Languages News
Lucie Dickens, Academic Dean of Languages
Year 8 Cultural Day
FRENCH
Emily Kennedy, Year 8 French
On 28 July, Year 8 French students enjoyed their action-packed Cultural Day.
My group started with fencing, which was exciting as we learnt the basics of the sport while also discovering its history and connections to France.
Next, we moved on to circus skills, where we learnt a variety of tricks such as basic juggling, spinning plates and juggling sticks. The final activity was an escape room that challenged us to learn about famous French monuments and strengthen our French comprehension skills.
After the activities, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived - our luncheon. After many weeks of planning, organising and preparing food, everything came together perfectly.
The food was delicious and the decorations looked amazing. As the luncheon came to an end, the judges visited each table to taste the food and assess our efforts based on our language skills, menus and decorations.
Overall, it was a fantastic day, and it would not have been possible without Madame Neale and Madame Dickens and all their hard work in organising this wonderful experience for us.
JAPANESE
Bryan Huang, Year 8 Japanese
The Japanese Cultural Day was a fun and memorable experience for the Year 8 Japanese cohort. The first half of the day included sessions in traditional ink art, cultural dancing and playing the Japanese harp.
In the traditional ink art session, we practised mindfulness while creating our artwork. During the cultural dance session, we learnt traditional Japanese dance moves, which were both fun and engaging.
After that, we watched a performance on the Japanese harp and even had the chance to try playing it ourselves. I found it quite challenging to project the sound clearly, but it was a great experience.
The highlight of the day was the luncheon. We prepared Japanese dishes at home and brought them to school to share with our friends. The atmosphere was filled with the delicious aromas of dishes like curry, miso soup and teriyaki chicken. It was so satisfying to see our plans come together, and I never imagined I’d be able to cook a Japanese meal myself!
This day was a unique and enjoyable experience, and I’m already looking forward to more cultural activities next year.
Welcome to our visiting students from France and Japan
We are delighted to welcome visiting students from our partner schools in France (St Jospeh La Salle, Toulouse) and Japan (Hiroshima Jogakuin School) to Kilvington this term.
The French students, Augustin Cartier, Pauline Mathieu, Alexandre Lubrano, Elsa Muller, Gabrielle Urien and Alessia Delfrandre, arrived during the school holidays and are in Australia for five weeks.
During their stay, they are attending classes at Kilvington and living with Kilvington host families. As a reciprocal program, these students will host their Australian counterparts during the December to January holidays.
On Tuesday 29 July, we also welcomed a group of 16 students and two staff members from Hiroshima Jogakuin School, who will stay until 10 August. Between cultural excursions in and around Melbourne, the group will attend classes at Kilvington and interact with our students and staff, gaining an insight into Australian schooling and life.
We're incredibly grateful to both groups for their enthusiastic participation in our Languages classes and their openness to sharing and celebrating cultural differences. We wish them all the very best for their time in Australia!