Meet Emily Edwards

I have always felt it is important to acknowledge and recognise our past students. The connection binds our past with our future. To discover where the journey of life has taken our past students is one of the fascinations of teaching for me. I am proud to introduce the first of a new series in our blog, a "Where Are They Now" section that will give past students an opportunity to share their experience with the present students and pass on their wisdom. My thanks to Mrs Chong who is an inspirational educator for organising this first entry. Her committment to the teaching of Chinese is evident by the fact that even while she is overseas, away from our school (and sorely missed) she continues to communicate with her students, past and present, albeit electronically. In fact this afternoon, another of her past students, Iris, came into the office looking for Mrs Chong. It was clear that as she looked at the photos by Mrs Chong's desk, Iris had fond memories of her time at Mount Lawley and in particular her language studies which she continues to pursue. We hope we will hear from her in her own blog entry soon, but for now it is time to say thank you to our Inaugural Past Student, Emily Edwards. I am sure you will agree, she has benefitted from her language studies in many ways and her success is due to her determination and persistence. Emily we are very proud of your achievements and look forward to the continuation of your relationship with the Languages Learning Area at Mount Lawley.




















My LOTE Experience

I graduated from Mount Lawley Senior High School in 2001, after entering on the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Program in Year Eight. I studied Mandarin and French to TEE level, and this opened up many opportunities for me, both during and beyond my high school years. Today Mandarin is an indispensable part of my job as a Project Officer at the China Desk of the Department of Industry and Resources.

In Year 10, I visited China with classmates and students from other schools. In Year 11, my whole French class went to France. Both trips were a combination of sightseeing and language experience, particularly as we had home-stay arrangements, but mostly they were fun. They also gave me some of the encouragement I needed to persevere with language study in spite of the fact that I did not always get the best academic results in language classes.

Going into Year 11 I noticed many of my friends dropping out of language study to concentrate on other subjects. While I didn’t necessarily get as high a TER as I might have otherwise, I definitely feel that my decision to continue with both languages paid off. Thankfully today more and more Universities are providing extra credit for students who take languages in the TEE.

In Year 11, I was selected for the AFS-Australia China Council Short Study Program and spent one month studying in Beijing with nine other Mandarin language students from around Australia. Over the month my Chinese improved but more importantly I was inspired to work harder at improving my Chinese skills. In Beijing we were introduced to older Australian students who were studying at a Chinese university as part of the Australia China Council’s Australian Young Scholars in China Program. I was impressed by their skills but also encouraged by the fact that they had no background in Chinese besides studying it at high school, and no advantage over me; I could hope to become as good as them.

On returning to Perth I applied for, and won, a fully funded place in the Australian Young Scholars in China program, and spent the year after high school living, and studying Mandarin, in Beijing, and travelling around China.

Back in Perth I continued my studies in Mandarin and completed a degree in Asian Studies at the University of Western Australia and then a Masters degree in International Affairs at the Australian National University. While I credit my periods of study in China with the language skills I have today, those opportunities were open to me because I started in high school. Starting language study early is definitely an important advantage, many university language students have told me that they wished they had had the opportunity or the foresight to start studying a second language at school.

I graduated from university last year and now work with the China team in the Western Australian Global Network at the Department of Industry and Resources. The China team is responsible for maintaining and enhancing WA’s relationship with China including both trade and cultural exchange. Our role is to promote trade and investment with Western Australia, and identify business opportunities for WA companies in China and also opportunities for cultural co-operation such as student exchanges. We organise a number of special activities with our sister state, Zhejiang. We research and provide up-to-date trade and cultural information on China. We also assist WA ministers when they go on official visits to China and we host VIP visitors from China when they come to WA and help arrange their itineraries. My job is very diverse and everyday I am doing something different. Most of us in the China team speak Chinese, some were born in China, others, like me, were born in Australia. Generally, our visitors are delighted and flattered that we make the effort to speak to them in Chinese.


Emily Edwards

A New Semester

Welcome back everyone for a new semester of learning ! We have a new French exchange student with us, his name is Bertrand. He will be with us until the 31st July, please make him feel welcome. Here is his introduction. Have a great Term 3 tout le monde !

Bonjour, je m’appelle Bertrand, je suis francais et j’ai 15 ans. Je suis a Perth pendant un mois, Durant mon sejour, je suis pendant deux semaines dans “Mount Lawley Senior High School” pour me familiariser avec l’anglais. J’habite a coter de Biarritz dans un petit village qui s’appelle Hasparren. Ce village se situe` au sud-ouest de la france. J’ai une grande soeur de 19 ans et un petit frere de 13 ans. Mon pere est dentiste et ma mere est pharmacienne.


Hello, my name is Bertrand, I am 15 years. I will be in Perth for one month, during my holidays, I will spend two weeks in “Mount Lawley Senior High School” to improve my English skills. In France I live in a little village next to Biarritz. This village is located in the south west of France. I have one older sister and one younger brother. They are 19 and 13 years old. My father is a dentist and my mother is a chemist.

Lucy Dean For World Chinese Competition

In the Australian preliminary contest for the first Chinese Bridge (Hanyuqiao) Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign high school students held on 21 June, Lucy Dean of Mount Lawley Senior High School came third and is one of three students representing Australia to compete in China in July.

For her three minute speech, Lucy spoke on her recent school China trip and she sang a song of her favourite Taiwanese group for her cultural test.

Lucy began learning Chinese from a close Chinese friend and the internet in Year 10, enrolled to take up Chinese in year 11 and is taking it as a TEE subject this year. Next year, she plans to study in China at Zhejiang University.

Lucy, you are an inspiration to other language students and you demonstrate that where there is a will there is a way, congratulations !

Chinese Bridge Competition

Mount Lawley Senior High School students of Chinese exhibit winning ways at the Chinese Bridge Competition.

In the 2008 Australia-China Council National Chinese Speaking (Hanyuqiao) Competition State Final held on May 24, Year 11 student, Darcy Rowe and Year 10 student Monte Masarei came second and third in the Chinese Second Language section. Mathew Donaldson came third in the Chinese First Language Section. Students who also did well were Kayla Gray and Alex Tate. Congratulations! The judges praised our students for their participation and their ability to be natural in Chinese especially when Mathew threw in “Wo wangle” which means “I have forgotten (my speech)’.

Each candidate was required to deliver two and a half minutes on a self-selected topic, draw a random topic and deliver a speech of one minute. The winner of each section competes at the national Chinese Teachers’ conference which is held in Canberra this year.

The five Mt Lawley Senior High School students are keen Chinese Language learners. Darcy who won an Australia-China Council Scholarship to study in China for four weeks in 2007 spoke on learning Chinese. Monte and Mathew spoke on their hobbies. Monte had visited China twice and Mathew lived in China for a year. Kayla and Alex have both visited China.

Once again congratulations to all these students, you demonstrate the value that learning a new language can add to your life experience.

The Great Tour Of China

During the April Term 1 holiday break fifty MLSHS students and nine teachers embarked on a three week tour of China. The tour group included students of Chinese, Music and the Arts.

Highlights of the visit included climbing the Great Wall, a visit to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors, attending Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s presentation at Beijing University (five lucky students and our Principal Mr Milton Butcher were invited), getting to Shanghai Airport in six minutes on the Shanghai Maglev Train and many more.


















Apart from sightseeing, activities in Anhui Province and Hangzhou were school-based. The visits to schools in Anhui Province were assisted and supported by the Foreign Affairs Division of the Anhui Provincial Education Department. In Hefei the visitors were divided into three groups to visit three schools. Students at these school showed the Australian students traditional Chinese arts and crafts and performed Chinese musical items and dances.



















The next stop in Anhui was our sister school, Anqing Number 1 Middle School. Seven students lived in homes of Chinese students. All students were hosted by the Anqing school for an evening. In Tunxi, the group visited an old township and ancient street.

While in China the our School Senior Concert band performed in various venues, including the Temple of Heaven Park. Combined concerts were held at Hefei 168 Middle School, Anqing Number 1 Middle School and Tunxi Number 1 Middle School.

Before leaving China via Shanghai, students and teachers visited our sister school in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Number 14 and performed for the school. This relationship has been in operation for over 10 years and students from both schools have exchanged visits on a number of occasions. MLSHS students of Chinese stayed with Chinese families, participated in school activities, basketball games and competitions. They took part in hands-on classes in Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting as well as opera-mask painting activities.

The students and teachers were given the cultural experience of a lifetime. They watched an acrobatic show, a Tang Dynasty musical and dance show, Anqing’s famous Huangmei opera and Chinese musical items presented by students of the schools we visited.


















The tour was extremely successful in the exchange of Australian and Chinese cultures and promoting sister-school partnerships.

MLSHS is now looking forward to hosting students and teachers from Anqing Number 1 Middle School in August.

Another Lawley Language Legend

Sondra is a Year 11 Italian student. She received her Certificate of Excellence because she is always ready to further her Italian studies beyond the classroom. Sondra translated the lyrics to “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong into Italian. She hopes to record the Italian version and share it with our Italian language students. Sondra came to Mount Lawley in 2008 from Lesmurdie Senior High School. Her interests include music, she has been playing trombone since she was ten and she is a member of the Senior School Band. She enjoys studying Italian because it interests her to be able to communicate with people from a different culture. She hopes to study music at WAAPA in 2010. Congratulations Sondra on being one of our inaugural winners !

Sondra e` una studentessa d’italiano in Anno 11. Ha ricevuto il Premio D’Eccelenza perche` e` sempre pronta a migliorare i suoi studi d’italiano al di la` dell’aula. Sondra ha tradotto il testo della canzone “What A Wonderful World” di Louis Armstrong in italiano. Spera di incidere la versione italiana e condividerla con i nostri studenti d’italiano. Sondra e` venuta a Mount Lawley nel 2008 dalla Scuola Superiore a Lesmurdie. I suoi interessi includono la musica, suona la tromba da quando aveva dieci anni e fa parte dell’orchestra di scuola. Le piace studiare l’italiano perche` le interessa essere capace di communicare con la gente di un’altra cultura. Nel 2010 spera di studiare Musica a WAAPA. Congratulazioni Sondra per essere una dei primi vincitori linguistici !

Lawley Language Legends

This year we are recognising students in our Languages Program that demonstrate dedication and strive to excel. Our first recipient of the Lawley Language Legend award is a Year 12 Italian student. Auguri Kevin !














Kevin is a Year 12 Italian student. He received his Certificate of Excellence because he is always willing to assist his classmates with their Italian studies. Kevin came to Perth in 1999 from Modena in Italy. His interests include music, he has been playing guitar since he was fourteen. He enjoys studying Italian because it gives him the opportunity to further explore his native culture and language. He hopes to study Mechanical Engineering at UWA in 2009. Congratulations Kevin on being one of our inaugural winners !

Kevin e` uno studente d’italiano in Anno 12. Ha ricevuto il Premio D’Eccelenza perche` e` sempre disponibile ad aiutare i suoi compagni di classe nei loro studi d’italiano. Kevin e` venuto a Perth nel 1999 dalla Provincia di Modena in Italia. I suoi interessi includono la musica, suona la chitarra da quando aveva 14 anni. A lui piace studiare l’italiano perche` gli da l’opportunita` di esplorare la sua prima cultura e lingua. Spera di studiare l’ingegneria meccanica all’Universita` di Western Australia nel 2009. Congratulazioni Kevin per essere uno dei primi vincitori linguistici !