Friends from Utrecht

We hosted a fascinating visit from a group of twelve students and four staff from a school in Utrecht. The group included students from families who have settled in Holland from other countries such as Turkey and Morocco. The group is spending the week in the Kinderhaus in Killough. Our students worked with their visitors on a Holocaust project, which included planting bulbs as part of our Holocaust Memorial. The group's cook discussed with us the foods available in our canteen which the Muslim student in the group would and would not eat. Next came 8B's first ever lesson in Turkish, as part of our feature on Turkish as our language of the term. It was a real boon to have real speakers of Turkish to take part in the lesson. Kemal and Sait Can Ozdemir, who live in Turky during the summer had an unexpected opportunity to practice their language and to support the group and 8b. The afternoon comprised a forest walk, with Newcastle looking its best in the sunshine. Our staff and students are now invited to a special Muslim meal, prepared by the group's chef, in Killough on Thursday. The meal will be particularly interesting for our group of Islam scholars who completed thier GCSE in Islamic studies last year. A very fruitful visit for all.