2005 School Magazine

International Studies

International Studies

On visit in Germany

Visiting Saintes in France. April 2005.

International Affiliate School Programme

Claire is a former student of our French Affiliate School. She and her Brisbane Girls Grammar School host family have continued their relationship since her first visit in 1998. This year she worked as a Language Tutor for several months in the French Department while on visit.

The Affiliate School Programme plays an ongoing role in the International Studies Faculty and indeed in the life of the School. Our visitors this year came from all our Affiliate Schools in France, Germany, Japan and China. Families from across the School community become involved in hosting students during the academic year and visiting students spend time in classes as well as on excursion. For our students who travel to our Affiliate Schools or host visiting students, the experience often becomes one of an ongoing relationship beyond the time of the visits between schools. There are examples in the School community where this relationship has extended to the families in each country and a friendship has developed where homes and ways of life are opened up and shared, underlining the value and sometimes unexpected dimensions of these personal cultural contacts through our International Affiliate Schools Programme. Mrs L Thornquist DIRECTOR

French Trip

Students from Shanghai No 3 Girls High School in China with some of their Girls Grammar host sisters. August 2005.

During the Easter holidays, a group of twelve senior Grammar girls ventured halfway across the world à la France. We were accompanied by Madame Parkinson and Mrs Bryant. We had our first French speaking experience when we arrived in Singapore and chatted excitedly to a group of elderly Parisiens who were returning to France after a holiday. We listened intently to accounts of French culture, cuisine and, in particular, Angoulême – a pretty little town in the south of France where we were to spend the majority of our stay with host families. Experiencing the culture first hand, we participated in French family life and attended the school of Lycée Saint-Paul. We explored many historical towns and villages in surrounding areas and thoroughly enjoyed discovering local châteaux, landmarks and monuments in places such as Saintes, La Rochelle and Brantôme. We relished mingling with the locals around the town markets and tasting locally made cheeses and foie gras. We visited a World Heritage listed church in Périgueux and the Abbey of Bassac, constructed in 1000. The pièce de résistance of our trip was a three-

Our trip to France was an incredible experience which we will all remember forever! Our host sisters and brothers and their families became our friends. Our time there was invaluable in improving our understanding of the French language and providing us with a deeper knowledge of the culture, and lifestyle, as well as enabling us to sample the flavoursome delicacies of authentic French cuisine in an exciting French atmosphere. Rebecca Ellis (12M) & Melanie Blenkin (12O)

Students from Mie High School in Japan studying in special English classes with Mrs Lazar.

night stop over in Paris. We immersed ourselves in the famous works of art at the Musée D’Orsay and the Louvre. We cruised down the River Seine and visited Sacré Coeur, l’Arc de Triomphe and la Tour Eiffel. We particularly enjoyed indulging in refreshments in a café on the Champs Elysées.

Students from our Affiliate School, Lycée Saint-Paul in France, with their host sisters. An ongoing exchange between the girls.

Our students at Lycée Saint-Paul in France. April 2005.

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Brisbane Girls Grammar School

School Magazine 2005