LANGUAGES

BASTILLE DAY 2024

Bonjour everyone! Bastille Day 2024 at our school was a magnifique celebration of French culture, packed with fun activities and delicious treats. Let's take a quick trip down memory lane and relive the highlights of the day.

Photobooth Competition

The day kicked off with a lively photobooth competition before school started. Both campuses were buzzing with excitement as students posed with an array of French-themed props - from berets and baguettes to moustaches and Eiffel Tower cut-outs. The best photos will win vouchers for a visit to the local French creperie, and we can't wait to see who the winners are!

Pain au Chocolat Bake Sale

The smell of freshly baked pain au chocolat filled the air at both campuses during our bake sale. These buttery, chocolate-filled pastries were a hit, and we were thrilled to see so many students enjoying this classic French treat.

Performances at Recess

Recess was a true showcase of our students' talents. The Year 7 French students opened with a heartfelt rendition of the French National Anthem, "La Marseillaise," which resonated beautifully throughout the school grounds. Following this, a few students from the Year 10 French class took the stage to perform the classic French song "Non, je ne regrette rien."

Lunchtime Bakery Workshop

The highlight of the day for many was the lunchtime bakery workshop. David Caillaud from Artisanal Bakehouse in Bentleigh joined us to share his expertise in baking authentic French crepes. Students who registered for the workshop learned the secrets to making the perfect crepe – from mixing the batter to achieving that perfect golden-brown finish. It was a fantastic hands-on experience, and everyone left with a newfound appreciation for the art of French baking.

A big merci to everyone who participated and helped make the day so special. We look forward to more cultural celebrations in the future!

Au revoir and see you next year!

Cedric Chamontin

French Teacher

BASTILLE DAY BAKING WORKSHOP 

Nous avons eu la chance d'avoir David Caillaud en personne, de Artisanal Bakehouse qui a animé un atelier spécial de pâtisserie à l'heure du déjeuner, duquel il nous a appris à faire des crêpes. Nous avons rapidement formé des équipes de deux et préparé nos ingrédients.

Tout le monde était très enthousiaste! Mon ami et moi avons passé un bon moment en montrant nos talents culinaires. Nous avons passé des moments hilarants, comme lorsque nous avons mis de la farine sur nos uniformes. Nous avons suivi sa recette pas à pas et le résultat était délicieux! Des crêpes parfaitement rondes, douces et minces.  

Monsieur Caillaud a jeté un coup d'œil à nos crêpes et nous a dit « Ces sont parfaites, vous êtes prêts à ouvrir une crêperie maintenant ».Nous avons été flattés d'entendre cela, et cela a renforcé notre confiance au-delà de toute espérance. Cet atelier nous a donné un aperçu de la culture et de la cuisine françaises célébrant la fête de la Bastille. En fin de compte, nous avons eu beaucoup de chance de pouvoir apprendre de Monsieur Caillaud et nous chérirons toujours ce mémoire.

Elina Majumdar

Year 11 Student

YEAR 8 FRENCH WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING INCURSION

On Tuesday 25 June, we participated in an incursion for French held by people from the Melbourne Djembe organisation. During the period, we danced to the rhythms played out by the instructors, and we also had the opportunity to play the djembe while they showed us how to make specific types of low and high beats. As well as being fun and inclusive, the incursion was a great way to understand the colonisation of West Africa by the French and its significance on music and culture. 

The session showed the resilience of traditional African music, as it continued to evolve, even through colonisation. Through the experience of dancing and drumming, we gained a deeper appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of West Africa and the continuing importance of its musical traditions. This session reminds us of why traditional African music is so important, as it represents the rich culture that has shaped the continent's history and identity.

Daniel Pallares Norato, Year 8

YEAR 8 GERMAN EMAIL EXCHANGE PROJECT REFLECTIONS

Our Year 8 German students have been exchanging correspondence with a school in Germany. Here are some of their reflections on the experience:

I really enjoyed the email exchange project and talking to my partner. She was super nice and I found out a lot about her. We talked about our hobbies and interests and also where we have been and some of our skills. It was interesting talking to students in Germany and finding out how they live their school lives. I found out a lot of valuable information and it was interesting to compare differences between Australian schools and German schools. My partner was really sweet and she responded really quickly.  

Isabel Halvorsen

After talking to my partner, I learnt that she is in Year 9 and her school looks like a mediaeval castle! Also her school ends really early and there is no uniform. This is making me jealous. All in all this was really fun to get a deeper insight into the life of someone in Germany.

Ash Kulkarni

I believe that this task has gone quite well. I learnt quite a lot about my email partner. She's 15 years old and lives in Göttingen. I learnt more about the different school times in Germany, and that she starts school at 7:50am and ends normally around 1:05pm unless you have "long" school which ends at 3:20pm. 

Leo Yang

I found the email exchange to be incredibly enjoyable! It was a pleasure to talk to and respond to my email exchange partner. This was very fun to do and I hope I can talk to more people from exchange schools in the future. We talked about our schools and what we did in our free time. Alongside this, we also mentioned our hobbies, which subjects were our favourite, and which hobbies we enjoyed doing! Furthermore, I found out more about her and about what schools in Germany are like. Overall, this email exchange was very lovely, and I would love to do it again.

Yannie Sung

YEAR 8 FRENCH CULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECTS

Our Year 8 French classes finished semester one with research projects about the cultures of the French-speaking world. There were some great efforts, and the classes enjoyed learning from each other. Here are some photos from several classes.

LANGUAGES SOCIETY (EAST) - TRIVIA COMPETITION 

On Wednesday 19 June, the East Campus languages society ran a trivia competition at lunchtime. The questions were about languages and about the cultures of countries where the languages taught at McKinnon are spoken. 

The winner was Clementine Hull (Year 9).

Jennifer Lynd

Languages Learning Area Manager