On Monday 4 April, our CE2 class and a class of CM1 went in the coach to visit the Waste Sorting Centre, Sidompe, in Thierval Grignon.

When we arrived, a guide invited us to go inside. We did a little game to see if we knew how long it takes for different pieces of waste to disappear into nature. Then we watched a film about how the factory works. It was very interesting. After that we put on our yellow jackets for protection and headsets to hear what our guide was saying. When we were inside the sorting factory, we saw some big mountains of waste. It was very impressive to see all the waste in this sorting centre. There were lots of noisy machines. It smelled of old waste; it was horrible. Some of us covered our noses with our jackets!

At the end of the factory visit, we saw how the sorted waste is transformed into huge cubes. These are used to make new objects. For example, old milk cartons can be turned into toilet paper; plastic bottles can be used to make the stuffing in a cuddly toy or even to make a warm fleece we can wear in winter. Some of the waste is burned to make energy to heat our homes!

Did you know that it takes 3 months for a paper tissue to disintegrate completely into the environment, 2 years for a cigarette butt, 5 years for chewing gum, between 100 and 1,000 years for a plastic bag, and 4,000 years for a glass bottle? This is why we mustn’t throw rubbish into nature, and we must recycle our paper, plastic and glass to make new objects.

By Alix Baudouin and Hortense Lapie, CE2 Integrated

I loved this outing because I love discovering about new things. – Hortense Lapie

This outing was exceptional because we don’t visit a waste sorting centre every day! Alix Baudouin

I liked the outing because the game was very cool, but the factory was really smelly! Hussain Mackwani

I especially liked the machines, which sorted bottles by pushing them with air. Célian Rouyre-Cros

My favourite thing was when we visited the sorting factory. Alice de Goullard d’Arsay

I liked the factory and the video. Amélie Regnard

The outing was fun. I liked the machines, the games and the film. Only problem: it was SMELLY! Sixtine Delahodde

I found the outing interesting because I saw how all the waste was going to be turned into new items. Lili Scotti

On Tuesday 24 March, we went to a forest called ‘La Foret de Fausse Reposes’. Since we are studying how people manage forests this was an educational trip. With the CM2 class we looked at different trees and plants. We also saw acorns growing and bugs! A lot of little leaves were growing on the new branches since it is early spring.

We observed the various ways trees grow. We saw tiny trees growing from the tree stumps: this is called a coppice, a plantation of young oak trees where the forest had been cleared in the past few years.

By looking at the trees, we can see that the forest is managed since some trees are very tall and a lot older than others, while others have been recently cut, and also young trees are sprouting from the undergrowth.

By Liam, Julie and Thea

The students in the Wednesday programme came to school on Wednesday 23 March with a delightful array of original and colourful cupcakes. They were made at home and showed careful thought about design, and some even looked too good to eat! Well done to all of the students who took part!

Admire some of their cakes in these photos.