Japanese Exchange

This week we farewelled our Japanese visitors after 12 wonderful days of fun and friendship. From close up encounters with Australian native animals to learning about how we learn in Australia by joining in our Shelford classes, the exchange was a deeply enriching experience for both the Japanese girls and their host sisters and buddies.  

In the Shibuya part of the Senior School assembly on Thursday, the girls sang their school song and treated us to both modern and traditional dances. Yuki Ito said in her introduction that the Shibuya girls all loved the greenery of our Shelford school, coming from a 9 storey school with no grounds in busy Tokyo. Something else new for them was the use of learning apps in the classroom. 

As well as attending regular classes with their host sisters and buddies, the Japanese girls visited our Japanese classes, helping the Senior School students to add a touch of authenticity to their writing tasks and teaching the Year 8s how to play some popular children’s games in Japan. They also ran a fabulous workshop with the Year 10 girls on Shodo, the art of brush calligraphy. With the Year 7s we played some Australian games and the Year 9s taught them some Australian slang among other things. I expect the Japanese girls will be enjoying their chokkies and bickies back in Japan, especially if they go on a barbie out in woop woop!

It was a real pleasure to see the Japanese girls walking around the school interacting naturally with our Shelford girls, and there was always great excitement when they arrived in a classroom. I think that we have seen the beginning of some lifelong friendships and I would like to thank the host sisters and buddies for looking after their guests so well.

I would also like to thank the host families for their generosity and kindness and for welcoming the Japanese girls into their homes and making their stay in Australia truly memorable. Lastly, I would like to thank all of the Shelford staff who helped to get this program up and running and making it a great success. I am going to miss seeing the greys and reds of the Shibuya uniform around the school. 

Julie Devine 

Head of Languages