SCAS News

Term 1 has been an exciting experience for me as a new teacher at SCAS. I have moved to Port Macquarie from Hobart and have enjoyed the warmth of this beautiful town and the warm welcome from everyone here at St Columba. I’m very excited to now hear many students calling to me in the playground: “Bonjour Madame Moore! Comment ça va?”.

Some students even try little conversations with me and are often curious to question me about some words in French. Many often ask about my school days in Switzerland and are curious to hear about how I learnt English at school.

In Kindergarten, the children have learnt common greetings and to count to ten. They love playing games and singing songs such as Les petits poissons. They have a natural facility for language learning at this age, so they sound just like little French children! They have also met our teddy bears, Mateo and Lilly, who often take part in our greetings sessions.

Year 1 and 2 have also learnt greetings and counting to ten. They can sing “J’aime papa, j’aime maman” and “Bonjour, bonjour comment ça va?”, with great gusto. They have been introduced to ‘Minou et Trottine’, a friendly French cat and his friend the mouse, who will help children with our unit on toys, next term.

Students in Years 3 and 4 have learnt a poem about two birds greeting each other. They can sing a counting song very fast and also sing and dance to the song “Bonjour, Bonjour” from Alain le Lait. They can greet each other and introduce themselves in French, as well as say their name and their age. They love our games, especially the counting game and the Kahoot challenges.

Year 5 and 6 students have worked on creating a slideshow, introducing themselves in French. They will present it in Term 2, as they are gaining confidence in their speaking abilities. They have learnt how to introduce themselves, greet someone and ask their name. They can also count to twenty and recognise some numbers out of order. Years 5 and 6 love singing as well and have learnt various songs, including a greeting song and a rap, which they hope to present later in the year.

Term 1 was a very busy term for all of us and I’m very excited to see SCAS students embracing a new language, as part of their weekly routine. During Term 2 I will post some useful links on Dojo for Kindergarten to Year 4 and others in Google classrooms for Years 5 and 6. These will be useful to encourage your children to sing in French at home, revise vocabulary and play some Kahoot quizzes. I’m really looking forward to their continued progress in French.