LANGUAGES  

ALLE JAHRE WIEDER - CUCKOO RESTAURANT

On Thursday, 30 August 2014, nearly 200 German students accompanied by eight staff members were excited to either make their first visit to this restaurant in the Dandenongs, or as for our Year 12 German students, it was a sadly the last opportunity with school to indulge on a very different kind of experience.

This excursion has been the most popular amongst students and staff since introduced at McKinnon Secondary College in the 1980s. We invited our Language Perfect World Championship top teachers this year to reward their efforts in this competition.

Our intentions to introduce students to German food and culture; increase their openness and curiosity towards the new, maybe strange and unusual, has been successful since the beginning.  Starting their meal with a soup, as it is tradition in German culture, especially in winter, might not have been so unusual, as Australians also like their soups in winter. However, I observed many students of different cultural backgrounds collecting a selection of German food, tasting and comparing it to the food they know.  Likes and dislikes were expressed, as Sauerkraut is not everyone’s favourite, but some compared it to the Korean dish, Kimchi.  There was always an awareness of how to behave culturally appropriate in these situations, as this has become an integral part of our curriculum.  The desserts, cakes, traditional German pancakes and doughnuts, and so many more were definitely the favourites of all students.

The entertainment program this year even introduced Santa Claus, as Christmas in July is a popular event at the Cuckoo.  A sing along with traditional and international songs, cowbells as musical instruments and popular dances completed this program. Students participated with enthusiasm and enjoyment and I believe Matthew Parkinson will not forget his 15th birthday!  This excursion offers a small experience of German culture which may have sparked their interest in learning and experiencing more of that.

On leaving the restaurant we received the staff’s praise for our students’ behaviour, not  - 1only for being polite and considerate, but just exceptional for a student group!

Thank you for an enjoyable day!

Andrea Fowler

Head of Languages

JOBS GO GLOBAL - STUDENTS - STUDENTS VISIT THE BCG

This elective was introduced for the first time in BYTES this year.  A small group of students from different cultural backgrounds were the first to learn about job opportunities for students, their legal rights and how to apply for your first job.

They completed role-plays for job interviews, personal CVs and cover letters, and this not only in English, but also in another language of their choice.  This program was designed to make students more aware of the global job market and the skills required in the future.

In their last lesson, on Friday 25 July, we were able to visit the Boston Consulting Group in 101 Collins Street.  The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm with 69 offices in 45 countries.  Students were welcomed in the Board Room on the 52nd floor with a view all over Melbourne.

Two very young employees, David and Phillip, spoke about their work life and movements around the world so far.  One of them an engineer, contributing to the building of oil rigs around the world, the other one a chemist, having left the research laboratory to consult on social projects around the world.  They were talking about the skills needed in the 21st century and our students were encouraged to ask questions.  Many of these skills matched the ones we focus on in the Year 9 BYTES program.  Unfortunately time restricted us from seeing more of their work place, but I believe that all students were quite impressed and at the same time this visit opened to them new perspectives for their future.

I would like to thank BCG for opening their doors and for working with our students.

Andrea Fowler

Head of Languages

GERMAN DAY OUT 

On Thursday 24 July 64 students of German in year 9 and 10 headed into the CBD for the German Day Out.  German students from across Victoria packed into the Melbourne Town Hall and were greeted by a number of dignitaries that all imparted some advice on our students.

While still basking in the world cup glory, the mood was very excitable.  Students were privy to the competition winners of the German song and film contests.  They were also encouraged by the awarding of scholarships, where three students were given the opportunity of studying in Germany.  The Language Perfect World Championship results were also announced and the McKinnon Secondary College students took great pride in their 3rd placing for German in the whole of Victoria.

There were also a number of speakers who spoke about the need for multilingualism in the future and why German especially has significant clout in the global jobs market.  However, the message that stuck with the group and resonated with our students was that studying languages is fun, which is as good as any other reason to continue with your studies.

To finish off the day, the students crowded into the iconic Forum Theatre to watch Clara und das geheimnis der Bären (Clara and the Secret of the Bears).  While the film itself didn’t reach great heights, the students loved the cinematography of the mountainous Swiss terrain and were able to break away from the subtitles at times and listen to the spoken German.

The German Day Out validated for many that sticking with learning a language was a terrific decision.

Joshua Kamener

Teacher