International Student Program News
Welcome back to a new year in the MGC International Student Program! This year we welcomed 2 new international students in Year 10 and Year 11! Please make sure you introduce yourselves to them if you see any unfamiliar faces in your class, as their priority is to make new friends to teach them about our crazy Australian culture and language!
A Big Congratulation to Amber LAM in Year 12 wined Monash Excellence in English as an Additional Language (EAL) Award 2021! This prestigious award is given to the most outstanding year 11 international student as determined by their EAL grades in 2020.
We are glad to see that some of school events come back this year. Our girls had fun time at Swimming Carnival and Yr12 study camp. It will be the inspiring and memorable for them in Australian study life at MGC.
Another exciting news to share is about the celebration of Lunar New Year. Being away from home during new year is certainly not easy. All the internationals did not go back to hometown due to the pandemic. To help the girls get over being homesick, we have organized boxed lunch and red pockets with traditional snacks for the girls to celebrate the new year.
The character Fú (About this sound福 ,) meaning "fortune" or "good luck”.
Did you know?
In Chinese and other East and Southeast Asian societies, a red envelope or a red packet is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions such as weddings, graduation or the birth of a baby. The red packet is also called “money warding off old age” (压岁钱; yāsuì qián) during Chinese New Year. Literally, it is “money to anchor the year(s).” By giving the money to children, elders are hoping to pass on a year of good fortune and blessings. Another version is given by the younger generation to their elders as a blessing of longevity and a show of gratitude.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, red envelopes are considered to be lucky money and are typically given to children. Common greetings all relate back to the idea of wishing health and prosperity as age besets everyone in Vietnam on the Lunar New Year.
South Korea
In South Korea, a monetary gift is given to children by their relatives during the New Year period. However, white envelopes are used instead of red, with the name of the receiver written on the back.