Trips and travels

Check out the Christmas party and  Summer school photos we uploaded! 

Les photos  sont maintenant publiées dans l'album photo dans la dossier correspondant. Les voici aussi ci -dessous avec des vues de Brighton et du HMS Victory entre autre!

Le voyage à Portsmouth et Brighton

Hello, here is some pictures of the trip in may for the "6eme" in Brighton:

Here find the video of the trip to Bath and Startford:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdKoHq83D6Q&feature=youtu.be

you can find  some pictures of the trip in the french version.

good trip under the sun shine

Hello everybody,

Well arrived at Portsmouth.

All is fine.

On the road to Stonehenge...

Blog day 3

Under a sunny sky we departed today for Windsor Castle, and enjoyed watching the DVD The Queen en route on the coach, a wonderfully topical film about Her Majesty. 

Upon arrival we strolled along the banks of the river Thames, and up the tradition filled street towards Eton College; we even spotted some young Etonians all in their uniforms... Could this be you one day?!!
Then, onto the Castle, where we were treated to some Beefeater Guards doing their marching and shouting thing, and got to speak to a Royal Warden who told us the Queen herself was in residence today.

Once inside we saw Queen Mary's Dolls' house, an amazing replica of an aristocratic home. The State Apartments are used regularly by the Royal Family and we were able to listen to fascinating accounts of each room, see headless Knights and admire the enormous portraits of various Kings and Queens, whose eyes followed us through the great halls and treasure chambers.

Once the guards let us go, we shopped till we dropped amid the quaint cobbled streets,  before finishing our great day back by the river and our coach. We are very proud to announce that several shopkeepers and Winsdor Castle Staff commented to us on how well behaved and polite our children were, and " what good English they speak!" 
They have even finished the Quizz, so we hope for a treat filled day for our last visit to Brighton tomorrow, and the wonderful Brighton Pavillion 

Rose Quigley

Well, what a difference a great night sleep makes! This morning everyone met and exchanged tales of British dinners, no shocks or surprises; then the children had fun ( yes, really!) in their English lessons, all appropriate for the different levels. Our bus driver was introduced  to M & S! We then enjoyed our picnics al fresco on the beautiful pebbly beach surrounded by the watchful eye of seagulls.
> Driving north a little, we arrived for our afternoon at Stanmer Country Park, the home of the first Earthship, not a space station, but an amazing Eco project which allowed us to learn how to all live sustainably and in harmony with nature. We tasted plants and learn how old tyres can make warm houses!
> Finally we had a nostalgic visit to Brighton Pier to sample the arcades and enjoy the evening sunshine with the wind in our hair!
> Windsor tomorrow .. To follow....

Rose

Windsor Castle

Thursday, the 10th

         Here is a photo of us all after our last lessons.We are about to leave for the museum and keeping our fingers crossed for a calm crossing.

Wednesday, the 9th

Monday the 7th, in the evening

     As you will no doubt have noticed in yesterdays photos , our students made friends on board the ferry so not all the children are ours, especially the young lady with the phone!

Day 1, Monday, May 27, 2013

 Start on time and in the right mood for entry under the sun in Saint-Malo.
Rapid passage on a glassy sea and landing in Jersey equally sunny.

Warm welcome by the team of St. Brelade's College and distribution of our students in the classroom for the first course.

Then lunch break on the terrace before joining the bowling for great games, followed by a big air on the beach in Saint-Ouen's Bay bowl.
 
Children stay in great shape despite the length of the day (1 hour time difference as well) and the accumulation of emotions.
 
Back to school around 17:00 for the start in their host family.
 

 

Catherine, Emmanuel, Catherine, Gilles

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013 

Wake in the rain for everyone but the tide and the wind drove all this gloom.
The lunch break allowed everyone to enjoy his "packed lunch" on the terrace and in the sun.
The afternoon was devoted to a short hike on a rural path to visit the "Corbiere lighthouse."
 
 
Upon arrival, the "ice-cream" was a welcome break against a wild landscape.

The return bus was much appreciated after the 5 km walk.
Good night everyone and see you tomorrow for the next episode! ...
 
 
Catherine Emmanuel, Catherine and Gilles

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Another rainy morning but quickly dried the sea breeze
Classes begin at 9:30 am for our students, who, in groups, went to interview the island on the "Jersey way of life".
The lunch takes place again on the sunny terrace of the college.
A little surprise waiting for Chloe to his 13 years in the presence of the whole group.

   Avril 3

"Hello from Plymouth and 4th International. Everything is going well in the sun today, even if temperatures remain frigid. After morning classes, we visited the city yesterday and today a beautiful aquarium. OF more news to follow ... "

Heather Chicaud and Anne Morin.

Avril 4

Mediterranean ambience with bubbles yesterday
  and polar climate in the ice today. Stay profitable and enjoyable, with very wise students. It is difficult to photograph
the whole group, but we have many other shots that we will on CD. Tomorrow night, the ferry departures to 23 hours. Barring unforeseen circumstances, return to school between 12:30 and 13 pm Saturday.

 
Heather and Anne

Du 6 au 8 juin 2012, la classe de Seconde 1 est partie à Londres.

      Voici quelques notes de voyage accompagnées de quelques photos empruntées aux journaux de voyage de deux élèves.

A touch of London that colours your week!

Day 1

-08h15.AM: La Baule Escoublac, train station

-Ready to invade London?

-Sir! Yes Sir! Lycée Grand Air's one and only class of 2°1 is ready to go.

-Backpacks on shoulders?

-Check!

-Passport in hand?

-Check!

-Constance 1, Jean, Coline, Constance 2, Aude, Marie, Quentin, Ophélie 1, Delphine, Martin, James, Joshua, Léopold, Pauline, Caroline, Thomas, Sarah, Tiphaine, Louise, Claire, Agathe, Ophélie 2, Robyn ?

-Check! Erwan is in mission in the US and Owain stays at the base and Charlotte awaits us in London as scout, Sir!

-08h30.AM: La Baule Escoublac, train station

The train arrives at last and the class accompanied by Miss Giraud and Sir Guerer disappears in its metal insides.

-09h24.AM: Nantes, train station

The group gets out of the train

-Hello Nantes!

-10h05.AM: Nantes, train station

After a short wait in the station, the class prepares to face the deadly 4h01 of journey by train, for destination: Lille Europe station.

-Goodbye Nantes!

Everyone battles to find a seat fitting his personal criteria such as: NEXT TO MY FRIENDS!!!!! Once all are seated, various groups formed, different activities begin. Card games (no bets of money I swear!...well, I think not...hopefully!), reading (or not?), listening to music,talking and, of course, eating our picnic. Suddenly, when half of the class is actively taking a nap (maybe not so actively in fact) after lunch (eating is veeeeery tiresome) a shadow appears, and the train conductor emerges from the dark entrails of the train! (from behind the glass door actually, but it's not fun) With a wide grin on his face, he proposes to show us his magic and requests a game of cards. Once such provided, he displays his amazing powers (his nimble fingers) in front of the bewildered students. Quickly, a friendship sets up between the wondrous man and the pupils.

-14h06.PM: Lille Europe, train station

We arrive to Lille Europe.

Note to oneself:

-We're friends with the voice of the train!!! (=our private magician)

Changing€ £, realising we have forgotten our wallet at home and we have NO money (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!), waiting, waiting, waiting and passing through security checks for the Eurostar)

-15h34.PM: Lille Europe, train station

The Eurostar arrives, nearly everyone in the class is eating chewing-gum (thanks Quentin!!!) and here comes the War To Sit Next To My Friend (WTSNTMF) II! All claim victory as the train takes us away from France. Darkness falls, our ears begin to hurt.

-Farewell France, my beloved country!

It's pitch black outside, the lights are on inside but it is still dim.

…............................................................................................................................................................

D 2

Sorry, I am unable to fill you in with details on this part (I fell asleep).

-16h03.PM (local time) : London St Pancras station

-Hellooooooooooo LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We meet up with Charlotte and arrive at our hotel after taking the underground. A band of little French devils appear at one of the windows and observe us attentively while we wait for our room keys to be given to us. I think we have astonished them with our...peculiar behaviour. We settled down and went to the refectory to eat. We discovered a new type of nuggets: filled in with a weird white sauce and herbs and were taken back in the centre of London by the underground, did some shopping, and visited Covent Garden at night. We were given an hour and a half to walk around, during which we enjoyed listening to a street singer sing love songs.

After 8 hours of journey in the train, our arrival in the train station of London St Pancras, where we were welcomed by the Olympic rings. We were 24 students of 2nde 1, accompanied by Mrs. Giraud and M. Guérer.

We stayed from the 6^th to the 8^thof June in Palmer's Lodge, near Willesdeen Green station. The boys were separated in two bedrooms of four beds and the girls in three bedrooms, two with four beds and one with ten beds !

On the second and the third day, we had a pic-nic for lunch that had been prepared for us by the lodge. On the second day, in the evening, we ate in an indian restaurant, which was a great idea. The dishes were delicious but very spicy so many of us drank a lot of water ! 

After this delicious meal, we went to the Globe to see Shakespeare's Henry V, which we had studied in class. We really enjoyed this performance which was brilliant !

We went to the British Museum just before leaving. We all admired the Rosetta Stone and sculptures from the Partenon. Then we all chose which part of the Museum we wanted to visit. It was a very interesting visit although we didn't have time to se everything !

 By Constance Armengaud et Agathe Pervier, 2nde 1

   D 1, 12th of march

Everyone was at the meeting point well on time and we had a trouble free journey.The sea was calm and the fog lifted as soon as we arrived in Jersey.We have had a beautiful spring day

 Montorgueil Castle is only five minutes away and the children had a great time exploring.The hostel is bright, comfortable and welcoming. After a hearty supper, everyone is now ready for an early night; curfew is a t 9.30 and tomorrow we are off to explore the war tunnels.

D 2, 13th of math

     After a pillow fight, a game of football between the beds and a few raised voices we finally got everyone off to bed and they were in fact exhausted.Breakfast at 7.45

      This morning, everyone sweet smelling and well rested.Managed to squeeze all  of us into the bus to the war tunnels.The children were very interested and worked hard at their   

worksheets.A pleasant walk down to the seafront to catch the bus into St Helier for a couple of hours shopping.Home made burger, chips and fresh  salad for supper then we corrected the quiz on the war Tunnels.Are now turning in for an early night.

"Macbeth" on 9 and 10 February 2012
   

         the theater school at St Germain Hamlet 2010 Claire Lewis and his team

We got 33 tickets for the performance of this piece appearing in B.Ed program for students in first and second current. Twenty to thirty students in the class of 1st International will travel, the other ten are already in the mountains with M Magnac for ski holiday. The remaining 10 seats are taken by students who are enrolled in 2nd theater project since September, and that while their class 2nde1 involved in a project directed by Ms. Trémel in partnership with the park of Brière and EIPC.

We have already seen several pieces of the cast of St Germain in 2003 and directed by Claire Lewis is very good and helps a lot with understanding the texts to be studied.

We leave by bus at 13:30 with a picnic lunch for the end of the afternoon. We will then be hosted by the students of the International School of St Germain and return Friday, we start from the High School at 8:30.

Claire Lewis then come to La Baule for the representation of Our Country's Good on March 2, and we are excited to build such links with St Germain.

  The price of this field trip will be fully supported by the Association of the British section.

We're back! 

Nearly 900 kilometers of coach in two days, a night's lodging hosted by the St Germain families themselves, -9°C for the morning departure and Friday lunch at 3pm. And why all this, you might ask? To see a play of course!

Not just any play and not just any theatre company! The play, as regular blog readers know was Macbeth, part of the OIB syllabus for the 2013 and 2014 exams. That's a good enough reason in itself to make the journey. Any set text play is so much easier to understand if you have actually seen it acted out. The cast of international pupils from St Germain and their director Mme Claire Lewis have been working on the play since September with 2-hour sessions for the main characters to master the finer points this last week. They have worked on meaning and interpretation and all the spectators have to do is sit back and 'go with the flow'.

The last three Shakespeare plays (The Winter's Tale at Stratford in September 2010 andMuch Ado at the Globe in May 2011 )  have also been tested on Mr Philippe Sauteron our now veteran francophone parent who provides invaluable insight into how well a play can be understood;  by a non-anglophone after careful reading of a synopsis, and attention to the acting (intonation, gestures and the dramatisation including costumes, sound and lighting). He also does a photo-report that shows how much we actually do in very short 48 hour trips and provides invaluable back-up with the logistics of a school trip down to such important details as offering to wait for the bus to to arrive and guiding it in arctic conditions (-10°c)  while the pupils and staff wait in the heated cafeteria. These are luxuries which are greatly appreciated! 

Mme Giraud completed the adult team, and is becoming a regular member of the British Section Lycée outings; inveterate theatre-lover and Shakespeare fan, her enthusiasm and implication are total and add to the smooth running of the trip, as does her ability to remind me of who the secondary characters are when I forget!

So which lucky pupils went on this trip? Twenty of the thirty members of  the 1er international class, the other ten were already away on the ski trip and the remaining places were filled by the 2nde cast members of our forthcoming play Our Country's Good. This second group were particularly enthusiastic about seeing another school at work and admitted to a few sympathy butterflies at the thought of the actors in the wings. They also appreciated the opportunity to talk about the experience with their actor-hosts.

The play itself was brought to life by over thirty actors in a Jazz age night club setting, with the three traditional old hags replaced by 13 silken-clad vamps in red evening dresses whose sinister opening whispers unsettled the audience beautifully. Macbeth and Banquo arrived in suits and fedoras and the play was launched with the witches' tantalizing prophecies of power and ambition. The Cauldron spell became a Jazz impro number and the murder scenes were violent and convincing.

The Macbeth couple were outstanding; James Edwards played Macbeth with mastery in what we were suprised to learn is his first principal role. His voice was clear and his delivery excellent as he progressively explored his growing ambition and internal torments. Fiona Macklin's Lady Macbeth was a similarly powerful characterization; both sensual and chilling, mocking and later desperate. Again, her delivery of the key speeches was both limpid and stirring with the range from confident and heartless noblewoman to mad, abandoned wreck before her suicide bringing great pleasure to the audience. 

Sample of the student reviews :

On Thursday February 9^th, at around 13:30, we set off on the coach for a 6 hour drive to the Lycée International in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in order to see their adaptation of 'Macbeth'. I was really happy and excited so it went by really fast : we listened to music, chatted about different things and went through our lines for 'Our Country's Good'. As we got closer to our destination, we started seeing more and more snow through the windows which brought a smile to my face because I hadn't seen any for a while. We arrived at around 20:00 and entered the grounds rapidly to make sure we didn't miss the beginning. We went past an enormous Château in which the students from the British Section used to study when it opened in the early 1950's but that it now used as exam rooms. It immediately reminded us of 'Hogwarts'! We then entered the theatre which felt very cosy because the stage was very close to us. We had just enough time to put our bags down and the play began. I had never seen 'Macbeth' before but knew the story and I was blown away by what I saw. The costumes, the lighting, the music, everything looked very professional. After looking at the program, I found out that around 50 people were involved in the project! The main actors, who played 'Macbeth' and 'Lady Macbeth' were exceptional! They embodied the characters extremely well and I could really feel everything they were expressing. They had set the play in the 1930's which surprised me at first but it was nice to have a contrast between the Shakespearian language and the more modern setting. After the performance, Constance and I went home with the Edwards family who welcomed us very nicely. We had a little chat with them learned things about the school, the different sections and activities they offer and facts about the town. The next morning, we all met up in the lycee's cafeteria and left at around 9:00. We watched a film and talked about the play on the way back and then had lunch at around 16:00 at Grand-Air. All in all, it was a really great trip and I hope we'll be able to go and see another play there next year!

 A visit to the Globe or the Royal Shakespeare theatre at Stratford-upon- Avon are the two trips that all international pupils really  should aim for. These places bring the great Bard alive in a way that other thea tres do not. All English pupils have Shakespeare on their programme, right from 6e level and so many interesting activities are on offer provided by specialists – all we have to do is cross the Channel!

The 2^nde5 travelled to London from Thursday 26^th to Sunday 29^th May to see a performance of Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe theatre in London. We finished s tudying the play on the Wednesday and left La Baule at7h44  the next morning for London on the TGV via Lille and the Eurostar !  Mr Sau teron kindly took up his position as group vanguard and official photographer and Mr Guerer and Emily joined us at very short notice to replace Mme Giraud and Christopher who were unable to come at the last minute.

  At the splendid newly-renovated St Pancras International station we bought group tickets and braced ourselves to face the challenge of boarding London tube trains, in rush hour, as a group of 28 with suitcases (one of the reasons for taking a ‘small’ suitcase, although definitions of 'small' were open to discussion!) Wheels were good on the bigger cases as the tube, like the metro, specializes in long labyrinthine corridors that seem to go on forever. Nevertheless, we finally arrived at Palmer’s Lodge, a five minute walk from Swiss Cottage tube station, although the heavens opened in a splendid English summer downpour just as we arrived;  water streamed down the stairs and our scout came back soaked! So, we waited five minutes and then sprinted to the hostel. Settling in was a relief but after dinner a walk to the Abbey Road studios where the Beatles recorded certain records was voted onto the programme. We set off with the men leading and with some of the girls wishing they’d gone for chilly evening wear rather than disco fashion. Once at Abbey Road, the Beatle fans tried to walk across the famous crossing, although buses, taxis and cyclists made it rather a challenge.

The Globe is a splendid reconstitution of Shakespeare’s original theatre, destroyed by fire in 1614 but rebuilt  and completed in 1997. It is an open air theatre with a thatched roof and wooden seats. It is a magical place and a trip there at the end of the school year is a well-deserved reward for hard work in the classroom. The Globe are specialized in performing Shakespeare’s plays (of which there are 37, so there is plenty of variety!) and perform three or four each season. Sometimes they are all-male casts, as in 17^th century, sometimes all women but usually the costumes are period onces.  If they correspond to the texts studied they are an invaluable complement to class work and a cultural bonus. This performance of Much Ado was excellent and we got to meet Hero and Claudio the two young lovers in a 'Talking Theatre' session after the play. We also did a workshop with a Shakespeare Practitioner called TChoo who had played Queen Isabella of France in an earlier production. He led a brilliant workshop in a new teaching building. The work was as hoped, both great fun and very rich and stimulating, although the favorite activity was definitely 'Zombie' which works on group communication and team work and is A LOT OF FUN!!

After a quick recharging of batteries at Starbuck's, we set off on the tour of the Golden Triangle: the most famous sites in London, all within walking distance of Big Ben. Churchill's pidgeon-free statue, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, the Cenotaph, Horse Guards' Parade, St James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and finally Strada restaurant.(See album)  Mr Sauteron estimated 12 km when we'd finished and feet and legs confirmed this. Walking gives a chance to be part of the London scene and meet and greet the locals.

Saturday started with a leisurely stroll along the canal to Camden Lock, temple of shopping for all under 20s and many prize buys were exhibited at the lunchtime rendez-vous. Then off to Bankside for the performance of  Much Ado which was excellent, Beatrice and Benedick being exactly as they should be and we got to meet Hero and Claudio the two young lovers in a 'Talking Theatre' session after the play. Back to the hostel for tea and football and ready for an early start.

The return journey was exciting - we all remember with gratitude the Eurostar assistant at St Pancras who got us onto our train with a full 10 minutes to spare before departure. A splendid experience and a marvellous group, special mentions to Dorion who is definitely the best map-reader, navigator and hive of information, to Antoine for his communication skills and to everyone else for their efforts, good humour and hard work.

.

Mrs Blasco

(this should have been a student report, but we ran out of time, so just this once it's my homework!)

June the third

we haven't forgotten about you at all. It's just that we got really busy ! Our day started early with breakfast at the hotel. We then walked through town to the Dockyards where we spent the best part of the day visiting all of the exhibits. The weather was fantastic and we all had a great time. We had curry for dinner which the kids either liked or found « interesting »... We found time after dinner for a game of soccer in the park and rounded off our day with another long stroll back to the hotel. We are pretty sure that all of us will be sleeping soundly tonight ! 

 A BIG PARTY !! 

The British Section of Lycée Grand Air celebrated its 10th anniversary on Saturday 16th April under beautiful clear blue skies. Festivities commenced at 3 pm when members of the parents association welcomed visitors to share in the friendly atmosphere. Shakespeare theatre performances and poem recitals by the students guided by their teachers were part of the entertainment so rich in culture.

The programme included: extracts from theatre performances from 2005-2010, past students meeting up and correspondence from the four corners of the world by former students, photo exibitions of the various activities from the first 10 years and celtique games. The Netball team from Redland High School for Girls, Bristol, who were on an exchange hosted by the 1er L and Mme Giraud and M Guerer also came to give a demonstration of their skill in this traditional English school sport for girls. Tea was served for those tempted to taste the delicious cakes and biscuits. Polo Shirts and mugs were sold on the day. More than 400 people enjoyed aperitifs in the presence of Mr Genet, the school headmaster, Madame Lamy, the headmistress of college, and Mr Mataireau the Mayor of La Baule. TheNaoned and District Pipe Band, music group from Nantes played some Scottish Highland music.

The evening continued with a dinner « So British » carefully prepared by the Chef of the school.

It was a successful day celebrated with friends, students, teachers and parents. Since the beginning of the school year in September, the anniversary was carefully planned by the teachers and the members of the Parents Association. Special thanks to the volunteers organizers of teatime, drinks, photos and poster displays, decorations, ticketing, and activities.

Three cheers for them. Hip Hip Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray.

Thank you to all who worked so hard to make such a successful day !

Translated by Li Khee and Lorraine. Thank you !