As an international school, we are determined to promote and value the importance of knowing foreign languages such as French. It is for this reason that last week, MIS French teacher Fanny Leroux accompanied by Mr Barnett (English, History/Geography teacher) and Mrs Massey (Headteacher and English teacher), took some of our secondary students on a French cultural school trip to Dar es Salaam from Thursday the 28th to Sunday the 31st of October.
Cambridge French is designed for students who are learning French as a foreign language. These students took part in an educational field trip that aimed to complement and extend their learning in the classroom. They explored first-hand what it was like to go to school entirely in French, and were challenged in varied contexts to speak French in a natural way. These trips contribute to our students’ growing independence, and prepares them to develop an ability to use the language effectively for practical communication.
On the first day, the class left school after morning break and arrived in Dar around 4.30pm. That evening, they enjoyed a French dinner with a musical performance by five French special guests, organised with the help of the association Dar Accueil. On Friday, they were welcomed to the Arthur Rimbaud French School with some delicious juices, croissants and “pains au chocolat”. The students went for an immersion in the morning lessons of their equivalent years followed by a basketball / football tournament. In the afternoon, they participated in various activities including other lessons, sports and even, the primary halloween party!
On Saturday the students visited the Alliance Française, French Language and Cultural Center. The students got a chance to explore the art exhibition, discover the activities organised and proposed by the center; some even took the leap and applied for membership to the alliance! As there was a skateboarding activity with professional skateboarders, they all headed to Don Bosco youth center to get an introductory course.
That evening, the group ended their trip with a barbecue on the beach and a lovely cake, to celebrate Faraja, Secondary Headgirl’s 16th birthday.
The wonderful trip came to an end on Sunday when everyone boarded the bus and all returned happily singing (French songs!), with many stories to tell friends and family, and a renewed interest and taste for French! It is safe to say that this trip was a huge success! The students can’t stop talking about how they made new friends, learnt new vocabulary and were able to use what they had already learnt in class at MIS as well as having so much fun together!
A massive thank you to all the staff, especially Ms Fanny who orchestrated such a unique experience!