LOTE Newsletter Article

Welcome to the 2024 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Wood Dragon. Celebrations for the new year commenced on February 10th for 15 days and ended with the Lantern Festival on February 25th. Chinese New Year (春节) is the most important festival in China, similar to Christmas in Australia. It is typically a time for families to gather and welcome the arrival of Spring. The Chinese zodiac is a fixed 12-year cycle that links each year to a specific animal sign. The dragon is the only mythical creature among the Chinese zodiacs, representing wisdom, strength, and power. 

Throughout this term, students inquired into both the Chinese New Year traditions and customs and the significance of the dragon in Chinese culture. They showed great interest when exploring the Chinese New Year's origins, traditions and customs via videos, class discussions and cultural research activities. Prep to Year 6 students particularly enjoyed making the crafts for Chinese New Year as well as the Lantern Festival, such as the dragon lantern, Chinese New Year chatterbox and the Spring paper-cutting. 

While Year 3 and 6 students learned about the nine animals that formed the Chinese dragon （中国⻰）, they sparked their curiosity about this topic by asking questions. Moreover, they shared their critical thoughts on how the Chinese dragon impacts people nowadays. In addition, they were also fascinated when comparing the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western dragons. 

At the end of Term 1, Prep to Year 6 students also introduced to the importance of celebrating Harmony Day within Cultural Diversity Week. They gained a better understanding of the purpose, core values, and main theme colour. They even dressed up in their cultural costumes on Monday to celebrate the diverse culture with the school community. Students shared their highlights, which included making the Harmony Week bracelet, drawing a self-portrait that represented their heritage, creating the word cloud poster of ‘Hello (你好), Love (爱) and Welcome (欢迎)’ and singing the celebration song ‘Everyone Belongs’. 

I am very impressed with the students' performance and their open-mindedness when learning Chinese this term. I hope they can keep cultivating their knowledge and skills in Chinese to achieve great success. Thank you for being so positive and showing pride in your work. 

Miss Rida Su

 P-6 LOTE (Chinese) Teacher