LANGUAGES

GERMAN EXCHANGE UPDATE

Clear sunny skies, not as cold as expected - what a great welcome for our group as we travelled by charter bus from Frankfurt Airport up to the town of Kirchhain!

Families waiting for us at the school's bus bays threw their arms around their McKinnon partners and there were small banners with lovely welcoming messages. Twenty-two McKinnon students and three staff (Frau Fowler, Cassie Semple and Herr Nutting) couldn't have wanted a better first weekend in Germany before going to school on Monday. Host families were out and about over the weekend enjoying the great weather and showing their McKinnon guests something of the German Easter traditions that are already visible here.

Some of us are still a bit jet-lagged, but everybody is well awake and waiting to see how the first school day goes. Students are getting ready to present their talks about aspects of Australia in classes here at the Alfred-Wegener-Schule, as many of them have already been booked by various classes.

Regards to all

David Nutting

German Teacher

FRENCH EXCHANGE UPDATE

The planning for the French Exchange Program is well under way. The French school has booked their flights and will be spending the last three weeks of Term 2 in Melbourne. We have begun planning excursions and activities for their time here. The families are starting to look for second hand uniforms that the French students can wear while they are at McKinnon - a very strange experience for them. If there are families with spare skirts, ties or jumpers that could be borrowed for a few weeks, please let us know.

Our students have recently received information about the exchange partners from France who will be arriving in the evening Friday 7 June. This is the first test as the 'dossier' about the student is written entirely in French. The McKinnon students and their families will have to take the time to read it carefully to learn more about this French student. They will also soon start to make contact, trying to learn more about each other before their arrival.

It is a very exciting time as we anticipate their arrival.

Our own trip to France at the end of Term 4 is starting to take shape through booking flights and confirming dates. 

Kellie Dickson

French Exchange Co-ordinator

AF YEAR 9 FRENCH STUDENTS AT FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

Year 2019 is a rather auspicious occasion for The Alliance Française all around Australia, due to the 30th Anniversary of the French Film Festival. AFFFF is a significant cultural affair always impatiently awaited by the Francophiles in all Australian major cities, Melbourne included. 

As with every one, this year was no different and our McKinnon French students were also actively involved in this remarkable event. We organised several outings to see relevant films so our students could not only enjoy this unique opportunity, but also be enriched, linguistically as well as culturally.

Thus, on a beautiful and sunny day on Thursday 7 March, we set off with a large group of three Year 9 French classes. The students and Year 9 teachers took a short journey to the Como Cinema in South Yarra for a more immersive and varied experience with the French language.

The film 'Dilili in Paris' was an animated film that took us to 'Belle Epoque' a prosperous period after First World War. The film’s heroine who was a 6 year old girl from New Caledonia, not only resolved several mysteries of kidnapping but also introduced our students to famous French figures of the 'Belle Epoque' glory days, such as Renoir, Marie Curie, Louis Pasteur and Gustave Eiffel amongst others. The film was also a visual marvel, as it took us on an enchanting tour around Paris and its landmarks.

All in all, this colourful film with unusual characters provided kids with visual beauty and extraordinary history lesson of France.

It also delivered a positive message, the notion of bravery and altruism triumphing over ill-willed actions, which connected with our students, while also enriching their language skills.

I would like to thank my colleagues Maria-Carmen Jimenez and Annie Koehne for their co-operation and support in this activity.

Ludmila Antal

Teacher of French