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2017 has been a busy year for both staff and students. Students at the Edmund Rice Campus and Westcourt have had many diverse learning opportunities offered by the faculty.

YEAR 8

Earlier in the year, a group of Year 8 Italian students competed in the annual Italian Poetry competition run and organised by Swinburne University. After the students recited their poems to a judge they met with Dr Simone Battiston, who spoke about the opportunities and advantages that studying languages provides in the future. Students completed some language-based activities aimed at building their oral skills in Italian and they ended their visit with a guided tour of Swinburne University’s Hawthorn Campus. It was a fun and rewarding day for both staff and students.The following are some reflections from Year 8 students:

On 14 September, a group of 25 students met at Geelong Train Station to catch the train to Melbourne. We recited our poems and after everyone had finished we headed to a lecture theatre to complete some fun activities to develop our Italian speaking skills. We met with an Italian Professor from Swinburne who spoke to us about why learning Italian as a second language is important and how it could help us in our future careers. We finished with a quick tour of the University facilities. It was a memorable day, I hope I win!

- Joshua Belleggia, Year 8

A group of Year 8 boys went to Melbourne for a day out at Swinburne University for the annual Italian Poetry Competition. Firstly, we recited our poem (that we had practised for weeks), to an Italian representative at the university. Afterwards we participated in an Italian workshop and completed many activities to build our Italian speaking skills and vocabulary. After the activities, we listened to a Professor from Swinburne University talk to us about the advantages of studying Italian beyond Year 8. The highlight of the day would have definitely been the speaking activities that we completed. - Ashley Wilson, Year 8 Year 8 students took part in the Italian Poetry Competition at Swinburne University. When we arrived at Swinburne, we practised our poems one last time before one by one we presented our poem to people from the university. Everybody did very well. We then had a tour of the university where we saw all of the different faculty buildings and learnt about the different courses on offer (for future reference). After that, we caught the train back to Geelong. Overall, it was a good experience and an enjoyable day. - Patrick Visentin, Year 8 All Year 8 students attended the yearly LOTE excursion to Chinatown, the NGV and Lygon Street. Through this excursion, students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich history and culture of China and Italy. All students enjoyed this experience, I am sure that it will be a highlight of their language-learning journey when they think of it in years to come.

YEAR 9

Westcourt Italian students participated in the ‘Italian Urban Experience’, which takes place over three days in Geelong, Daylesford and Melbourne. A group of eleven Year 9 Chinese students had the opportunity to once again partake in ‘The Young Leaders to China Program’, an intensive six week language course completed in China during Semester 1. Students spent three weeks at a school in Nanjing as well as three weeks travelling around China. This group of students has returned to Westcourt motivated and enthusiastic to continue with their language studies in Year 9 and beyond. “The 2017 Victorian Young Leaders to China trip was a once in a lifetime immersion experience where eleven Year 9 boys, including myself, were exposed to the exotic and unique culture that China offers.

While we were in Beijing and Shanghai, we attended Chinese classes at different schools and universities, which gave us the best possible learning experiences and insights into the Chinese language and everyday life. Each day we had the chance to communicate with the locals to improve our language skills. There were many challenges to overcome whilst over in China, we endured six weeks without our families, meaning that we relied heavily upon each other for support. Because of this, it brought us closer together and I have definitely made some lifelong friends inside and outside the St Joseph’s College community.

We also experienced new foods, the challenge of the language barrier, and the chaotic population that was in China. The entire population of Australia lives inside the city of Shanghai, this was a mind-blowing concept that we could not fathom. We also had the privilege of visiting some of the oldest Chinese temples in the world, the Great Wall of China and many sacred gardens. All of these places taught us about the rich history of China and what challenges they have faced as a nation. This amazing trip was an eye opening and life changing experience that I, nor any of the boys will ever forget.”

- MacKenzie Ewings, Year 9 YEAR 10

Students had the opportunity to grow and develop their appreciation of both cultures and languages through not only classwork, but also excursions run by both language departments. Both Year 10 Italian and Chinese students participated in the yearly LOTE Camp with Sacred Heart College. Students spent two days practising oral, reading and writing skills of the language they study. The following are some reflections from Year 10 students:

LOTE Camp was one of my favourite experiences in Italian this year. The activities we completed at camp helped me improve my speaking and listening skills. I also enjoyed watching the Italian movie ‘Benvenuti al Sud’, it helped improve my comprehension but also highlighted the cultural differences between northern and southern Italy. I highly recommend this experience to future LOTE students.

- Shaun Vigor-Smith, Year 10

LOTE Camp was the highlight of Year 10. We completed fun language activities to learn more about Italian culture and enhance our language skills. Some of the activities we completed included watching an Italian movie, playing celebrity heads in Italian, role-playing in Italian, writing a postcard home in Italian and watching a short segment of an Italian telenovela and completing a listening comprehension activity based on this scene. Another highlight of the camp was watching the sunrise at Anglesea beach before breakfast. On the final night all students performed at a ‘concert’, although our performance wasn’t the greatest we had so much fun organising and performing it to the other students and teachers. - Isaac Graham, Year 10 Year 10 LOTE Camp is one of the most exciting events on the school calendar for Year 10 students studying a language. There were many exciting activities on offer, ranging from cooking foreign food, to beach walks and spending time practising our speaking and listening skills in Chinese. Every single student enjoyed their time at LOTE Camp, we all felt that we learnt so much from our teachers and we were all grateful for the new friendships made with other language students from Sacred Heart College.

- Jackson Bourke, Year 10 ITALIAN STUDY TOUR 2017

At the end of this year a group of Italian students in Years 10 and 11 from St Joseph’s College and Sacred Heart College will travel to Italy to complete a three-week cultural and language immersion. Students will spend one week at an Italian school in Milan attending classes and two weeks of travelling around Italy visiting cities such as Venice, Florence, Rome and Pompeii. The study tour of Italy is offered every two years, current Year 8 and 9 students of Italian that continue with their language studies in 2019, will have the opportunity to attend the next trip. Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues of the LOTE Faculty for your continued hard work and support.

- Caterina Giacomazzo, LOTE Coordinator