Aranda Primary School students make French pen pals the old-fashioned way

The 55 students have joined French teacher Myriam Davies' pen pal club to write to schoolchildren from Rueil-Malmaison, a commune in Paris' western suburbs.

Instead of using the immediacy of the internet, however, the students have opted for the analogue method, sending handwritten letters to their newfound French friends from the École Primarie Publique Alphonse Daudet.

The club is a way of helping the students on both sides of the globe learn second languages: the Australians pen their letters in French, while the French write back in English.

Handwriting the letters has helped the students gain special insights into their pen pals' learning style, including spelling and grammatical errors the students make.

"It's nice to see that when they're learning they make mistakes and it's ok for us to make mistakes as well," Madame Davies said.

The letters started with basic questions about their pals' age, grade level and the name of their school and teacher.

Year 4 students Theodore Manikis and Annika Connelly-Hansen, two of the most enthusiastic members of the club, are looking forward to asking their pen pals about their family, hobbies, food and culture.

The program is following the French school year, which begins in September and wraps up in June.

Theodore, Annika and their classmates will need to wait until year 5 to restart their correspondence, though they have already sent over Christmas cards, complete with native animals on the front.

They will also be sending photographs of Canberra landmarks and their school, with hopes that they will stay pen pals beyond the end of the year.

"When you're writing to someone it makes it real; you can actually visit another country and already know somebody there," Madame Davies said.

A visit to France may still be some time away for the students, but Annika and Theodore intend to keep up communication with their pen pals well into the future.