It has been an honour to step into my new role as the Languages Coordinator at Merici this year. We welcomed back Ms. Dora Chen and Mr. Fabrice Boon from their respective leave. We also welcomed Ms. Linda Deng to our team, who is now a fully-fledged teacher and is continuing to teach Chinese. I am incredibly grateful for the dedication, creativity and enthusiasm that all the languages staff have continued to show in guiding our students into the magical word of learning another language.
As 2024 draws to a close, the Languages Department has proudly celebrated a year of linguistic and cultural explorations. From mastering new vocabulary to experiencing firsthand a country’s intricate ways of living, our students have done us proud. Our first study tour since the Pandemic took place during the September/October school holidays. 27 very excited students of Italian had the opportunity to visit and experience Italy. It was an amazing experience for all concerned. I especially want to thank Mr. Joseph Mickleburgh for organising and leading the tour; to Mrs. Anna Masters and Mr. Giuseppe Battaglia for being exceptional accompanying teachers and leaders. I would also like to thank the parents who supported this trip, and lastly the CE for giving us the go-ahead to allow homestays at two Italian schools. We hope to reciprocate this experience to the students of our Italian sister schools, who are planning to visit us in 2025! Grazie!
Year 9 students of Chinese had the opportunity to showcase their language abilities at a Chinese Gala event held at Brindabella Christian College. They did us proud with their language expertise and acting abilities. Year 10 and Senior students of Chinese had a wonderful excursion to Wollongong, where they visited the Buddhist temple, Nan Tien and then enjoyed some traditional Chinese food. A big thank you goes to Ms. Chen for organising these two fantastic opportunities for our Chinese students.
On 24 October, Merici had the pleasure of hosting over 100 students from Sejong Global High School, Korea. As their school’s name suggests, they are interested in making global connections with other schools. Mrs. Masters and I gladly accepted their request to see and experience an Australian school. Merici College was chosen as a school for its global perspectives within the International Baccalaureate curriculum. The Korean students were given a presentation by Mrs. Masters highlighting what Merici is all about. Then our visitors had an opportunity to see our school in action; they visited a variety of classes such as History, Languages and Science. It was our pleasure welcoming this school and we hope to continue this connection and perhaps visit Korea in the future!
Throughout the year, the Languages Department celebrated the national days of Italy, France, Spain/South America and China. It was so pleasing seeing our students getting involved in some of the fun events such as the olive eating competition, dancing traditional folkloric dances and other cultural activities. We hope that these events continue to highlight the importance of understanding other languages and cultures.
I would like to sincerely thank all the teachers and students for their efforts and commitment to language teaching and learning this year. And finally, I would like to leave you with a message that a famous linguist (whose name I cannot recall) once said: “A language is only foreign until you learn it!”
Best wishes!
Mrs. Tina Rodriguez
Languages Coordinator
