Our school is situated about 50 kilometers south from the French capital, Paris, in a little town named Perthes en Gatinais which has 2500 inhabitants. It is a mostly rural area with fields and woods but it is not uncommon for people to commute to work in Paris every day. The Fontainebleau forest lies nearby and provides a wide range of possible outdoor activities. People from all over Europe come there to climb its famous rocks, but it is also a beautiful place for local people to hike or ride.

In our school we are about 500 pupils for 40 teachers. Our school is called a "collège" and it is basically the equivalent of the American Junior High. Pupils leave primary schools located in their different villages and enter the "collège" at the age of 10 or 11. They will stay there for 4 years until they go on to the "lycée" (high school), where they will spend 3 years from age 15 to 17 or18. At the end of "collège", we have an exam, not unlike the British GCSE, which is our first serious national examination.

We like our school, which is modern and pleasant. Most of our rooms are equipped with digital boards and tablets can be borrowed occasionally. We also have a great cafeteria with a real chef, and it is so good that it even was on TV a few years ago. We can also join many clubs offering a wide choice of activities.

We are very much looking forward to this project. We have already discovered coding with our Maths teacher and it is great fun. We have read the various school presentations and we have learned a good deal. We will be delighted to get to know you all better.

 

The students of class 3ème 4.