LANGUAGES

INTERESTING NEW FACTS FROM THE UK

German overtakes French as the language most sort-after by employers

Andrea Fowler

Head of Languages

 

GERMAN EXCHANGE

Here? There? Our group of exchange students left Germany with mixed feelings, having enjoyed many aspects of their stay with their exchange partner, but also looking forward to getting back to family and home in Melbourne. Having had nearly two weeks of school attendance in Germany with a couple of excursions along the way, our students then experienced Easter holidays with their German partners and host families. The German families generously took their McKinnon Secondary College guests to various destinations around Germany, often hundreds of kilometres away. Our students noticed how much bigger Easter traditions are in Germany than here - one of our group described Easter in Germany being a bit like Christmas!

 

When it was time to leave and to board the bus to Frankfurt airport it was clear how many close bonds had been formed between McKinnon students and their host families. From the supervising teacher perspective, it was lovely to hear McKinnon students referring to "my German mother" in conversation with each other on the way back.

 

The photo shows our McKinnon student group during a lunch-break on the three-day Rhine Valley excursion organised for us by the teachers in Germany. Our students are sitting on a bluff above a bend in the river Rhine.

 

INFORMATION EVENING

There will be an information evening at McKinnon Secondary College in October for the next round of German Exchange, for students intending to continue learning German into the Senior School. Students currently learning German in Years 8 and 9 will receive information about that meeting via email closer to October.

 

David Nutting

Organiser of the exchange

SPANISH SAN CHURRO EXCURSION

Last Friday, the 29th of April, the year 9 Spanish class went on an excursion to the very educational Chadstone Shopping Centre and the San Churro Spanish Cafe, were we could enjoy a traditional Spanish dessert, churros!. We had been looking forward to this excursion for many weeks, and we could barely contain our excitement any longer. As soon as the lunch bell rang, we practically ran to the front of school, where we impatiently waited for the bus to Chaddy. Throughout the entire bus ride we chatted about churros, how the students at school would be so envious, and there were definitely a few heated discussions about which “dip cup” was the best. Would we get milk chocolate, dark chocolate, salted caramel, or even cookie butter.

Once we arrived at Chadstone, we almost raced to San Churros to score a circular booth and search the menu for our favourite dessert. All the options looked so delicious that it was extremely hard to choose. After we placed our orders, we then talked some more, the anticipation building as we could hear the faint sizzling of the churros frying, and the sweet smell wafted through the air. Then finally, our churros came to the table, and looked so amazingly crunchy and sweet, we nearly had to have a moment of silence to give thanks. Nearly… We immediately dug in, and in no time at all, we were full to bursting. Needless to say it was a much slower walk back to the bus and later, school.

 

Thanks to Ms. Jimenez for organising the excursion, and Mr. O’Brien for coming along with us.

 

Charlotte Evans 9C