Cotswold News March/April 2015

P A G E 12
German Exchange in
Beautiful Bavaria
The first German exchange was in 1990
and so has been going for nearly 25
years! Over the years Cotswold has
shared the exchange with Winchcombe,
Tewkesbury and most recently with
Burford. However we are now the main
organisers and as such have moved the
return visit to Easter which enables
Year10s to participate as it removes the
clash with Work Experience and allows
Year 12s a fantastic opportunity to practise
before the oral. The change from
summer heatwaves to a winter wonderland
where the snow was still thick on
the ground was dramatic, but Bavaria
was as beautiful as ever and the welcome
just as warm from our host families.
Our 15 pupils enjoyed a variety of
activities including trips on the famous
Tegernsee lake, up a mountain on a cable
car, to film studios, to BMW world and to
Salzburg and Munich city centres. Thank
you to Ms Brown who organised it and to
Ms Littler and Mrs Christian for taking
the pupils over.
FRENCH EXCHANGE
Twenty pupils, accompanied by Mme Moss and
Mme Kelman have just returned from our tenth exchange
trip to Collège Charles Le Goffic in Lannion,
BIG BANG Fair
Brittany. The weather was reasonably kind and pupils
had a great time exploring the lovely local coast. Once
we got there the welcome and the hospitality from the
families were so warm and friendly and the ties between
our two schools were most definitely strengthened. We
had a varied itinerary that included an aquarium visit,
treasure trails, biscuit tasting, shopping, an art gallery and
of course the obligatory visit to a French market where the
crêpes stall proved to be very popular! As usual we were
welcomed officially by the mayor and had our photo in the
paper. The bowling alley and the cinema in Lannion were
also much visited as was the local crêperie! The sixth formers did two days of Work Experience in a local primary school, a
shop and a café and to round it all off we had a great social evening with a slide show, karaoke and a fantastic buffet pro vided
by the families. Thank you to Mme Moss for organising both legs and to Mme Kelman who accompanied the group with her.
We have now set up 200 pupil links and many pupils have been back for a second visit on their own!
Madrid!
Every year, Spanish language students
in Year 13 are encouraged to participate
in the Madrid Work Experience trip.
This time seven students spent a week in
Madrid and took part in a Work Experience
programme.
Students worked
from 10.00
until 16.00 each
day in various
well known shops
(Adolfo Dominguez,
Topshop
and Superdry). In
the afternoon the
students organised
cultural activities
and visited places of interest. The
evenings were spent enjoying tapas in
local restaurants and soaking up the culture
and atmosphere of this wonderful city.
This all serves as excellent preparation for
both University applications and
the future. The trip is incredibly valuable:
improving language skills and confidence,
while at the same time offering students
the opportunity to experience living and
working in the Spanish capital. Many
thanks to Miss Tingle for organising it
and to María, our Spanish assistant for
accompanying the group.