On the day the students went to their second homestays we sat in on some English lessons.
Then on our last day we all had great fun doing lots of different Art activities: Chinese painting, calligraphy, bracelet making with knots and printing.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Thursday 9th October - The Great Wall of China
Today was the day everyone was waiting for - the chance to climb the Great Wall of China. Three teachers and eleven students set off up the while while Ms Van Beem and I decided the cable car was the way to go. (My heel was very painful and Ms Van Beem had not been well for a couple of days!)
Wangfujing Street & Donghuaman Night Markets
After a long day at Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City we went to Wangfujing Street and also The Donghuaman Night markets where we saw all sorts of interesting delicacies!
Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City (8/10)
Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City are together in the centre of Beijing and you can't visit Beijing without visiting both these places.
Tuesday 7th October
The Summer Palace is set in vast grounds and there was a lot to see.We enjoyed a dragon boat ride on the lake.
One of the students' favourite meals was our Steamboat (Hot Pot) meal.
One of the students' favourite meals was our Steamboat (Hot Pot) meal.
Monday 6th October
The National Park in China is a cultural park that gives visitors an insight into the many (56) races within China.
Unfortunately we couldn't go in and look any closer at the Olympic sites or even look inside but we took some photos fron outside the fence.
On our visit to Liulicjhang Antique Street the students we able to purchase some gifts and momentos and we watched an artist painting inside a glass ball.
After dinner we went to the LaoShe Teahouse.
Unfortunately we couldn't go in and look any closer at the Olympic sites or even look inside but we took some photos fron outside the fence.
On our visit to Liulicjhang Antique Street the students we able to purchase some gifts and momentos and we watched an artist painting inside a glass ball.
After dinner we went to the LaoShe Teahouse.
Sunday 5th October
Here are some photos taken at the Beijing Aquarium, the Beijing Zoo and at the Peking Duck Restaurant.
We had fun shopping at the Silk Markets but were too busy bargaining to take photos!
We had fun shopping at the Silk Markets but were too busy bargaining to take photos!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thoughts about our first Homestay visits
Samantha and Emily G share their thoughts.
Millie, Tori and Ainsley tell about their Homestay experiences.
Demi, Mitchell and Annemarie also had a great time at their Homestays.
Listen to what Dylan, Oswald and Emily W had to say.
Millie, Tori and Ainsley tell about their Homestay experiences.
Demi, Mitchell and Annemarie also had a great time at their Homestays.
Listen to what Dylan, Oswald and Emily W had to say.
Saturday 4th October
Today was one of our longest days. We visited the Temple of Heaven, bargained at the Hongqiao Markets, ate a not-so-delicious noodle lunch,wandered down Liulichang Antique Strret and through the nearby hutong. After a restaurant dinner we watched a Kungfu show at the Red Theatre.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Teachers' First Few Days
Here are some photos from our first few days while the students were on their first homestay.
Video - First Impressions
These videos were taken after we arrived in Beijing and were on our way to Huijia on the school bus.
Videos and Photos
Now that we're back in Australia and uploading to the internet is not a problem I will post videos and photos of our trip as I get them ready. I hope you enjoy them!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Our Last Day!
Today is last day at Huijia. We had some internet time this morning, then we had some art classes - calligraphy, making bracelets , Chinese printing and Chinese painting. After lunch we packed and had our farewell presentation. After our last dinner in the canteen (Hooray!) we are having a little more internet time before boarding the bus for the airport.
It has been frustrating trying to keep the blog up to date with the limited computer access time but the teachers weekend in Shanghai gave us the chance to put a selection of photos on the blog and post some of last week's activities.
We will post some of the videos and photos once we get back home.
It has been frustrating trying to keep the blog up to date with the limited computer access time but the teachers weekend in Shanghai gave us the chance to put a selection of photos on the blog and post some of last week's activities.
We will post some of the videos and photos once we get back home.
Homestay Time again! Teachers head for Shanghai!
Friday 10th October
Today began with time to catch up on our diary writing before we joined some of the Huijia students in their English classes. The classrooms and classes were quite different from our and some were hard to follow as the teachers gave directions in Chinese!
After lunch the students went into class with their homestay students before heading off for the weekend.
Early in the afternoon the teachers headed to the airport for their two hour flight to Shanghai. We arrived about six and after a wait in the taxi queue and a half hour drive we arrived at our very nice hotel about 7.30pm.
After deposting our bags we went for a short walk around the nearby area in search of dinner and also contacted Mrs Zhang's sister who lives in Shanghai and arranged to meet her the following day.
Today began with time to catch up on our diary writing before we joined some of the Huijia students in their English classes. The classrooms and classes were quite different from our and some were hard to follow as the teachers gave directions in Chinese!
After lunch the students went into class with their homestay students before heading off for the weekend.
Early in the afternoon the teachers headed to the airport for their two hour flight to Shanghai. We arrived about six and after a wait in the taxi queue and a half hour drive we arrived at our very nice hotel about 7.30pm.
After deposting our bags we went for a short walk around the nearby area in search of dinner and also contacted Mrs Zhang's sister who lives in Shanghai and arranged to meet her the following day.
Two Very Busy Days
Wednesday 8th October
After internet time to contact our families we headed into the city again. First stop mwas Tiananmen Square where we walked past Mao's Mausoleum. The queue to get in was very long so we continued on into the centre of the square where we could see the Monument to the People's Heroes, The Great Hall of the People (like Parliament House) and the Museum of China. There was also an Olympic Flower display with the mascots.
We went through the Meridien Gate into the Forbidden City and climbed up and viewed Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City from the balcony. Before continuing into The Forbidden City we had a picnic lunch. Our walk through the Forbidden City and saw many of the sights: the Imperial Gardens, The Gate of Heavenly Peace, The Palace of Heavenly Tranquility and more.
Wangfujing Street was a Western Style Shopping Mall and the students went off in small groups to explore. They bought their own dinner and most of them headed to KFC or McDonalds. The teahers braved the nearby food stalls and sampled vegetable pancakes, banana dumplings and candied fruit. We saw many Chinese delicacies including scorpion and octopus kebabs, egg balls filled with octopus and vegies, and lots of other things that we photographed. Before leaving here the children sampled the banana dumplings and also enjoyed candied fruit sticks.
On the way back to the bus we walked through the Donganmen Night Market where there were many more interesting foods on display - cow stomach, pineapple rice, fried dumplings and much more. Then a tired group headed back to Huijia.
Thursday 9th October
Today was a day that everyone was looking forward too - our walk on The Great Wall of China. It was a steep climb and the climbers were joined near the top by Mrs Lowe and Miss VanBeem who had caught the cable car up to the last level before the top.
It was quite cold up on the wall and the walk back was brisk to keep warm. Many of the students bought "I climbed The Great Wall" sweatshirts!
The Ming Tombs was our next stop and we were faced with more steps! This time it was a downwards climb into the Tombs and we learned some more Chinese history. Both our visits today showed us how long China's history is and how much their is to learn in a place that is so much older than Australia.
After dinner at a restaurant in Changping we gave our powerpoint presentations about our families, schools and Australia to some students in Years 5 and 6 at Huijia. Everyone's presentations were terrific!
After internet time to contact our families we headed into the city again. First stop mwas Tiananmen Square where we walked past Mao's Mausoleum. The queue to get in was very long so we continued on into the centre of the square where we could see the Monument to the People's Heroes, The Great Hall of the People (like Parliament House) and the Museum of China. There was also an Olympic Flower display with the mascots.
We went through the Meridien Gate into the Forbidden City and climbed up and viewed Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City from the balcony. Before continuing into The Forbidden City we had a picnic lunch. Our walk through the Forbidden City and saw many of the sights: the Imperial Gardens, The Gate of Heavenly Peace, The Palace of Heavenly Tranquility and more.
Wangfujing Street was a Western Style Shopping Mall and the students went off in small groups to explore. They bought their own dinner and most of them headed to KFC or McDonalds. The teahers braved the nearby food stalls and sampled vegetable pancakes, banana dumplings and candied fruit. We saw many Chinese delicacies including scorpion and octopus kebabs, egg balls filled with octopus and vegies, and lots of other things that we photographed. Before leaving here the children sampled the banana dumplings and also enjoyed candied fruit sticks.
On the way back to the bus we walked through the Donganmen Night Market where there were many more interesting foods on display - cow stomach, pineapple rice, fried dumplings and much more. Then a tired group headed back to Huijia.
Thursday 9th October
Today was a day that everyone was looking forward too - our walk on The Great Wall of China. It was a steep climb and the climbers were joined near the top by Mrs Lowe and Miss VanBeem who had caught the cable car up to the last level before the top.
It was quite cold up on the wall and the walk back was brisk to keep warm. Many of the students bought "I climbed The Great Wall" sweatshirts!
The Ming Tombs was our next stop and we were faced with more steps! This time it was a downwards climb into the Tombs and we learned some more Chinese history. Both our visits today showed us how long China's history is and how much their is to learn in a place that is so much older than Australia.
After dinner at a restaurant in Changping we gave our powerpoint presentations about our families, schools and Australia to some students in Years 5 and 6 at Huijia. Everyone's presentations were terrific!
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Next Few Days
Friday 3rd October
After breakfast in the canteen for the first time (Chinese style) – boiled eggs, cabbage, rice porridge, cake, steamed buns, garlic cucumber etc. – we went by bus into Beijing.
After two and a half hours we eventually made it to the Capital Museum.
We spent an interesting couple of hours discovering Chinese culture through their informative displays - Chinese opera, porcelain through the ages, a timeline of Chinese history and many more.
After walking across the road to have McDonalds for lunch, we continued on to the Drum and Bell Towers but unfortunately we discovered they were not open. Instead we walked through a nearby hutong (very upmarket) and then around a lake where the students had the chance to try toffied fruit on sticks, watch Chinese people using the exercise equipment that we have seen in many places, youths doing tricks on their bikes etc.
Dumplings for dinner – Ms van Beem was really pleased! They were delicious and so was the rest of the meal!
Back at school we managed to have a short time on the internet before lights out.
Saturday 4th October
After breakfast in the canteen again we set off for the Temple of Heaven. Situated in the southern part of Beijing, this ancient garden covers an area three times the size of the Forbidden City. The gardens contain the Temple of Heaven, The Circular Mound Altar, The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and many other smaller sections.
Mrs Lowe’s class New Zealand friend Paraki (a Swamp hen) came with us and so did Echo – the Chinese teacher who ha d been at Oberthur during first term this year.
We visited Liulichang Antique Street next and although we didn’t have much time for shopping the students enjoyed looking a a completely different sort of shop. From there we wandered through a different section of the hutong to the one the teachers had walked through and the students had the chance to see how many Beijing people still live.
The end of the hutong brought us out right next to the restaurant where we had dinner before going to the Red Theatre.
The show at the theatre was called The Legened of Kung Fu and told the story of a little boy in an ancient temple. Through practising Kungfu and Zen he becomes a master and finally reaches the sacred goal of enlightenment. The show was fantastic and at the ned we had our photos taken with the stars of the show. It was a great end to a very busy day!!
Sunday 5th October
Up bright and early again with another busy day ahead of us. First stop was the Beijing Aquarium. Here we saw a fascinating array of different sea creatures from China and around the world. We also saw a dolphin show and although the commentary was in Chinese it was very entertaining!
Right next door to the Aquarium is the Beijing Zoo so we went in to have a look at the Pandas. What’s a visit to China without checking out the Pandas? Although much of the zoo is like our zoo many years ago the newest panda enclosures are a huge improvement on the ones we visited first.
After leaving the Zoo we walked quite a distance to the nearest subway station so the students could experience train travel in Beijing. The first train was quite busy and the second was very “squashy” – in fact each of the teachers had a group of two or three students and it took three trains before we all reached our next destination - The Silk Markets. Bartering skills were put to good use again and many a bargain and gift was found!
We braved the subway again to make our way back to Changping where we enjoyed a delicious Peking Duck Dinner. The chef came into our room and we were able to watch how the duck was carved. We all made duck mini wraps and some people even tried the duck’s head! Back to school then for an earlier night.
Monday 6th October
Today our first stop was the National Park. This park is not like our National Parks but is set out in communities to show the 56 different groups who are in China. The first display was Tibetan and we saw some dancers practising and walked through their small museum. Some of the displays were just representation of buildings etc from their areas and others had dancing and other shows to watch. We saw some people climbing a knife stalk – and the knives on the stalk were very sharp! We joined in a water dance and some of us got wet at the end of the dance when the water vessels were spun around and water tossed everywhere – as a way to bless the area and give good fortune to the people. Although we only had time to see part of the park it gave us fascinating insight into the culture of the many different people who make up China.
We got very lost on the way to our restaurant for lunch – first on foot and then in the bus – so we eventually stopped at another restaurant. Nearby was the Bird’s Nest and the Watercube which unfortunately were closed to the public and we could only take pictures from outside a fenced off area.
Back to Liulichang Antique Street this time with some time for the students to explore the shops. We watched artists doing calligraphy and painting and looked in shops selling a great variety of goods both antique and new. One artist showed us how he paints inside glass globes and bottles using a bent brush. He has to do the whole of the painting and writing upside down.
After dinner the students and teachers had the opportunity to experience an exciting part of Chinese cultureat the Lao She Teahouse. We sipped tea and ate Chinese snacks such as dried plums, pastries and green tea biscuits whilst being entertained by comedians, singers and acrobats. Although we couldn’t understand the jokes and songs everyone really enjoyed the acrobats and kungfu. The face-changing artist was also fascinating.
Another late night after another very busy day!
Tuesday 7th October
Today we headed to the Western outskirts of Beijing not far from the Zoo and Aquarium to see The Summer Palace. The Summer Palace covers an area even bigger than the Temple of Heaven and is the largest royal park in China. It was originally built in the 12th century but after being ruined by fire was rebuilt in the late 1800’s as a holiday place for the then Empress. The Summer Palace is built around a man-made lake - Lake Kunming. There were many buildings and gardens to look at and we had a boat ride to cross from one section to another.
Lunch today was a Hot-pot (steamboat) and many of the students said it was their favourite meal so far because not only did it taste great but it was fun to cook!
After lunch we headed to the E-top Centre where we had a chance to look at a huge variety of electronic goods. I have never seen so many different varieties of cameras, flash drives, computer parts etc. all under the one roof.
Tonight was our first dinner in the canteen and then time in the computer lab for using the internet before an early night.
After breakfast in the canteen for the first time (Chinese style) – boiled eggs, cabbage, rice porridge, cake, steamed buns, garlic cucumber etc. – we went by bus into Beijing.
After two and a half hours we eventually made it to the Capital Museum.
We spent an interesting couple of hours discovering Chinese culture through their informative displays - Chinese opera, porcelain through the ages, a timeline of Chinese history and many more.
After walking across the road to have McDonalds for lunch, we continued on to the Drum and Bell Towers but unfortunately we discovered they were not open. Instead we walked through a nearby hutong (very upmarket) and then around a lake where the students had the chance to try toffied fruit on sticks, watch Chinese people using the exercise equipment that we have seen in many places, youths doing tricks on their bikes etc.
Dumplings for dinner – Ms van Beem was really pleased! They were delicious and so was the rest of the meal!
Back at school we managed to have a short time on the internet before lights out.
Saturday 4th October
After breakfast in the canteen again we set off for the Temple of Heaven. Situated in the southern part of Beijing, this ancient garden covers an area three times the size of the Forbidden City. The gardens contain the Temple of Heaven, The Circular Mound Altar, The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and many other smaller sections.
Mrs Lowe’s class New Zealand friend Paraki (a Swamp hen) came with us and so did Echo – the Chinese teacher who ha d been at Oberthur during first term this year.
We visited Liulichang Antique Street next and although we didn’t have much time for shopping the students enjoyed looking a a completely different sort of shop. From there we wandered through a different section of the hutong to the one the teachers had walked through and the students had the chance to see how many Beijing people still live.
The end of the hutong brought us out right next to the restaurant where we had dinner before going to the Red Theatre.
The show at the theatre was called The Legened of Kung Fu and told the story of a little boy in an ancient temple. Through practising Kungfu and Zen he becomes a master and finally reaches the sacred goal of enlightenment. The show was fantastic and at the ned we had our photos taken with the stars of the show. It was a great end to a very busy day!!
Sunday 5th October
Up bright and early again with another busy day ahead of us. First stop was the Beijing Aquarium. Here we saw a fascinating array of different sea creatures from China and around the world. We also saw a dolphin show and although the commentary was in Chinese it was very entertaining!
Right next door to the Aquarium is the Beijing Zoo so we went in to have a look at the Pandas. What’s a visit to China without checking out the Pandas? Although much of the zoo is like our zoo many years ago the newest panda enclosures are a huge improvement on the ones we visited first.
After leaving the Zoo we walked quite a distance to the nearest subway station so the students could experience train travel in Beijing. The first train was quite busy and the second was very “squashy” – in fact each of the teachers had a group of two or three students and it took three trains before we all reached our next destination - The Silk Markets. Bartering skills were put to good use again and many a bargain and gift was found!
We braved the subway again to make our way back to Changping where we enjoyed a delicious Peking Duck Dinner. The chef came into our room and we were able to watch how the duck was carved. We all made duck mini wraps and some people even tried the duck’s head! Back to school then for an earlier night.
Monday 6th October
Today our first stop was the National Park. This park is not like our National Parks but is set out in communities to show the 56 different groups who are in China. The first display was Tibetan and we saw some dancers practising and walked through their small museum. Some of the displays were just representation of buildings etc from their areas and others had dancing and other shows to watch. We saw some people climbing a knife stalk – and the knives on the stalk were very sharp! We joined in a water dance and some of us got wet at the end of the dance when the water vessels were spun around and water tossed everywhere – as a way to bless the area and give good fortune to the people. Although we only had time to see part of the park it gave us fascinating insight into the culture of the many different people who make up China.
We got very lost on the way to our restaurant for lunch – first on foot and then in the bus – so we eventually stopped at another restaurant. Nearby was the Bird’s Nest and the Watercube which unfortunately were closed to the public and we could only take pictures from outside a fenced off area.
Back to Liulichang Antique Street this time with some time for the students to explore the shops. We watched artists doing calligraphy and painting and looked in shops selling a great variety of goods both antique and new. One artist showed us how he paints inside glass globes and bottles using a bent brush. He has to do the whole of the painting and writing upside down.
After dinner the students and teachers had the opportunity to experience an exciting part of Chinese cultureat the Lao She Teahouse. We sipped tea and ate Chinese snacks such as dried plums, pastries and green tea biscuits whilst being entertained by comedians, singers and acrobats. Although we couldn’t understand the jokes and songs everyone really enjoyed the acrobats and kungfu. The face-changing artist was also fascinating.
Another late night after another very busy day!
Tuesday 7th October
Today we headed to the Western outskirts of Beijing not far from the Zoo and Aquarium to see The Summer Palace. The Summer Palace covers an area even bigger than the Temple of Heaven and is the largest royal park in China. It was originally built in the 12th century but after being ruined by fire was rebuilt in the late 1800’s as a holiday place for the then Empress. The Summer Palace is built around a man-made lake - Lake Kunming. There were many buildings and gardens to look at and we had a boat ride to cross from one section to another.
Lunch today was a Hot-pot (steamboat) and many of the students said it was their favourite meal so far because not only did it taste great but it was fun to cook!
After lunch we headed to the E-top Centre where we had a chance to look at a huge variety of electronic goods. I have never seen so many different varieties of cameras, flash drives, computer parts etc. all under the one roof.
Tonight was our first dinner in the canteen and then time in the computer lab for using the internet before an early night.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Teacher's First Three Days
Tuesday 30th September
Waiting at Singapore airport was a tiring few hours. Once we had found a meeting place on some comfortable lounges that happened to be in front of a television the students went off in small groups to explore coming back to check in with the teachers every half hour. For most of them the first stop was Burger King for Coke and fries!
Our very tired group boarded the next plane to Beijing just after 1am and although we were exhausted it was a while before anyone slept. I have never taxied as far as we did in Singapore on any flight I had taken before – we were starting think the pilot wanted to taxi his way to China!! However after almost half an hour on the runway we took off at last.
Some of the students settled down to sleep straight away – eye masks and blankets on – and others continued to chat and play games. Most of us had at least some sleep but it was an extremely tired bunch of people who got off the plane in Beijing!
After waltzing through immigration and customs we were met by Sharon (Zhu Qi) our guide from Huijia Private School. The bus ride to the school took about an hour and because we had arrived a little late, the students were whisked away quickly to their dormitories to organise their bags for their first homestay as many of the families were already waiting to collect their students.
Once all the students had gone the staff were shown to their rooms. We decided that it was not a good idea to sleep although we had all had very little sleep since leaving Perth. We headed into the local town of Changping by taxi. Mrs Wright and Mrs McKay decided a neck and back massage was the go and Ms Van Beem and I wandered around the nearby area.
Next stop for us was lunch and what an amusing experience that was! We chose a restaurant that had pictures displayed so we could order easily. We decided that the noodles pictured on the wall were called Beef Noodles on the translated menu we were eventually given. Expecting a plate of noodles each, we were very surprised when large bowls were put in front of us. The beef and noodle soup was actually very tasty although not what we thought we had ordered. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around in Changping. Eventually we found a supermarket/market. We strolled around for a while and then purchased bits and pieces to bring back with us (water, snacks etc). We discovered we were very close to where we had started so we returned to the same restaurant for dinner as the staff there had been very friendly. This time we decided pointing to the pictures was the go and we enjoyed a meal of fried rice and chicken kebabs. Then it was back to Huijia by taxi and after chatting for a while four very tired teachers hit the sack!
Wednesday 1st October
After the best sleep I had had in a while it was off to Beijing for the day that turned out to be a day of new experiences!
The teachers had spoken to the students they could reach and all of them were having a great time at their homestays.
Our trip into Beijing took quite a while. Firstly a half hour taxi drive to Lungze Station, the nearest subway station to the school. When we arrived there the queue to get into the station was very long but we quickly passed through the security, bought tickets and found our platform. Riding the subway was interesting – what we would call a packed train is anything but packed. Even when you think the train is full more people push their way on. We negotiated the change to the second line quite easily and found ourselves not far from Lulichang Street, our first destination.
Liulichang Street, which was built in the Qing Dynasty, had lots of Chinese history to experience. Crowded with shops selling antiques and ancient books, calligraphy tools like Chinese pens, ink, ink stones and paper, and Chinese ink drawings. There were also shops selling teas of many varieties, tea sets and also interesting Chinese snacks like green tea biscuits.
After strolling down one section of the street, we found ourselves wandering through a Hutong – a traditional Chinese housing area. This was also a very interesting experience!
Next stop was a Peking Duck Restaurant for lunch.
Back to the subway for our next stop- The Silk Market. In the basement we had to push our way through crowds of people, Every step saw another seller shoving their wares in our faces – Bali is nothing compared to this! After the shoe, bag and clothing floors we headed straight for the top floor and found lots of beautiful jewellery. Pearls, Pandora bracelets (fake, of course) and much more!
After a late dinner we went back to Huijia by taxi exhausted after a very interesting day.
Thursday 2nd October
Into Beijing again today – taxi then subway with 2 interchanges. After changing money at the bank, recharging our phone cards and some morning tea, we headed into the Silk Market again.
First stop – jewellery again!! Some more purchases of Pandora bracelets and pearls for gifts. We also wandered around the toy and electronic floor. Then after a pizza lunch we continued browsing, this time at silk scarves, ties, homewares etc. Then after some hard bargaining for a lovely leather bag we decided it was time to head back to Huijia.
As the students started to arrive back at their dormitories we recorded their thoughts and experiences about the homestay visits. (These will be added later!)
They were all very excited and it took some time to settle them for the night. From the chatter about their experiences all the students have had a fantastic time and experienced many new things. What a fantastic way it was to start their China experience!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
We're Here!!
Sorry folks having some trouble with internet access! First time here and it won't read the flash drive with the diary and documents on it. Will try again soon.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Singapore Stopover
We arrived safely in Singapore at about 9.10pm. We have over 3 hours to wait before we board our next flight for Beijing at 0110am.
Some of us are lounging around too tired to do anything else and some are wandering around looking in the shops.
The kids went off and bought drinks and fries from Burger King even though we had had a huge delicious dinner on the flight.
The teachers are hoping that everyone will be too tired to do anything other than sleep on the next flight!!
Next post should be from Beijing!
It's Nearly Time!
It's only a matter of hours until we leave so I'm trying out ways to access the blog via email.
Hopefully you will see the video of the presentations at assembly.
Hopefully you will see the video of the presentations at assembly.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Youth Ambassadors Head For China
This morning at the final Assembly for Term 3 the five Oberthur Students who are heading for China on Monday 29th September were made honorary Youth Ambassadors for the state of Western Australia. Each student received a certificate and an email from the Premier of Western Australia, Mr Colin Barnett. The students were very surprised and also excited to have been given this title. I am sure they will live up to that title and make excellent ambassadors.
The six students from Bateman were also made honorary ambassadors of W.A. and received their certificates and emails at their assembly too.
The six students from Bateman were also made honorary ambassadors of W.A. and received their certificates and emails at their assembly too.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
4 Days to Go!
Yesterday the Oberthur students went over to Bateman so that we could take some group photos. After the "serious" shots we decided to take some "silly" shots. This is the one I liked best!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
On Friday 12th September all the students going on the tour came to Oberthur PS for an orientation day run by Mrs Zhang who is the LOTE teacher at both schools.We had very informative and helpful sessions about the upcoming trip and also enjoyed a delicious lunch at the local Chinese Restaurant. Above is the article that appeared in the Melville Times last week.
Beijing Activities
It's only 8 days now until we go and I'm sure everyone is getting excited.
These are some of the places we will visit and the things we will do while we are away.
These are some of the places we will visit and the things we will do while we are away.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
11 Days until we go!
It is only 11 days until we board the plane for Beijing via Singapore. Our 5 students and Mrs Mc are on school camp this week, visiting Kalbarri, Monkey Mia and then Greenough on the way home. I'm sure theyb are having a fantastic time.
Next week they will finish their preparations for our China trip.
Next week they will finish their preparations for our China trip.
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