We are delighted to welcome seven students from our partner school, the Cours Fénelon in France this term. Having arrived during the July holidays our visitors have already enjoyed the essentials of Australian culture, including Phillip Island, the Sydney Harbour bridge, Mount Hotham, and lots of animals!  

Our exchange students are in Years 11 and 12 (Première and Terminale) and will be joining their exchange sisters in our regular classes. A particular novelty for the girls is wearing the St Catherine’s uniform and our signature blue ribbon.  

The girls’ stay represents the conclusion of a reciprocal experience following our students spending six weeks last December and January with Toulon families in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. We very much value this exchange partnership between our two schools and the opportunities for enhanced linguistic and cultural knowledge for our St Catherine’s students.  

Teaching the Year 11 French class I am enjoying hearing the excellent English of our three Cours Fénelon visitors. This week we have been talking about healthy eating (la Pyramide Alimentaire) and well as discussing the differences between English and French in the use of the passive form. This is incredibly enriched learning for our St Catherine’s students learning French.

Interested in exchange? This December I will again travel to the South of France to the Cours Fénelon with Years 10 and 11 students who are keen to build their skills in the French language. Our information evening was held in May and further information can be found on mystcatherines under Co-Curricular Activities Global Programs or contact me directly at apianezze@stcatherines.net.au