FRENCH

Bonjour à tous,

J’espère que vous allez bien. Aujourd’hui (today), we have reached the South of France and we are visiting a region called Occitanie.

Occitanie is the third largest region (13.2% of the total surface area of France), which makes it larger than Ireland or larger than the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg all put together. 

This is a land of stark contrasts; whether it's the canal du Midi making its shady journey from Toulouse (nicknamed the ‘Pink city’) along the sun-drenched Languedoc plain to the Mediterranean Sea, the towering majesty of the Pyrénées mountains or the wild beauty of the Cévennes, the landscape, climate and atmosphere are never the same from place to place. Diverse too is the tourist situation: Carcassonne, the Pont du Gard and Lourdes pull in the crowds and are among the most-visited sites in Europe. Elsewhere, you will come across many majestic Cathar castles and charming medieval fortified towns and villages, where traditional agricultural practices and folk traditions are maintained by the locals.

Festivals, markets full of colours and flavours and famous gastronomic specialities like aligot, Roquefort, cassoulet, Corbières wine, Blanquette de Limoux and Cévennes honey, make it a wonderful place to enjoy good food and drink in a friendly atmosphere.

This magnificent region is full of impressive architectural and cultural heritage. Examples include Carcassonne and its imposing fortifications, Millau and its famous viaduct, Cordes-sur-Ciel and its Gothic houses, Foix and its medieval castle, Lourdes and its sanctuaries, Nîmes and its Roman ruins, and Toulouse and its Renaissance mansions.

Here is a short video of Midi-Pyrénées, which is part of Occitanie…

At Weeden,

• in the Junior School:

Last week, the Preps were assessed on colours. The Year 1 students were assessed on spelling numbers 1 to 10 and counting to 20  and they are now starting a new topic: various ways to say 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' in French, depending on the time of the day and who they are talking to. In Year 2, the focus of this Term will be to count to 100.

• in the Middle School:

In Year 3, we have started a new topic (‘in my town’) and learnt a new grammar rule (how to translate ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘some’, depending on the gender of the noun). In Year 4, we are revising the names of fruits and vegetables and learning how to express an opinion, such as 'I like' (j'aime), I love' (j'adore), 'I don't like' (je n'aime pas), 'I like a little' (j'aime un peu), 'I like a lot' (j'aime beaucoup).

• in the Senior School:

In Year 4/5, the students are practicing the song that they will perform on the opening night in a few weeks. Lynn and Vincent have learnt how to play the song on their instruments (violin and Cello) – it’s fantastic!

In Year 5/6, this Term’s focus will be on food and we are starting with breakfast food.

Today, the French song is "Christine' , by popular French band ‘Christine and the Queens’:

Have a lovely weekend!

A bientôt,

Delphine