Speaking for Success

Students who study Indonesian at MECS were invited to compete in the recent Indonesian Conversation Competition called Sayembara Lisan. It is held every year by VILTA (Victorian Indonesian Language Teachers’ Association). We invited students from Grade 5 and upwards to consider participating.

12 students from Grade 5/6 expressed an interest to compete and have been working hard for the last 2 months, practicing their conversations. They had to prepare answers to questions about themselves, be able to identify 12 fruits and say how much they cost – all in Indonesian. 5 progressed through to the Finals. On 14 June an excited bunch of Grade 5/6 students arrived at Melbourne High School, ready to converse face to face in Indonesian. They all did an incredible job on the day and we are very proud of them all! Last week we were notified of the winners – Harin P was awarded first place out of all the Grade 6 students who participated from the schools in and around Melbourne! Grace L was Highly Commended for her efforts!

We also had 2 students from Year 8 compete in the Finals. They had to prepare answers to 10 questions about themselves, prepare a written passage about their pet, and then be ready to answer extended questions regarding this passage. They both gave a great account of themselves, with the teacher afterwards commenting on how well they had done. We were informed that both girls had placed – with Olivia P coming in second place and Jasmine K coming third. Such a great effort girls and we are so proud of you both!

Next it’s off to the Awards Night on 1 August 2025!

Pak Jack Privitera (Primary Indonesian) Bu Sharon Tromp (Secondary Indonesian)

My mind is going over every sentence, every word, mouthing them, trying to perfect the pronunciation, stressing. This was my experience at the Sayembara Lisan where we had a partly pre-planned conversation with a fluent Indonesian speaker. We answered questions and read a paragraph of 50-100 words and then answered questions that were not pre-planned. This whole experience lasted only 10 minutes, I left feeling relieved and proud that I had completed something outside of my comfort zone.

Olivia Year 8

Sayembara Lisan was a competition where we were asked questions in Indonesian and then we had to answer back in Indonesian. That was Section 1. We also made a short paragraph on our pets. That was Section 2. After Round 1, we went to Melbourne High in

the city and did the same thing there. We then waited a while for our results. I was super nervous but when I got the results I was super happy! I got 3rd place. Olivia P had come 2nd! And Harin from Year 5/6 had come 1ST!! I was so happy to see that so many people from MECS had placed! Overall, it was a really great experience. For anyone looking to expand on Indonesian, I would 10/10 recommend this!

Jasmine Year 8