L.O.T.E. - Mandarin

Mandarin Program 2026

你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello), everyone! Welcome back to 2026!  We hope all students and families enjoyed a wonderful summer holiday. Acquiring a new language at any stage of life unlocks significant opportunities and enriches one’s experience, and children stand to benefit the most from this valuable learning journey. The Mandarin programme at Blackburn Primary School fosters a respectful, stimulating and interactive language learning environment for all participants. Our core objective is to deliver a highly engaging and enjoyable Mandarin learning experience for every student.

Language Topics: Greeting, Body parts, Family members,  Colors, Animlas, Numbers 0-9999, Money, Food, Sports, Countries and School life.

Chinese Culture Study: Chinese Festivals, Terracotta Warriors, The Forbidden City, The Giant Panda and The Great Wall of China.

Chinese Songs:《新年好》(Happy New Year), 《有魔力的话》(The Magic Words), 《我叫Tim》 (My name is Tim.), 《数字歌》(Numbers),  《家人在哪里》(Where is My Family), 《数到一百》(Count to 100),《彩虹》(Rainbow), 《两只老虎》(Two Tigers), 《铃儿响叮当》(Jingle Bells) and etc.

Chinese Stories:《年》(Year),《元宵节》(The Lantern Festival),《屈原》(Qu Yuan),《嫦娥的故事》(The story of the lady living on the moon), 《三个和尚》(Three monks),《中国十二生肖》(12 Chinese Zodiac Animals) and etc.

Chinese Games: '中国大富翁' (Chinese Monopoly)， ‘筷子’(Chopstick), ‘扔沙包’ (Catch me if you can), ‘踢毽子’ (Shuttlecock kicking), ‘太极球’ (Tai chi ball), ‘数字游戏’ (Chinese Bingo Game), ‘心脏病’ (Number game: Heart Attack), ’数字圈’ (The Number Circle) and etc.

iPad Apps: Kahoot!, Showbie, Explain Everything, Keynote, Chinese Writer etc.  

Other Activities: panda quiz (Year 6), paper cutting, origami, drawing, puzzles, sewing, cooking lessons, competitions and etc.

Extracurricular: Chinese Dance Club

• Time: Every Wednesday lunchtime
• Venue: Multipurpose Room（MPR）
• Cost: Free of charge

The Language Captains of 2026

Let me introduce our Language Captains: Jude & Frank. This year they will work closely with me to ensure the smooth running of the Chinese classroom and Mandarin program. This Friday they will be presenting their first 'Mandarin Moment' at assembly. I am absolutely delighted to have them serve as our Language Captains this year.

Chinese Day -  Tuesday 31st March 2026

Mark your calendars! Chinese Day is coming on Tuesday, 31st March 2026! Get ready for an incredible day packed with fun, learning, and an all-out celebration of Chinese language and culture! Students and staff alike, dig out your Chinese costumes or deck yourselves out in bright, lucky red.  Let’s make the whole school pop with colour! All day long, the entire school will dive into awesome activities: cozy Chinese Storytime, creative craft sessions, dumpling making, exciting games and so much more! This is going to be an unforgettable day of fun, laughter and amazing cultural discoveries. We can’t wait! 

2026 - The Year of The Fire Horse

2026 brings the highly-anticipated Year of the Fire Horse, a rare and powerful zodiac year that comes once every 60 years. It officially runs from 17th February 2026 to 5th February 2027. It blendes the horse’s brave, free spirit with fire’s fiery passion and energy, making it a perfect year to go for your goals and seize new chances. There’s the classic Mandarin wish 马到成功 (mǎ dào chéng gōng), meaning "May success gallop your way just like a horse"! It’s the perfect vibe for this Fire Horse year, making it such a lucky year to chase your dreams and make them happen! We wish the Year of the Fire Horse brings you good health, great success and endless happiness! 新年好(xīn nián hǎo, Happy New Year), everyone!

• Chinese New Year Eve – Monday 16th February  
• Chinese New Year Day – Tuesday 17th February
• Lantern Festival – Tuesday 3rd March (The last day of the Chinese New Year celebration)

Melbourne's best Chinese New Year events

• Melbourne Chinese Lunar New Year Festival 

  - Location: Chinatown

  - Time: 9am-10pm, Sunday 22nd Februray

   

• Lunar New Year at NGV

  - Location: National Gallery of Victoria 

  - Time: 10am-5pm, Sunday 22nd Februray

   

• Box Hill Chinese New Year Festival

  - Location:Bank St, Box Hill

  - Time: 10am-Midnight, Saturday 21st Februray 

   

• Glen Waverley Lunar New Year Festival 

  - Location: Kingsway, Glen Waverley

  - Time: 11am-9pm, Sunday 1st March

If you have any questions regarding our Mandarin program at BPS, please do not hesitate to contact me in person or via email me at yi.zhang@education.vic.gov.au. We greatly appreciate your support for the BPS Mandarin program. 

Yi Zhang

Mandarin Teac

Blackburn Primary School – ‘Believe, Persevere, Succeed’

"Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom." - Roger Bacon