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2014 CHINESE BRIDGE SPEECH COMPETITION
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWS
STAGE DE NOUMÉA 2014
YOUNG AMBASSADORS’ TRIP
DELF SCOLAIRE 2014
FRENCH LANGUAGE NEWS
NZGSE EXCHANGE—STANLEY HOLT
GERMAN SCHOLARSHIPS
GERMAN LANGUAGE NEWS
REX PROGRAMME TEACHER”S
REPORT
UPCOMING EVENTS
JAPANESE LANGUAGE NEWS
NZALT CONFERENCE
ILEP INITIATIVE
LIA AWARDS 2014
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
SPANISH & CINEMA
WORKSHOP
IMMERSION SCHOLARSHIP
SPANISH LANGUAGE NEWS
NEWSLETTER
Vol. 3 | 23 May 2014
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Chinese Language News
On May 17, the Confucius Institute welcomed 29
student contestants at Victoria University of Wel-
lington for this year’s Chinese Bridge Speech
Competition. The students from schools all
around New Zealand presented their skills in front
of parents, teachers and principals as well as dele-
gates from the Confucius Institutes, Chinese Em-
bassy and Chinese Consulates. They were judged
by an expert panel led by the National Adviser for
Chinese.
These 29 students, from:
Samuel Marsden Collegiate school (4),
Columba College (4),
Diocesan School for Girls (2),
Lincoln High School (2),
Westlake Boys’ High school (2),
Westlake Girls’ High school (1),
Christchurch Boys High(1),
Christchurch Girls High(1),
Mount Albert Grammar School(1),
Rotorua Boys’ High,
MacLean’s College (1),
Kelston Girls College (1),
St Peter’s College,
Wellington College (1),
Takapuna Normal Intermediate(1),
Kristin School (1),
Auckland Boys Grammar (1),
St Kevin’s College (2),
Tauranga Girls College(1)
competed in the Intermediate (14 contestants)
and Senior categories (15 contestants). The first
prize in senior category went to Luke Butler (Mt
Albert Grammar), Shannon Couper (Tauranga
Girls’) and Ashvini Navaratnam (Samuel
Marsden). Kathryn Robinson (Diocesan School for
Girls) won the first prize in the intermediate cate-
gory.
There were two outstanding features in the
speech competition this year. One is that about
80% of contestants have been to China either for
a long time stay or short time visit. This contrib-
utes to their confidence and profi-
ciency of speaking Chinese. An-
other feature is that four contest-
ants come from three schools that
do not formally offer Chinese to
their students.
This year, the first prize winner is
really lucky. He will not only go to
China to attend the Chinese
Bridge Speech Competition Finals,
but also has received $500 from
NZ China Council for his excellent
performance.
Chinese Bridge Speech Competition is an interna-
tional competition organized by Hanban, the Con-
fucius Institute Headquarter; Chinese Embassy
collaborating with Confucius Institutes cross the
world.
Chinese Bridge Speech Competition New Zealand 2014
29 Mandarin-
speaking
students from
around New
Zealand
participated in
the New Zealand
Chinese Bridge
Speech
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Upcoming
National
Advisor
Workshops
1 May – Labour Day
4 May – Youth Day
1 June – Children’s Day
2 June – Dragon Boat Festival
Dragon Boat Festival 端午 节
Dragon Boat Festival or duānwǔ jié 端午 节 occurs
on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese
lunar calendar. In 2014 it will take place on 2 June.
This festival commemorates the death of the poet
and minister Qu Yuan (c. 340–278 BC). Celebra-
tions involve eating sticky rice dumplings (zòng
zi 粽 子), drinking realgar wine (xiónghuángji 雄
黃酒)and racing dragon boats (lóng chuán 龙 船).
To attend, please RSVP to [email protected]
To attend, please RSVP to [email protected]
Holidays &
Festivals
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French Language News
Eleven French teachers recently participated in
a three-week long immersion and study
experience in Nouméa led by ILEP.
Nouméa is the capital city of New Caledonia
and is a little piece of France in the South
Pacific.
The teachers came from Otago Girls’ High
School (Dunedin), Birkdale North School (North
Shore Auckland), Wanganui High School
(Wanganui), Sutton Park School (Mangere East,
Auckland), Northcote College (Northcote,
Auckland), St John’s College (Hastings), Waikato
Waldorf School (Hamilton), Fergusson
Intermediate School (Upper Hutt, Wellington),
Central Southland College (Winton), Wellington
Girls’ College (Wellington), Sacred Heart Girls’
College (Hamilton).
As part of their professional development,
teachers observed lessons in schools, engaged
in an intensive intercultural programme and
attended formal language classes at the
University of New Caledonia. They also
benefitted from cultural and language
immersion through homestays with families in
Nouméa.
The professional learning development
programme was a resounding success. The
participants were eager to share some of their
feedback on their experience of Stage de
Nouméa.
Stage de Nouméa 2014
French teachers visit a little piece of France in the South Pacific to develop their language and cultural knowledge
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Stage de Nouméa 2015
It was an eye-opening experience to discover a franco-
phone culture outside France, rich in customs, traditions and
history. I made the most of my ‘stage’ to learn the colloqui-
al language and idiomatic expressions typical for the is-
land.
I used rugby as a pathway for my inquiry. I found a local
team where I assisted training and coached them before a com-
petition game.
Being able to step out of the usual tourist attractions and visit
the “Province Nord” allowed us a unique insight to New
Caledonia – the lives of the people, their unique natural envi-
ronment, workplaces, and industry.
The sharing of languages and culture was a very natural
thing to do.
This was a wonderful cultural, language and pedagogi-
cal experience.
The Nouméa programme provided an excellent social ex-
perience with homestay families ensuring that we could wid-
en our intercultural horizons.
3 weeks language immersion has revived my French, al-
lowed me to extend my vocab and improve fluency.
I realised that NZ is not just a little country in the Pacific nor a
little brother of Australia but that we are part of a large Pa-
cific family of many nations, many languages and
many cultures.
This was a brilliant opportunity to investigate our views
and assumptions about another culture through our
own inquiry and experiences.
I was able to put the language into context and use it
100% of the time, in fact I had no choice than to become a
real language user rather than a language learner.
Students in my school in Nouméa have written to my students
in NZ, this is good preparation for an exchange arrange-
ment.
If you are interested in participating, applications for the 2015 programme open in November 2014. For more information on the application process, have a look at http://www.ilep.ac.nz/pld-opportunities/pld-opportunities-abroad/french-programmes/stage-de-noumea
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DELF Scolaire 2014
A reminder to all teachers to inform students about DELF Scolaire.
Interested students must submit individual enrolment forms and
fees to their teachers. The deadline for student enrolments is 12
September 2014.
For more information on DELF Scolaire, go to www.french.ac.nz
French Foreign Language Assistant
Appointments – 2014
Expressions of interest are invited from schools to employ a French Language Assistant
for the school year 2014. The scheme is available to all schools teaching at secondary,
intermediate and primary level.
For further information and to request the application form, please contact Dmitry
Mitenkov by 5pm Monday, 4 August 2014 at [email protected]
More information: http://ilep.ac.nz/LanguageAssistants/
ForeignLanguageAssistantAppointments.aspx
Young Ambassadors’ Trip
Shared histories is about students in NZ schools part-
nering with students in French schools to carry out pro-
jects of remembrance for the duration of the commem-
oration period 2014-2018.
On 11 July 2014, the Young Ambassadors will be de-
parting for a two-week trip to France. We wish them all
the best for the trip and look forward to learning more
about their experience when they return.
To follow this amazing voyage of inquiry, go to
www.sharedhistories.com
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8 May – Victory Day
29 May – Ascension Day
9 June – Whit Monday
21 June – Fête de la Musique
Attention French Teachers:
Are you a member of the NZAFT listserv?
If not: send a blank email, with SUBSCRIBE NZAFT in the subject line, to: [email protected]
And are you using www.french.ac.nz?
Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale as it is
known in France, is celebrated on 14 July
each year.
This French National Day commemorates
the start of the French Revolution with
the storming of Bastille on 14 July 1789 as
well as the Fête de la Fédération on the
14 July 1790. Celebrations are held all
over France and include military parades
and fireworks.
For more information on Bastille Day
celebrations in New Zealand, go to
http://www.alliance-francaise.co.nz/
Bastille Day
To attend, please RSVP to [email protected]
Upcoming
National
Advisor
Workshops
Holidays &
Festivals
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German Language News
Stanley Holt embarked on a two-an-a-half
month exchange programme to Germany from
2 December 2013 to 8 February 2014.
While on exchange, Stanley lived with a host
family and attended school with his host
brother. He was fully immersed in the culture
and quickly felt that he was ‘living’ in Germany
and was not just a tourist. He enjoyed walking
in the forest, cycling to nearby villages, and
exploring the town and nearby cities, such as
Nuremberg.
He spent Christmas and New Year in Germany.
Highlights of his Christmas break included
learning to play Christmas carols on the cello,
attending the opera, Tosca, introducing his
host family to the traditional Kiwi pavlova and
a whirlwind visit around Germany.
As part of Stanley’s exchange programme, he
attended Wintercamp in Northeim and Berlin
Camp, where he had an opportunity to meet
up with other exchange students from New
Zealand and Australia and be exposed to more
cultural experiences. A highlight of the camp
for Stanley was the reception at the New
Zealand Residence in Berlin, with H.E. Mr Peter
Rider, the New Zealand Ambassador to
Germany and H.E. Mr David Richie, the
Australian Ambassador to Germany where he
was asked to speak on his exchange
experience.
Stanley thoroughly enjoyed the exchange
programme and feels that it changed his life.
Through this programme, he has become more
independent and has a better comprehension
of people and places that exist outside his own
personal sphere.
NZGSE Exchange 2014 – Stanley Holt
German exchange programme broadens New Zealand student’s horizons
To attend,
please RSVP
Upcoming
National
Advisor
Workshops
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Heike Papenthin, the German National Advisor is travelling around New Zealand to conduct interviews with
New Zealand Year 12 students currently studying German. There are several scholarships available to stu-
dents of German every year.
The two main scholarships are awarded by The Society for New Zealand-German Student Exchange (NZGSE)
and the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD). The NZGSE scholarship provides secondary school students
with the opportunity to spend 10 weeks in Germany from November to February. The students in turn host
their German guest student in the following year from June to August.
The PAD - Educational Exchange Service- supports international secondary student exchanges in 90 nations.
Every year three students from New Zealand receive a scholarship to spend four weeks in Germany in the
German summer.
29 May – Ascension Day
May/June—Medieval Market
May/June—Knight Festival
8 –9 June – Whit Weekend
19 June – Corpus Christi Day
German Foreign Language Assistants Appointments – 2014
Expressions of interest are invited from schools to employ a German
Language Assistant for the school year 2014. The scheme is available
to all schools teaching at secondary, intermediate and primary level.
For further information and to request the application form, please
contact Dmitry Mitenkov by 5pm Monday, 4 August 2014 at
More information: http://ilep.ac.nz/LanguageAssistants/
ForeignLanguageAssistantAppointments.aspx
The Long Night of Museums, or Lange Nacht der Museen, is a cultural event where museums and cul-
tural institutions in an area remain open late into the night. Visitors are given a common entrance pass
which gives them access to all exhibits as well as complimentary public transportation within the area.
The first Long Night of Museums event took place in Berlin in 1997. This year, the event takes place on
17 May. The event has been well received in Germany and as has spread to over 100 other cities
around the World, such as Argentina and the Philippines.
The Long Night of the Museums
German Scholarships
Holidays &
Festivals
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Japanese Language News
Kiyokazu Hatori, is a REX programme teacher. He worked as an assistant teacher for 15 months in Whakatane area and returned to Japan at the end of March. He reflected on his experience as a REX programme teacher and shared some of the highlights of his experience with us. I worked at three schools, Otakiri school, Edgecumbe college and Thornton school. I experienced some difficulty in my early days, but I enjoyed working there because I found they needed me and appreciated me.
At Otakiri school, I taught only Japanese. I am an English language teacher in Japan, so it was a challenging job, but all the teachers at Otakiri were always very supportive and that really helped me. I tried my best to make my Japanese lessons more interesting. Thankfully, about 90% students said they would like to continue their Japanese learning at secondary school. I am very happy to have such positive feedback toward my lessons.
At Edgecumbe college, I made some resources not only for a Japanese teacher and his students but also for the students who didn’t take Japanese lessons. I made three posters introducing Japanese greetings, food and J-pop cultures and put them on the wall of the library. Then, some students started greeting in Japanese to me. It was fantastic! I could give them the opportunities to become interested in Japanese language and cultures.
REX Programme Teacher’s Report
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At Thornton school, I helped the teacher, who joined the TPDL, as much as possible. I taught him Japanese after school and at his place as well. We could build a very good relationship. Before I came, Thornton school didn’t offer Japanese lessons, but now they have decided to continue Japanese lessons. That’s what I wanted and this result gave me fulfillment. Through my staying in New Zealand, I have learned a lot of things. This programme is very good for mutual understanding for New Zealand and Japanese teachers. I’d definitely like to help New Zealanders staying in Japan so that I could pay back to what New Zealanders have done for me here. The students at Otakiri School enjoyed their Japanese language and culture lessons with Kiyokazu Hatori and shared some of their exciting lessons.
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Kansai Two-Week Special Programme
ILEP is offering an opportunity for fully-registered current teachers of Japanese (Years 7-13) to attend a
two-week programme at the Japan Foundation Centre in Kansai, Japan. Term 3 holidays 2014:
29 September 2014 - 10 October 2014 Complete the ILEP application form.
The closing date for 2014 applications is 5 pm, 6 June 2014.
Application forms are available from Dmitry Mitenkov, the Intercultural Programmes Co-ordinator -
Secondary School Speech Competition
June 13 Wellington July 1 Southland
Sydney International Conference on Japanese Language Education
(ICJLE)
July 10-12 University of Technology, Sydney
JAPANESE EVENTS
Upcoming
National
Advisor
Workshops
To attend, please RSVP to [email protected]
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5 May – Children’s Day
6 May – Greenery Day
21 July – Marine Day
The NZJEP Programme
Applications are now open for New Zealand Japan Exchange Grants Programme. The aim of this pro-
gramme is to deepen understanding between New Zealand and Japan on a broad educational and cul-
tural basis. International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP) administers the NZJEP programme.
Funding is available for projects that promote educational and cultural exchanges of educators, artists,
crafts persons and scholars.
The closing date for 2014 applications is 31 July 2014.
Application forms are available from Dmitry Mitenkov, the Intercultural Programmes Co-ordinator -
Source: Wikipedia
Marine Day
Marine Day, or 海の日 Umi no Hi, is a Japa-
nese National Holiday celebrated on the third
Monday in July. In 2014 it will be held on 21
July. It is also known as "Ocean Day" or "Sea
Day" and the purpose of this holiday is to ob-
serve the importance of the ocean and to
give thanks to the ocean’s bounty. In Japan,
many people take advantage of this holiday
by taking a trip to the beach.
Holidays &
Festivals
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Spanish Language News
On 9 and 10 May we
held a very successful
workshop on Spanish
and Cinema at the Uni-
versity of Canterbury,
Christchurch. The work-
shop was open to all
levels of Spanish teachers and aimed to train
teachers in the use of cinema as a pedagogical
tool in the Spanish language classroom. By using
cinema as a pedagogical tool, teachers can de-
velop students’ linguistic ability their cultural
awareness of Spanish-speaking cultures around
the world.
On Friday, 9 May the participants were provided
with a general introduction to film techniques
and explanation of critical vocabulary to discuss
cinema in Spanish. On Saturday, 10 May, La Len-
gua de las Mariposas was screened and included
a general presentation of the cultural and his-
torical context of the film, followed by a group
film sequence analysis and a guided discussion
on the major points of interest, the representa-
tion of cultural ideas and identities, and relevant
historical and political issues. Workshop partici-
pants were given opportunities to prepare ped-
agogical exercises to enhance students’ cultural
awareness and communication skills.
National Debate
Competition
On 27 June there will be a new edition of
the National Debate competition for stu-
dents of Spanish that STANZA is organizing
once again. The teachers of Spanish are
working very hard to make sure their stu-
dents are ready and several language assis-
tants are also helping a lot.
More information go to http://www.stanza.org.nz/
Spanish Foreign Language Assistant
Appointments – 2014
Expressions of interest are invited from schools to
employ a Spanish Language Assistant for the
school year 2014. The scheme is available to all
schools teaching at secondary, intermediate and
primary level.
For further information and to request the appli-
cation form, please contact Dmitry Mitenkov by
5pm Monday, 4 August 2014 at
More information: http://ilep.ac.nz/
LanguageAssistants/
Spanish & Cinema Workshop
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On 23 May we are having a pre-departure course for the eleven teachers of Spanish we have selected
to take a two-week immersion course at the University of Salamanca, Spain. These 11 teachers will fly
to Spain early in July. At the same time, there will be two more teachers who have also received a
scholarship to take another two-week immersion course at Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pe-
layo (Santander), Spain. These two teachers have just been selected and will fly to Spain at the end of
July.
The Spanish Immersion Scholarship aims to help participants improve their Spanish language and cul-
tural knowledge and teaching skills through a customised pedagogical programme for New Zealand
teachers. This two-week immersion programme is offered to New Zealand teachers of Spanish at the
prestigious University of Salamanca, Spain.
Applications for 2015 will open in February 2015. Contact Dmitry Mitenkov, the Intercultural Pro-
grammes Co-ordinator at [email protected]
11 May - Feria del Caballo
17 May - Galicia Literature Day
31 May - Castie – La Mancha
9 June - Murcia/La Rioja
19 June - Corpus Christi
24 June - Festival of St John the Bap-
tist
25 June - Feast of St James
6 – 14 July - Running of the Bulls
25 July - Feast Day of St James
28 July - Institution Day
The Running of the Bulls, encierro, is an eight-day festival that takes place in some towns and villages in Spain, Portu-gal, Mexico and Peru. The most famous event takes place in Pamplona, Spain. The event involves running in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose on a designated course on a sec-tioned-off subset of the streets in a town or village. The tradition is said to have begun in the 14th century. The Running of the Bulls takes place from 6 to 14 July in 2014.
Spanish Immersion Scholarship 2015
The Running of the Bulls
Holidays &
Festivals