La Reunion Student Exchange

Bonjour! As you may know, Scotch has a working relationship with WALRSE - the Western Australian La Reunion Student Exchange. This committee of volunteers has been sending students to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean since 1983. French students from Perth have the possibility to travel from Perth to Reunion Island in the July holidays, staying one month in a host family where they are immersed in the French language and way of life and often make life-long memories. As Scotch student Bailey Banfield says: "I had a wonderful time and it was heaps of fun. It's a great opportunity to learn more about another culture, and one which I loved."

The Reunionaise students then travel to Perth in our summer break, arriving mid-December and staying one month, practicing their English the whole time they are here. Due to the popularity of the exchange, we sometimes have a large number of French boys looking to travel, and it can be difficult to find host families amongst the somewhat smaller collection of male French students in Perth.

This is the situation we find ourselves in this year, so WALRSE are putting out a call to see if any Scotch families (particularly with sons in the 16-17 year age range) are interested in hosting a French exchange student this summer. The families can be host-only, without the need for boys to be studying French or intending to travel in July. We are looking for families who feel they can commit to 4 weeks of hosting, or if that is not possible, for a two-week hosting period to be shared with another family.

This year's hosting period is from December 20 to January 17 and includes three compulsory attendance activities:

• The welcome day out at Adventure world on December 22 (host-only families would have their tickets to that provided free, plus the chance for additional tickets for friends to be bought at our reduced group rate)
• The group picnic on December 30 (bring along a picnic and join all the exchange participants for a morning of river-side relaxing)
• The river cruise on the 14 or 15 of January (an evening event, again, the hosting child and their guest would have their ticket provided for free)

Aside from those three events, it is hoped that host families will share christmas with their student, give them plenty of opportunity to practice their spoken English, and will show them the delights of Perth or even WA.

WALRSE are offering a small financial contribution to host families to thank them for their generosity in opening their homes to a Reunionaise student.

If you feel that you would like to host a boy this summer, please contact Madame Vinton, French teacher in the Junior School, on this email address: csvinton@scotch.wa.edu.au.

Merci.

Ms Carolyn Vinton

Junior School French Teacher