International Student Program

We have had a fun few weeks in the International Department. To start the term, we put on a lunch of dumplings and cake to wish our Year 12s all the best for their last few weeks and for their exams. We enjoyed good food and the beautiful river view while we talked about their dreams and aspirations.

Being spurred on by Julia (Year 8) and Ms Moat, we started a lunchtime games club for our junior students. The group decided to start slowly with a few games of Uno, but I am not sure we needed to as the squeals of laughter incited by sheer competitiveness could be heard down the corridor. Last week the students and Ms Jielei taught Ms Moat and I a game called Werewolf. We quickly got the hang of it, although I think we will need to play again to really know what we are doing. The straight faces made it difficult to guess however, the giggles around the room made us very suspicious.

We also had the opportunity to celebrate the Chinese Debating Team win by attending a hotpot lunch at Panda Hotpot in Carlton. Watching the students share in a celebratory feast together after all of their hard work was wonderful. The question of the day though, will they enter a team again next year was met with hesitation. I think they need a little more time to pass to forget the many gruelling hours they had to commit to over the school holidays and on weekends. I am sure the expert coaching, okay and the win, was worth it. Let’s hope we will see them in action in 2025.

On 4th of November, our Chinese Debating Team gathered with Ms. Jielei and Ms. Kylee for a warm and memorable hotpot lunch to celebrate our achievements in the Victorian High School Chinese Debating Competition. I enjoyed being together with my friends, eating delicious food and there was a lot of laughter. The hotpot lunch was more than just a meal. It was a recognition of the time we put into the Chinese Debating Competition and a meaningful celebration of our teamwork. I had a good time during the lunch and hope to have more opportunities to participate in debating activities in the future.

Traci (Year 10)

On Wednesday, November 6 we invited our 2025 International students in for an Orientation Day. Besides preparing students for Melbourne Girls’ College and their studies, we ran a student panel to share experiences and answer those burning questions important to our students. I am not sure who appreciated it more, as our current students get very excited about bringing in new students to join our international family here at MGC. On this day we also held our end of year celebration party, so we shared a huge cream cake and lots of party food. Students mingled, chatted and shared 2024 experiences with each other and the new students. Even a few of our Year 12 students stopped by in-between Year 12 exams.

I had a wonderful time during the ISP week in term 4 this year. Firstly, I had Hotpot with the members in the Chinese debating team in order to celebrate the championship of the debating competition. Secondly, I had a fantastic lunch time with the non-native English speakers from Junior levels. We played Werewolf together in order to improve our English-speaking skill. Finally, I went to the Orientation party to welcome the new international students which are going to MGC next year, we had a very happy time during the party, we shared snacks together and I was so glad to be the student panel! We talked a lot about our happy life in MGC.