Victorian School of Languages

Online Sinhala Concert 2020

25 November, 2020

As the education classroom is restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic all over the world, teachers have to adopt new technology in order to continue the education of our students. This year’s concert has been made into a virtual online concert with the participation of all of my students. This type of online concert has generated a great deal of interest in both the students and their parents and has boosted the students’ language ability, in speech, pronunciation and in their role-playing skills.

"Yalu Malu" is one of the stories from the Panchatantra collection of short stories. These stories were written in Sanskrit by Indian author Vishnu Sharma between 1200 - 300 BC. Panchatantra stories are translated into many languages and are used as children's short stories. All are known for their wisdom on life. The stories are narrated with animals as their main characters to rouse the interest in children at primary level.

Panchatantra stories can be used by parents and teachers as bedtime story telling, role playing or as dramas for school competitions and above all for moral education.

Moral of this story: A sharp mind is one’s greatest strength.

This production will be telecast in Sri Lanka by Rupavahini Productions and as such it will further promote the excellent job that the VSL does in supporting the teaching of the Sinhala language and culture in Victoria.

Mrs Dinusha Munaweera

Year 3 Sinhala

Brentwood SC VSL.

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Turkish Celebrations

18 November, 2020

This year, October 29 Republic Day has been an opportunity for our Turkish Faculty staff, students, and families to acknowledge the tough times we have faced, and the incredible ways we have banded together as a school community.

Our Victorian School of Languages Turkish Teachers have made an extraordinary effort throughout these challenging times to celebrate October 29 Republic Day for 2020 as an entirely virtual experience that brought together our staff, students, and communities from the comfort of their own home. See some of the events at the following site:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPjW8YjNgBA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR06D0fqf4shNLT-5exvo5RkukEfajFqY2m0YtZgMRsAUA6SVqWAfixx-NE

2021 Enrolments Open

09 November, 2020

The VSL is pleased to announce that 2021 classes and programs for new students are open for enrolment. To match your language and location go to the VSL web site and use the Language Quickfinder.

For detailed information about languages, levels and mode of learning see Courses and to enrol choose Request Enrolment.

Three New Distance Education Languages

09 November, 2020

Through its Distance Education Section, the VSL has developed new online courses for VCE Hindi, Punjabi and Vietnamese (Second Language), aimed at students who cannot otherwise study the language in a classroom setting.

These courses will be delivered through the VSL’s specially designed learning platform, which allows students to access a rich variety of digital resources to practise reading, writing, listening and speaking.

For 2021 students can enrol to study online:

Hindi VCE Units 1-4
Punjabi VCE Units 1&2 (with VCE Units 1-4 available in 2022)
Vietnamese (SL) VCE Units 1&2 (with VCE Units 1-4 available in 2022

For more information see Courses/Overview/Distance Education on our website or call 9474 0500.

Update: Arrangements for Term 4, 5 October 2020

08 October, 2020

ARRANGEMENTS FOR TERM 4 CLASSES, Update of 5 October 2020 (Please note that the information is updated on a regular basis.)
Centre Classes • VCE Centre classes resume on Saturday 17 October (and equivalent dates for mid-week classes).
• All other year levels (Prep to Year 10) continue with remote learning until further notice.
• All Year 12 VCE students are entitled to complete a “Students Statement” if they think that they have been impacted by disruption caused by the Corona-virus pandemic. They should complete the form and forward it to their teacher by the required date.
• VCE courses will be delivered according to the published schedules and timelines of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (check VCAA website) - our school will meet all of the timelines.
• If students or parents need clarification about the dates they should contact the respective teacher or Area Manager.
• Student enrolments for 2021 will need to be completed online with the starting date to commence in the third week of October.
Centre Classes - Health measures (when classes are operating)
• All students will be required to wear a face mask or covering when going to school and at school.
• All students will have a temperature check prior to entering the classroom - students should arrive earlier so that there is no delay to the start of classes.
• All teachers and students are required to maintain appropriate social distancing, and students need to sanitise hands as they enter a classroom.
• Teachers are not required to wear face masks or coverings while teaching but should wear them at other times.
• As canteens will not be operating, students need to bring a bottle of water and, if they require it, their own recess snacks – food must not be shared.
• Parents are requested to maintain social distancing when they drop off and pick up their children and must not enter the school grounds.
• All school-related VSL gatherings including excursions, concerts, student seminars and activities related to the school’s 85th Anniversary have been cancelled.
• Parents must not enter the school grounds.
Distance Education Classes
• All Distance Education classes will continue to be taught remotely, regardless of whether the students are attending their base school or working from home.
• For information about Distance Education classes for 2021 contact the VSL Enrolment Officer on (03) 9474 0500 – enrolments will open in the third week of October.
• Until further notice there will not be any Distance Education student seminars either at the Thornbury site or at the city location.
Distance Education Health Measures
• All Distance Education staff are required to maintain social distancing and OHS measures.
• All Distance Education teachers are not required to wear face masks or coverings while teaching but should wear them at other times.
Finally, thank you to all parents and students for your understanding and cooperation during this challenging period of adjustment. A special thank you to all VSL teachers and administrators for their extraordinary work.
We must all continue to maintain our social distancing and hygiene practices and wear masks when leaving home, and we hope that we will return to normal school life in the near future.
We need to thank again the wonderful contribution made by our Health Workers.
Best wishes to everyone in our school community for a safe Term 4.