March 2012 - The Woodroffe School

French Exchange a big hit withWoodroffe Students!On Saturday 17th March a group of29 year 9 Woodroffe students set outfor Axminster’s twin town of Douvresla-Délivrandeto stay with their Frenchpartners from the Collège ClémentMarot. The exchange has been runningsuccessfully for several years andthis year the group was led by Frenchteacher Mrs Dingle ably assisted byMr Sweetland and Mrs Hyde who werevery generously accommodated bythe French teachers. The programmein France was organised by MrsChbabi, one of the English teachersin the school. The students enjoyed aweekend with their host families andwere made to feel very welcome asthey were treated to a wide range ofactivities including visits to Honfleur,laser tag and the local ice rink! OnMonday, we were personally welcomedto the school by the principal MonsieurBarbaras and treated to a deliciousFrench breakfast of hot chocolate,croissants and pain au chocolat! Therefollowed several packed days of visitsand activities with a particular emphasison William the Conqueror. Studentssaw the Bayeux Tapestry, the castleof William the Conqueror at Falaiseand the Abbaie aux Hommes at Caenwhere he was buried. We also visitedArromanches and had a guided tourof the D-Day Museum. We were verylucky as the weather was cold butsunny every day so we had our picnicoutdoors in the sunshine. For somestudents, the highlight of the visit wasa trip to a beautiful stately home inVendeuvre where we were given apersonal tour by the Count who playedhis spinnet especially for us! For others,they will never forget the visit to theMusée des Automates with animatedwindow displays including monkeys,snake charmers and lost cyclists. Thevisit was over all too soon and tearswere shed at the ferry port in Caen onThursday morning as the students saidgoodbye to their partners with promisesto keep in touch. We thank our Frenchhosts very much for their generouswelcome and look forward to their returnto Lyme Regis next year.Mrs S Dingle