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 !

Where It All Begins

Students from all over Western Australia interested in studying Languages with other Gifted and Talented students sit for a series of tests. The students that obtain the requisite score are invited to interview for a place in our Special Languages Program.

This year the interviews were held in our Specialist Building on a Saturday in May. Some of our Year 8, 9 and 10 Language Students volunteered to act as School Ambassadors and assist with the organisation and running of the event, including logistics and hospitality. Many parents attending the interviews commented positively on our students' behaviour. Well done Ambassadors !

It was a real pleasure meeting our prospective students and their parents and learning about their special interests and aspirations. Congratulations to the students that were accepted into the program, you have an exciting journey of linguistic dicovery ahead of you in 2009 ! Thank you to our wonderful Languages Team of Teachers for their enthusiasm and tireless efforts, including giving up their Saturday to participate in our selection panel. Your joire de vivre and vitalita` is a credit to you.

A Sense Of History

Mount Lawley High School first opened in 1955.
In 1971 it was developed into a Special Language School.
In 2006 work was completed on the "new" Mount Lawley Senior High School and a new era for the school began in earnest.

The focus for this blog is the area of Languages.
We are a Department of Education specialist high school offering special placement and programs in five languages including:
Chinese, French, German, Indonesian and Italian.


A group of high ability students is selected to form the Special Language Class. The students in this class study two languages over three years and continue with one or two languages to Year 12.

Over many years the students in the Languages Program have demonstrated high standards of proficiency in Languages by winning Subject Exhibitions and Certificates of Distinction in the Tertiary Entrance Examinations. Others have excelled in the privately organized language examinations held by Chinese, French, German and Italian associations. A significant number have won Department of Education scholarships enabling them to travel overseas to further their linguistic skills. Many of our students have pursued their Language studies at Western Australian Universities as well as universities overseas. Recently in the Uniview Magazine UWA PhD student Russell Harwood recalled that passionate Mandarin teachers at Mt Lawley Senior High School, Geoff Davis and Anita Chong, spurred his interest in the culture of China, and that a school visit during summer holidays further increased his appreciation of things Chinese. “When you learn a foreign language at school or university, only using it in the classroom, it seems quite abstract,” observed the UWA researcher. “However, on a visit to the country you become immersed in the language, speaking it every day and appreciating its
relevance and practical advantages.”

When Russell began studying the complex tonal challenges of Mandarin, he never suspected that his language studies marked the start of an incredible journey that would provide him with rewarding career prospects. This blog aims to highlight the achievements of Language students at MLSHS both past and present with the hope that it inspires others to embark on the rewarding journey that the study of languages can provide.

[The full article containing Russell's comments can be found at this url: http://www.publishing.uwa.edu.au/uniview/2008/uniview_Vol27No2_2008-06.pdf ]

The aim of our Languages program is to give students a varied, enjoyable program which provides them with every opportunity to develop linguistic skills as well as gain an appreciation and understanding of the culture whose language they are learning.