International Students
Welcoming our new International Students
On Wednesday, 30 January, we welcomed sixteen new International students who come from Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia and China. We held an entire day of Orientation events for our International Students which covered a range of topics including:
- getting familiar with the College grounds
- how to read the timetable and school diary
- subject selections and textbooks
- what our teachers expect from the students
- some strategies for those students with Western Homestay living arrangements
The launch of our Buddy Program for International Students was held at the International Student Program lunch. The aim of this buddy program is to provide International students with more support from local students to help them to integrate into the DSC community. The local students who are part of the Buddy Program are interested in Chinese culture and are currently studying Mandarin. It is, therefore, beneficial to these students as well as they have the opportunity to improve their Mandarin speaking skills. We are really excited about the launch of this program and we anticipate positive feedback from our students.
Sally Huang
International Student Program Coordinator
Chinese New Year
On Wednesday, 6 February we celebrated Chinese New Year in the Senior Centre at lunch. Teaching staff joined our International students for over lunchtime to celebrate Chinese New Year, a very important festival in Chinese culture. International student leaders organised and hosted this event. A very talented student even made Chinese New Year badges for our new International students to show her welcome and support to these students.
STUDENT REFLECTION
The Chinese New Year Lunch went as well as I expected. All the International students would like to thank the College and the teachers for providing such a great opportunity for us. We really feel a sense of belonging to the school. Spring Festival has always been the most important holiday tradition for Chinese people, and celebrating with family and friends is so important. We feel so lucky that the College really cares about the Chinese students who didn't get to spend the time with their family overseas. Celebrating with our teachers and each other helped us to celebrate Chinese New Year somewhere that is so far away from home. Everyone enjoyed it so very much and we really appreciate all the work that went into this event. Happy Chinese New Year!
Judy Zhu, 12A
Student Profile
My name is Jenny, I am 13 years old and I came to this Doncaster Secondary College from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. At the College what I enjoy the most is the friendships I have made with local and International students, the extra curriculum activities, the care from my teachers, and the newly built facilities we have here.
The International team supports me a lot at the College. They help me to get to know the school, introduce me to teaching staff, allocate a buddy for me. They find out where am I at by checking with me often throughout the day.
I quite enjoy the buddy program as my buddy is really familiar with the school and can pass on information to me. Ms Huang, the International Student Coordinator and Mr Tomada, my Year Level Coordinator have been so helpful and are always there for me if I have any questions. I love my new friends here as they are so friendly and supportive. I’m also really enjoying my subjects this year.
I would love to make more new local friends and get to know Australian culture more. I am also planning on joining more clubs at school, such as Art Club, Debating and Public Speaking, Interact club, and Class leadership roles.
Jenny Le, 8F