After spending two days in French language classes at École Le Chateau, students who participated in the French study tour began their journey home via Paris.
The classes, run by native French teachers, focused on conversational practice, increasing students’ confidence and fluency to use French in real settings around France and, now, during their French classes at Clarendon.
“During our time in Nice and Paris, we participated in French immersion classes and a speaking session that allowed us to expand upon our vocabulary and learn some necessary insights into French culture and language,” said Year 11 student, Jez Baker-Radford. “Along the way, we visited famous landmarks such as the Louvre, discovered ancient relics and paintings like the Mona Lisa and enjoyed the amazing view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.”
Looking back on their time overseas, particular highlights included ascending La Tour Eiffel, having dinner at a French family’s home, visiting Sacre Coeur and seeing a theatre show performed in French. Additionally, students visited monuments close to Paris, including the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, the Chateau de Versailles and Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny.
“The Term 2 holidays hold memories of the school that I will remember forever,” said Year 11 student, Elkie Dent. “I learned so much about French history and completing the French conversational classes allowed me to build my confidence in speaking French. I am grateful I was able to experience the study tour and feel fortunate to have learned as much as I did in a short period of 12 days.”
For Year 11 student, Sarah Rylands, speaking French with locals and fully immersing herself in both the French culture and language was an invaluable experience.
“Having the opportunity to interact with locals and even share dinner inside a family’s home will forever be some of my most cherished memories,” said Sarah. “The time spent bonding with my peers has left me with some incredible “frenchships” that I will have for life. Although we were ‘loud Aussies’ at times, the trip was a fantastic opportunity to test out and show off our language skills, leading to many long nights filled with laughter and special recollections of our time in France.”
We are proud of all our students for what they achieved over the holiday break, whether that be experiencing a 2023 study tour, travelling interstate to compete in their desired sport or performing on stage in a local musical or production. Students at Clarendon see the merit in every learning opportunity and continue to push themselves outside of their comfort zones to gain valuable life experiences. For our students studying French, their study tour experience is one they’ll never forget.
