Connecting with French and Japanese Cultures

Year 8 Cultural Day

Our Year 8s had their Cultural Day on 24 July. On this day, Japanese and French language students explored a range of different activities from both of these cultures, from cooking national dishes to learning art and dance skills!

Here are two reflections from students about their experience of the day.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDENT REFLECTION

Chloe Bebber, Year 8 Japanese

I really enjoy Kilvington cultural days as the School plans so many fun and interesting activities, and you get to learn so much more about the Japanese culture.

Our day started off strong with a traditional Japanese comedy show. The students described it as an enjoyable and interesting experience. I was also delighted to see my fellow classmates give comedy a try!

Next on the schedule was a drawing session with a professional manga artist. This was a fun and easy-to-follow drawing session where we learnt how to draw the body and faces of manga characters, although it definitely put our drawing skills to the test!

Last but not least, we had our Cultural Day Lunch (Ichiabn Tanoshii) - the best part of the day! Our whole class had to come up with Japanese or French menus and cook them for the judges.

The whole of Dalton Hall smelt very good that day. We had many different dishes, ranging from miso soup to eclairs to mochi. It was amazing seeing what everyone could put together. Each table looked like it was from a restaurant! Overall, this was a very enjoyable day.

FRENCH LANGUAGE STUDENT REFLECTION

Elise Song and Ariana Mammen, Year 8 French

The French language students started off with quizzes and Kahoots on French culture and cuisine. It was a fun way to learn more about French culture and win prizes.

Next, we tried circus skills with a French instructor. At first, it was a confusing session, with most of us understanding only bits and pieces, but it ended up being really fun to try to work out the translation! We all enjoyed learning various circus tricks.

We ended our morning with a French dancing class. It was an upbeat and exciting session as we got to get on our feet and moved around. Some of us even demonstrated our dancing in front of the group.

Finally, we all gathered in Dalton Hall for the best part of the day - lunch! Each group designed a full three-course French meal as well as drinks, table decorations and costumes. By 12.00pm, Dalton Hall looked amazing and was full of amazing French and Japanese dishes.

Overall, it was a very rewarding experience as we learnt a lot more about French food and culture in a creative and engaging way. It was definitely one of the highlights of our year so far!

Kilvington celebrates Bastille Day!

A lot goes into the planning of the celebration of the French National Day! A very big thank you to staff member Ms Kim Mullins for the organisation of this wonderful day and for her vision of turning The Green into a corner of Montmartre in Paris!

STUDENT REFLECTION

Pouny Zhou, Year 6 Junior School Languages Leader

On Friday 28 July, Kilvington celebrated Bastille Day. Our theme this year was 'Une Journée à Montmartre'. The Green was transformed to look a little like the famous area of Paris, and students enjoyed an imaginary drink at outdoor cafés and watching artists at work!

We loved seeing our teachers’ features exaggerated by Gavin, the caricaturist. We'd never seen Mr French (Principal) or Mr Collins (Head of Junior School) look this way before! We were also impressed by our students’ renditions of the Eiffel Tower - Alice Yin, Year 6, and Thomas Ransom, Year 1, made some exceptional drawings.

There were lots of fun activities at recess and lunch, such as a photo booth, face painting, lucky dip and Paris skyline watercolours.

Each student got to try an authentic crêpe; we had a range of flavours such as lemon and sugar, chocolate, jam and maple syrup. It was a real treat for everyone!

The performance from Philip and Jacques was also one of the our favourite activities. It involved dancing to French music played by Phillip on the piano accordion and watching Jacques do his mimes. There were many hilarious moments and this activity definitely made everyone’s day.

Here are some comments from students about their experience of Bastille Day.

What was your favourite activity from Bastille Day?

Bracelet-making, because I like the colours of the French flag. Nalini, Prep
Celebrating everything French and eating CREPES! Pia, Year 1
The mime show because it was so funny. Harrison, Year 4
Lucky Dip because I got an Eiffel Tower keychain. Ashlee, Year 3
'Guess the number of bonbons' because it was fun and mysterious. Junior, Year 5
The caricaturist, because he showed the funny side of the teacher.' Emily, Year 5

Why do we celebrate Bastille Day?

It’s a day where you do French things like eat crêpes. Stella, Prep
It started because of the French Revolution. Farisse, Year 6
It’s when the French community gets together to eat food and sing songs. Daniel, Year 5