On Wednesday 11th December we hosted a sponsored Reindeer Run in support of The Mary Stevens Hospice. This fun event was enjoyed by staff and students, who took advantage of this wonderful opportunity to stay active improve their health and wellbeing, all while supporting a great cause within our community.
Today was spent at the brilliant Parc Astérix, a theme park just outside Paris. Students and staff had fun on the rollercoasters, tasting lots of delicious food and buying souvenirs.
On our return to the centre, following another good meal, we had a go at making our own crêpes – it was clear that some had more experience in the kitchen than others, but everyone had fun!
The students have been absolutely excellent; they have been great company, engaging brilliantly in all of the activities, being polite and respectful to the staff at the centre and a credit to their families.
Tomorrow morning, we are setting our alarms early, to start our return journey home. We will keep parents informed of our expected arrival time.
Today we have had a busy day in the capital, packing in as many sights as we could. We started off at the Eiffel tower, and climbed the 674 steps to the second floor. Although it was hard work, we were rewarded with views across Paris as the mist lifted just in time.
We then headed back down and boarded a boat along the river Seine, which allowed us to see lots more of the famous sights such as Notre Dame cathedral, l’Assemblé Nationale (the government buildings) and l’Hôtel Dieu – the oldest hospital in Paris.
Finally, we walked along the Champs Elysées to the Louvre museum, to take a photo of the iconic pyramid.
Our last stop was the hypermarket Carrefour, where we stocked up on exotic Haribo and other French delicacies, before returning to our accommodation for dinner (including snails for the brave!), some basketball and time to chill and rest up ready for a day at Parc Astérix tomorrow.
We were joined in school this week by Nicki Yates from West Midlands Police, to present certificates to Brad and Jacob in Year 11 in recognition of the training they have completed while at Cadets. Nicki was full of praise for the boys’ dedication, maturity and enthusiasm towards the Cadets programme.
It has been a long day of travel, but the journey was smooth, our coach driver is lovely, and we have arrived and settled into our accommodation. Students and staff had the chance to unpack, play some football and basketball and check out the games room prior to a delicious three-course meal of soup, fish and chips and chocolate pear dessert. Year 11 are now hard at work practising for their speaking exams, before the whole group joins together for a quiz followed by an early night!
Tomorrow morning bright and early, we head into Paris centre to visit the Eiffel tower, take a boat ride and tour some of the sights.
Apologies for the photo quality, we are struggling with WiFi!
Mrs Hirsch
