La vie francaise

Adventure to New Caledonia

A group of twelve students (mostly from Year 9) went on a French language trip to New Caledonia during the first week of the holidays. They stayed with host families, attended French language classes in the morning and had activities and excursions in the afternoons. Students have developed a lot of confidence in their ability to speak French. By the end of the week, for example, they were able to order their meals in French.

In their host families, students used French and gained an insight on everyday life in a French family.

Beyond the language, students have discovered the culture and history of the island. The language school was located in the old penal colony where France deported prisoners in the mid 1800. A visit at the Tjibaou cultural centre introduced students to the culture of the Kanak people: the original inhabitants of New Caledonia.

One of the highlights of the trip was the day spent on Amédée lighthouse island. Snorkelling around the corals, students swam with turtles, all sorts of fish and even sea snakes and small reef sharks.

Au revoir to our exchange students

The six French exchange students from the Centre International de Valbonne (CIV) have left during the holidays. They have really enjoyed their stay at Northcote High School, they have felt warmly welcomed by our school community and were very grateful for the care provided by their host families. Here are some of their reflections on their experience:

Emile Butzbach

“My stay at NHS lasted three weeks. My exchange students, Patrick Butler and Nicholas Obst, were like the school very sympathetic. I really enjoyed the classes and the students. I am happy that I have experienced this exchange to Australia.”

Tabea Thümmler-Kaiser

“Hi, I am Tabea and I participate in the exchange program between France and Australia. I had a very good time in Australia. Clare’s family, my hosting family, is very nice and very friendly. She showed me many places in and around Melbourne. Melbourne is a city I love and I hope I can come back to Australia one day. During the time I was in Melbourne, I also went to Northcote High School and I had a chance to discover an Australian school, which is very different from French schools. I also met a lot of different people and I can say that Australians are really friendly. I had a very good time in this wonderful country called Australia. I thank Northcote High School, the teachers, especially Mr Hubert and Mrs Fox, all the students, and of course Clare’s family and Macsen’s family.”

Karl Müller

“My three weeks at NHS were a very good experience for me. I learned a new organisation at school in this Australian school and it is very different to our organisation in France. I very liked the school because the students have shorter days but I would not like wearing a uniform.”

Carla Guillou

“Hi, my name is Carla. In the last three weeks I have been staying with an Australian family, the Walsh. With them, I have seen Melbourne and Sydney. Australian people are really nice. I have met some fantastic people. I hope I can go back to this beautiful country.”

Pierrick Hubert

French language teacher