LOTE News - Italian

Italian Language Assistant Arrives at EDSC

East Doncaster Secondary College would like to welcome Giada Pantana, our Italian Language Assistant, to our college. Giada comes to us from Le Marche, an Eastern Italian region, and already has been an asset to our team. She has been working with students in the classroom as well as working one-on-one with the Year 12 Italian students helping them prepare for their oral exam at the end of the year. Her enthusiasm and her assistance have been invaluable and we are so fortunate to have her at our college. All thank you to CO AS IT (Italian Assistance Association) who helps fund the Italian language assistants, enabling them to come to Australia and work in Victorian schools.

Giada arrived in April and will be here until December.  

Hi there! 

I’m Giada, the new Italian language assistant of the school. 

I am happy to introduce myself a little bit.

I come from central Italy, from the region Marche, from a town called Macerata. It is not famous as Florence or Venice, but it is still a beautiful place, drenched in cultural heritage (it is a medieval town) and located among gentle hills. Its location is peculiar because it is not very far from the sea and at the same time not too far from the mountains, too. We also have a typical food from the area, which is called vincisgrassi, very similar to lasagne. 

I have studied English and Russian languages and cultures for my Bachelor’s degree in Macerata and Translation and Interpreting for my Master’s in Genoa. I graduated from my Master’s last July, but only in December last year I got the news I would come here from April to December 2023. 

I had a wonderful welcoming both in this country as in this school. The staff are so kind to me every day, and I think this is a good reason to smile every morning, even if outside it is raining cats and dogs. 

It’s already a month that I am actually in Australia, and I cannot be more excited to be here for assisting in the teaching of the Italian language. 

The Italian team are honestly amazing, they are all passionate professionals and I truly believe their work is one of the most difficult. Seeing how hard they work and with how much enthusiasm, it makes my role here genuinely enjoyable and highly regarded. Last but not least, to represent my language and culture abroad is not only a big responsibility, but also an honour for me. 

Thank you for your constant support. 

With gratitude, 

Giada 

Joyce Conidoni

LOTE (Italian) Coordinator