Languages

We had a most successful year in Languages 2022. We participated in more competitions with great success, hosted our Japanese sister school, began an intern program with Meiji Gakuen University in Yokohama and shared many valuable language and cultural experiences. Our dedicated staff, enthusiastic students, and generous families of the Mazenod community made it all possible. Yolanda Bonica

Chinese Reading Competition On August 6th, Ciaran Ellwood and Jeremy Singh competed in the Chinese Language Teachers annual reading competition. Jeremy won first place in the Year 9 category.

Year 10 Italian Networking Evening Lunedi il primo agosto, abbiamo passato una bella serata con le studentesse d’italiano a Sacro Cuore, Oakleigh. Ecco alcuni commenti: • Mi è piaciuto giocare a Scopa perchè ho vinto! Nel passato giocavo molto spesso con i miei nonni anziani. Lucas Mitchell. • Mi è piaciuto ascoltare la canzone e giocare a Scopa con i miei amici. Mi è piaciuto anche conoscere nuove persone.

James Montano • Soprattutto mi è piaciuto mangiare la pizza capricciosa perchè il sapore era buono e salato. Nicolas Atkins

Daisho Gakuen High School: Sister School Visit The Japanese Exchange Program with our sister school in Japan has been a real blessing for me. The experience allowed me to improve my Japanese study and also gave us the chance to make new friends. It was enjoyable to spend time with the Japanese exchange students during the activities throughout the week. What began from peer pressure by my friends and teacher, turned into something I would have regretted not doing. Hopefully as restrictions ease, we will be able to go to Japan the following year and have more interactions to enjoy. Eldrich Kiswardi

Year 10 Chinese Excursion We really enjoyed our Chinese excursion on 09 Aug 2022 at the Dunhuang Arts Academy, where the Year 10 Chinese cohort were introduced to some basic Kung Fu and learned how to play a traditional Chinese instrument called the Guzheng. Versed in martial arts, our Kung Fu Master kindly guided us through the history of Kung Fu as well as varying Kung Fu stances, which we tried our best to replicate. Joshua Ngieng and David Ing

Japanese Intern: Yue Senpai Ms Yue Nakajima came from Yokohama in April to assist in our Japanese classes and to practise her own English skills. She was hosted by Ms Yolanda Bonica, Ms Nadine Forder and Ms Wendy Liu and their families. Yue encouraged our students to speak Japanese in class and to discuss similarities and differences between our two cultures. We thank her and the host families very much and we look forward to continuing this relationship with Meiji Gakuen University for many years to come.

Year 11 Japanese Speech Contest On August 28, Luca D’Angelo and I had the opportunity to partake in the 52nd Japanese Speech Contest Victoria, an event where we were able to develop our Japanese writing and speaking skills. Listening to speeches on various topics from students around Victoria was both a humbling and inspirational experience. Although we did not make the top three, Luca and I were able to take home the ‘Best Story’ and ‘Best Research’ awards respectively. Steven Phan Year 8 Japanese Calligraphy Competition My experiences with Yue San during Calligraphy were amazing. This was the first time I had ever attempted calligraphy and it was peaceful, helped me to become more in control of myself and taught me to slow down.

I also learnt from the Kanji drawings about what they mean. The whole experience was the best thing outside of regular classwork and I would wish to continue improving my skills. Nathan Ngo

Year 12 Italian The study of Unit 3 and 4 Italian this year has been a rewarding experience in which we have been able to develop a profound understanding and appreciation for Italian culture and language. Our learning this year has been facilitated by a variety of excursions and incursions, such as a dinner with students from Sacred Heart College. Having the opportunity to immerse ourselves further, we were able to travel to Melbourne and watch the films ‘Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo’ and ‘Maledetta Primavera’ .

Our experience speaking with Holocaust survivor Guta Goldstein was yet another occasion for us to practice our language skills as well as deepen our knowledge of important historic moments. Overall, studying Italian has been a thrilling experience. Alexander Tsipos