It was hands-on arts kind of morning which was a fabulous way to make connections between the students of both culture. The the NX students and pupils of CM1 (N.Caledonia) were placed into mixed groups to rotate through several art activities. There was Melanesian inspired carving and design using big bars of soap (patterns and tiki); Pasifica inspired mask making, and Aboriginal inspired painting.
We realised very quickly how privileged our NX students are with regard to school resources and grounds. For example, all the schools we saw around Noumea have only concrete playground.
It was an absolute pleasure to give our students the experience of being in a foreign school. The New Caledonian pupils spoke very good English and overcame their initial shyness to really bond with many of our students. Mrs Frith, Mr Spurdle and I were placed in charge of small groups and that really tested not only our language skills but also our classroom management in a different setting.
The teachers and principal of Frederic Surleau were welcoming far beyond our expectations and we spoke warmly about establishing email relationships between our two schools to lay the foundations for a return visit.
We cannot thank the teachers and pupils enough for their generous hospitality. Hayden Fisher gave a very confident farewell in French to Mdme Marie-Victoire's class. They waved us goodbye from their third floor walkway as we walked back down the hill into town. It was a genuinely moving farewell on both sides.
