On Saturday 2 February we had our large biennial VSL staff conference at University High School. There were over a thousand staff in attendance from all over Victoria, including such country and regional centres such as Shepparton, Traralgon, Wodonga and Ballarat. The conference was opened by Minister of Education James Merlino who made some very positive comments about the school and announced that our distance education courses will now be rolled out to Year 6 and Year 5 students over a four year process. Also in attendance was the Regional Director, Jeanette Nagorcka, and senior DET Officer Nick Beckingsale. The theme of the conference was “Moving Forward: Developing Engaging and Challenging Language Programs”. This is part of the Department and Government strategy to improve teaching and student outcomes in all schools across the State. The Minister was followed by Ms Stephanie Condon a senior DET Acting Directror who spoke on the Education State. After recess there were two sessions on Professional Development for F-10 teachers, VCE teachers, and Centre Supervisory staff.

The Hindi instructors at the Werribee Victorian School of Languages Centre, organised and celebrated cultural and religious festivals throughout the year to acquaint the students with the Hindi culture and create an interest in the Hindi language. As part of Multicultural Day celebrations, students came to class dressed in their cultural costumes and participated in different cultural activities. In November, the Diwali festival of lights is celebrated across India by friends and family, through the sharing of gifts and sweets. At VSL Werribee, Hindi teachers and students celebrated this festival together. Students created Diwali Diyas (candles) and greeting cards and wished each other “Happy Diwali”. Students brought sweets and savoury snacks to share as is tradition. At the end of the year, Hindi students participated in an end of year concert, which consisted of cultural performances, drama, dance and songs. Parents were excited and proud to watch their children perform. A great finale to 2019, showcasing the achievements and language learning journey of the Hindi students at the Werribee Centre. Supriya Gandhi Hindi Teacher

Another successful Distance Education Awards Day celebrating our students’ achievements was held on Saturday 1 December. The morning was well attended with approximately 70 students present on the day to receive their award from their teacher. Families came from as far as Mildura, Apollo Bay, Warragul and Bairnsdale. Anand Bharadwaj, a former student of Latin and Chinese and Award Recipient in 2016 for Academic Achievement in Latin, spoke of his experience of learning languages at the VSL. Anand praised his “gifted and dedicated teachers” who “went above and beyond” to support his learning. He also spoke of how learning a language enabled him to learn about the respective countries culture. This year’s cultural performance was organized by the Latin faculty. Current VSL students and Award recipients on the day, Gilda Ferrie and Louise Turnbull, presented a skit in Latin, “A step in time”. A roving microphone gave other students the opportunity to reflect on their language learning with the VSL. They spoke confidently and expressed their appreciation of their teacher’s work and the opportunity to study languages with the VSL. Adam Rae, former VSL student, supplied background music through his guitar playing. Many parents took up the opportunity to tour the school building.

Victorian students are able to study 45 languages at VCE level, and this is a great choice. But what is the situation after Year 12? Now there is an easy way to find out. Recently, a number of academics took the initiative and have established a website whereby students can check what is available by language or by university across Australia. The initiative was initiated by the Academy of the Humanities, of which our school Patron, Professor Joe Lo Bianco, is a member. The portal is available at: http://www.lcnau.org/university-languages-portal-australia-ulpa/ VCE teachers in particular should be aware of this useful website and bring it to the attention of their senior students.

On Saturday, 24 November 2016, a group of students studying Italian at the Victorian School of Languages (both Distance Education and Centre students) and their VSL Italian teachers, left Australia for a three week study tour to Salerno, Italy. This is the second time that such a tour has been organized by the Victorian School of Languages. Students are attending Italian classes at the ‘Accademia Italiana’ in the mornings and after lunch, they attended site seeing trips or seminars, all arranged by the Accademia. We wish them well in their studies and cultural experiences. Below is a photo of the group with teachers and Accademia staff, soon after arrrival.