LANGUAGES
FRENCH STUDENTS AT MCKINNON
During the final two weeks of Term 2, the French students became part of the McKinnon community. In additional to following their exchange partner to their classes, they also helped in other French classes. The McKinnon students of French from Years 7 to 12 were excited to meet the French kids. They asked questions about the differences between schools in France and in Melbourne, about popular sports and music in France, about their thoughts on Vegemite and other cultural exchanges. The McKinnon students also got a chance to try out their French with real French teenagers, which was both scary and fun.
Some very generous McKinnon teachers gave up their own time to run special 'Australian' lessons for the French kids. We'd like to sincerely thank the following teachers for their generosity and enthusiasm:
Mr Machin (Australian politics)
Mr O'Brien and Mr Hughes (Australian history)
Ms Mellios (Indigenous Cultures)
Ms Moloney (Australian foods)
Ms Sweeney (Australian animals)
Dr Brown (Australian geography)
Mr Strehlau (Australian sports)
Ms Papworth (Australian music)
Ms Roden (Australian art)
The French students thoroughly enjoyed these lessons. They knew very little about Australia before their arrival and were very happy to learn so much in such a short time.
Thank you to the McKinnon community for welcoming these students to our school. They felt very accepted and wore our uniform with pride. We are sure the school also benefited from getting to know these international visitors.
Ms Kellie Dickson
French Exchange Co-ordinator
AU REVOIR ET À BIENTÔT - GOODBYE AND SEE YOU SOON!
Sadly, three and a half weeks fly by when you are having fun. The French students flew home on Thursday 4 July. During their time here, they were so busy seeing so many places in Victoria and even interstate, thanks to their generous host families. They have made life-long connections and were very sad to say a temporary goodbye.
Thank you to Mr and Mrs Feder who organised a wonderful end of exchange celebration dinner at Remezzo in Ormond. The students and families enjoyed a meal together and some heartfelt thank you speeches were made.
At the airport, there were many tears and hugs, from students and parents alike! After almost having to physically separate some people, the French students left through the departure gates.
And now, just five short months before our students will board their own flight to Nice!
Ms Kellie Dickson
French Exchange Co-ordinator
YEAR 8 FRENCH INCURSION
On Wednesday 26 June, the French Theatre Company came to our school to perform not one, but four plays for our Year 8 French students. Despite running a little over time, the whole production was excellently executed with props and costumes, complete with an English subtitle screen to include everyone. There was laughter and tears and lots of clapping as the actors launched themselves around the stage with such expression and heavy gestures to really involve our school.
At the end of the production, five of our students: Seffra Tienstra, Eliza Hackett-Smith, Zoe Taffe, Laura Inall, Bastien Meric and Caitlin Lyon accompanied the French Theatre Company to perform a replay of a mini show they just witnessed. Our little actors performed wonderfully, each with a distinct personality - my favourite was the realistically timid Seffra Tienstra who jumped around so much, I really believed we lived in such hierarchical times. Well done to all our actors and actresses, with a big round of applause to Bastien Meric who won a French Theatre Company pin for his excellent portrayal of Ovide. The company described him as “cool, with of course great French”. All of you rehearsed your lines well and displayed a perfect representation of McKinnon’s dedication to French.
It was a real hit with the students, and we have some lovely comments below from our students who have commented on their experience.
En général, j’aime bien les rôles parce que marrants - In general, I quite like the roles because they were funny. - Ollie Cross
It was very interesting to hear the pronunciation. I was surprised at the amount of sentences I fully understood. At times it was very funny yet I felt like I was still learning. It helped me understand how speaking in French should sound. - Rina Furman
I thought the play was very well done. - Ollie Ledger
Ms Koehne
Year 8 French Teacher
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: 1 – 18 AUGUST
This year's festival is featuring films in over 60 languages, including 17 German language films, 31 French, 31 Spanish and the list goes on. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about different cultures and people all over the world. We encourage all McKinnon students and families to check out the program for films they might find interesting:
The Year 9 and 10 German classes are off to see a film on Monday 12 August. Students learning German share the experience (with German-learners of other schools) of watching a recent film from Germany, and gaining listening practice alongside cultural understandings. This film for young people is set in Berlin, a city which features in both the Year 9 and Year 10 courses.
Kellie Dickson
French Teacher
DIE KOCHKLASSE - YEAR 9 GERMAN COOKING CLASS
As part of our Year 9 German course, our students conducted a cooking class to finish off their semester. Food is a significant part of any culture but German people are particularly proud of their cuisine and their cooking tradition.
In order to prepare for this activity students had to interpret and translate a German recipe for themselves. They learnt the key terms associated with German cooking whilst revising their vocabulary regularly.
The dish that the students would prepare was Omas Frikadellen mit Kartoffelsalat (Grandma’s Rissoles with Potato Salad). The recipe was created by Petra Kamener (Mr Kamener’s Mum), a dish that she had learnt from her mother in Hamburg, Germany.
Delivered entirely in German, the students received a demonstration from Petra Kamener before they had to cook the meal for themselves, with only their German recipes to go by.
While there were some challenging technical elements, students created delicious meals, which they devoured in the last part of the session.
The recipe can be accessed via this link in case anyone is daring enough to have a go!
Looking forward to running this for our current Year 8s next year!
Herr Kamener
Teacher of Year 9 German
NEW CALEDONIA TOUR - PRE-DEPARTURE MEETING TUESDAY 13 AUGUST
In preparation for the upcoming language and cultural tour of New Caledonia, the parents and students involved are encouraged to attend an information session in the evening of Tuesday 13 August. There will be a representative from the travel company in attendance. The session will include what to pack, what to expect, a detailed itinerary and other suggestions about what to do before the students leave.
Kellie Dickson
French Teacher