2015 Newsletter

Arabic

Auslan

Bangla

Chinese

Croatian

Dari

Dutch

Filipino

Finnish

French

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hindi

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese

Karen

Khmer

Korean

Macedonian

Malayalam

Maori

Mon

Nepali

Panjabi

Persian

Polish

Russian

Samoan

Serbian

Sinhala

Spanish

Swahili

Swedish

Tamil

Telugu

Tibetan

Tongan

Urdu

Vietnamese

2nd Floor, Mul cultural Centre, 180 London Circuit CANBERRA CITY ACT 2608 Postal Address: PO Box 1353 CIVIC SQUARE ACT 2601

Email: admin@actclsa.org.au

Website: www.actclsa.org.au

6230 5191

School Name Language

Abeltje, Dutch School Canberra Dutch

ACT German Language School Inc German

ACT Hebrew School Hebrew

Alfalah Arabic

ANZ Maori Cultural School of Dreams Maori

At-Taqwa Language School Arabic

Australian Indonesian Language Schools Association Indonesian

Australian School of Contemporary Chinese Mandarin

Bangla Language and Cultural School Bangla

Canberra Cambodian School Khmer

Canberra Community Chinese School Mandarin

Canberra Finnish School Finnish

Canberra Hebrew School Hebrew

Canberra Hindi School Hindi

Canberra Islamic School Arabic

Canberra Japanese Supplementary High School Japanese

Canberra Japanese Supplementary School Japanese

Canberra Khalsa Panjabi School Panjabi

Canberra Korean School of Education Korean

Canberra Swahili School Swahili

Canberra Tamil School Tamil

Canberra Vietnamese School Vietnamese

Chennai Tamil School Tamil

CIC Community School Arabic

Civic Arabic School Arabic

CJC Japanese Language Kindergarten Japanese

Croatian Ethnic School ACT Inc Croatian

Dari Language School Dari

FCCCI Chinese School Mandarin

Filipino Language School of Canberra (FLSC) Filipino

School Name Language

German Australian Playschool German

Grace Chinese School Cantonese

Hamro Pathshala (Nepali Language School) Nepali

Italian Language School Italian

Kaw Lah Karen

Macedonian School 'St Kliment of Ohrid' Macedonian

Malayalam Vidhya Vedhi Malayalam

Mon Language and Cultural School Mon

Ositos Cool Spanish

PAFA - Pakistan Australia Friendship Association Inc Urdu

Persian Language School Persian

Polish Language School in Phillip Polish

Samoan Language School Samoan

Scandinavian School in Canberra, Swedish Section Swedish

Serbian School Serbian

Sri Lanka Dhamma Vihara Sinhala Language School Sinhala

Sri Lanka Sinhala Language School in Canberra Sinhala

St John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church School Russian

St Nicholas Greek Language School Greek

Telugu Badi Telugu

Tibetan Language School Tibetan

Tongan Language School Tongan

Playgroups Language

Australian Indonesian Language Schools Association (AILSA) Indonesian

Canberra Bilingual Auslan English Playgroup Auslan

Les Petite Etoiles French Language Playgroup French

Mandarin for Fun Mandarin

Spielwelt Association Playgroups German

Front cover image ‐ Tongan school dancers at the ACT CLSA Annual Dinner 2014

ACT Community Language Schools Association 2015

Javad Farrokh Mehr President ACT Community Language Schools

President’s Message

May 2015

Javad Farrokh Mehr, President

This newsletter has been produced with assistance from the ACT Government under the Community Language Schools Program

Canberra is a diverse multicultural Society. People from different countries have made Canberra their home. I believe our diversity is one of our assets. We embrace, cooperate and share common values and goals for our young people.

The language programs also contribute significantly to the multicultural assets in our city and promote the importance of language education within our communities.

Language is the key to unlocking cultural diversity in a globalising world. Knowledge of a second, or third language opens doors and adds an extra dimension to someone’s skills set which can make all the difference in a competitive jobs market.

Learning another language is developing a new and exciting way of thinking. We see the ability to understand, and converse in a second or third language is about learning a new skill, taking pride in an achievement, and ultimately discovering pathways into new and exciting cultures that share much with ours, but also inspire in different ways.

The ACT Community Language each year is growing more and more. This year the number of schools increased by 55 and number of students by 1800 within over 40 different languages.

I sincerely thank the teachers, school communities, families and our wonderful community members for supporting students in developing their gift of languages. Students can be proud of their gift of languages, and all that it will bring them and our world in the years to come.

The different ways in which we can learn a language in Community Language reflects the importance we place on providing students with opportunities to maintain and extend skills in their language background.

Ms Joy Burch MInister for Education and Training

Message to ACT Community Language Schools Association

The ACT Community Language Schools Association is an important service for our city and the many people of different cultures who live here. With over 40 language groups and more than 1800 students in your system, you certainly have plenty of important work to do!

The role your organisation plays in enhancing education and multicultural policies to a diverse group of Canberra residents is very much appreciated by the ACT Government. I look forward to another year of working with you as ACT Minister for Education and Training.

Kind regards,

Joy Burch MLAACT Minister for Education and Training

Mr Steve Doszpot Shadow MInister for Education and Training

Once again it is great to take this opportunity to congratulate and encourage the important work of the ACT Community Language Schools Association.

As many of you would already know I come from a migrant background, so I personally understand the importance of bilingualism and learning a new language and culture. As Shadow Minister for Education, I also consider language studies to be a valuable skill and feel we are so lucky to live in a city where language diversity is so highly valued. This is only enhanced by the dedication and commitment of staff and students at the ACT Community Language Schools Association.

Not only is this organisation ensuring a linguistically diverse future for Canberra, but they are also preserving the past by engaging a younger generation; perhaps with their own cultural heritage or introducing them to a language and culture very different to their own.

A Message from Giulia Jones

Greetings from Giulia!

Thank you to the ACT Community Language Schools Association for helping to teach others many languages, it is a great educational service! And I applaud the many volunteers and hard working and committed teachers and administrators.

My own experience was that as a child I learnt Italian in a community language school which gave me a sense of belonging to the community I was born into. It also opened a door to knowing my own family better, and so continued to be a part of my own culture and heritage. My Italian school and Italian dancing classes were some of the happiest experiences of my childhood and now I enjoy the fruits of being tri lingual since I also learned German at university.

So I thank you for all you do and I honour your service to our ethnic communities in the ACT!

Thank you! Keep up the great work!

All the best,

Giulia Jones MLA Member for Molonglo April 2015

The value of reading for language and cognitive development is well known. Reading helps develop and reinforce vocabulary and language skills opens up new worlds of ideas and experiences to think and talk about.

It is very important to encourage children to read as much as possible in their heritage or home language (HL). This is particularly true during the early years of mainstream schooling when English develops so fast. Without reinforcement, the HL can become limited to oral communication, quite restricted topics, and seen as lacking in prestige and relevance. Textbooks used in CLS classes often concentrate on helping readers to decode symbols for meaning (reading comprehension) and to transmit knowledge about the target culture and heritage. This may not inspire children who are reading and learning exciting things through English.

One strategy to encourage more reading in HL is to give children more access a range of interesting and fun reading materials. These could be story books, comics, novels, non-fiction or picture books. They can either just be printed books or accompanied by recordings on CD or mp3 (audio books) or interactive eBooks with narration and sound.

Schools may already have a collection of suitable reading materials or could start to build up a small library through grants or donations. As technology expands the way we read, teachers and parents can also build up a list of suitable resources that can be accessed online. Also, don’t forget the various collections in the ACT libraries. The Lu Rees Archives at UC is another resource, with translations of Australian children’s books in 53 languages, and keen to find ways to bring these to various Canberra communities. Older children or more proficient students could also practice their writing and artistic skills (and computer skills if we think of eBooks) and produce materials to share with other classes.

Since time at CLS is limited, it is vital that families become involved. Parents and other carers havemore time with the children and know their interests. Many children enjoy reading with an adult, making it a shared activity. Encouraging comments and responses to the book also adds to the enjoyment as well as the learning experience. Besides, it reduces the pressure on the child, for whom reading in the HL independently may be quite demanding. To make the task easier, the carer can suggest taking turns reading a familiar book. Reading can also take place outside the home. The car, for example, is good place to read and talk about books, or listen to recorded books. How can CLS schools encourage children and their families to work together on reading?

Children can keep records of books they read, signed by the teacher or parent, and receivesome reward or acknowledgement each term.

If their CLS or mainstream school has registered for the ACT Chief Minister’s annual ReadingChallenge, books in HL can be included in the student’s official reading record.

Parents can be made aware of the importance of helping with reading – for HL proficiencyand, through this, better links with heritage and the extended family and advantageousspin-offs for academic success in mainstream schooling.

And, if the books and stories are interesting enough, there is also the chance they will spark the imagination and actually be seen as fun!

References ‘The importance of literacy in the home language: The View From Australia’ by S A Eisenchlas, A C Schalley and D Guillemin. Sage Open Publications 2014. Accessed 31/7/14 from http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/3/4/2158244013507270

Let’s Read! Mandy Scott Secretary, ACT Bilingual Education Alliance; Departmental Visitor, School of Culture, History and Language, ANU.

The ACT Government is committed to enhancing languages programs by providing support to the ACT Community Languages Schools Association. This is achieved through the ongoing partnership between the ACT Education and Training Directorate and the ACT Community Languages Schools Association.

The ACT Education and Training Directorate (The Directorate) meets four times a year with representatives from the ACT Community Language Schools Association and other community groups to share information about current initiatives and events which support language learning and the development of cultural understanding.

The Directorate also offers four professional learning workshops each year (one per term) to teachers from Community Language Schools (CLS) in the ACT to improve the quality of program provision in their schools.

Workshop topics include practical strategies for engaging students in language learning, writing techniques in the languages classroom, fun activities and interactive games to engage students in learning languages, the use of technology in the language classroom and the use of online programs to enhance language learning.

Professional learning workshops are offered after hours and targeted at teachers who deliver programs to students of all ages. The workshops also provide teachers from different community language schools with the opportunity to network and share ideas with each other.

From time to time CLS teachers are also invited to attend other professional learning opportunities with teachers of languages from ACT public schools, independent schools and Catholic schools. Recent examples include workshops on the Australian Curriculum: Languages by ACARA and on Language Perfect. CLS teachers have also been invited to join the Modern Language Teachers’ Association in the ACT where additional professional learning opportunities may be accessed.The ACT Education and Training Directorate are proud of the ongoing partnership with the ACT Community Language Schools Association.

ACT Education and Training Directorate’s Contribution to ACT CLSA Newsletter 2015

Partnership between ACT Education and Training Directorate and the ACT Community Language Schools Association

National Multicultural Festival 2015ACT CLSA Stall – A change in our stall position and renaming our stall “Learning Languages in Canberra” with the aim of giving the public a broader view of what we do created more interest and stall visits than we have experienced in past years.

Children’s Sanctuary Saturday 14 February – ACT CLSA worked with the festival steering committee and ACT Bilingual Education Alliance to run the Children’s Sanctuary where children could participate in many fun activities such face painting, balloon modelling, clowns, paper bag puppet craft, origami and collecting names written in different languages. At the end of the day children were then able to join the children parade lead by a team of clowns.

AFESA - Australian Federation of Ethnic Schools Association Council meeting 18 April 2015

From left to right: Irene Santos, Fuxin Li, Javad Mehr, Santosh Gupta, Hema Aholelei, Suzie Cong, Manu Naufahu and Krishnaparathey SentilAbsent: Loan Pham, Tingting Zhang, Hassan Ibrahim

The ACT CLSA Committee The role of the committee is an important one and without their tireless efforts the ACT Community Language Schools Association would not be able to adequately support the schools. The committee is responsible for securing funding and promoting the needs of our schools. It also gives us the opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of community language schools through the NationalConference, Annual Dinner and Languages Day.

WHO ARE AFESA – COMMUNITY LANGUAGES AUSTRALIA?Community Languages Australia (Australian Federation of Ethnic Schools Associations) is an umbrella body designed to unite the ethnic schools of Australia and the state-based bodies which serve as their administrators, consolidating them beneath a single, organizational banner, and in the process carrying out a number of crucial roles in the creation, maintenance, and profile of Australia’s 1400 community language schools.

L to R: Binh Bihn Nguyen (SA), Javad Mehr (ACT), Irene Bayldon (QLD), Stefan Romaniw (National), Tassos Douvartzides (VIC), Inta Rumpe (National) and Enzo Sirna (WA) Absent: Albert Vella (NSW), Mahendra Pathik (TAS) and Darryl Buchanan (SA)

The year 2014 was a year of experimentation in identifying what approach worked well and what didn't, keeping in mind the varying skill levels in the same group, as well as the differences in attendance between students which posed challenges in that some students were up to date in the last two classes while some had no clue.

In discussing the direction of the school in its aims amongst the school's committee, it was decided that a new curriculum will be developed based on our experiences last year which aims to empower students with basic comprehension, writing skills and conversation in simple Arabic sentences and conversation.

Basically, it was identified that level 1 is the most important level for students starting at that level in that the main focus was the Arabic alphabet. Since the alphabet is Semitic and has no resemblance to the Latin alphabet, there is an obvious learning curve that is best addressed at an earlier state.

To remedy the learning curve for new students joining other levels, it was decided to provide a transliteration for the relevant exercises but only for students who just came in and can't read Arabic while developing an introductory Arabic script training for any new comer that joins higher levels. initially this is in the form of Arabic Alphabet cards and a basic hand writing guide.

In terms of levels 2 and 3, similar material will be developed to form a curriculum but level 2 will be much simpler. The purpose of the curriculum is to build basic vocabulary of daily language use, this includes colours, sizes, shapes, commonly used nouns, basic verbs, basic counting, and more.

Along with the basic vocabulary, simple stories or articles that build on the vocabulary acquired are introduced more than once throughout the year. Basically, between 5 to 10 articles will be cycled throughout the year, without the expectation that students should memorise anything, but rather utilising the rule: "Repetition makes permanent".

Playing cards will be the means by which vocabulary will be introduced. They will revolve around themes. At the moment the themes used are colours and basic greetings, and through two classes, students have enjoyed and been able to sustain a fair bit of the vocabulary used. The desired learning environment is what we describe as "edutainment", a term coined by a modern educators who have been known to get their students to learn the material in the class room through unconventional methods. This is the intention the teachers are the CIC community school are aiming to achieve especially with the challenges of today through technology the overload of information the aim is to create all the learning within the class and not rely on any homework unless there is a particular reason for it.

Handwriting skills are only offered as an option and at home with encouragement through prizes and gifts, which has significantly reduced the number of students interested unless the parents are involved.Finally, CIC community school encourages its students to learn the Arabic language and welcomes any means students or parents suggest, and emphasises the importance of good values based on honesty and truthfulness that are in line with our spiritual teachings.

Refining approaches at the CIC community school

Don't miss the next Annual Dinner 19 September 2015

21st Annual Dinner Saturday 13 September 2014Feed back from Stefan Romaniw Executive Director Community Languages Australia for our dinner:

September 13, 2014 ACT ANNUAL DINNERThe ACT CLSA held a very successful Annual Dinner at the Pavilion in Canberra. 104 Representatives from many communities attended. The dinner marked 21 years of activity of the ACT CLSA. Happy Birthday! The following people addressed the dinner participants • Javad Mehr – President of ACT CLSA• The Hon Joy Burch The Minister for Education and Multicultural affairs• Steve Doszpot MP – Shadow Minister for Education• Stefan Romaniw Executive Director Community Languages AustraliaStudents from a number of schools gave high quality performancesAdrian Arulananadam was an excellent MC . The evening was another good example of how community language schools bring many communities together.Well done to Javad Jacqui and the team !

Tongan School Dancers

Guest Speaker, Joy Burch

Guest Speaker, Stefan Romaniw

Guest Speaker, Steve Doszpot

Another well attended Annual Dinner

FCCCI Chinese Dancers

Korean Fan DanceASCC musicians

Fuxin Li, Martin Hine (ETD), Leanne Wright (ETD), Javad Mehr, Nic Manikis (CSD)

Adrian Arulananadam MC, Fuxin Li, Stefan Romaniw (CLA) Javad Mehr, Shadow

Minister Steve Doszpot and Irene Santos

Annual Dinner Photos: by Fuxin Li

ACT Community Language Schools Day

Next ACT Community Language Schools Day October 2015

Community Language Schools Day Saturday 25 October 2014, University of Canberra

To coincide with Children’s Week 2014 the ACT Community Language Schools Association held our annual ACT Community Language Schools Day at the University of Canberra. The Day was well attended with 14 schools performing and information stalls held by 18 schools as well as Asian Cup, ACT Bilingual Education Alliance and ACT Scouts who were present to promote their language based scout groups in Canberra (currently German, French, Spanish and Mandarin). As always the Lantern Parade and Piñata were popular with the children.

Malayalam Vidhya Vedhi

Yet another eventful year has passed for Malayalam Vidhya Vedhi, with boundless learning and enjoyment. All students, irrespective of age, had a wonderful 2014 with active participation in both class room and outdoor activities. It is amazing to see how fast our senior class moved forward, to put together words to read and write sentences in Malayalam. Our junior classes were in no way behind in their learning curve, to make parents proud with their alphabetic skills. Performances in the Canberra Malayalees Association’s Onam celebration, ACT Community Language Schools Annual Day, excursions to Questacon and Kids City, all, in addition to regular in-class lessons, made 2014 a very busy year to the students, teachers and parents. With great pride, all students received the ACT CLSA certificates at the end of year Christmas BBQ day.

2014, indeed a fun filled year for Malayalam Vidhya Vedhi

Canberra

Malayalees

Association Inc.

Contact

Ahmed Regina 0413 529 173

Sudha Rajeev 0412 557 614

Bini Vasan 0434 315 515

Multi media use by Abeltje Dutch School

In 2014 we have explored 3 ways of using multi media sources within our teaching program that could be of use for other language schools.

We used online documentaries, clips and videos designed for schoolchildren or children’s shows that address topics that have been used in our teaching program. These topics relate, for example, to special Dutch cultural events or important historical moments in Dutch history. We utilise websites like schooltv.nl that are used by schools in The Netherlands and have also found YouTube to contain useful videos. In order not to waste too much time watching videos during class hours, we usually ask the students to watch these film clips at home as part of their homework.

The second avenue we explored is trying to engage with peers in The Netherlands and making connections with current issues. The school took part in a Guinness Book of Record attempt among thousands of primary schools in the Netherlands, by making a dance video and putting it online. The connection with The Netherlands was instant: cousins in

Thirdly we developed an exchange project using a closed Facebook page with a primary school in The Netherlands. In the mutual need of wanting to learn another language (We want to learn Dutch, they want to learn English) we decided to work together. We shared videos, photos and comments about daily life of students in both countries. We filmed a play based on the book "We're going on a bear hunt” which happens to be available in English and Dutch. To our surprise the video has been viewed far more often then we could have guessed: In the first 3 and half months it has been viewed about 9,500 times. (YouTube: search "We're going on a bear hunt Abeltje")

Abeltje Dutch School has started exploring the use of multi media as part of its teaching program.

The Netherlands rang up to say THEY were doing the same! Children received enthusiastic responses from family and friends here in Australia and overseas. Some students showed their daytime classes the video and received positive responses. Within 11 months the video was viewed over 18,000 times. Curious? Search on YouTube for "Doe de Kanga in Australie"

Multi media use by Abeltje Dutch School (continued)

There are clear advantages in running these projects:

- Students (and parents) take pride in their achievements- A positive 'feel' about learning another language is carried through into the

regular school of the students as they show the videos in their 'Show & Tell' -time

- Students are connected with peers in The Netherlands

- They also learn what life is like in The Netherlands when they watch programs their cousins/ overseas friends might also be watching.

However, how can you be a caring and careful teacher and use online media responsibly? Points for consideration include: o Parents (& children!) need to give permission for you to post videos andphoto's online! o If parents have reservations, communicate well over what they would like (ornot like) to happen. And stick to what is agreed!o How can you make wise decisions on what you are showing? Which 'silly'behaviour do you allow in your clip and what do you edit, to protect your students? We haven't got definite answers and are still learning. o Take into account your responsibility in regards to child protection issues.o Not all children like being videotaped. Give options for other 'jobs' behind thescenes that still includes these children.

If you have become enthusiastic about this article and you see some possibilities for your school to do something similar: Give it a go! And share your ideas with us so we can learn from each other! For more videos keep an eye on our YouTube channel: Abeltje Dutch School Canberra Inc.

The ACT Community Language Schools Association has informed all teachers through the principals of schools that there is a scholarship opportunity to undertake the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. This advertisment was sent to schools and the ACT CLSA committee members select 5 teachers from the applicants who sent their expression interest to the Association.

The certificate IV in Training and Assessment will provide teachers with up-to-date and effective strategies to develop others in a variety of settings. It is led by highly experienced and professional facilitators. This is a practical program is designed for individuals who deliver training and conduct assessments. Certificate IV in Training and Assessment is a recognised qualification for trainers working in government, in a Registered Training Organisation or in the workplace.

Scholarship opportunity for ACT CLSA teachers

The Persian Language School was kept very busy during 2014 and participated in regular events like the National Multicultural festival. Our classes are on Sunday from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Canberra College Woden Campus.

Historically there are three major periods of development within the Persian language: Old Persian, the language of the Achaemenians (650 – 350 B.C.); Middle Persian (the Parthian period c. 350 B.C. – 230 A.D. and, immediately following that, the Sassanian period c. 230 – 650 A.D.), and New Persian, which starts to take shape after the Iranian conquest by the Arabian armies in the seventh century.

New Persian, in turn, can be divided into two major periods (regardless of the dialectal/regional variations): Classical Persian and Modern Persian. Just where can we draw the line between these two periods is a matter of debate. Probably we never can. What can be suggested with some certainty, however, is that after the invasion of Iran by the Arabian armies—due to the richness of the family of the languages which we commonly know as the “Iranian” languages—it took roughly three hundred years for this new variation of Persian to be developed and used as lingua franca.

To this should be added that since a language is a living entity, it is constantly changing and developing. Within the same generation, probably young members are already speaking somewhat differently than the older ones. This also has to be taken under consideration. In modern times, with increased immigration, globalization and the fusion of cultures, and, more importantly, with the development of the Internet system, a need to communicate differently than the traditional fashion seemed necessary.

Receiving certificate by Shadow Minster of Education and Training

History of the Language

End of school celebration

The principal of school and Minister for Education and Training

In 2014, the language school has made move to change its name to better reflect the school’s purpose and has now been known as the “Filipino Language School of Canberra” (FLSC). This name was reflected in the logo, promo materials, communications and other related documents. Learning Filipino Together (LFT) will continue to be our registered non-for-profit community organisation name.

Two years in a row, Ms. Irene Santos, the President for 2014-2015, is leading the Executive Committee (EXECOM) officers in managing the affairs of the organization and will be expanding to other linguistic endeavours. With assistance from other officers, Sheila Flores, the School Principal, will manage the following language classes and will ensure consistency and quality of our school curriculum.

FLSC believes in trying new things. In 2014, we launch the Filipino Language and Culture Radio Program at 98.3 FM, 2XX Community Radio Station, Griffin Centre. One of our officers, Alma Gunner runs the radio program every Mondays from 6:30 – 7:00 pm. It focuses more on the Filipino Language and learning it through lessons, songs, book reading, interviews and others.

In this fifth year, the school has provided government-funded places to all students which mean that there are currently no tuition fees charged. Filipino language learning has become more accessible to all. With this bold effort, the school has increased its numbers with an estimated 35 students currently enrolled. FLSC, do however, accepts voluntary contributions from parents and donations from the community as well as conduct fund raising activities to support the school’s operational expenses and worthy cause.

Filipino Language School of Canberra

HIGHLIGHTS IN 2014-15• Launch of FLSC’s Filipino Language and Culture Radio Program, August 2014. This is funded byACT Multicultural (Participation) Grant• Participated in various community activities :o FCCACT’s Philippine Independence Ball, June 2014o ACTCLSA Annual Dinner, September 2014 and Community Language Schools Open Day,October 2014o Pasko sa Canberra (Christmas in Canberra) at the Philippine Embassy Grounds with highlighton parol (lantern) making with children which is also funded by ACT Multicultural (Participation) Grant, December 2014

o National Multicultural Festival InformationStall, February 2015o International Mother Language Day,February 2015• TRIBYANG PINOY CHALLENGE in August2014 in celebration of the Philippine Language Month (Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa) and raised $765 for Typhoon Haiyan Appeal.

Our Family

Multicultural Festival 2015

ACT CLSA Certificates 2014

कैनबेरा हिन्दी स्कूलCanberra Hindi School

Canberra Hindi School is organised at the Canberra College, Phillip, Woden, from 3.30 to 5.30 pm on Sundays during the normal school terms. The Hindi is taught using various interacting and audio-visual means such drama, play, games, songs and movies.

Hindi is a national language of India. India‛s national Hindi Divas is celebrated every year on the 14th of September. Hindi was adopted as the official language of India by the Indian Constituent Assembly on September 14, 1949. Hindi is the main language of the Indian cinema known as The Bollywood.

Hindi is a descendant of Sanskrit through Prakrit and Apabhramsha. It has been influenced and enriched by Dravidian, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Portuguese and English. It is a very expressive language. Braj was the popular literary dialect until it was replaced by Khari Boli in the 19th century. In poetry and songs, it can convey emotions using simple and gentle words. It can also be used for exact and rational reasoning.

Hindi is in top five most spoken languages in the world along with Mandarin, Spanish, English and Arabic. Hindi is widely spoken in many countries; some of them are Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Germany, Fiji, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States.

Throughout the year, children performed at various community events such as ACTCLSA Open Day and Diwali Mela and participated in various activities such as Indian festivals and cultural activities conducted at the school and the Children Sanctuary on 14 February 2015 in the National Multicultural Festival.

Canberra Hindi School celebrated Hindi Divas Utsav (Hindi Day function) on 14 September 2014 with fun-filled Hindi activities for the children as well as for the parents/guardians. The program included recitation of Hindi poems and songs by the school students and parents; and Hindi Riddles and Tongue Twisters competitions for the children and parents.

Tongan Language School

We aim to provide an education that is both meaningful and relevant to the child in a happy and caring environment. We teach speaking, writing, listening and reading in the Tongan language. We also incorporate teaching of the structure of the Tongan society, the Four Golden Pillars of Tongan Values or Faa’i Kavei Koula ‘ae Tonga (Respect/Faka’apa’apa; Humility/Anga fakatokilalo; Loyalty/Tauhi va and Passion/Mamahi’i me’a). It is also great fun teaching our young students about Tongan Legends and oral history which have been passed down from generation to generation.

Our mission is to preserve the Tongan language, history and culture. Tongan language is one of the languages of Polynesia and is spoken by 200,000 people in the Kingdom of Tonga and around the world.

Scandinavian School in Canberra, Swedish Section.The Scandinavian School in Canberra, Swedish Section, has commenced the language classes for 2015. We continue to carry out excellent education in the Swedish language, offer information of current daily Swedish life and foster an understanding of the country‛s history and traditions.

We are pleased that we have received new students this year and we are now a total of 22 students divided up in 2 separate classes with 2 teachers. Parents assist occasionally during lessons and are always present at special events.

Here are a couple of photos of our younger student group from a lesson in February this year:

Students with one of our teachers; Elinor.

We are very happy to be able to utilise 2 class rooms at Black Mountain High School in O‛Connor for our language classes. The school principal and staff are always very welcoming and accommodating.

We are looking forward to another productive and fun year at the Scandinavian School in Canberra, Swedish Section. Thank you ACT CLSA for your support!Sofie Fogden President of the School Committee

The books we ordered last year arrived from Sweden a couple of weeks ago.

This picture shows Malin, one of our active parents, organising the new teaching material.

Tongan Language School (continued)

The highlight of our year in 2014 was our cultural performance at the launch of ATUA – Sacred gods from Polynesia at the National Gallery of Australia in the presence of our Tongan High Commissioner, HRH Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Halaevalu Mata’aho Tuku’aho.

In July 2014 we hosted a special Sunday church service and luncheon for young people in our community to promote Education and Learning of the Tongan Language.

We were also privileged to perform at the ACT Community Language School Association’s functions such as the Annual Dinner and the Language Schools Open Day at the University of Canberra.

2014 was an eventful and busy year

2014 CIS Iftar, this 5th annual event was colourful and melodic – students participated in a poster competition about the holy month of Ramadhan (the Islamic month of fasting) and in a Quran recitation competition. We had the pleasure of listening to beautiful, melodic recitations of the Quran! Here are some pictures from the competitions. Great prizes were won on the day.

2014 Community Languages Schools Open Day – In October CIS students presented “Pearls of Wisdom from the Prophet” - lovely sayings from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that are universal human values – sharing, caring and looking out for our neighbours.

Hajj re-enactment - On a beautiful, sunny day in September, the whole school re-enacted the rituals of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah). This event brought together all they learnt in class about the Hajj and the lives and sacrifice of Prophets Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ishmael (Ismail) and Abraham’s wife Hagar (Hajar) – may God be pleased with them all.

CIS Annual excursion – In November 2014 we went to Carey’s Caves in Wee Jasper by coach. We had a lovely day in spite of it being 35C, we were blessed with a cooling breeze in the shelter of trees at Billy Grace Reserve where we had lunch and a bit of a dip in the waters of the Murrumbidgee before we headed back home to Canberra! A special mention of our humorous and informative caves guide, and Geoff our coach driver - cheerful and helpful as always, this time he added a few dad-jokes to make our day!

Canteen We must extend a very big Jazakum Allah Khair to Sr Tam for taking on the task of managing and running the much under-resourced canteen! Last year, I was struggling to run it with help from Sr Raisa with a very limited and static menu. Sr Tam has taken a huge task off my shoulders and students and staff (morning tea snacks) are delighted!

WebsiteIn 2013 CIS was unable to maintain its website due to the lack of manpower to attend to that. Our resources were stretched very thin without a Secretary. Inshaallah, Br Ahsan Jalil has offered to take on this task and once he has all our input as to what we’d like to have functional on the website, he will design and implement it.

Canberra Islamic School

Parent-Teacher Interviews & Prize-giving days – to celebrate the hard work by students, families and teachers, we hold two prize-giving days with parent-teacher interviews in Terms 2 and 4.

Chennai Tamil School - Article prepared by all students:

We have learnt to Care, be Honest, Respectful, and Courageous, be Self-Confident and continue Team Work throughout our classes. We would like to appreciate our techers Gayathri, Subasini, Vidhya, Narayanan, Dr Muthiah & Ravi for helping us to learn moral values.

Our school runs on Tirukkural principle where selflessness is given highest priority. We sing at each class - Tamil Thai Vazhthu at the beginning and Indian National Anthem at the end.

All our 3 levels of separate classes teaching us Tamil Alphabets, Numbers, Weeks, also Vegetable names, Fruits and several other topics. Our level of learning topics gradually highering as we move on to next level. Continuous assessment, self-improvement and regular tests are constantly being monitored - keeping us focussed on the subjects.

We are highly excited to know about Bharathiyar, Avvayar and Thiruvalluvar. Spiritual topics such as learning about Saiva Samaya Kuravar Nalvar and Azhwargal opens-up our imaginiation beyond limits.

We look forward coming to CTS class where our teachers are supportive, encouraging, happy and giving us bit of play time as well. We would like to thank everyone for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

Sinhala Language School of the Australia Sri Lanka Buddhist Association Canberra (ASLBA)

The ASLBA school is offering Sinhala Language and Buddhism classes for children from pre-school to school-leaving (year 10)age. The aim of the school is to educate children about the teachings of Buddha and Buddhist culture which helpsthem to live a wholesome life. It also encourages the children to develop the Sinhala Language skills in speaking, reading and writing. Buddhism is taught in English. The classes are conducted on Saturdays from 2.30 pm to 5.45 pm except during ACT school holidays. At present there are more than 100 students enrolled and four classes are conducted to cater for the needs of various age groups. Resident monks and parents serve as volunteer teachers to teach Sinhala Language and Buddhism to the children.

A concert event is organised at the end of every year where children showcase their talents gained through the year. Every child gets the opportunity to participate on a stage play or a dance item during this event. At the conclusion of the concert children are awarded certificates for attendance and participation.

School ActivitiesThe school has launched many successful projects regularly to elicit greater student involvement in language learning, religious and cultural activities. All students have opportunities to participate in the regular cultural activities such as New Year Celebrations, religious activities of the temple such as Katina program, Sill programs, Vesak (May) and Poson (June) full-moon day celebrations. Fancy dress paradeBalancing the lime

Furthermore as an active member of the ACT Community Schools Associations, our school students actively participate in multicultural festivals and functions organised by the ACT Community Language Schools Association.

The school’s curriculum is not limited to the fostering of sound religious and cultural values but also to develop and mould the students’ life and social skills. The annual concert and other events in ACT (Multicultural Festival) provide a welcome opportunity to our students to showcase their skills and talents acquired during the school year by participating in visual and performing arts as drama, singing and dancing.

Lighting the Inaugural OilSpeech by the Chief Guest Mr Nic Manikis

Program for teenagerA youth program is conducted for school leavers to engage with the other young adults and provide the opportunity to listen to valuable talks, share their experiences and discuss their own ideas. This is also provide guidance to enjoy their ‘teen hood,’ with a better understanding of Buddhism to make them a stronger person.

Children’s Magazine (Lama Kalamba)Our school produces a children’s magazine called ‘Lama Kalamba’ annually. The magazine is a part of the school’s learning activities, where students can publish their letters, stories, poems, drawings etc. The main objective of the magazine is to encourage children to write in Sinhala Language. This magazine is distributed free of charge to all the students. The ‘Lama Kalamba’ Magazine is published every year with the aim to develop children’s research and writing skills about Sri Lankan culture and Buddhism.

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2015 Dates to Remember

Saturday 19 September

Annual Dinner

Objectives of the Association

The ACT Community Language Schools Association (ACTCLSA) is a non-profit organisation, providing a forum where Community Language Schools can come together to share experiences and information.

Our main objectives are:

To promote understanding and mutual respect among Ethnic Communities

To promote the teaching of languages, history and culture of ethnic communities

To co-ordinate and promote inter-ethnic school social and cultural activities

To promote the concept of multicultural education and provide language programmes for allstudents with in the ACT

General Information on Schools

The ACT CLSA is the umbrella body for around 40 member Ethnic Schools in the ACT which provide out of hours language classes known as Community Language Classes for all school aged children interested in learning languages often not provided in main stream schooling.

Languages offered include: Arabic, Auslan, Bangla, Cantonese, Chinese (Mandarin), Croatian, Dari, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French, Greek, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian,Japanese, Karen, Khmer, Korean, Macedonian, Malayalam, Maori, Mon, Nepali, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Samoan, Serbian, Sinhalese, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu,Tibetan, Tongan, Urdu and Vietnamese.

ACT Hebrew School

Canberra Swahili School

We welcome the following playgroups We welcome the following new schools

Les Petite Etoiles French

Language Playgroup

International Mother Language Movement (IMLM) Walk – Saturday 21 February 2015Many ACT CLSA schools attended and/or performed at the second annual IMLM Walk held in Canberra. The event was opened by the new minister for multicultural affairs Ms Yvette Berry.

We acknowledge the support of :