Paris Exchange

12 pupils from L5 and M5 accompanied by Kate Watkinson and Laurence Boutemy travelled to Paris for a week-long exchange trip to the Collège Notre Dame de Sainte-Croix in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly. This was the outward leg of the trip, with pupils residing with Parisian exchange partners and their families.

The trip began with an excellent tour of the Louvre, followed by some time spent in the French school. Pupils then spent the weekend ‘en famille’. Days out ranged from trips to football and rugby matches, sightseeing around Paris, visits to science and arts museums, trips to Disneyland, and more. The French pupils also hosted a 'crêpe party' on the Saturday evening. Other trip highlights included a boat trip on the Seine and an interesting tour of the Opéra Garnier. Pupils also completed a quiz around the Marais district, followed by a trip to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and some time spent shopping on the Champs-Elysées.

Cheerleading competition at Disneyland Paris

The Norwich School cheerleading team travelled to Paris over the Easter break to compete at the Future Cheer Paris Championships at Disneyland Paris. The event saw teams compete from all over Europe with the new Norwich School team competing in their first competition in the Level 1 and Level 2 divisions. The team, which is made up of 30 pupils from L4-U6, hit an almost prefect routine in front of the judges securing 3^rd place. In the group stunt division, the team secured 7^th place in a large and very competitive category.

The team also had the amazing opportunity to perform down Main Street USA as part of the Disney Performing Arts On Stage Pre-Parade and of course experience all the fun of the two Disney themed parks packed with over 50 rides and attractions. A great weekend was had by all.

 

L5-M5 Valencia trip

15 pupils from L5 and M5 travelled to Valencia to stay in Spanish host families. The pupils enjoyed linguistic and cultural activities in the beautiful city to improve their Spanish skills and learn more about the culture.

In addition to conversing and eating meals with their Spanish host parents/family, the pupils participated in lessons at the language school, took part in a cooking class with ‘Chef Nando’, enjoyed a film evening and had a linguistic exchange with Spanish children of a similar age - all putting their Spanish to the test!

Pupils also enjoyed a walking tour of Valencia, a visit to the Oceanographic aquarium at City of Arts and Sciences, zorbing, had fun on the beach and enjoyed a typical paella lunch, plus they saw an authentic Flamenco show.  The pupils had a tapas tour one evening, an urban graffiti workshop,  an interactive visit to the central market and of course, churros with chocolate!

Sixth form Spanish trip to Madrid

At the end of Lent term, a group of Sixth form hispanists, accompanied by Ms Gillham and Ms Williams, spent five days in Madrid on a language immersion and cultural study visit. Pupils attended language classes and university-style seminars before spending the afternoons exploring the culture and history of this vibrant city.

Highlights were tours of the Bernabeu Stadium and the world-famous Prado and Reina Sofia galleries, which gave us the opportunity to see Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece Guernica and the works of Goya and Velazquez first-hand. A day trip to Toledo provided an insight into Spain’s Moorish history, and we finished the trip with a morning at the bustling open-air market, El Rastro, which has been held every Sunday since the 15th Century.

It goes without saying that a great deal of Spanish cuisine was sampled, including various tapas, numerous ice cream flavours, and the obligatory churros con chocolate.

All the activities closely tie in with the new AQA A-level specification and in particular the ‘Artistic Culture in the Hispanic World’ where by students must study regional identity, art, architecture and cultural heritage. This study trip will have no doubt boosted the skills and confidence of the current U6 in their last remaining term and inspire the L6.