LANGUAGES

To all Year 12 German students, 

Wishing you the best of luck for your Oral Examinations on Monday. It has been a pleasure teaching you this year. You made it! Keep working and never give up, a language will offer you opportunities worldwide. 

Alles Gute für die Zukunft! 

Frau Fowler

Head of Languages 

BERTHE MOUCHETTE COMPETITION WINNER, MANASI DESHPANDE

Every year, the Alliance Française of Melbourne runs a series of competitions to identify the highest performing French students in Victoria. 

These competitions include poetry recitals, in which our Year 9s competed this year, and oral and written competitions based on the VCE Year 12 exams for Years 11 and 12. We are very proud of our finalists from Years 9, 11 and 12 who you have read about in earlier newsletters. To have reached the finals in a field of elite students from well-known schools is very impressive.

And now, the results of the finals have been announced!

We are especially proud to announce that the outstanding efforts of one of our Year 11 French students, Manasi Deshpande, has been rewarded by her winning second place in the Year 11 oral section of this challenging competition between Victoria’s elite French students. 

As Manasi’s current French teacher, I can say that she has proven throughout this school year that passion and dedication produce amazing results. Her love of the French language and her inquisitive and dedicated approach to her studies are reflected in this prize. 

Congratulations, Manasi!

Jenny Lynd

French Teacher

YEAR 12 FRENCH ORAL EXAM

On Monday 19 October our Year 12 French students had their oral examination at The Tudor. Although no amount of preparation can completely prepare you for the stress and nerves of the actual day, our countless practice sessions with Mr Chamontin and our language assistants, Emma and Laurence, undoubtedly helped prepare us for the examination.

Fortunately, our anxieties of the day didn’t preview how things actually went. The examiners were more kind than we ever imagined and we were able to display all the knowledge we acquired and the skills we refined throughout the year. The sense of relief once we all had finished was immeasurable, although I know some also felt sentimental as we realised that this could be the last time we would have such a conversation.

All in all the day was a huge success. Whatever marks we receive, I think all the Year 12 French students and the French faculty should be proud of their efforts.

Harry Fletcher

Year 12 Student

CONGRATULATIONS

The McKinnon community would like to congratulate Monsieur Cedric Chamontin for being awarded with the national grand prize for the Young Hope Award by the Federation of French Teachers' Associations of Australia. This award recognises his exemplary teaching and contribution to the French teaching community. Mes felicitations!

We look forward to hearing his interview on SBS French Radio and his award presentation at the French Embassy.

Mari Carmen Jimenez Victoria

French/Spanish teacher

HISPANIC DAY

Monday 12 October is an important date for the Hispanic community. At McKinnon Secondary College, our Spanish students got the opportunity to discover why this day is so important for Spanish people and how they celebrate it. This year the celebration was done virtually but in years to come the whole school community will have the opportunity to get involved and enjoy the richness of the Spanish culture.

Below are the testimony of two students about the celebration.

Maria-Carmen Jimenez Victoria

Spanish Teacher

Hola amigos,

Monday 12 October was Hispanic Day (Fiesta Nacional de España), commemorating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's first arrival in the Americas.

¡Celebremos!

On this day, the Year 10 Spanish class celebrated with our teacher, Ms Jimenez, by doing many fun Spanish activities. We watched an informative video and read an article on how Hispanic day is celebrated globally, and finished off with a fun Spanish general knowledge quiz. This included testing our knowledge of Spanish-speaking countries, general facts (did you know the Chupa Chups logo was designed by Salvador Dali?!), and of course, thoroughly tested on Spanish celebrities (Shakira, Cristiano Ronaldo, Picasso, etc.)!

All in all, celebrating this exciting Spanish occasion was great fun and a culturally informative experience for our class. We will be sure to celebrate this important day in future years.

¡Viva España! 

Charlotte Evans (10D)

Monday 12 October marked Hispanic Day, otherwise known as Columbus Day, in which Spanish-speakers all around the world celebrated their heritage and culture. The public holiday is an anniversary of Christopher Columbus's discovery of the Americas. 

At McKinnon, Spanish students learnt about some of these celebrations and the typical traditions that are accustomed to this holiday. We were required to research into the different festivities, from the extravagant military parades and air shows in the large Spanish cities, to the more humble neighbourhood gatherings in smaller communities. 

After exploring countless articles and videos of people's personal experiences at these celebrations, we tried to answer some general questions about Hispanic culture to test our knowledge. These ranged from questions about the country, famous Hispanic faces, the Spanish crown as well as pop culture and geography. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed learning about a culture other than my own and look forward to the next Hispanic Day. 

Finally, I'd like to thank my Spanish teacher Ms Jimenez for setting up this enjoyable lesson and making Spanish as a school subject possible.

Luka Magee (9J)