Issue Number 29 | March 2026
French Pen Pals
Written by Grace McCallum & Eve Malone, S1
1W, 1L1, 2F, 2P1and 2P2 have all been lucky enough to be part of a pen pal letter exchange! Students have pen pals in Guémemé Penfao who go to Collége Saint Michel in the South of Brittany. This is the same school that Mrs Gilmore used to attend!
2F, 2P1 and 2P2 are currently waiting patiently for their replies, but 1W and 1L1 have already received theirs, and are writing their second letter. The reason for sending these letters is not only to share cultural differences, but to practice communicating in French in a real-world situation with someone from France. It also benefits the French students when we occasionally write it English, letting then practice their English skills.
I personally find it really interesting and engaging to speak to someone from a different country, which I rarely get to do, so every time I get my letter, I eagerly read it and start answering their questions in my reply. And then we add some drawings and colour, like the French flag or a croissant. At the end we make sure that everything looks good and presentable to send off to Collége Saint Michel. After a week or so we get a letter back. Their handwriting is so neat and formal.
Overall, the pen pal exchange is a great idea that keeps students excited to come to class!
They are in a high school called Collège Saint Michel, located in Guémené Penfao in the south of Brittany. It’ s a quiet countryside area, 1 hour from the sea, and 1 hour from the cities of Rennes and Nantes. They mostly support FC Nantes.
Our pen pals start school at 8.05am and finish at 5pm! Their writing is very swirly and fancy( and hard to read!) and they write a lot in English. They study English and Spanish as foreign languages. They have shared their favourite subjects, French songs, and sports with us in their first letter. We look forward to hearing from them soon. Mrs Gilmore will be able to visit them in April as well!.
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