?” is actually a really difficult question to answer.  Can you guess mine?

I grew up in the countryside and my family had horses, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, and even a goat. I also enjoyed catching wild snakes and lizards and had pet hamsters and fish in my room!

Sometimes I could see wild animals around my house like deer, moose, bald eagles, rattle snakes, coyotes, and racoons.  These are all pretty normal where I come from.

When visiting the zoo, I remember being so fascinated with the monkeys, gorillas, lions, elephants and other exotic animals because they were so different from our local animals.

Did you know that there are no wild monkeys in North America?  So for Americans, monkeys are considered an exotic animal.  “Exotic” often refers to things like food, plants or animals that are unusual and very fascinating because they come from a faraway foreign land.

The Kyoto Zoo, Adventure World and Kobe Animal Kingdom are a few great places to see exotic animals in Kansai.

Do you enjoy visiting zoos?  Do you have any pets?   What’s your favorite exotic animal?  Let’s talk next time we meet me at NOVA!

Hello Everyone🐰

NOVA草津校です♡

今年の目標はもうお決まりですか？

英会話が気になっているけど、不安に思われている方もたくさんいらっしゃると思います🥺

「自分にできるかな？」そんな不安を感じている方には、体験レッスンのごを行っておりますのでお気軽に校舎スタッフまでお問合せ下さい😊

キャンペーン期間
1月4日(日)から1月31日(土)までのご入会
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ご不明点等ございましたら
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