Languages Day

Languages Day

The food stall was a success again this year with many beautiful dishes from France, Italy and the Philippines. The Photo Booth was upgraded with an amazing ‘human size’ Arc de Triomphe backdrop created and donated by the Lloyd family. Another novelty was the game stall, where you could test your knowledge of French and Italian culture and geography at the ‘spin the wheel’ stall.

The soccer game was a high quality, tight match, ending in a 2 all draw.

These activities raised $694 for Caritas.

Thank you and well done to the many cooks and all of those who contributed in the preparation of the day, or in the donations given.

Well done to Julia, Calvin, Indy and Maeve who lead the Assembly and presented the items in French and English, and to Lauren and Eden who sang a beautiful French song. These students have studied (or are still studying) French in Year 9 and 10, or have taken the French Beginners Course in Year 11. Thank you to Ms Swan and the musicians for performing the National Anthems at Assembly, and to Millie, Ashley, Charlie and Graeme who held the flags during the National Anthems.

Thank you to Year 7 for their artwork representing some Italian and French landmarks. They are displayed on the PAC windows. A special thank you to the library assistants, Mrs Nolan and Mrs Wieland, for the beautiful displays celebrating our College's multicultural identity.

What makes the day so special is the prayer, read in native languages by students who speak a language other than English at home: Cantonese, French, Filippino, Gamilaraay, German, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Maltese, Spanish and Vietnamese. This reflects McCarthy's rich cultural and linguistic diversity.

Here is some feedback from the students:

‘I loved everyone saying the prayer in their language.’ Hallie

‘I really liked the music at Assembly’. Katelin

‘I loved hearing the prayer in other languages.’ Ashley

‘It is a great way for people to connect and learn about other countries.’ Ashlee

‘It was fun to learn about other cultures.’ Gillian

‘The day had different and fun activities such as the food stall, soccer game, photo booth and games like spin the wheel. Everybody enjoyed the day!’

‘The idea of Languages Day is a very helpful and welcoming idea. We have children at McCarthy that are from different countries. Languages Day can make them feel included and welcome.’ Katie

‘I served at the food stall and was amazed to see all the different cultured food. I got to taste a few of them. The food was amazing and the crepes were especially delicious. I think Languages Day unites different cultures and brings the school together as one.’

‘Languages Day was great! There was so much yummy food.  My favourite was the chocolate croissants and the gelato! I also loved making and serving crepes for everyone. Languages Day was so much fun!’

‘I enjoyed it because it gave me a feeling of what France might be like.’

Mrs Oriane Monet - Language teacher