Indonesian Update

It has been a busy and exciting Term 3 in Indonesian, with students continuing to develop their language skills while also engaging with the culture, communities and contemporary life of Indonesia.

Celebrating Indonesian Independence Day

This week, students have been celebrating Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia – Indonesian Independence Day, marking Indonesia’s declaration of independence on 17 August 1945. Across our Indonesian classes, students have been learning about the significance of the day and participating in some of the activities traditionally associated with 17 Agustus celebrations in Indonesia.

Students have had the opportunity to take part in games inspired by Indonesian Independence Day celebrations, including lomba makan kerupuk, marble races, water-transfer challenges and pensil ke botol. These activities provide a fun way for students to engage with Indonesian culture and understand how this important national occasion is celebrated within communities across Indonesia.

Around Our Indonesian Classrooms

Our Year 7 students continue to build the foundations of their Indonesian language skills, developing confidence with vocabulary, sentence construction and everyday communication. Alongside their language learning, students have also been exploring Indonesian culture and have engaged enthusiastically with our Independence Day activities.

Our Year 8 students are extending their Indonesian through topics connected to the environment, weather and travel. Students are increasingly working with longer and more detailed language, developing their ability to describe places, conditions and experiences and communicate their ideas with greater independence.

Our Year 10 students have recently been putting their language skills into practice through their Indonesian cooking video assessment. Students have selected and prepared Indonesian dishes while explaining the ingredients, cooking process and cultural background in Indonesian. This has been a fantastic opportunity to combine practical learning with increasingly sophisticated spoken Indonesian.

Our Year 11 students are currently preparing presentations promoting a holiday destination in Indonesia. Students are researching destinations from across the archipelago and developing persuasive presentations that showcase attractions, activities, culture, food and other features that make their chosen location worth visiting. The task challenges students to use Indonesian for an authentic presentational purpose while demonstrating increasingly sophisticated vocabulary, grammar and cultural knowledge.

Indonesia Study Tour

Excitement is also continuing to build for our upcoming Indonesia Study Tour. Students will spend time in Jakarta, including a homestay experience with our sister-school community, before travelling to Yogyakarta. The tour will provide students with an extraordinary opportunity to use their Indonesian in authentic settings, experience daily life with Indonesian families and deepen their understanding of the history, culture and diversity of Indonesia.

For our students, this is much more than a sightseeing experience. The relationships developed through our Indonesian program are an important part of what we do, providing genuine opportunities for intercultural understanding, friendship and connection.

Information on the 2028 Study Tour and our Sister School's 2027 reciprocal trip to Australia will be shared with families before the end of the year.

Supporting Our Friends in Ruteng, Flores

Those connections feel particularly important at the moment. I was fortunate enough to spend time at our BRIDGE partner school, SMPN 6 Langke Rembong in Ruteng, Flores, only five weeks ago, working alongside their teachers and school community. It has therefore been devastating to hear about the impact of the recent earthquake on a community that welcomed me so generously.

In Term 4, we will be organising a College fundraiser to support SMPN 6 Langke Rembong and their community as they respond to the impact of the earthquake which has resulted in the destruction of several of their school's buildings. More details will be shared with students and families shortly about how our College community can contribute.

Our partnership with SMPN 6 is a reminder that learning Indonesian is about much more than learning another language. It is about developing relationships, understanding another community and recognising our responsibility to support our friends when they need us.

Kita berdoa untuk teman-teman di sana — our thoughts and prayers are with our friends there.

Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia, dan terima kasih!

Pak Walker

LOTE KLA Leader