Chinese Champions

Congratulations to Giorgio Beames and Kayla Gray who won the 1st and 2nd prize respectively in the Chinese Bridge Competition State Finals. Giorgio painted and Kayla sang in the finest Chinese traditions and will compete in Adelaide at the National finals. If they win they will travel to China. Commendations must go to Mrs Chong and Mr Cheah who worked tirelessly with all our Chinese Champions to prepare them for their competition.

Benvenuta Amanda !

The first of our Italian Exchange Students for 2009 has arrived. Mount Lawley Senior High School would like to extend a very warm welcome to Amanda who was Ellie's host sister in Colleferro near Rome. The two have become just like due sorelle, which is something a language exchange can give the participants, a family on the other side of the planet. Already Amanda has been assisting our Year 12 Italian students with their oral communication skills. Remember if you are interested in hosting an exchange student, applying for an Intercultura exchange or being part of the inaugural Italian study tour group in 2010, please see Mrs Petale or Mr Millimaci in the Languages Office. If you see Amanda around the school please give her a friendly, "ciao".

Languages Parent Support Group

In the wonderful tradition of a whole school community fostering a total learning relationship combining students, teachers and parents, the Languages Parent Support Group is comprised of Language Teachers and Parents of Language students working in a collaborative environment to provide our students and Language Learning Programs with a variety of extracurricular activities to embed and immerse the school in the culture of the languages studied at MLSHS. The group meets about once a month and gives parents a voice and an opportunity to continue to be involved in their children's education. So far the group has provided a forum for a Languages Logo Competition with a parent sourcing the prize for the winning entry, exploration of a tshirt printing scheme, overseas tour discussion and preparation and assistance for Languages Week. A vital component of MLSHS is the willingness of parents to get involved and to share their expertise, experience and enthusiasm with other parents. If you are interested in becoming involved contact the Learning Area Leader of Languages, Joseph Millimaci.

GATE Day

On Friday June 12th, the 2010 GATE Language students and their parents visited MLSHS for our inaugural GATE Day, an opportunity to have a tour of our school and participate in a variety of language learning activities.

The day began with a short assembly in our staff room during which the parents and students were made aware of the nature of our GATE Languages Program. Tours of the school were conducted by our Year 8 Tour Guides and feedback from parents, staff and students indicates that we can be proud of our students as ambassadors for MLSHS. They were articulate, informative and friendly.

After a delicious morning tea in the DCafe provided by Mrs Maserei and her wonderful staff, the students experienced Chinese culture and language in a fun and interactive way. Mr Cheah led the group in Chinese singing with Mrs Chong recording the performances as a podcast. The students loved hearing their voices and trying to keep up with Mr Cheah whose energy and enthusiasm was infectious. Students made their own Jianzi following Mr Cheah's patient guidance and prepared and cooked an assortment of Chinese delicacies with the help of Hui Le. At the completion of the session, the students played with their Jianzi incorporating a variety of physical activities.



After an exquisite lunch, it was time to head to the Pasticceria, Tabaccheria, Libreria and Piazza in Room 10.3 for a session on Italian culture and language. Students prepared Italian postcards, ordered their drinks and pastries in Italian and had a conversation in the Piazza which we filmed.

The MLSHS Gate Languages Program seeks to assist its students to achieve their potential and promotes a wholistic approach to learning. Consequently the 2010 GATE cohort was given the opportunity to use the MacBooks to explore their Multiple Intelligences and conduct research using technology. It was a wonderful day enjoyed by everyone and the feedback was positive with many students commenting that they can’t wait for 2010 to arrive so they can come to MLSHS.



I must commend our Year 8 Tour Guides and Assistants, they were a wonderful endorsement for our school and made us proud with the way they interacted with and collaborated with the Year 7 students and staff. I must also commend the Languages staff that gave up so much valuable time (reports and exams were weighing on us heavily) in order to prepare and conduct the GATE Day. Mr Cheah, Mrs Chong, Mrs Le and Mrs Petale, your energy, effort, enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile was simply inspirational. I am sure that all concerned were left with a positive glow in the knowledge that the 2009 MLSHS GATE Day was a resounding success.

Joseph Millimaci