Two groups from BSSC travelled to China during the recent holidays.
Principal Dale Pearce led a team to progress planning for the delivery of the VCE through our sister school. This will commence in September if sufficient enrolment numbers make the program viable.
Three days were also spent at a VCE conference in Tianjin run by four Victorian schools – Firbank, Thomas Carr, RMIT and Northcote – for their Chinese VCE teachers and Victorian based mentors. Our team also attended the official signing of the agreement between the first Victorian government school to get permission to commence VCE delivery – Northcote High School.
Meanwhile fourteen intrepid student travellers and three staff have been enjoying their first week of the July Chinese-Australian Cultural Exchange trip. After some weather delays in their flights they eventually arrived at Wenjian School in Shanghai and their Chinese host students took them on a whirlwind tour of central Shanghai via the efficient underground rail network. Among the highlights were the Bund at night and visiting the markets.
A visit to Disneyland occupied our tourists on day three, where the group explored the massive site and enjoyed many of the opportunities available. A fantastic day couldn’t be dampened, even by being caught in a torrential downpour! This experience was followed by an overnight train to the famous city of Xi’an. Here students visited the ‘Big Wild Goose Pagoda’ of Xi’an and were exposed to the rich history and a dinner at a restaurant specialising in dumplings.
A visit to the Terracotta Warriors was the highlight of day five. The sheer scale of the site and the work in restoration was incredible. The next stop was Ji’nan, and a bus trip to accommodation in Tai’an. A tour of the Taishan Great Rift Holiday Resort was the main feature of day six.
We trust the remainder of the trip continues to inspire our travellers.
