A group of students from many cultures come along to the ESOL room every Wednesday at lunchtime to learn about another language. At our school students come from many different cultures, including Indonesia, China, Korea, Japan and India, to name a few. Mrs Mundy oversees the group, while the students themselves plan and teach the lessons.

The aim of the club is to make students more aware of others and their culture and to break down barriers between students. We do this through writing notes, playing games and even sharing traditional food.

The sharing of our own language with others can lead to making new friendships in Year 7 and Year 8. My favourite activity was learning how to cook food from another culture eg. dumplings, they were so delicious!

We also learn about the different cultural traditions. For example, Chinese New Year is a time when young children receive money from their elders eg. uncles and aunts and grandparents.

Anyone is welcome to join the club for fun and learning. You will gain a fuller vocabulary from many bilingual students. We have also learned New Zealand sign language which is a good skill to have.

In week 4 on Wednesday 9th August, from 12 to 1 pm, our school is having a shared cultural lunch in the Hall. Anyone who is interested is invited to bring a plate of food from their culture to share. We hope to see many of you there.