Languages

On 13 September, Year 10 and 11 Japanese language students had the amazing opportunity to go to the NGV to see the beautiful Japanese pottery exhibition. We left excitedly in the morning and hopped on a train to see the unique details of the pottery that had been skillfully sculpted to bring out the Japanese culture. In the exhibition there were plates, bowls and all kinds of other items, with each holding a story and representing a small aspect of Japanese history.

After seeing the pottery, we went for lunch at Wagaya, who kindly hosted us and presented us with delicious and authentic Japanese food. We all tried different things and were excited about each new thing that was brought out. My favourite was the Chicken Katsu Curry with the chicken cooked just right and the curry not too spicy.

Then, when we were full, we went to Daiso to shop around and look at all the cool and quirky Japanese objects.  Some of us bought interesting looking snacks and others bought cute looking stationery and we were all happy with what we had bought.  We ended the day beautifully by looking around Melbourne Central and filling ourselves with Japanese sweets.

It was a perfect day to experience a flavour of Japan in the city of Melbourne.

Angelique Palatino and 

Stephanie Galovic  

Year 11 

Swinburne Junior Italian Poetry Competition

On Friday 13 September, a group of 30 Year 8 Italian language  students gathered at the Conference Room to participate in the Swinburne Junior Italian Poetry Competition. We had two sections, Italian and non-Italian. They were both Italian poems but the Italian section was open to students wanting a challenge with the poem or to students who have an Italian background. While we were waiting, we were all nervous and excited. The first group came out and many questions were asked about the judge, what she was like and if it was actually scary or not. The answers came back as “She’s really nice, it’s really fast and not scary at all”. This calmed most of us down and when it came to our turn, we hesitantly entered the Conference Room and greeted the judge before reciting the poem. We then said thank you and goodbye to the lovely lady and left.

We all received a booklet on exit which contained a printout of the two poems and our names. We will take this experience with us and remember all the hard work we put into memorising these poems. Thank you to Signora Padovan and Signora Weberruss for organising this event for us and thank you to our adjudicator who was very lovely and eased our nerves as soon as we walked in.

Sienna Koop

Year 8

Last Friday I was lucky enough to be chosen to represent Kilbreda at the Swinburne Italian Poetry Competition. I was required to learn a poem in Italian and recite it to the judge where she would critique it on fluency and expression of language. Leading up to the competition I was very nervous, I practised everywhere I could, even in the shower! 

The day of the competition came and I was excited and anxious. I was worried for no reason, as the judge made everyone feel comfortable and was really welcoming. Even though I was very worried whether I would be able to remember and recite the poem correctly, I am so pleased I was able to overcome my nerves and take part in this competition. A big thank you to Signora Weberruss who gave me the confidence to believe I could!

Lucia Patullo

Year 8

Buongiorno! Last Friday 13 September many Italian language students from across Year 8 at Kilbreda recited the poem they had been learning, in front of an adjudicator. It was for the Swinburne Junior Italian Poetry competition. It was really exciting to be able to participate and have this experience. It helped build up speaking skills and we learnt a lot. It also helped improve the way we spoke Italian. We hope to be able to do it again. 

Caitlin Gellie and Alysha Ferraro 

Year 8

The Swinburne Poetry Competition was a good experience. It helped me to gain a bit more confidence in myself when speaking in front of people. I felt prepared knowing that I had enough time to practise and also because it was after my class assessment on the same poem, which gave me an opportunity to improve further. The judge listening and assessing my poem was really nice which made it easier for us.

I would encourage everyone to take the time to compete in the Swinburne Competition if they have the chance in future.

Brylee Roberts

Year 8

The Dante Alighieri Society Awards Presentation Evening, 2019

On Friday 6 September, Sofia and I attended the Dante Alighieri Society Awards Presentation ceremony held at the Copland Theatre at The University of Melbourne. The awards ceremony was a beautiful evening as it was so lovely to see other students, adults and teachers so passionate about the Italian language and culture. The awards ceremony recognised students who placed in the top 3 for the poetry recitation competition as well as the Discorso in Lingua Italiana competition and the original poetry competition.

The students who placed first in their sections were given the opportunity to recite their piece of work, which we found to be inspiring and emotional as they had put so much love and effort into it. As all language students can recognise, it is an extremely difficult task to write a poem or essay in a second language, let alone recite or read it in front of a large audience. Overall, we found this evening to be moving and it gave us hope leading towards the future, as it is young people such as us that can continue on the legacy of Dante Alighieri thanks to the support of our teachers, parents, students and the people of the Dante Alighieri society in Melbourne.

We both greatly encourage other students to participate in this competition as it allows you to meet other students who are as passionate about the language as you are but also to practise and improve your oral skills. As highlighted at the presentation ceremony we would like to say a big thankyou to Signora Weberruss for her constant encouragement and support for the competition as well as taking her own time to attend the awards ceremony on Friday evening.

Laura Mitchell

Year 10

The Dante Alighieri Society Awards presentation Evening 2019

This year I took part in the Italian Poetry Recitation Competition run by the Dante Alighieri Society in Melbourne. This is the third year that I have participated in the competition and the amazing experience brings me back every year. The competition not only helps with poem memorisation but also with public speaking as the experience is quite challenging. When you leave the room after the recitation, it is all worth it.

This year I was lucky enough to get through to the finals which was an even scarier experience! I learnt so much and felt so proud after this experience as it is the furthest I had ever come. After my recitation, I waited to see who would get called back for a second round but our category was already decided which made the results ten times more suspenseful. Soon after, I found out that I had come third in my category and that I would be receiving a prize for my efforts. At the awards night, Laura (who came second in the Year 10 category) and I listened to all the first place students recite their poems and it was very interesting to hear how different students approached their poems.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the competition to any Italian student who is interested in extending their skills.

Sofia Bondarenko

Year 11