International Student Update

School Staff Professional Learning

On 5th August, Ms Podesser, manager of our English Language Centre and EAL leading teacher, made a very successful presentation  for all the college teachers during the Professional Learning session.  

Her topic was "Understanding the needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Learners". Ms Podesser shared her experience, expertise and  strategies for teaching international students. Thank you Ms Posesser and many thanks to Ms Ji and  our international students (Karin, Maika,Vinvent, Evelyn and Ivy) who shared their views.

Birthdays in August

Happy Birthdays to Sophie (13), Janet (16), Polly (17) and Ray (18).

Thank you again to  our wonderful homestay hosts for their support and extra effort on our students' special occasions. 

Short-term Study student 

Happy Zhu has just finished his 4 weeks'  Short-term Study with us. He had a wonderful time and wrote us a very nice letter. I would like to take this opportunity to give my gratitude to Happy's classmates and his Y8G mentor teacher Ms E. Ireson. Happy was so touched when he received the presents they so kindly prepared. Here is the letter :

"In the summer of 2024 (China time), I studied at Mordialloc College as a short-term student for 4 weeks. Even though it wasn't a long time, I still learned a lot and fell in love with the educational ways and ideas. Now, let me talk about my special feelings about the experience here. 

·       The educational way I appreciate the most is: how the teachers teach us. In China, teachers always push us students very hard. The school rules are often strict. Hard pressure makes us stressed and anxious. But in Mordialloc College, teachers use completely different ways to teach. For example, in science class, my science teacher always takes us to do some experiments. When we observe the chemical change, we mix the substances together and feel how cold it is. That made me remember how to find out whether a change of matter is chemical or physical. This kind of education really benefits me a lot. I had a lot of fun and acquired a lot of knowledge at the same time. This way of learning is easy and not boring.

·       The students in Mordialloc are very kind and enthusiastic. For example, when I came into the classroom, they always said "Hello" to me at once. When I found it difficult to solve some English problems, the girl sitting next to me helped me and explained the definition of some English words to me. At lunch time, some of my classmates often invite me to play basketball with them. Many of them warmly want me to be on their team. The enthusiasm they brought to me made me feel like a family member. I completely don’t feel lonely here. So, before I leave, I sincerely want to say thank you to my classmates.

·       Sports at Mordialloc College is another very interesting activity to me. In fact, many students here love sports. As a football fan, I played lots of indoor football games (They called it indoor soccer) with students from other classes. I played goalkeeper in my team and was invited to play with another school. This really surprised me. This sport not only lets me enjoy the joy of sports but also makes many friends.  

Now, my short-term study has nearly come to an end. It's so sad that I will leave here. I won't forget the fun I had, the wonderful teachers and students I met, and the things I learned in Mordialloc college. "

Qun Mao

International Student Coordinator