Languages at De La Salle

2009 has been another exciting year for our LOTE students. LOTE students have participated in greater numbers than ever in competitions in all three languages and we have experienced exceptional success in the French Poetry competition. We are very proud of our students’ results. I have no doubt they will keep improving in the next few years. We also hosted the performance of a very entertaining and relevant Italian ‘Commedia dell’Arte’ show in conjunction with the Drama faculty. This was a year when we host French and Italian schools. Our guests from Rennes got what they asked for when they requested to visit us in the middle of summer. They wanted heat; they got it (although the French phonetics don’t allow for such distinctions!). Our Italian guests were more modest in their demands, and must have been puzzled to hear us welcome the rather miserable weather we encountered at Jan Juc and on the Great Ocean Road. Fortunately, our visit to Healesville Sanctuary was bathed in bright sunshine, which forced some of the students from Galileo Galilei to retreat into the shade. We would like to thank students and families who hosted a guest, some of whom did not even intend to take part in a return trip to their visitor’s home. We are now preparing next year’s visits to our host school: ‘Lycée De La Salle, Rennes’ in Brittany and ‘Liceo Galileo Galilei’ in Siena. This will take place in March 2010. As I prepare to pass on the responsibility for leading the LOTE department, I am confident that the programmes we have in place will continue to enhance the excitement our students show when learning languages, and help to foster a sense of risk-taking in a safe environment, one of the hallmarks of our Key Learning Area. Mr Thierry Moran LOTE Coordinator

Italian Exchange

This was the first part of the third Italian Exchange between De La Salle College and a high school in the region of Tuscany, Italy. Eighteen students and the principal of the Liceo Scientifico Galileo Galilei in Siena, Antonio Vannoni, and the Exchange Coordinator Lucia Papini, arrived in Melbourne late one night in early October. It was a hectic two weeks where the boys were hosted by the families at De La Salle and the girls by families at Star of the Sea in Gardenvale. The visitors experienced school life at both schools and attended a number of excursions, which enabled them to gain an understanding of Australian culture and way of life. These included a camp to Jan Juc, a class party, a soccer match and a Farewell Dinner. At Jan Juc, the Italian students and teachers decided to teach us how to make a real Italian pizza. There was also a joint excursion to Healesville Sanctuary and the Yarra Valley. During the programme new friendships were formed, and there was an emotional departure at Melbourne airport, where parents, as well as our students, were sad to see their Italian correspondents leave. Our boys are looking forward to the return exchange to Italy in March next year. Mrs Lillian Russo

De La Salle Boys Dare to Dream...

A Dream Meeting

By Steve Cosgrave Year 9

It was a Friday The Friday of the football game Everyone was bringing friends I had friends and my sister had her friends I was told one of my sister’s friends was a redhead I was not so happy with that Until I met her I was blown away My feet went to jelly The only thing that I had to hold me upright Was my old bike I was not allowed to go near her I was banned by my sister But that didn’t stop me Every chance I got I was there Right up next to her And every time I had to move away A piece of her hair followed Resting on my shoulder She was something. And I couldn’t believe I was the one who got To talk to her. I searched through all 60 pictures on her phone To find the one of her in a swim suit I was out of luck It was the 61st She just smiled I loved her smile It was electric I hadn’t been this happy in a long time I tried to remember everything What my brother had told me about girls What to say What not to say. But then it came to me All I had to do was be myself. I liked her I think she knew Well everyone else did I was not sure if she liked me back I was getting worried But then I felt something on my shoulder It was her head And then back came my confidence Late that night we held hands It felt just like a dream.

When I dream…

By Alex Mezentseff Year 9

When I dream I dream of… Cars, fast and loud I dream of my family My annoying sister My nagging mother My grouchy dad The dog that never shuts up… I dream of the happy memories The good times The anticipated moments. I dream of money And all it can buy I dream of death And what happens when we die I also dream of… Girls on the beach In tight bikinis Lying in the sun Suddenly I toss and turn. Dreams are what you make of them Dreams have no boundaries Dreams are our escape from reality I hear a booming voice “Get up; you’ll be late for school!” Dreams can be pointless Dreams can be more than they appear But one thing’s for sure They always disappear!

A World Of Dreaming

By Mark McPhee Year 9

In Germany a boy dreams of making it to the USA In China a girl dreams of freedom of speech In India a boy dreams of personal space In Australia a boy dreams of becoming an AFL superstar In Africa a teenager dreams of a world without STD’s In Canada a boy dreams of saving polar bears In South Africa a boy dreams of equal rights In England a girl dreams of marrying a prince In France a girl dreams of becoming a model, In Russia a boy dreams of becoming warm In Bali a girl dreams of a world free from terrorism In Afghanistan a boy dreams of escaping to a new world In Iraq a girl dreams of parents In Zimbabwe a boy dreams of a roof over his head In Central Australia a girl dreams of an education In Ireland a boy dreams of a world not separated by religion, In a Hospital a girl dreams to be like the others. Some dreams may be small And others large But all over the world We all have dreams Which makes this place we call home

Dream Poem

By Liam Dimattina Year 9

I dream Of lots of things I dream of the stars I dream of the moon I dream of cakes I dream of baboons I dream of hot chicks I dream of food I dream of computers I dream of moods I dream of peace I dream of guns I dream of people I dream of fun My dreams are strange My dreams are cool My dreams are scary My dreams are hairy I dream of money I dream of rain I dream of sun I dream of my tongue I dream a lot I dream too much But most of all I dream of sleep.