Unheard Word - Tango Vocabulaire

The Japanese word of the fortnight is やばい (yabai) which means crazy in the good or bad way, depending on the context. You’re running late for school – ‘yabai!’; you spotted a celebrity you love – ‘yabai!’; you’re horrifically underprepared for your exam… YABAI!

The French phrase Il fait un froid de canard means It’s duck cold ! Which means it’s freezing cold.

Japanese Calendar

Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク) April 29 – May 7

The Golden Week is a collection of four national holidays within seven days. In combination with well-placed weekends, the Golden Week becomes one of Japan's three busiest holiday seasons, besides New Year and Obon week.

Trains, airports and sightseeing spots get very crowded during Golden Week, and accommodation in tourist areas can get booked out well in advance.

The national holidays making up the Golden Week are:

May 3

Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi)

On this day in 1947, the new post-war constitution was put into effect.

May 4

Greenery Day (Midori no hi):

Until 2006, Greenery Day used to be celebrated on April 29, the birthday of former Emperor Showa. The day is dedicated to the environment, because the emperor loved plants and nature.

May 5

Children's Day (子供の日, Kodomo no hi) is a public holiday in Japan which takes place annually on May 5 and is the final celebration in Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948, but has been a day of celebration in Japan since ancient times.

Children's Day has officially been a day to wish for the happiness of both male and female children since 1948, but its origin, Tango no Sekku, was a day for boys from the Kamakura period in the 12th century to the mid-20th century, and the customs of Children's Day still retain vestiges from that time.

Sumo Tournament Tokyo (May 14 - 28)

Sumo (相撲, sumō) is a Japanese-style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto deities. Many rituals with religious background, such as the symbolic purification of the ring with salt, are still followed today. In line with tradition, only men practice the sport professionally in Japan.

The rules are simple: the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground with any part of his body besides the soles of his feet loses. 

French Calendar

May 1st International Worker’s Day. French people traditionally buy and exchange muguet, or lily of the valley, and enjoy a day off work.

May 8th – Victoire 1945 – French people celebrating the end of WW2 and the Allies’ victory in Europe.

May 12-14th – Le Mans – Le Mans is a endurance sports car race celebrated each year in the town of Le Mans, France. The car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours wins the race!

May 16-27th – The Cannes Film Festival - stars from across the world flock to Cannes on the French Riviera each year to celebrate cinematic greats in style.

May 25-28th - Le grand prix, Monaco – One of the most prestigious car races in the world, the Grand Prix attracts thousands of visitors from across the world each year.

May 22th to June 11th - Roland Garros – Tennis fans can enjoy the Roland Garros tournament, France’s answer to the Australian Open.

Japan Tour Update!

So after a lot of love, sweat and tears (no actual tears, don't worry) the Japan Tour is going ahead.

Fifteen excited students along with Miss Walter, Mr. Minack and Mr. Agg will be making their way to Japan in September to see the sights and dive into the culture! They will also get to stay at our sister school in Tokoname for a full week and attend a real Japanese high school!

French Update

In year 8 French, students have been creating detailed and beautiful Venn diagrams comparing Australian and French education systems! Students were very engaged and interested in the differences between the two countries, and participated to the fullest! Well done year 8s!

In year 7, French students are starting an exciting unit on French geography! Students are learning about European geography and France’s overseas territories and departments, to be global citizens and intrepid explorers!

In year 9 and 10 French, we have a student testimonial from the fabulous excursion in term 1!

“The Year 9 and 10 French class went on an excursion to the city where we visited Collins St. to explore the French Sector of Melbourne. It was an amazing experience as we got to see Collins St. and the classiness of the French fashion stores. The Year 9 task was to design a fashion magazine and the Year 10 task was to make a tourist video. After a fun morning, we headed to Little Collins St. where we ate a delicious lunch at Laurent. Thank you Madame. Betts and Mr. Radelj for this fantastic opportunity.” – Ro Fridman, year 10.

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