French Corner
Berthe Mouchette Competition
The results are in! Out of 41 students who entered the French poetry reciting competition, from years Three to Six, 26 CHPS students were considered ‘brillant’, with a mark of 20/20, which means they are through to the finals. These will be held at the Alliance Française on Sunday June 24th and we wish them all the best of luck.
Eight students received a result of ‘excellent’, 19/20. Overall CHPS students achieved an amazing result in only the second year we have been entering this competition. Two students who achieved ‘excellent’ only started learning French last year after moving to CHPS. All students are to be congratulated on their hard work, dedication and bravery in going out of their comfort zone to learn these poems and then recite them in front of a judge, in addition to performing in front of the whole school at assembly last Friday.
Some interesting facts and figures about the Berthe Mouchette competition:
Berthe Mouchette was the founder of the Alliance Française in Melbourne.
- The competition started in 1894 so it is 124 years old.
- This year, 14,500 primary and secondary students took part from 111 schools in Victoria.
- There are 700 finalists from years 3 to 8.
- 56% of the Primary school finalists are from public schools
Follow the Berthe Mouchette Facebook page to keep abreast of developments.
La Coupe du Monde
No need to say soccer in France - there’s only one world game! The French team ‘Les Bleus’ - so-called because they wear blue jerseys, at least to their home games - usually do well with so many global superstars in their ranks, though they are often accused of being ‘a team of individuals’. The outcome of their game on June 16th against the Socceroos however was glorious - except for the Socceroos.
You can find all the World Cup fixtures here. Games with an ‘SBS’ symbol next to them will be televised, and are also available to watch on replay at any time through the SBS website, very useful for the 4am games! Ten World Cup games can be followed in French on the radio. The radio broadcast is also available through the SBS app and online.
Here’s a quiz about the Coupe du Monde. Can you find all the answers?
1. France’s home kit is based on the ‘tricolore’, the colours of the French flag. What colour are the socks?
2. What is the capacity of the Kazan stadium in Russia, where France played Australia? How many more or less people does it hold than the MCG?
3. Which other nations are in the playing Group C that France and Australia are both in?
4. How many shots on goal (not goals) did ‘Les Bleus’ get against the Socceroos when they played each other on June 16th?
5. VAR is the technology that won France a penalty against the Socceroos in their first game. What does VAR stand for?
6. What is the date of the last game France will play if they do NOT progress to the ‘Round of 16’?
Write your answers on a piece of paper with your name and class, and pop it into the ’World Cup’ box in the library by Friday 22nd June. The first entry to be drawn with all correct answers in week 11 will win a fun football-related prize.
French Holiday Activities
MoMa at the NGV
The current exhibition from New York’s MoMA at the NGV, on until October 7, showcases many French works of art and art with French connections, including the earliest work at the exhibition (Seurat, 1886). Also look out for paintings by Gaugin, Van Gogh (paintings from Arles), Cézanne, Braque, Matisse, Dérain, Toulouse-Lautrec, Léger, Sonia and Robert Delauney, Magritte and Max Ernst; early videos by Camille Henrot; architectural models by Le Corbusier; early 20th Century film from Eugene Atget, the Lumière brothers and Fernand Léger; Jules Cheret’s posters; Hector Guimart’s machinery, from a 1934 MoMA exhibition of machine art; Duchamp’s bicycle wheel ‘Is this art?’; sculpture by Brancusi, Arp and Louise Borgeois; ‘frottage’ art by Max Ernst and furniture from the film 2001 A Space Odyssey by Mourgue. There are lots of kids’ activities around the exhibition. For more information on the exhibition go here.
Bastille Day
A reminder that the Bastille Day French Festival is on over the weekend of 14th and 15th July at the Melbourne Meat Market in North Melbourne. A celebration of all things French, the festival features the food market and a full program of other activities, including workshops, entertainment and the Little Frogs Corner for children. La La La, Melbourne's French Choir, will be singing a range of French songs, from folk and Debussy to Napoleonic drinking ditties and blood curdling revolutionary chants, including La Marseillaise, on Sunday afternoon. Look closely and you might spot Madame Robson.
LaLaLa has its own annual soirée, including a capella singing and delicious French nibbles, on Saturday July 23rd at Northcote Uniting Church. Go here for more details and to book tickets.
A Reminder - Return of Portfolios
Please remember that students’ portfolios for Grades Two to Five are due back soon, due dates as follows:
- Grade Two Portfolios: Wednesday 20th June
- Grade Three Portfolios: Monday 25th June
- Grade Four Portfolios: Tuesday 26th June
All workbooks and parent feedback forms for the above grades are to be returned to the red boxes in your child's classroom.
Grade Five portfolios: Thursday 21 June, feedback forms and workbooks to be returned to their class tubs in the LLR.
We hope you have enjoyed sharing the students' work.
Bonne Quinzaine!
Madame Gammon (Grades 2 and 4) gammon.sophie.s@edumail.vic.gov.au
Madame Robson (Grades Prep, 1 and 3) robson.sophie.h@edumail.vic.gov.au
et Madame Webb (Grades 5 and 6) webb.penelope.a@edumail.vic.gov.au