LANGUAGES

2021 LANGUAGES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

16 - 23 MARCH 

Since 2014, McKinnon Secondary College has been a participant in this annual competition by Education Perfect. More than 3000 schools battle for a week for the prestigious title. Over the past years we were lucky enough to hold our top position for German. But our main rival, Benowa State High School in Queensland was hard to beat last year.

So this year the challenge is on again and McKinnon would like to win! An epic battle for the top spot unfolded before our eyes on Wednesday between Amaroo School and McKinnon Secondary College. Twice we were cast down to the second spot for a few hours before reconquering the throne. One thing is for sure they will not give up. Nor will we!

All students at McKinnon are enrolled in this competition and we need all hands on deck!

UPDATE

Education Perfect told us this morning we have answered 1,000,000 questions this year. That's unbelievable!

Current achievements at the time of publication:

☰1st overall globally (out of 1,786 schools)

☰1st overall in Australia (out of 1,173 schools)

☰1st overall in VIC (out of 295 schools)

☰1st overall in the 1001-2500 students category (out of 131 schools)

☰1st in Australia for the 1001-2500 students category (out of 91 schools)

☰5th overall in French (out of 1,207 schools)

☰3rd overall in German (out of 857 schools)

☰2nd overall in Russian (out of 554 schools)

☰2nd overall in Greek (out of 437 schools)

☰1st in VIC for the 1001-2500 students category (out of 29 schools)

We would like all our students to join students from around the world to learn Languages, earn points for awards (and prizes) whilst helping our school to win this title in 2021.

ANOTHER SISTER SCHOOL RELATIONSHIP FOR OUR FRENCH STUDENTS

McKinnon Secondary College has been lucky enough to have been invited to establish a new sister school relationship with the Australian International school section (established with the assistance of the Australian consulate in Noumea Ouverture de la section internationale australienne en Nouvelle-Calédonie), based at Collège de Tuband, a local French school in New Caledonia. 

When we can all finally travel again, we hope to be hosting a group of Year 8 students from the school every two years. We have already begun to establish penfriend links with students from this school. These relationships are a great way for our students to see the language as a living thing.

Jenny Lynd

French Teacher

FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL OUTING - 16 MARCH 2021

The French Film Festival usually comes to Melbourne for three weeks during March of every year. Last year, due to the unusual circumstances arising out of the Covid19 pandemic, the French Film Festival was cancelled on the very day our Year 10s were bound to go on their cinema excursion. 

In the current year, with their tickets already paid for a year ago, the Year 11s finally had their opportunity to enjoy this marvellous experience as at the start of this week we all set out to watch a French movie at the Palace Cinema Como in South Yarra. The film chosen by the students was De Gaulle, a film about the historic figure of Générale Charles De Gaulle and his family who are confronted with the military and political collapse of France in June 1940. 

Whilst French and other foreign language films can provide an efficient learning tool, students often view movies as pure entertainment. This particular film was a semi documentary meant to provide an insight and shed light into a key moment in the history of France, Europe and the World at large. The feedback of the students was mixed, as they would not normally choose a film about historic events. This movie did, however, spark interest in learning more about this tumultuous time that shaped the history of the world.

Films are a great way to show students that learning a language is superbly enriching. Visual media stimulate listening skills and develop understanding and context. They also help students gain familiarity with pronunciation and spoken language without having to travel to the country itself.

Annette Reid

French and German Teacher

JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Jewish International Film Festival is offering a wide variety of films and documentaries from 17 - 24 March 2021 in Melbourne.

There is also a contribution from Germany worthwhile seeing, the Australian premiere of ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’ (ALS HITLER DAS ROSA KANINCHEN STAHL). 

GERMAN FILM SCREENING

The Goethe Institut Melbourne is offering a Film screening with an introduction to Rainer Werner Fassbinder’sWorld on a Wire. This film is a 1973 science fiction exploration of a computer-generated world. World on a Wire was the inspiration for the makers of the film-series The Matrix almost 30 years later.

The film will be screened on Sat, 20.03.2021 from 1:45 PM - 6:00 PM at the ACMI, Federation Square, 3000 Melbourne.

Andrea Fowler

Head of Languages