GERMAN EXCHANGE 2016 - TRIP TO WENDLINGEN

Once again the German exchange was a great success. Twenty one students spent a week with their partners from the Robert-Bosch-Gymnasium in Wendlingen, just outside Stuttgart.

They experienced family life, met the local Mayor and visited a variety of places and many beautiful towns, including Tübingen.

Tübingen

Tübingen

Tübingen

Tübingen

Winsener caves

Church in Zwiefalten

They all spent time in school and many helped in English lessons.








All students were very happy and there was some excellent German spoken! They were praised by host parents and teachers alike. Lots of new friends made and many wanted to stay longer!

Well done to them all for their enthusiasm and for a successful visit!


Schloss Lichtenstein



French Exchange 2016 - Day 8 in Lille!

Bonsoir,

Having attended a few more lessons, watched a French film and enjoyed some good moments with the French students, we thought we were going to head home...

However, it seems that someone decided that our students would benefit from an extra night in France!

We are now booked on the 9.30am Eurostar to London St Pancras tomorrow where our coach company confirmed we will be picked up. We are aiming to be back at Tomlinscote for 12.30pm in order to go straight home for some well-deserved rest!

Au revoir.

French Exchange 2016 - Days 5, 6 and 7

Bonjour,

Students spent the weekend with families and enjoyed a range of visits and activities, whilst having to practise their French more than ever.

Monday brought everyone back to school, with the first opportunity for Years 10 and 11 students to experience a full day of the French education system. Our 6th Formers enjoyed sharing with primary school children more aspects of the British culture, way of life and language.

Today, Tuesday, will include a mix of more time spent with French partners in lessons, watching a French film, a quick 'debrief' on how the week went and an inevitable return home at the end of the day.

A ce soir!

French Exchange 2016 - Day 4 in Paris

Today, students travelled to Paris to catch a glimpse of some of the main landmarks, as well as climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and do a touch of shopping on the Champs-Elysées.

 A long and tiring but enjoyable day!

A lundi.

French Exchange 2016 - Day 3 in Lille

Bonjour!

Whilst our Year 10 and 11 students had the opportunity to attend a range of lessons in different subjects with their partners this morning, our 6th Formers went to Primary School! This was the chance for them to start delivering their presentations on different aspects of British life and culture to the pupils, as well as assist them with their everyday learning.

Then, the start of the afternoon was dedicated to a tour bus of the Lille metropolis, with a detailed commentary on the numerous monuments, buildings and sites of interest.



















Tomorrow will be a very long day as we are heading to Paris. The blog update might be posted later than usual.

A bientôt.

French Exchange - Day 2 in Lille 2nd post

Update re. this afternoon: our 6th Formers would not want anyone to think they were having an easy time - whilst their French partners were sitting a 2-hour exam, they were busy preparing additional material for the presentations they will be making to Primary School children in the next few days.

Au revoir!

French Exchange 2016 - Day 2 in Lille

Bonjour,

Unfortunately, even though the weather forecast was predicting more sunshine for today, we set off to the local market in the rain...

Despite everything, a number of students decided to sample some of the food on offer and purchased home-made sausage or roast chicken sandwiches, French-style roast potatoes or simply some fruit.



We then made our way to the main square where students braved the elements to take part in the annual treasure hunt. Credit to them - most didn't let the rain and cold (or bargains in the local shops) get in the way. The winners' names will be announced next Tuesday.

Plans for the rest of the day: lunch and afternoon activities with French partners.

A demain.

French Exchange 2016 - Day 1 in Lille

After a very early start, we made our way to Ashford International station via a very empty M25(!) and caught a Eurostar train that took us directly to the centre of Lille.

The walk to the school with our suitcases provided us with a touch of morning exercise and students immediately had the opportunity to meet their French partners and assist Mr Daullet in one of his lessons. I understand Holly even honoured them with a sample of her best singing...

It was definitely time for a break and a first opportunity to discover the centre of Lille in the glorious sunshine.

Following lunch and a couple more lessons, students were provided with an opportunity to socialise all together whilst enjoying a few biscuits and glasses of juice.

There seemed to be no apparent nerves when it was time to go home for the first night with the French families (but many very tired faces!).

A demain!

French Exchange 2016 - Trip to Lille, October 2016

The group has arrived safely in Lille.

We will be posting some pictures shortly.

MFL Department

PASCH International Debating Competition

On Friday 23^rd September Tomlinscote hosted the first round of an international German debating competition, organised by the Goethe Institut.

Four of our Year 11 German language students debated against a Sixth Form team from the Republic of Ireland. The topic was “Are today’s youth apolitical?” and both teams enthusiastically argued their viewpoints.

 
Our students were narrowly defeated, but they put in a great performance and it was impressive to see them use their language skills in a debate – not easy! Eloise, Alex, Alana and team captain Matt will enjoy an all-expenses paid visit to visit Hamburg in December to watch the final, which will be an amazing opportunity for them to practice their German and meet with the other participants from 7 countries in Northern Europe.

Congratulations to the team and massive thanks to the Goethe Institut for one again providing our Germanists with such a fantastic opportunity.  

 

 

  

German Exchange 2016 - Robert-Bosch-Gymnasium students visit Tomlinscote school

At the beginning of the month a group of 23 students from the Robert-Bosch-Gymnasium visited Tomlinscote school as part of the German Exchange 2016.

Among the different activities the students engaged with during the 10-day visit were a trip to Oxford, a meeting with the Mayor of Surrey Heath and participating in the Handball project.



First day at Tomlinscote




Visit to Oxford





























Handball project

We are very much looking forward to the second part of the German Exchange 2016 in October when a group of Tomlinscote students will travel to Germany to visit the Robert-Bosch-Gymnasium.

Year 8 Intensive Language Courses in Japanese and Chinese 2016

Last month a selected group of Year 8 students had the opportunity to participate in an intensive week of learning either Mandarin Chinese or Japanese language and culture.

These students participated in a wide range of activities ranging from normal classroom lessons to sports, cooking, dressing in traditional costumes and visits. It was impressive to see the students getting involved in Tai Chi, karate, and getting hands-on in the kitchen by preparing and tasting sushi and dumplings.

  

 





Traditional Chinese craft



 

 

Kimono workshop

 

 

 

Tai Ji Workshop

 

Karate session

 

 

 The Chinese students had the opportunity to pay a visit to Wellington College and take part in Tai Chi fan and calligraphy sessions organised especially for our students.

 

 

 

Wellington College's Chinese Centre

 

  

Calligraphy session at Wellington College's Chinese Centre

 

It was very rewarding to see the students using the language by the end of the week and the feedback received was extremely positive. The Language College will be opening the opportunity for those eager and linguistically talented students to embark on an early GCSE courses from September 2016.