Languages

Farewell to Yui and Welcome to Kanon

Yui supported our Japanese classes as a volunteer language assistant in Terms 2 and 3. She created engaging Japanese activities and helped students practise their Japanese through conversation sessions. We are very grateful for her enthusiasm and valuable contribution to our Japanese classes.

Kanon arrived in Melbourne on 3 October and joined us as a Japanese language assistant at the beginning of Term 4. She will be with us until the end of the term, and we are delighted to welcome her to our school.

We feel very fortunate to have had Yui supporting our students and to now have Kanon with us. Thank you, Yui, for all your help, and a warm welcome to Kanon!

Message from Yui Shimoda

I had a wonderful and memorable six months at Parkdale Secondary College. During my time there, I learnt so much about how Australian schools operate, how students learn Japanese, and the different rules and practices in Australian schools. 

I also had the opportunity to take part in various school events, including the Year 7 camp and the Japanese speech competition. These were unique and valuable experiences that I will always remember. One of my favourite memories was going on an excursion with senior students to the city, where we watched Japanese anime and enjoyed Japanese food together. It was such a fun and special experience!

Thanks to the support of all the staff, students and parents at Parkdale Secondary College, I was able to successfully complete my internship programme. I am also deeply grateful to the Hughes family, who kindly hosted me, and to Ms Shimazoe, who supervised me throughout my internship.

Thank you all for your kindness, encouragement and warm support. I will do my best to become a Japanese teacher, and I hope to return to Parkdale one day!

Message from Kanon Kitahara

Hi everyone! My name is Kanon, and I’m a university student from Japan, studying International Studies at Meiji Gakuin University. I’m really excited to be here in Melbourne as a Japanese teaching assistant at Parkdale Secondary College! I came to Australia because I wanted to experience a different culture, improve my English, and learn more about what school life is like here. 

During my time at Parkdale, I hope to help students enjoy learning Japanese and share a little more about Japanese culture. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the students and teachers and learning lots of new things along the way! Outside of school, I love playing basketball, hiking, and spending time with friends.

I’m so happy to be part of the Parkdale community and can’t wait to make some great memories here!

Exchange Program with Owa High School

Every year, two students from our Year 10 Japanese class are selected to participate in an exchange program with our sister school, Owa High School in Osaka, Japan. This year, Paxton Ly and Nehemiah Ea were selected for this exciting opportunity.

During Term 3, they hosted Owa High School students China Matsuno and Kosei Hayashi for five weeks. In return, Paxton and Nehemiah stayed with their host families in Osaka for five weeks from the beginning of September.

Having recently returned from Japan, Paxton and Nehemiah have gained valuable experiences and broadened their cultural understanding. We are very proud of their achievements and personal growth as ambassadors for Parkdale Secondary College.

Paxton Ly

I have returned from my 5 weeks stay in Osaka Japan and had the greatest opportunity to attend at Owa high school during my stay. There, I experienced daily Japanese school life, and how different it is compared to Parkdale. Staying with a host family, I also learnt their way of living and adapted to the same mannerisms as they use. I made lots of memories at school with the large group of friends I made during classes and after school club activities. Outings with friends were also a main highlight as I got to see a more casual side of people and talk to them more, those memories will forever be precious to me, and I will never forget the kindness everyone showed me during my short stay. Overall, I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to experience such a special trip in such a young stage of my life, and I’ll never forget this trip for the rest of my life.

Nehemiah Ea

My stay in Japan and the experience of having someone live at my house and staying with someone else was probably the best time of my life. It was a highlight of my years at school. I enjoyed learning about the cultural differences between Australia and Japan and learning how to speak a whole new language. I was included in classes and got to experience after-school club activities. I also had free time after school to explore and became close with my host and their family. I made many new friends who want me to come back. They also gave me feedback on my Japanese and said my speaking was good, but my kanji needed more work. They gave me advice to improve my reading and understanding. I found that the way Japanese students learn languages is different and more enjoyable. I also liked the school rules, such as the different uniforms for each year level, and having my own desk.