Heathmont Gazette

Languages News

INDONESIAN CULTURAL DAY

We celebrated our annual Indonesian Cultural day on Wednesday, 17th of August which is also Indonesia's Independence Day. There were about 120 Grade 5 students learning Indonesian and other Asian languages from the local feeder primary schools participating in this event. Participating schools were Bayswater North PS, Marlborough PS, Bayswater PS and Great Ryrie PS. Students learnt about Indonesian cultural stories, songs, dances, masks making and martial arts. 

 

Besides providing students opportunities to develop their Asia capability and intercultural understanding, this event also hopes to foster closer collaboration between primary and high school students, including enabling smooth transition from primary to secondary schools. Besides student presentations, students also connected live via WebEx with students from our Indonesian sister school in Jogjakarta and asked and answered questions about school life. It was a highly educational and amazing day!

 

The year 10 students ran a shadow puppet show and Indonesian Bingo. In Our classroom we showed the primary school students the story of Ramayana through shadow puppets. Then we played games of Bingo or Habis, as it is said in Indonesian. We played using numbers as well as colors. The students also practiced basic Indonesian conversation. They all did really well and it was a fun and successful day. – Emily Maniscalchi Year 10

 

Below is some feedback from Bayswater North Primary school students that attended the day:

  • It was great to see my sisters at Heathmont College – Max H
  • Mask making was so fun! – Josh J
  • Silat Martial Arts was awesome. – Maison M
  • I loved watching the Indonesian shadow puppet show. – Bell W
  • I liked talking to Heathmont College sister school students in Yogyakarta on WebEx and asking them questions about their school life – Brooke R
  • I enjoyed learning a traditional Indonesian dance. – Lennie L
  • I really liked the lunch. – Tyler P
  • It was great to look around some of the classrooms at Heathmont College. There were so many fun activities. There was traditional Indonesian dancing, martial arts, mask making, shadow puppets and bingo. The Nasi goreng and Japanese salad lunch was so delicious. - Mary-Ellen Dowling, Bayswater North PS and Marlborough PS Indonesian teacher.
  • We all had an awesome day! - Terima kasih
 

Emily Maniscalchi, Year 10

Sayembara State-Wide Indonesian speaking competition 

 A number of our students recently participated in the state Indonesian speaking competition. Well done to all participants for doing well. We also wish to congratulate the following students for becoming state winners: 

 

  • Oli Alway - 1st place in the Year 7 Advance category 
  • Andriana Szabo - 2nd place in the Year 7 Advance category 
  • Abby Bricknell - 4th place in the Year 7 Beginning category 
  • Grace Maniscalchi - 3rd place in the Year 8 Advance category 
  • Emily Maniscalchi – State finalist in the Year 10 Advance category 
  • Stephanie Morgans – State finalist in the Year 10 Advance category  

 

These students practised hard and are truly deserving of their awards! They will receive their prizes during the Sayembara Award Night ceremony from the Indonesian consul general on Friday, 12 August. Oli Always will also be presenting his winning speech at the Awards ceremony. 

 

“I enjoyed taking part in the competition and feel very happy with the $60 Cotton On prize. I practised and memorised my lines. I’m a bit nervous but look forward to presenting my speech at the Awards ceremony”, Oli A, Y7.  
“I practised with my teacher and parents. I’m so pleased with the award and would love to take part next year too”, Andriana S, Y7. 

 

“I’ve taken part in this Indonesian competition for the past two years and won. This is so fun and educational”, Grace M, Y8 

 

 

Bu Devathas, Indonesian teacher. 

 

Year 8 German Restaurant Excursion 

In the last week of Term 2, the Year 8s learning German went to the Knox shopping centre to go and have some German food at a restaurant called the Bavarian.  

 

First off everyone found a seat with their friends once arriving in the restaurant after leaving the bus and started to settle it. Shortly after some staff from the restaurant came around to order some drinks. Most people ordered either lemonade or pink lemonade, but there was also an option for coke. Even though they weren’t particularly German drinks, like beer and fermented juices everyone enjoyed them, nonetheless.  

 

The teachers came around just before the food came out to hand out funny little paper cartoons either of a sausage wearing lederhosen (German overalls) or a chicken in lederhosen to tell the Bavarian staff which students to give schnitzel to or Frankfurts. I ordered a schnitzel and roughly 15 minutes after we arrived the food started to be handed out. Most kids on my table ordered schnitzel as well, but a couple had the sausages.  

Everyone really liked the food, but I think almost everyone who had the sausages didn’t really know what to think of the sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), and nobody really ate it. I can understand why though it was a very different flavour to what most kids are used to, living up to its name being quite sour. I really enjoyed my schnitzel and I think my friends did too, all the food overall was really tasty, but I think it depended on your preferences for some of the flavours.  

 

After everyone had finished their food, we had a group photo taken at the back of the restaurant, then we had a few minutes to roam around before gathering back on the busses to head back to school.  

 

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and trying the different types of German food. I had a lot of fun and would definitely do it again if I was given the chance, and I think my friends would too! 

 

von Ellie Westerveld, Year 8