FRENCH

French Day 2023

Bonjour tout le monde!

This year’s French Day was a wonderful day of learning, creativity and fun! The 2023 theme centred around ‘Les Magasins’ (French shops) with our year 6 students organising, planning and running the day. They did an incroyable job and should all feel very proud of themselves. 

Throughout the term, all classes spent time learning vocabulary and conversations around how to shop. They learnt shopping etiquette in France, names for different shops, French food words and what to say to order their chosen food items. The Year 6s spent the term studying a shop type, learning what produce their shop sells and how to serve customers. They then created activities themed to their shops that were age-appropriate to the year level they would be teaching on the day. Students prepared resources for these activities and then made play food for their shop-fronts. A grand merci to Kevin for his help in making the amazing French market stalls!   

It was wonderful to see so many students dressed in a variety of creative French themed costumes. Thank you to parents and care-givers for your support in this. Some students also enjoyed a very special French Day lunch order of a croissant, drink and meringue and all students were treated to a très délicieux tricolore (three colour) French cookie baked by Naomi at the Canteen.

During our student-run assembly, a video was shown of some of the Year 4/5s interacting in language games and playing shops. The Year 2/3s used their Courage to share what they had learnt about shops over the term. A bon effort was made by all students who entered the annual French Day Competition, with this year’s entrants drawing a French shop-front of their choice. Félicitations to Mahli Green, Savannah Patterson and Hayley Shugg for being the overall winners on the day!

In the lunch break, Madame Mawson played a showing of the French cartoon ‘Babar’ in the Penney Space and students could also do French-themed colouring-in in the French Room. Throughout the day, students participated in a range of French themed activities, moving between classrooms and learning about different French shops. They were also encouraged to pretend play and take photos in the different market stalls.

In the Castle Unit, students learnt about boucheries (butchers), tasted bakery foods and drew bread at the boulangerie (bakery) and flipped crêpes and did a collage at the creperie (crêpe shop). The Small Classes made café-related craft, tasted French café foods and coloured and cut a puppet shopping scene.

Holly students examined a range of French supermarket foods at the supermarché and then played a shopping trolley game. They read the menu from the famous ‘Café de Flore’ in Paris and chose items they would buy if they were visiting the café in real life. Students also learnt some fruits et legumes (fruit and vegetables) names in French before drawing their own fruit bowls.

In Stillwell, students tasted pâtisserie foods and then designed their own cakes at the patisserie (pastry shop). At the crémerie, students enjoyed making and eating their very own crème glacée (ice-cream) and played a dairy smelling game.

Merci beaucoup to the teachers, SSOs and helpers who assisted throughout the day. A final merci to the Year 6 students who made the day possible. 

Madame Mawson