…And they finally made it!
Yes, resilience is everything. Or, as we would say in Italian, “Chi la dura la vince!” The Italian newspaper Il Globo has finally published an article about Penola College Italian excursion to the Abruzzo Lab at the end of last year. In the photo, you can see the happy faces of our wonderful Italian assistants, Martina and Francesca (also the writers of the article), as well as our previous Head of Languages, Mrs Anna Favrin, and some of our Year 10 Italian students. The article celebrates the success of a mostly awaited excursion, which was postponed several times because of lockdowns. Far from just describing the cooking demo and the amazing food teachers and students tasted, the article explains the idea and the vision behind the creation Abruzzo Lab, which opened thanks to Michelle Di Pietro’s willingness to “import” her Italian region, Abruzzo, into Australia (if it’s time to leave Abruzzo, I will bring Abruzzo with me.) It is true that gastronomy, food in every tradition means connection with our homeland. It is about our background, our stories and our sense of home. But, guess what: our Italian home is open to everybody who is ready to share the same love and passion.
I am looking forward to many more amazing excursions with our amazing Languages students and teachers.
Fulvia Galigani
Head of Languages
Circle time with 7A Italian
On Thursday 3 February, I met my very first Year 7 (A) Italian Class. I decided to start my lesson with a circle time activity to get know my students better and understand the dynamics of my new class.
Students had to count to 23, in Italian but also English for those doing Italian for the very first time, without speaking during the game, other than when they said their number. There were other rules which students had to follow such as not going clockwise/anti clock wise, not saying the same number at the same time…etc..
It didn’t take them long to come up with their own strategies as a class to fulfill their aim. The three main skills that my students took away from this activity were improved problem-solving skills, improved speaking and listening skills and a better understanding of how their individual behaviour affects others in a group setting. Moreover, it also gave them a sense of belonging to the class and they appreciated being able to move out of the traditional classroom setting and out to the oval while still learning.
We look forward to doing more fun, engaging and educational activities during this semester.
Ms Anisa Shkembi