In October we launched our European Day of Languages poster competition.  This was open to all of KS3 pupils to select a country and culture and then design a poster. The poster had to to show what they knew about the country or culture.  We had an unprecedented amount of entries of the highest standard I have ever seen which made judging a really enjoyable but tricky job.  Our winners and runners up are here and I am sure you will agree, they were wunderbar! Danke alle!

WINNERS:

Deeya G Year 8

Ivy G Year 7

Lily T Year 9

Chloe L Y8

RUNNERS UP:

Alice T Year 7

Gabby D Year 7

Jess C Year 8

Poppy W Y7

Mrs Gill

MFL Department

In 2010, I lived and studied in the beautiful university city of Freiburg im Breisgau, situated in the heart of the Schwarzwald region of Germany. I attended the now-defunct ‘International School – Freiburg.’ During my time there, I immersed myself in the German language, taking my passion to a whole new level. I resided with a ‘Gastfamilie’ in the suburb of Zähringen, explored the local area, and used Freiburg as a base to discover other parts of the German-speaking world. These experiences led to the formation of enduring relationships that span the globe.

Consequently, the time I spent in Freiburg has gifted me with memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, fostering an eternal love for the city, Baden-Württemberg and Germany as a whole.

Mr Briscoe

MFL Department

Mr Briscoe’s article inspired me to introduce my hometown of Le Mans. While some of you may know the city from the prestigious 24-hour race (you may have even driven past it on your way to the Atlantic ocean) you may have missed the hidden gem “The Plantagenet City” which is the oldest part of the city and resembles York. It is easily missed and yet it harbours many fine restaurants, twenty hectares of cobbled streets, perfectly preserved timber framed houses sheltered by a Roman wall and overhung by one of the largest cathedrals in France. If you look for it, you will even find a menhir, an old standing stone dating back to 4000–5000 B.C.

As a university student in Le Mans, I can’t say I ever noticed the menhir or fully appreciated how beautiful my hometown was. As an attempt to become more proficient in English, I applied to become a Foreign Language Assistant and put London as my first choice. I can’t say I was not a little disappointed when I was assigned to schools in Bolton! Little did I know, Le Mans is twinned with Bolton and the rest is history as they say…

Madame Raine

MFL Department

Y10 French have really enjoyed making a video for their new pen pals in France. They were interviewing each other about friendship and relationships. This year’s video is the longest as nearly all students wanted to take part. They sounded very confident and I am sure the French class will be wowed. This year’s video also includes “bloopers” as there were a few giggles!

Y9 French have been working hard on their pen pal letters. They have prepared origami houses which look fabulous! They are describing themselves, writing about their pets, family and houses.

Year 8 have initiated a pen pal scheme with students from the Sickingen-Gymnasium in the German city of Landstuhl. This has enabled the students to use both the present and perfect tenses to discuss themselves and a recent holiday they’ve experienced. Additionally, it provides the students with an opportunity to engage in conversations with native speakers of the language and exchange perspectives on their own experiences as well as those of their pen pals living in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Mr Briscoe

MFL Department

We finished the Languages and Literature festival with our third annual MFL Baking Competition.  We had over 30 entries which spanned the world with taste, texture and colour from a wide array of countries.   Again, the quality of the bakes and cakes reached a very high standard.

Mrs Gill, members of staff, student leadership and the bakers themselves had the delicious task on the last lunch time of half term of tasting the cakes and bakes and finding a winner for the criteria of ‘tastes good’, ‘smells good’, ‘looks good’. 

The Richard Pye Language Innovation Zone was, for one afternoon only, transformed into a Cake Shop, where our very willing tasters were spoiled for choice.  An excellent afternoon was had by all.

The winners for each year group will be announced very shortly.

Here are some of our most memorable photos:

Mrs Williams

MFL Department

This week marks the end of the 188th Oktoberfest that is celebrated from mid-September through to the 3rd October in München, Bayern, South Germany.  Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, running from mid or late September to around the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event.  This week, Year 8 have been learning all about the cultural aspects of this festival and we made some Lebkuchenherzen out of paper.  Traditionally, these are gingerbread biscuits with colourful icing representing the blue and white colours of Bavaria and lots of nice messages piped on to them.  Mrs Gill’s classes designed their own Lebkuchenherzen and I think you will agree that they definitely look realistic and have some lovely German messages on them!

Le Club Ciné is currently showing “Le Petit Nicolas”. This was very well attended last week and it is great to see so many students interested in watching a film in a foreign language. This is a great way to listen to pronunciation, get an insight into the culture and improve vocabulary. A bientôt!

Year 7 have enjoyed practising their mental arithmetic skills using their brand-new dice last Friday afternoon with Frau Raine. They first worked in pairs adding numbers up in German, then in 3s and then in 4s. We will keep using them in lesson. All students in Year 7 are given a yellow dice to use with various games and activities. Look after them, Year 7!