Languages Corner
What a busy end of year in our language classes!
French First Language Program
Congratulations to the year 9 French First Language students who have completed 3 years of rigorous studies in French following the French curriculum. They worked hard over the past 3 years to be able to maintain and develop a high level of French and a strong connection to French culture.
Some of these students sat for the DELF B2 exam. It is an important examination allowing them to go to French university in the future. Félicitations et bonne chance pour les résultats!
Clara Mason from 7B won first prize in the Berthe Mouchette Competition Prix Spécial des Ecoles Françaises. Participating students had to create a video about the Paris Olympics! She received her prize at the St Kilda Town Hall. Well done Clara!
French Immersion Program
On 28th November, the year 7 French Immersion and French First Language students went on an excursion to the National Gallery of Victoria. Let’s hear from Kaela and Alika (7C):
“On the day that we went to the NGV we boarded a train to Flinders Street. Upon our arrival we met with a tour guide who walked us through parts of the gallery and showed us some interesting paintings and attractions. She explained the meaning of these artworks and asked us for our interpretation and what we thought. After the tour was over we all set off in groups to find details about some of the French artworks from around the gallery. We had to ask some gallery attendants where the artworks were and explore on our own. We enjoyed walking around exploring and observing the many different exhibitions. We found it interesting to see different artists' interpretations of the same moments and discovering the differences between artworks through the centuries. Overall this excursion was helpful in broadening our understanding of historical events by having us connect to our prior knowledge.”
In term 4, students in the year 9 French immersion program studied the Holocaust and to conclude this topic, they went to the Holocaust Museum. They had the privilege to meet with Sarah Saaroni, a Holocaust survivor. Sarah was born in Poland and she was 13 when the war started. At 16, she went to Germany using a fake ID and had to hide there before being captured by the Gestapo. She survived and ended moving to Australia a few years later. It was a real privilege to meet her and hear her story. Students were very attentive and respectful and had the opportunity to ask Sarah some questions.
To conclude the French immersion program, students in 9C had lunch at Roule Galette, a French restaurant in Carnegie. They were so happy to celebrate their achievements together and to eat some delicious crepes!
Languages Assembly
To finish up the year, we celebrated the achievements of our students in languages in a special assembly. Congratulations to all the award recipients and special mention to the year 9 French and Japanese immersion students as well as the French First Language students who completed their language program. They have worked very hard over the past 3 years and should be very proud of their achievement. Special mentions to the students who performed a song: 7C, 7E and 9E and Rose whose interpretation of Voila was very moving.
Bravo à tous ! おめでとう!
Celine Fompudie
Languages Learning Area Leader
Onigiri in Year 7 and Year 11🍙
To celebrate the end of 2024, Year 7 and Year 11 Japanese students made おにぎり (rice balls)! Onigiri are symbols of love and care in Japan, typically made for family and friends. We enjoyed a variety of fillings including ツナマヨ (tuna mayo) and しおこんぶ (salted kelp) and toppings like ふりかけ (seasoning) and のり (dried seaweed).
Families wanting to make onigiri at home can source the following ingredients from most major supermarkets or Asian grocers:
- Sushi rice/short grain rice
- Dried nori sheets
- Furikake (take your pick of flavours!)
- Plain canned tuna
- Kewpie mayonnaise (mix with tuna until texture is creamy)
Simply cook rice according to packet instructions, then shape using glad wrap. Fill with tuna mayo mixture and top with furikake and cut-up nori! いただきます🙏🍙
Year 9 Obento lunch 🍱
The year 9 Japanese students celebrated the end of their compulsory language studies with an obento (boxed) lunch! Students ate together and reflected on their achievements across the last three years. Thank you to Melches Sensei and Muramatus Sensei for organising the event
Kai Kurashige
Japanese and Science Teacher