Ciao a tutti!

What a wonderful and productive term 2 it has been in the Italian classroom! Students across all year levels have continued to develop their language skills through a variety of engaging activities, stories, games, and cultural experiences.

Our Prep students have been enthusiastically exploring Italian with the help of our special friend, Pinocchio. Every lesson the students eagerly waited for the arrival of Pinocchio and loved most of all, his cuddles. Through the story Ecco Pinocchio, they learnt vocabulary for parts of the body. The students particularly enjoyed playing ‘Pinocchio Dice’ to practise their Italian vocabulary and drawing pictures of Pinocchio. These activities provided a fun and engaging way to reinforce their learning while building confidence in using Italian words and phrases. This term, they are enjoying the story Sogni D’Oro as they practise counting alongside the mischievous pecorelle (little sheep). They might even get a visit from a new friend!!

In Grade 1, students focused on i mezzi di trasporto (transport). They had great fun singing transport-themed songs while learning vocabulary such as elicottero, bicicletta, motocicletta, aeroplano and autobus. Many students noticed how similar some of these words are to English! This term, they have begun learning about animals through the story La festa di Pollicino.

Grade 2 students explored the topic of cibi (food). They thoroughly enjoyed reading Mangia! Mangia! and sharing their likes and dislikes about different foods. Their current focus is animali domestici (pets), and they are working towards writing a description of their chosen pet.

In Grade 3, students were captivated by the classic tale Giacco e il Fagiolo. They especially enjoyed creating their own imaginative storielle matte (crazy stories). This term, they are investigating zoo animals and using complete sentences with correct gender agreement to describe their chosen animal.

Grade 4 students extended their understanding of vocabulary related to the body. One of their favourite activities was designing a mostro and creating a descriptive poster to accompany it. They have now begun learning about l’ora (time), including how to ask and tell the time, as well as describe daily routines.

Grade 5 students continued expanding their knowledge of animals. Through games and collaborative activities, they revised the definite articles (il, la, lo, and l’) and learnt to describe animals, including their appearance, diet, and habitat. Their completed posters were both creative and informative. This term, students have begun learning about La Casa (The Home), exploring the names of rooms in the house as well as describing where they live.

Grade 6 students spent the term revising and strengthening language used to introduce themselves. There was much excitement amongst the students, as this year, they had the opportunity to write to students learning Italian at a primary school all the way up in Queensland! After examining letter examples, students crafted their own letters to their amico or amica di penna (penpal), sharing information about their families, pets, interests, hobbies, and favourite subjects. They also designed personalised envelopes to accompany their letters. We eagerly await the replies! This term, students will be revisiting and extending their knowledge of la famiglia, working towards writing short descriptions.

As part of our school's Italian program, we are excited to be celebrating Italian Day in Term 4, on Tuesday, 1st December. Students can look forward to a fun-filled day of Italian language, culture, gelato, music and activities. Students are invited to dress in the colours of the Italian flag or come as an Italian-inspired character, famous person or icon. Now is the perfect time to start planning your costume! In previous years we've welcomed chefs, waiters, pizza makers, artists, nonni, the Mona Lisa, soccer players, Pinocchio, Enzo Ferrari—and even a bowl of spaghetti Bolognese! There are so many wonderful ways to celebrate Italian culture, so get creative and have fun with your costume. We can't wait to see everyone's fantastic ideas and share another memorable Italian Day together.

We are looking forward to another semester of language learning, cultural exploration, and fun in Italian.

A presto,

Signora Perrone, Signora Camilla e Signora Langley

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