Well done to Kristina, Jack, Nana, Lisa and Ekaterina who were awarded Star of the Week last week.

For our Big Writing we used the story of Farmer Duck to inspire us to write lists. We enjoyed writing in the role of the duck making a list of jobs for the farmer. We shared our lists with a writing partner to check that we had met the objectives.

In science we have been learning about the food groups and how to eat a healthy, balanced diet. First we thought about how we could sort the foods and then we worked together to sort them into 5 groups, thinking about which foods we eat for growth, energy and health.

In IPC we have been learning about where we live. We loved investigating maps of Villars and identifying places we know.

Our Year 9 children and their parents are currently involved In the process of choosing their next school for when they leave La Garenne at the end of this academic year. Choosing a senior school can be a difficult decision given the wide variety of options available. It is important to take into consideration many factors including the size of the school, whether it is a boarding or day school and whether it is single sex or co-educational. The choice is very wide and the process can be very confusing, for both the students and their parents.

Help is at hand, as here at La Garenne we work closely with the parents to advise and guide them in the difficult task of choosing the right school for their child. We have many years of experience working with Swiss schools and also with a wide range of international schools throughout the world. We have an excellent record in placing our students in their first-choice school.

Our partnership arrangements with five leading Swiss schools have greatly facilitated the placement of La Garenne students in these prestigious establishments. Our partner schools are

• Brillantmont,
• Champittet,
• Collège Beau Soleil,
• Le Rosey and
• Leysin American School.

We organize visits and interviews at these schools and liaise closely with them with regard to their entry requirements. On the day of the interview, we accompany the students to the school to ensure that the application process runs as smoothly as possible.

While the partnership arrangements do not guarantee entry for our students, these schools have confidence in the quality of our school reports and other application documents. Therefore under normal circumstances, students are not required to take entrance tests.

The students are very happy that winter has already started and of course that means, the snow. It has been a pleasant surprise for them as the snow fell in abundance during the week and the students have spent a lot of time playing with it. It also means that the temperatures of -6 have made dressing warmly an important point of discussion with the students! This week we will be buying extra clothes and boots for some of the students who require them for the weekend activities, not to mention just walking around the school campus. I am sure that this weekend, the students will be able to play outside and enjoy the wonderful opportunities available when studying at La Garenne.

With the Christmas period soon upon us, the children and the boarding staff are in full preparation for the festive period. Amongst many traditions at the school, we will have the special day we collect and decorate our tree as a family, followed by a Christmas film and cookies.We will also be preparing the Christmas carol singers for their Saturday performance and not to mention the Christmas party. This evening, the students have already started to choose their secret santa names when they will all exchange gifts with another student, in secret.