From Monday 1 to Friday 5 June 2026, our students celebrated Languages Week by immersing themselves in the sounds, flavours and traditions of the Chinese, French and Japanese cultures, with a vibrant program of activities aimed at recognising the value of language learning and cultural understanding.
Head of Languages, Mr Aaron McLuckie, said the students had enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to explore these cultures beyond the classroom.
“Languages Week is a celebration of connection, curiosity, and culture, and learning languages helps us to understand others and reminds us that every language tells a unique story.
“We hope the week of activities will encourage our students to continue to explore new languages, embrace new cultures, and discover the world from different perspectives,” Mr McLuckie said.
Inspired by the Chinese culture, our Year 8 Languages students had the opportunity to take a turn with a Chinese waist drum, try their hand at sugar painting, and handmake their own delicious dumplings.
They celebrated the French culture by whipping up some delicious crêpes, creating their own artworks inspired by artist Henri Matisse, or playing a game of pétanque – a target sport where players toss or roll hollow metal balls as close as possible to a smaller target ball.
Both onigiri – a traditional rice ball made of steamed short rice – and miso soup were on the menu during our celebration of Japanese culture, with students jumping at the chance to try calligraphy, paper crane-making, and join in our chopstick relay.
Students in the Junior School also enjoyed a range of fun activities and cultural foods, with Kindergarten to Year 4 offered a croissant, and Years 5 and 6 provided with Japanese snacks – taiyaki, senbei, and a Japanese flavoured KitKat – to enjoy at recess.
A highlight of the week was the much-anticipated Food Fair, with students from all year levels getting a taste of these international flavours through freshly made dumplings, yakisoba and crêpes.
There’s no doubt that learning other languages help us to communicate, connect and belong, and Languages Week reflects our School’s commitment to developing globally-minded young people who appreciate the beauty of cultural diversity.
More than just learning vocabulary or grammar, our Languages Program nurtures empathy and intercultural understanding in our students, which are skills that will support them to act justly and engage meaningfully with the wider world in years to come.
