LANGUAGES
As we approach the end of Term 3 – already! Goodness, how the year has raced ahead! It has been a pleasure to see our language learners make such progress this year, which students notice themselves. Nowhere is this more obvious than with our Oral assessments, when students realise they can maintain an exchange wholly in a foreign language for 1-2 minutes in Year 7 and 2-3 minutes in Year 8. These aren’t memorised scripts, but dynamic, interactive exchanges where the student has to react and respond to a variety of questions on the topics of Pets (Year 7) and School (Year 8). Congratulations indeed!
Excursion Report 2022:
On the 19th of July we finally ran our long postponed Cultural Excursion: The last one was back in 2019 and so this was the College’s biggest school excursion for three years! After much planning and replanning, and despite a cold morning with the promise of rain, some 150 members of the College, consisting mostly of our Year 8 German & Chinese students headed off to Mooroolbark Train station for their trip to the city.
It was quite an adventure travelling together, looking smart in full uniform, being with friends and excited about experiencing the city with not just its sights and sounds, but also foreign tastes and experiences. The two language groups separated at Flinders Street with the German students visiting the Immigration Museum for the first time ever, in order to explore Australia’s rich history on display there. The museum explains how this country has been shaped by the many and varied waves of immigrants that these shores have welcomed. Most students were able to find something they could relate to, based on their own family histories, which is, after all, the whole idea of the exhibit. It was fun, if a bit rushed, but students were getting hungry!
At the Hofbräuhaus, the well-known German Restaurant (even if it is located in China Town!), students were treated to Apfelschorle (Sparkling apple drink), Brezel mit Butter, Schnitzel mit Soße, Sauerkraut und Pommes Frites. Dessert was a big slab of Zimt-Apfelstrudel mit Eis und Pflaumenkompott. It was delicious!
Our Chinese students spent an hour visiting Chinese museum and explored the history of Chinese settlement during the Gold Rush. We experienced the sensation of a simulated swaying 1850s ship. Our students were fascinated to learn about the world’s biggest Chinese dragon and they even got to see Chinese textiles, costumes, furniture and a life-size Terracotta warrior. We also learnt about the history of Qin and Han Dynasties, viewing a range of artefacts including a Jade Burial Suit and an ancient seismograph which was invented by Chinese scientist Zhang Heng in the Eastern Han period 132 AD. Then we visited the very popular Chinese restaurant called ‘Shanghai Village’ for lunch. Whilst there, we tasted dumplings, fried rice, steam pork buns and a lot more. It was a really exciting and informative day for our Year 8 students.
The faculty extends its thanks to the staff who assisted on the day: Mr Lorkin, Mr Parr, Ms Awi, Ms Swain and Ms Bailey (who jumped in last minute to replace Hr van Keulen), as well as our accompanying pre-service teachers Ms Al Raeesi. and Ms Sargent Finally, we must also thank the office staff who helped organise the event.
Assessment, Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews:
Staff are currently writing Interim Reports. These will be available to parents prior to Parent Teacher Interviews held later this Term. Please continue to monitor your CAT status and feel free to contact us if you have questions and/or concerns.
Jiaqi Tan, Yi Jiang, Jordan van Keulen & Jonas Bahlo
Your Languages Faculty