It has been another dynamic and exciting term for the Languages Department with boys really throwing themselves into the work with enthusiasm and passion.

New groups of Year 9 students have had their first taste of French or German with some boys opting to study both languages. Boys are really enjoying using Quizlet to learn their vocabulary, work which is clearly paying off given results in end of term assessment. The competitive nature of some of the language games has really brought things to life for them. The highlight of the term has been the food and culture day. International students Tobias Walter and Bruno Ahmet from MC1 helped make German Sausage Day truly authentic by ensuring that the boys asked for their Wurst and Sauerkraut in German!

Year 10 have shown courage and perseverance in participating in their first graded interactions of the term. French students have grown in confidence in their spoken language through role playing games like Cluedo to discover “Qui a vole la Joconde?” (Who stole the Mona Lisa?). Year 10 German have been lucky enough to have the help of a German visitor Anna Michael when preparing conversations about their holidays.

The seniors have gone well too, mostly completing their internal assessments which will allow them to focus on the build up to external standards next term. There has of course been some compensatory cake eating with Senior French sampling the classic chocolate cake “La Reine de Saba” and the German class tasting “Schwarzwälderkirschtorte”. A visit by Heike Papenthin, the National Advisor for the Goethe Institut gave boys some insight into the many exchange and work opportunities available to them overseas.  We are also pleased to welcome back Nathan Vidal, a student from Paris who will be a great support to Senior French students. Our proudest moment in Senior Languages has been finding out that Kelvin Weston has been selected as a finalist for the National German Olympiad to be held in Wellington at the end of July.

A big thank you to all boys for giving of their best in Language classes and I eagerly await your continued success in the second half of the year.