Middle School

2026 International Chinese Language Day 

Article by Jiaqi Li, Middle School Languages Leader 

On 27 April, 14 Year 8 and 9 students represented Overnewton at Doncaster Secondary College to celebrate International Chinese Language Day. More than 19 schools and over 190 students from across Victoria participated in this event. Students enjoyed a range of Chinese performances and took home special gifts from China. 

In recognition of International Chinese Language Day, a state-wide Chinese competition was also held on the same day. The Chinese Reading Awards is an annual competition for non-background Mandarin learners across Victoria. Students are required to read a speech aloud in Chinese in front of an audience with very little preparation time. They are assessed on character pronunciation, tonal accuracy, fluency and phrasing, and delivery. 

As each school is allowed only one representative per year level, it is particularly impressive that both of our College’s representatives - who have no Chinese background - won prizes, having begun their Mandarin learning at Overnewton in Junior School: 

• Year 8 student Dayna N – First Place  

This outstanding achievement reflects the dedication of our students and the strength of our Mandarin and CLIL programs. We are proud of their efforts and look forward to continuing to foster a love of language learning and cultural understanding within our school community.