LANGUAGES

EXCURSION TO THE NGV ‘A DAY IN FRANCE’ 

On Tuesday 15 August, Madame Reid’s Year 11 French class embarked on an inspiring journey to the NGV. We took a train into the CBD and were extremely lucky with the weather, the sun shining bright throughout Melbourne. Upon arrival our class had time to get food and explore the city. The focal point of our visit was to see the well renowned Pierre Bonnard exhibition, which showcases the French painter's masterful use of colour and light to evoke emotions and capture fleeting moments. 

We were lucky enough to be presented with the history behind Bonnard’s work in a presentation provided by the NGV. After this, we spent time appreciating all of the incredible art installations which included paintings, furniture and even films dating back to the early 1900’s. At the end of the exhibition, we all felt a newfound appreciation for French culture through Bonnard’s work and overall, the class enjoyed this wonderful experience!

Anita-Sofia Krapivsky Year 11

A GLIMPSE INTO YEAR 12 FRENCH: PREPARING FOR THE ORAL EXAM 

I had the opportunity to sit in on Monsieur Chamontin’s Year 12 French class on Wednesday morning. They are in the process of practising for their oral exam. Being in the class really took me back to my time in Year 12 French and all the mixed emotions that come with the oral examination component. 

The students worked together to write a short presentation about an aspect of French culture and then one member of their group delivered the speech. I was really impressed with how the students worked together and the quality of their presentations. As someone who doesn’t know much about this aspect of French culture, it was very informative! I thought that their pronunciation was spot on and their speaking skills were very strong. Overall, I’m sure they will do very well on their end of year exams, and I wish them the best of luck! 

Natalie Wood

English/Psychology Teacher 

AFTV TRIVIA COMPETITION (STUDENT REPORTS)

On Friday 11 August, eight students from Year 9 and Year 10 French participated in Sacré Coeur College’s French Soirée Trivia Night. The trivia was focused on six rounds of six topics; Geography, History, Gastronomy (food), Language, General Culture and Francophonie (French speaking countries), as well as a game of “Pin the Moustache on the France” in between the second and third rounds. There were also opportunities to gain extra points by spotting the spelling mistakes within certain questions. 

The trivia was composed of two question sets; one for the Year 9s and one for the Year 10s. 

The questions lasted either 30 or 60 seconds and were a mix of multiple choice and short answer questions. 

In between the fourth and fifth rounds, a small baguette was served as a snack, and a scone with jam and cream was served at the end of the trivia. 

In the end, both the Year 9 and Year 10 McKinnon teams came fourth in their respective competitions and won a tote bag full of many French prizes as a result. We had a lot of fun and look forward to more exciting French opportunities in the future.

Students who participated:

Year 9: Daniela Tapia Leal, Maleesha Dharmadasa, Matthew Shelley & Frankie Noble

Year 10: Joshua Aby Peediakal, Anya Aquende, Emma Rhode & Caitlyn Sin Mew Cheung

Merci to Madame Antal, Madame Howard and Madame Lynd who facilitated the event, as this opportunity was just as educational as it was fun!

Matthew Shelley, Frankie Noble & Maleesha Dharmadasa Year 9

Every year, the Association of French Teachers in Victoria (AFTV) holds a French soirée trivia night for Year 9 and 10 students at Sacré-Coeur in Glen Iris. This year, the Year 10s formed a team of four called ‘la famille de Madame Antal’ to represent McKinnon and compete against other schools in several rounds of trivia. 

We were seated at the same table as the host school, where we had a lot of fun together, decorating the tables and swapping our birthdays in French. Over the course of the night, there were questions asked about geography, history, gastronomy, general knowledge, culture and Francophone countries. There were also two bonus rounds, where we had to pin a moustache on France, and draw French things on our table. In the end, we came fourth! Overall, we all had a great time, and we really recommend it to any French students who want to give it a go next year.

A special thank you to Madame Antal and Madame Howard for organising this event and accompanying us! 

Emma Rhode & Anya Aquende Year 10

YEAR 10 FRENCH THEATRE EXCURSION

Last week, on Friday 25 August, our two Year 10 French classes had an extraordinary experience at the Melbourne French Theatre. What an outing it was! They were treated to a brilliant play that had the whole crowd chuckling. The play followed a police commissioner on the brink of retirement, faced with solving one last puzzling case. 

But this was no ordinary crime drama! It turned out to be a witty parody, chock-full of homages to well-known crime shows. The playwright’s crafty twists on these familiar tropes added an extra layer of fun that had our students thoroughly entertained. 

The play was performed in French but had English surtitles (yes, surtitles!), making it an enjoyable and accessible experience for everyone. 

A big thank you to everyone involved! 

BERTHE MOUCHETTE COMPETITION - UPDATE

Our Years 8 and 9 finalists have competed - we are now waiting for the results. 

The Years 11 and 12 results have been announced, and we have four finalists are as follows:

• Jenny Cheon(Year 11 French)
• Louie Allen (Year 12 French)
• Gisele Hennequin (Year 12 French)
• Alec Rae (Year 12 French)

We wish them well in the finals!

The overall results for all students in Years 11 and 12 were very pleasing. As the senior Berthe Mouchette competition is modelled on the VCE French exam (written and oral), this is a very positive indication for our students.

YEAR 7 AGTV POETRY COMPETITION

The Secondary State Final of the AGTV Poetry Competition was held at the Austrian Club on Saturday 26 August. The Committee was proud to host this competition celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023.

Congratulations to all Year 7s who put in a great effort and especially to students who were selected for the Regional Competition: Ella Rubinstein, Bob Ding, Tristan Tan and Clementine Wilson.

A special congratulations to Clementine Wilson who had won the Bronze Medal in the Regional Final and was invited to participate in the State Final.

All students in Year 7 participated in this event and had to learn a German poem. They used FLIP, an online recording App, to record themselves. Best recitations were selected by the Year 7 German teachers and submitted to the Regional Competition. Clementine memorized, recited and recorded her chosen poem ´Die drei Spatzen´ for the Regional Final and added a lovely image in her video. 

Congratulations on your Bronze Medal and your personal achievement in this State Competition.

Thank you to the Wilson family who supported Clementine to attend the State Final at the Austrian Club and to Ms Paal for coaching Clementine in my absence. Thank you to the AGTV organisers and judges for offering this event to our students which involves students in learning about German poetry. 

Andrea Fowler

German Teacher

CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Melbourne offers many experiences to help students to learn about the cultures of the three languages we teach at McKinnon. Here are some upcoming ones:

SPANISH:  The Melbourne Mexican Festival will showcase Melbourne’s rich and diverse Mexican culture through cuisine, handcrafts and entertainment.

https://www.melbournemexicanfestival.com.au/experience

FRENCH:  The Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica, with thanks to The Art Co., are proud to present CHAGALL – an exhibition celebrating the remarkable story of international master, among the greatest artists of the twentieth century, Marc Chagall (1887-1985). 

International curator and art historian, Jade Niklai, has transformed the Jewish Museum into a Chagall-inspired dreamscape that includes an exclusive capsule of original works and poems, alongside bespoke immersive experiences. 

https://www.jewishmuseum.com.au/chagall/ 

FRENCH:  ‘Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) is celebrated as one of the great painters of the twentieth century. Emerging as an artist in Paris in the 1890s among a lively group of intellectuals and artists, Bonnard’s early reputation was based on shrewdly observant illustrations and decorative paintings. 

In the twentieth century, Bonnard pursued painting as it suited his singular vision and in response to personal circumstance, including his move to the countryside with his lifelong companion, Marthe de Méligny. Together, they lived in Normandy and later in the south of France.’

https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/bonnard/ 

GERMAN:  Celebrate Oktoberfest in Melbourne at one of the best known Bavarian restaurants Munich Brauhaus from 22 September – 27 October.

https://mumslittleexplorers.com/oktoberfest-in-melbourne-munich-brauhaus/ 

Jennifer Lynd

Learning Area Manager - Languages

WORLD CUP - SPAIN THE WINNERS!

Recently, Australia and New Zealand have had the fortunate opportunity to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023! Over the course of the past month many teams forged ahead with much hope and courage and fuelled by the desire to win. Some exhilarating moments in this year’s World Cup included: The Matildas powering through to the historic semi-finals with the support of the nation behind them. Our talented players showcased their incredible skills and energy in every game, making us proud! Some nail-biting moments had us glued to our screens, such as the Matildas vs France in the quarterfinals which resulted in 20 penalty shootouts.

Luckily for the Matildas' superstar goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Despite the fantastic efforts from all teams, there could only be one winner with Spain graciously and fiercely securing the trophy in the end. Alas, there will be another opportunity in the next four years. With most of us living and breathing the “Soccer World Cup 2023” over the past month, whatever shall we do to sustain our interests. Well, there is the imminent adventure of the “Rugby World Cup 2023” in September, so stay tuned….

Lereesha Govender Year 8

In July and August, the Fifa Women’s World Cup was hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with 32 countries participating. It was exciting, intense, and extremely competitive drawing all of us soccer fans in from the opening match all the way through to the Final. Many fans swarmed in from all over the world to watch these matches and support their countries throughout the cup. The whole of Australia was rooting for the Matildas (Australia's national team) when they advanced to the quarterfinals. 

Unfortunately, they lost in the semi-finals to England with the score of 1-3. Many of us were devastated by this tragic loss, but the focus quickly shifted to the Finals, which matched England against Spain. Many fellow Australians greatly supported Spain and were immensely grateful for Spain avenging the Matildas and defeating England with a score of 1-0. We all are very proud of the Spanish national team for claiming their third world cup title. 

Overall, this world cup was a great one and we can’t wait for the next tournament to take place in 2027.

Kiara Naidoo &Mansi Kashyap Year 8