LANGUAGES
SPANISH FOR BEGINNERS IN YEAR 9 - ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN A LANGUAGE!
Ms Maria-Carmen JIMENEZ VICTORIA, who joined us last year, has developed a Spanish program for beginners for Year 9 students. This program offers a great opportunity to learn another language. The course will be based on social communication and cultural enrichment and includes a closer collaboration with our sister school in Cuenca, Spain. Thank you to Ms Jimenez for developing this course for our students. Her passion for languages and her skills as Spanish native speaker benefits not only our students but the entire school community. We look forward to hearing more about this program throughout the year.
E-BOOKS IN LANGUAGES
All French Language students and Year 7 and 8 German students are using the e-book version of the course book which needs to be purchased from Campion. Language lessons are a compulsory part of the Curriculum and give students the best start in an increasingly multilingual world.
Your child will require the online version of the prescribed textbook. You will receive an access code for the purchased book. Please make sure you keep this information secure, in case your child's access gets interrupted.
Online resources in Years 9 and 10 German and Years 11 and 12 German and French are online resource subscriptions which are purchased by the school. The cost for these books has been included in school fees. Students will be enrolled by the administrator and have full access for the entire year.
VET IN LANGUAGES
As in the past 5 years, all Year 10 French and German students will be enrolled in the 10297NAT Certificate II in Applied Language. This course includes social and vocational language and is auspiced by a Registered Training Organisation, Ripponlea Institute.
The course is funded by the Government and encourages each student to complete this certificate.
This national qualification is part of our Year 10 program and acknowledges the students´ language learning. It counts for three units at Unit 1 and 2 level and could be completed with Certificate III in Applied Language in Year 11. Students will receive an increment to their ATAR - 10% of their top 4 subjects.
This course should attract students who do not feel confident in completing VCE languages, but would still like to have their languages qualifications acknowledged in their final VCE statement.
If your son/daughter studies another language outside of school, the Victorian School of Languages offers this certificate in several languages.
An information session will be held before the Year 10 Information Night. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE: HOW PARENTS CAN HELP
Please support your child in learning another language! Research confirms that the parents´ attitude towards language learning has a significant impact on the child's success. Another language is a lasting asset in an increasingly demanding global world whilst many other skills undergo constant change. Languages do not only teach communication skills but also develop flexibility, creativity and higher order thinking. Language learning also adds health and social benefits. As already Goethe said “The more languages you know, the more you are human”.
The following article will give you a few tips of how to help your child!
http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/learning-a-second-language/
Andrea Fowler
Head of Languages
2018 NEW CALEDONIA LANGUAGE & CULTURAL TOUR
Information Evening - 2018 New Caledonia Language and Cultural Tour (Year 9 students of French)
Any Year 9 students of French who are interested in taking part in the language and cultural tour of New Caledonia should attend an information session with their parents on Tuesday 20 February at 7pm in the Lecture Theatre.
New Caledonia is a French-speaking island in the South Pacific, a short 4 hour flight from Melbourne. The tour comprises of language lessons, tourism activities and daily opportunities to interact with French language and Caledonian culture. Students will attend a language school for four lessons of three hours where the classes are tailored to their specific language needs. For five nights of the seven, the students (in pairs) will stay with a homestay family and be immersed in language and culture. The first and last night will be spent in a hotel with the group.
The seven day tour will take place in the final week of Term 3 (around the 17th of September). It is run by GET Education tours.
We look forward to seeing interested students and their families on Tuesday 20 February. If you have any questions, please contact Ms Kellie Dickson on dis@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au.
Ms Kellie Dickson
Teacher of French
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL
The annual French Film Festival will be running in Melbourne from Wednesday 28 February to Tuesday 27 March. French films of varying genres will be played at four cinemas across Melbourne: Kino Cinemas (CBD), Como (South Yarra), Palace Brighton Bay, Balwyn and Westgarth. McKinnon families are encouraged to profit from this opportunity to immerse themselves in French language and culture.
Ms Kellie Dickson
Teacher of French
FRENCH EXCHANGE 2017
Quelle expérience! McKinnon Secondary College has welcomed home a very happy group of travellers from France. The 2017 Exchange group returned from four weeks with their host families early in January. This was the reciprocal part of the exchange, as our families had already hosted their son or daughter’s correspondant in June last year.
Our Year 10 French students, now in Year 11, faced many challenges during their stay. (We won’t even begin to discuss the weather). Whilst they had already an established relationship with their French counterparts, it still proved to be difficult initially to make the adjustment to living with them in their own families. This was to be expected, of course, and they should be very proud of the way that they responded. Many of the French parents commented on the positive way that the Australians interacted and how they contributed to the life of the family.
The first two weeks were at school - probably the most challenging part of the experience, if you were to ask our students! - but there were some great excursions in this time, too. This was followed by two weeks of Christmas holidays, where they were able to relax a little more and get to see some different parts of France. Some were lucky enough to visit other countries. Being away from home at Christmas was tough for everyone but this was an experience that we knew we would never forget. The French families really went to a lot of effort to make their Aussies’ stay with them as enjoyable and culturally enriching as possible, just as the McKinnon families had done for their sons and daughters.
The positive outcomes of exchanges such as these can be seen in the students’ renewed enthusiasm for their language learning, the obvious improvements in linguistic skills, the confidence and resilience to tackle new and challenging situations, and the ability to communicate and empathise, to reflect and make considered decisions, just to name a few. And the bonus for many - a life-long friend.
Touring party: Liam Atchison, Daisy Assauw, Abby Bachrach-Cox, Anna Chapman, Evie Dinkelmeyer, Alexandra Enever, Romy Greenberg, Chloe James, Josh Manning, Jesse Marlow, Luciana Martinez, Chloe Swan, Sophie Van Doorn, Julia Vitiello, Ms Ludmila Antal and Mr Daniel Casey.
Daniel Casey
French Teacher