Languages  

Koonung SC participated to the Model UN 2025

I was lucky enough to accompany 4 of our French VCE students to the Model United Nations Day about the future of human rights and AI. It was truly exceptional—our Model UN Day brought out the best in each of us. For our students, it wasn't only a great opportunity to speak French all day (and they did!), it was also a journey of discovery: they sharpened critical thinking, honed public speaking, learned how to disagree whilst still respecting their opponent and dove into global issues with passion and purpose. They had an insight of how nations are negotiating what our future will be. Together, they learned to collaborate, negotiate, and craft solutions - skills that go far beyond the classroom. As their French Assistant, I couldn’t be prouder:  seeing them confidently step into the shoes of global citizens in French warmed my heart. This experience wasn’t just educational—it was empowering and I want to thank Ms Rigoni and the students for their work and commitment in preparing this day ahead so well. 

Here are students’ reflections on their own experience:

Khushi 

Récemment, j'ai participé a une expérience incroyable au Modèle des Nations Unies. Pour moi, c’était une opportunité unique d’y assister et j’ai beaucoup appris, notamment des compétences en présentation et en communication. En représentant l’Afrique du Sud, pays que je connais déjà bien, j’ai découvert de nombreux faits politiques. C’était aussi une nouvelle façon de pratiquer le français en public et en communiquant avec des lycées différents. 

Jim Rice

La simulation des Nations Unies a été une excursion à la fois amusante et enrichissante, qui m’a permis non seulement de mieux comprendre comment fonctionnent les conférences réelles de l’ONU, mais aussi d’approfondir ce que je connais en langue française. Nous avons été sélectionnés pour représenter l’Afrique du Sud et nous devions agir comme ce pays le ferait à l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies. Nous avons donc fait des recherches pour connaitre la position de ce pays sur l’Intelligence Artificielle et les Droits Humains. Ce fut une expérience unique, et je suis extrêmement reconnaissant envers mes profs, Mme Rigoni et Isabel, d’avoir organisé l’événement et de nous avoir aidés à nous y préparer.

Isabel Rice

French Assistant  

Dicta d’Or 2025 Competition

At the end of Term 2, all Year 8, 9, 11 and 12 French students participated in the Dicta d'Or, a nationwide French dictation competition. The top 3 entries from each year level were submitted for judging, and we are pleased to share that Kane Li Yuen Fong (Year 9) received a Special Mention for coming in 9th place nationally!  Kane received a certificate, a $50 Intext gift voucher and an exclusive novel by French author Claire Davy-Galix! 

Well done to Kane on this outstanding achievement! To receive a Special Mention - of which only one was awarded - in a competition involving over a thousand students from schools all around Australia is incredibly impressive.

Thank you to all students who participated in the competition. We’re already looking forward to taking part again next year!

Madeline Rigoni                    

French Teacher

Languages Week celebrations

Monday:  Music & K-POP Performances

Students had a wonderful opportunity to discover Chinese and Indian musical instruments that are not widely known. Jay, Simi and Riya performed to their peers and everyone was touched by how beautiful the music was. Thank you for sharing a part of your culture with the Koonung community.   

We then experienced the passion and enthusiasm of the K-Pop club who performed for a full auditorium. Well done to Natcha, Saoirse, Yik, Georgette, Jean, Kailey, Hoisum and Zara.

Tuesday:   Tea Ceremony + Pétanque

On Tuesday, students tried their hand at pétanque, the classic French game played in village squares across France. They also experienced the elegance of a Japanese tea ceremony, a tradition steeped in harmony, respect, and mindfulness. It was a wonderful opportunity to have fun, connect with others, and immerse themselves in the rich diversity of cultures. Thank you to our wonderful Language Assistants Isabel and Aya for sharing their culture so whole-heartedly.           

“The ceremony was a lovely experience. We learnt how to properly make tea for a tea ceremony and the steps we would take if we were to attend a tea ceremony. I particularly liked the sweets we had before the tea, as the sweetness from them helped balance out the bitterness of the tea.” – Tiana

Wednesday:   Exploring French Pathways at the University of Melbourne 

On Wednesday 6 August, we were delighted to welcome three guest speakers from the University of Melbourne’s School of Languages and Linguistics: Associate Professor Bertrand Bourgeois, Associate Professor Andrew McGregor, and Ms Lucie Froidevaux. They spoke to our Senior French students about the many study and career pathways they can take through continuing their French studies after Year 12. Students also learned about the wide range of French language and culture electives, immersive extended study tours and exciting exchange opportunities with overseas partner institutions (including the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris) available to University of Melbourne students.  

We would like to extend our thanks to Bertrand, Andrew and Lucie for taking the time to share their expertise with us. We have no doubt that our students walked away feeling inspired to continue their French journeys beyond Year 12 and motivated about the exciting possibilities that lie ahead of them.      

Thursday:   Flags, Languages & Cultures Trivia

A huge thank you to Kushi Patel, Koonung’s Languages Captain for organising such an engaging and interesting trivia for our students who had a great time. Congratulations to the Year 10 teams (Anderson, Emily, Jalyn, Evan, Elroy, Brendan) who occupy the first 2 places. Well done to the Year 7 (Bella, Cindy, Melissa, Oliver) who cam 3rd and shared such high energy and enthusiasm! Well done!

A huge thank you for their creativity to Kian, Micaela an dean for creating a vibrant and colourful poster to promote Languages Week.

Results from the Languages & Cultures Survey

Thank you very much to all of you who took a minute to share your cultural and linguistic background. Here are the results:

Countries where staff and student were born in:

Other languages than English spoken at KSC:

The 3rd and 4th languages spoken by people in our community are: Chinese, French, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, Arabic, Persian, Spanish, Malay, Norwegian, Yiddish, Croatian, Indonesian, Dutch, Welsh, Tamil, Afrikaans, Gujarati, Pallanganmiddang (Waywurru) and Vietnamese.

Languages Week was a resounding success, filled with energy, curiosity, and cultural discovery. From lively activities to unforgettable performances, our school community came together to celebrate the richness of languages and traditions from around the world. A big thank you to all the staff, students, and volunteers whose enthusiasm and participation made the week so memorable. Your contributions truly brought the spirit of Languages Week to life.

The Languages Team