L.O.T.E. - Mandarin

你好 (nǐ hǎo), everyone! Welcome to Term 2 Mandarin.

A warm welcome to Term 2! I sincerely hope that you're all in good spirits and fully prepared to embrace the exciting journey that lies ahead this term.

Chinese Day 2025

Thursday 3rd April was the Chinese Day at Blackburn Primary School. It was a truly wonderful day filled with fun, learning, and a vibrant celebration of Chinese culture. The air was alive with the sounds of laughter, the aroma of delicious food, and the sight of children's colorful CNY artworks, all coming together to create an unforgettable experience.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the teachers and parent helpers whose organization and hard work made this event a resounding success. Their dedication and commitment ensured that every aspect of the day ran smoothly, from the engaging cultural activities to the mouthwatering food served. 

A special thank you also goes out to the students. Their enthusiasm, cooperation, and keen participation were truly inspiring. Their eagerness to learn and embrace the Chinese culture added a special energy to the day, making it all the more memorable.

We would like to thank our Language Captains, Sally and Ella, for their assistance with the Chinese Day preparation and for hosting the special assembly on Chinese Day. The two of you did a great job! Your hard work and dedication are sincerely appreciated and do not go unnoticed.

In addition, we are incredibly grateful to Helena and Gerry (Huynh family) for their generous donation. They selflessly provided fortune cookies for the entire school, a sweet treat that brought smiles to everyone's faces. For the Grade 6 students, they donated the ingredients for making dumplings, allowing them to have a hands-on experience in preparing a traditional Chinese delicacy. Helena and Gerry, your kindness and support have made a significant impact, and we are truly thankful. 

We are already looking forward to Chinese Day 2026, hoping for another amazing celebration of this rich and beautiful culture.

Chinese New Year Poster Competition 2025 - The Year of The Snake

There are 45 students participated in this competition. 谢谢 (xiè xiè) to all the participants for your effort and participation. 谢谢 (xiè xiè) to all the teachers for voting. The winners of 2025 Chinese New Year Poster Competition are:

First place - Frank (5A)

Second place - Melanie (5A)

Third place - Shravya (5L)

Congratulations to the winners!

Term 2 Mandarin Program:

Foundation

• Recognise and properly pronounce numbers 0-10 with Chinese hand gestures. 
• Recognise and write 1 to 10 in Chinese Characters.
• Song 1: My Name is...
• Song 2: Numbers 

Grade 1

• Read the two-digit numbers (0-99) in Mandarin

• Participate in the activity 'Number Dragon'(0-99)

Grade 2

• Read the three-digit numbers (0-999) in Mandarin

• Read the four-digit numbers (1000-9999) in Mandarin

• Participate in Chinese Number Rainbow Challenge (0-9999)

Grade 3

• Recognise and name 12 Chinese foods including fried rice, fried noodle, dumplings, plain rice, spring rolls, roast duck, yum cha, hot pot, tea, soy milk, moon cake and sticky rice balls. 

• Construct sentences from new vocabulary about foods: ‘I want/don’t want to eat/drink…’ and ‘I like/dislike to eat/drink…’

• Create a Chinese menu.

Grade 4

• Recognise and name 9 Olympic sports including diving, long jump, jogging, swimming, weight lifting, gymnastics, shooting, archery and martial art.
• Construct sentences from the new vocabularies about sports: ‘I can/can’t play…’, ‘I like/dislike to play…’ and ‘I want/don’t want to play…’
• Create a ‘Sports’ poster. 

Grade 5

• Recognise and name 21 countries including China, Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, India, Russia, Vietnam, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt and South Africa.
• Construct sentences from the new vocabularies about countries: ‘I am… (Nationality)’, ‘I want/don’t want to go to…’ and ‘I like/dislike to go to…’ 
• Label 21 countries on a world map in Chinese Characters
• Produce a poster of a selected country and provide many aspects of the selected country including population, land size, capital city, landmarks, the official language, traditional food, fun facts, cultural taboos and greeting words.
• Give a 3-5 minutes oral presentation or create a 3-minute short video to showcase the countries they have researched. 

Grade 6

• Recognise and name 3 school staff roles: Principal, Teacher and Student

• Recognize and name 8 school subjects: Mandarin, English, Art, Music, PE, The Patch, Science and Maths

• Recognise and name 9 school facilities: classroom, toilet, office, sick bay, staffroom, oval, parking lot, gym and library 

• Ask ‘Yes or No’ questions

• Ask ‘Who’ questions

• Construct sentences from the new vocabularies such as ‘She likes her PE teacher.', ‘Who is my Principal?’ and ‘Does my school have a library?’

• Complete School Life worksheets.

• Participate in Panda Quiz (every Wednesday recess)

Extracurricular - Chinese Dance Club

Time: Every Wednesday lunchtime

Venue: Multipurpose 

If you have any questions regarding our Mandarin program at BPS, please do not hesitate to come and see me or email me on yi.zhang@education.vic.gov.au. Thank you for your support of the BPS Mandarin program.

Yi Zhang

LOTE Co-ordinator

Blackburn Primary School

           "Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom." - Roger Bacon