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France Trip 2017

Our planning for this exciting trip during the last week of term 3 and the September school holidays next year is really starting to take shape.

After discussions with Clonard College, we have decided to combine forces! By doing this, we hope to increase the number of students wishing to participate, making the trip more viable and less costly!

We have decided to combine the best of both schools’ itineraries and this has resulted in a varied and fascinating program.

The trip will last for 18 days and will include 5 days in Paris (The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles Palace, Sacré Coeur and Montmartre, the Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe, shopping and strolling through the beautiful streets). After our stay in the most visited city in the world, we will head for Mont St Michel, an island off the coast of Normandy with a mediaeval monastery that looks like it has come straight out of a fairytale. From there, we travel to a picturesque mediaeval walled city called Dinan and then on to Guingamp to spend a day with students and teachers from our informal sister school, walking along the beach and having fun at a small theme park dedicated to the Gauls, the inhabitants of France before the invasion by the Romans. This low-key day was a highlight for students who participated in the trip in 2014.

We will then travel to the Loire Valley to visit Chenonceau, arguably the most beautiful château in France, and Clos Lucé, the grand home of the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci during the last four years of his life. And then we will head for Lyon, which many people prefer to Paris because it has all of Paris’ charm without the hectic pace. It is here that students will stay with a French family for several days gaining many insights into everyday family life. During the day they will discover the beauty of this city, visit a kindergarten, visit local museums on themes such as the Lumière brothers (the inventors of cinematography), the silk industry, the Roman foundation of the city two thousand years ago and the deportation of Jews during WW2. Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France so there will be lots of delicious treats to try and a visit to the famous Halles Paul Bocuse!

On our return to Paris, we will spend a day at the famous French theme park Parc Astérix before heading to the airport the next day for our return to Australia.

The cost for this trip will be approximately $6,500, which includes all expenses except for spending money.

The trip will be open to all students who will be in Years 9-11 in 2017.

Mauritius and Reunion Island Trip

March/April 2017

It’s not too late to get on board!

Following on from the successful visit from our French sister school, Lycée Sarda Garriga, in March this year, the Languages Learning Area is now calling for expressions of interest from members of the school community who are keen to participate in our trip to Reunion and Mauritius. These two exotic French-speaking tropical islands are located just off the east coast of Africa.

Please submit the expression of interest form below to one of the French teachers as soon as possible!

The proposed dates of this 18-day trip are:

Sunday, March 26 – Wednesday, April 12, 2017.  The dates include the last week of term one and most of the term one holiday.

Cost: $3,900

Who can participate in this trip?

Students who will be in Year 9-12 in 2017 are eligible to join this trip. It is open not only to students of French, but also students who enjoy outdoor activities, in particular hiking and camping. Adult members of the school community are also welcome to participate.

What’s involved?

• Take part in a three-day visit to Mauritius Island in the Indian Ocean where you will explore the island during two day-long excursions;
• Visit attractions such as the tea plantation, the famous botanical gardens, the Sugar Museum, a local market and the monument erected in honour of Matthew Flinders who was held captive on the island for four years;
• Stay in a beach-side hotel in Mauritius for three nights;
• Spend thirteen days on Reunion Island during which time you will live with a host family, alone or with a friend;
• Sit in on some classes at our sister school and help the English teachers teach English to their students;
• Learn and practise French at your own level in many authentic contexts, especially with your host families and at school;
• Participate in an overnight hike in a picturesque landscape of waterfalls, tropical rainforest, peaks and gorges;
• Visit the key attractions of the island with MFG students, including the volcano, beaches, markets, the amazing valleys and mountains, the vanilla plantation and the rum distillery.

Please submit the expression of interest form to one of the French teachers as soon as possible if you are interested.