French news

Year 10

My Year 10 students have been working on the topic of Paris, and Paris is often associated with fashion and perfume.

So, my Year 10 French students had the opportunity to interview French native speaker Aurélie (Lily) Marquié and to understand the complex process of making a perfume. Trained in Grasse, on the French riviera, known as ‘la capitale du parfum’, Lily has been able to work with famous perfume makers such as Fragonard and Gallimard to name only a few.

Lily explained how she creates perfume with only organic ingredients and what are the different notes as perfume has notes like music.

These notes are divided into three categories: top notes (la note de tête). Very fresh, this is the initial scent that you perceive right after application and it lasts for ten minutes), middle notes (la note de coeur) which is the heart of the fragrance and develops after the top notes fade and last for a couple of hours , then base notes (la note de fond), the perfume lasting aroma that lingers for hours and what stays at the end of the day.

Students discovered that Lily sings opera too among other skills.

YEAR 10 FRENCH EXCURSION TO BISTRO GUILLAUME

On the 13th of March, Year 10 French students enjoyed crème brûlée and profiteroles at Bistro Guillaume and had the fantastic opportunity to interview one of the most acclaimed Chefs in Australia, Guillaume Brahimi…in French

As students have been working on the topic of Paris, they were excited to hear about Guillaume’s thoughts and recommendations. Guillaume is a born and bred Parisian and loves the capital of France. Paris est unique, Paris est magique’ he said but he also loves living in Australia, what he considers a privilege.

Among the many recommendations he gave to the students, he said be humble (as he is still learning every day), and be generous (no Chef is selfish as you must be generous to work in Hospitality). He also told them that excellence is not being a perfectionist but being positive all the time.

He discussed food, best restaurants in Paris, soccer and rugby.

Students were able to practice their Listening & Speaking skills in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere.

YEAR 9

BY Angelica CREDDO

DECORATING A BERET WITH A MILLINER

The Milliner incursion was so much fun, and it certainly enriched my learning about the French culture. In particular, she not only showed us multiple gorgeous designs of her own hand made berets, but she also gave us a chance to try them on, feeling the texture of the fabric and touching all the fascinating details on top such as the colourful and vibrant feathers, flowers, buttons and bows. 

My favourite part of the incursion was making my own Béret and having fun comparing ideas with the class during the process. The milliner was so kind and helped us by giving tips on how to design our own hats and what colours look good and are considered fashionable in France. In fact, I can say that after our milliner incursion I now feel more interested in the European style of hats!!