Languages Faculty News
Lucie Dickens, Academic Dean of Languages
Year 4 postcards from a pretend holiday!
Recently, our Year 4 students greatly enjoyed writing about their pretend holiday in French. They described their sightseeing, their accommodation, leisure activities and sightseeing tours – you could almost believe they were really there!
Berthe Mouchette Competition finalist - Muskan Kapoor
We wish Muskan Kapoor, Year 5, all the best for her upcoming poetry recital of Dans Paris by Paul Eluard for the Berthe Mouchette poetry competition. This is Muskan’s third year participating in the competition and her first time as a finalist.
This is quite an achievement as there were over 4000 participants in the competition this year! Muskan will use gestures and expression in her performance which is a pleasure to watch and hear.
Bonne chance, Muskan!
AFTV Francophonie competition - Year 6 French winners
Sarah Paulin, Year 6 French teacher
As part of the AFTV Francophone competition, Years 5 to 8 students who are studying French have the opportunity to discover the Francophone world by researching a French-speaking country and producing a video to showcase the country, including its history, food and culture.
This year, our Year 6 students entered two videos on the island of Madagascar for the Competition. Pounny Zhou, Phoenix Fishman and Lorenzo Wright from Year 6H achieved the outstanding result of 1st place in Victoria and Hiromi Cheung from Year 6S achieved a fabulous 3rd place.
The students attended a prize-giving ceremony at the French Embassy, where their video creations were showcased to the assembled crowd. They also received certificates and a prize-pack of French goodies to help with their future French learning.
Congratulations to the students on this wonderful achievement!
Year 8 French and Japanese Cultural Day
On Tuesday 25 July, our Year 8 students participated in a fantastic French and Japanese Cultural Day.
These engaging and educational days are designed to provide students of all backgrounds with the opportunity to learn about the rich culture of these two nations ... and not to mention, make and enjoy amazing food!
Global Connections Program - Reflections from visiting French students
Over the last five weeks, students from our partner school in France, St Joseph La Salle, attended classes at Kilvington and stayed with Kilvington host families.
Here are some of their reflections on their experience.
'It felt like home from the moment I arrived because my lovely host family treated me like their own daughter and the students at School were kind to me.'
'As soon I arrived, I felt at home. My host family were so nice and welcoming that even during the first few days, I didn't feel like I was with strangers. They were always smiley and funny. I will be always grateful for the amazing experience they gave me.'
'I loved many of my classes at Kilvington. The pedagogy was so fun and interactive; it was a breath of fresh air for me. I also liked going to the city and playing footy and surfing. I didn't really enjoy having to go to the activities I wasn't familiar with, but 90% of the activities were really good!'
'I really liked the relationship between the teachers and students. It was a different way of learning for me. I also learnt new subjects like sociology, which was really interesting. I loved my experience at Kilvington!'
“Honestly, I liked every class and activity. I thought the classes were very cool and relaxed but at the same time, everyone was working. The teachers were very nice and helpful. It's very different from France.'
'I loved Kilvington because the teachers take care of the students and have a good relationship with them.'
'This experience contributed to my personal growth because I had to learn how to live without my parents. It also helped me to improve my English (and become more fluent). It was also an incredible experience, and I'm really glad I said yes to this program.'
'This experience made me feel more self-confident and autonomous. I am not very comfortable at speaking, so I had to overcome this fear in another language. For the first time, I'm proud of myself. I also improved my English.'
'I didn't realise how much this experience would impact my life. I came to improve my English, meet new people and discover another country. But I came back with a second family, amazing new friends, and memories I will never forget. Of course, I improved my English too! It has been the best experience of my life and the hardest goodbye I've had to say. Maybe when you read this, I will still be here because I missed my plane. On purpose.'
We wish Victoire, Maiana, Enzo, Merwann, Aymeric and Sarah all the best as they return to France!