Languages - Indonesian

Selamat Datang Term 3! – Indonesian at Berwick College

It’s been a busy and exciting start to Term 3 in Indonesian!

Our year 7 and 8 mainstream students have been learning how to describe their friends in Indonesian. From sopan (polite) and baik hati (kind-hearted) to ramah (friendly), jujur (honest), lucu (funny), and malas (lazy), students are building their vocabulary and practising how to express opinions in a new language.

Did you know that Indonesian is often described as “backwards” compared to English? In Indonesian, adjectives come after the noun. So instead of saying “a funny friend,” you’d say teman lucu – literally, “friend funny”! It’s a fun shift in thinking that challenges students to notice how language works.

Meanwhile, our year 8 High Achievers' Program (HAP) students have turned their attention to describing their homes. They’ve been using words like hutan (forest), pantai (beach), laut (sea), pulau (island), and sungai (river) as they explore how to describe different environments and where people live.

This term, we also welcomed Filomena, a visiting teacher from our sister school, Escola Secundaria Técnica Viqueque (ESTV) in Timor Leste. Filomena spent time learning about education in Australia and observing classes. She was especially impressed by the dedication and commitment our teachers show towards student learning. Filomena will take her experiences back to share and implement new ideas in her school community.

We are also very fortunate to have Ilham joining our Indonesian classes on Tuesdays this term through the Australia Awards - Indonesian Language Learning Ambassadors (ILLA) program. Ilham is a visiting language ambassador from Indonesia who will be supporting students with their learning, sharing insights about Indonesian culture, and helping bring the language to life in the classroom.

In the coming weeks, students will be celebrating Hari Merdeka, Indonesia’s Independence Day, which falls on 17 August. This day marks Indonesia’s declaration of independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945. It’s a time of national pride, celebration, and reflection across the country. At Berwick College, students will learn more about this important event and take part in classroom activities to honour Indonesian culture and history.

Stay tuned for more language adventures – terima kasih for your continued support of Indonesian at Berwick College and we look forward to another great term of language and cultural learning!

Renae Smith

Languages Domain Leader