LANGUAGES
YEAR 9 NEW CALEDONIA TRIP PREPARATION
On Wednesday 14 September, seventeen Year 9 students of French departed for New Caledonia. The eight day trip offers them the chance to stay with a host family, attend language lessons and explore the tropical island.
In preparation for departure, Ms Dickson and Amy Bachrach (whose daughter is one of the lucky students travelling to New Caledonia) organised a film screening and information session. This was a great opportunity for the students and parents to get to know each other better and ask any questions. To add to the experience, the group watched "Les Intouchables" a fantastic French film about an unlikely friendship between a very wealthy quadriplegic and his carer from the outskirts of Paris. The students and parents loved the film and enjoyed seeing different portrayals of France and French people.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was the delicious treats generously donated by Noisette in Centre Road. There were macaroons, cakes and pastries that looked and tasted very French. The students, parents and teachers are very grateful for Noisette's generosity and encourage McKinnon families to visit their cafe and enjoy their delicious morsels.
Kellie Dickson
French Teacher
2016 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GERMAN HERITAGE TOUR
Every year, the Year 11 German students are making their way to South Australia to study the first German immigration. Last Sunday, a group of sixteen students accompanied by Ms Fowler and Mr Kamener left Tullamarine, Melbourne to fly to Adelaide. A charter bus was waiting for us and we were welcomed by Michael Scott, our bus driver for the next three days. After loading our luggage we made our way to our first destination, Hahndorf. This village, founded by captain Dirk Hahn, who helped the first settlers to find land, is still today a small town with many traditional German buildings have been there since the 1840s. After our first visit to the Hahndorf Academy, a museum that tells the story of the town, we all enjoyed a typical German lunch in the German Arms, the oldest pub with traditional German cuisine. Many Schnitzels and sausages were served and students were challenged with the size of the potions on their plates.
After the lunch we visited the Hans Heysen estate, called ‘The Cedars’, which introduced us to a different period of time of immigration and the artwork of this famous and nationally acknowledged German artist. The weather was kind to us and we had some beautiful sunshine for a walk on this country estate. Then we returned back to Hahndorf, where students completed tasks in their booklets and conducted interviews with Germans. In the late afternoon we made our way to Tanunda, once called Langmeil, where we settled at the local caravan park in cabins.
The second day took us on a journey through the Barossa Valley. At the Yaldara Estate, students were introduced to wine making and learned more about the relevance of this industry to the Australian economy. Our tour took us further to Lobethal, where we visited the Lobethal museum, a collection of authentic historic artefacts from the earliest days of German settlement. Primary School students of the town were involved in a history project and brought this museum to the 21st century. They created explanatory videos that are now accessible with the help of QR codes. I would like to thank especially Charly and Kaleb from the Lobethal Lutheran school for their assistance in our tour.
We enjoyed lunch in the local Lobethal bakery and then met David Herbig, a descendant of first settlers who started their life in a gum tree. Schooling in the Friedensberg School, the school that David Herbig still attended, introduced students to German education and its importance for the community. We continued the day with a sporting activity on the oldest 9 pin bowling track in the southern hemisphere in Tanunda. And Callum Charles cleaned up for the day! A dinner at the local Tanunda Club House allowed us to relax at the end of a busy day. Rain had settled in for the night and we spent the evenings in our cosy and warm cabins.
On our last day we made our way back to Adelaide. A visit to the Maritime Museum made it clear to everyone that the journey to Australia would not have been a pleasure in the 19th century. After lunch in Adelaide we made our way back to Melbourne where we arrived on a time after slightly bumpy flight.
Thank you to all students who were praised wherever we go. The bus driver was talking about an exceptional group and I can only add that it is great pleasure to travel with our students. Thank you also to Mr Kamener for his assistance on this trip and ...for taking the wooden spoon in 9 pin bowling.
Andrea Fowler
Head of Languages
2016 BERTHE MOUCHETTE COMPETITION!
On 20 May, 120 students of French participated in the Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition on their home ground at McKinnon Secondary College. They had all showcased their mastery of French and Poetry recitation and the most impressive performers were invited to participate in the Finals.
So on 10 August, eighteen Year 9 and 10 students attended the Final Contest. This time, it was outside their usual safety net at McKinnon Secondary College, in the Cultural Centre dedicated to the promotion of French: Alliance Française in the suburb of St Kilda.
This year’s Berthe Mouchette competition saw over 13,500 students participating from 107 schools across the state. Over 1000 students from Years 3-10 and 250 from Year 11-12 were finalists.
We are extremely proud of our two McKinnon SC ambassadors for French:
Jenna Dimitrakas - Year 10 student and
Oliver Sirota - Year 9 student.
They have been awarded “mention spécial de jury” and will receive a formal invitation to the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 22 November.
All students involved in this year’s Poetry Competition will receive their Certificates at a General Assembly in Term 4. I would like to congratulate every participant and in particular, the two finalists on their wonderful achievements and making our school and community proud.
Bravo tout le monde et bonne continuation!
Mme Antal
French Teacher