Asian Festival success

We have had an excellent start to our Asian Festival festivities at the College on Monday and Tuesday and an exciting culmination at our assembly on Wednesday 25 October.

There was study of the various cultures, dancing, cooking, demonstrations and games, in and out of the classrooms.

Students in Prep to Year 6 tried some delicious sushi on Monday, courtesy of one of the Year 8 Japanese elective classes with Mr Golding and Kumashiro sensei.

On Tuesday, Ms Graham’s Year 5 class, under the supervision of Mrs Hawkins, teamed up with Kumashiro sensei’s 9/10 Japanese class to serve a different dish from Japan, okonomiyaki. Oishii! (Delicious!)

Classes visited the bright, colourful static display in the LOTE Room, and were delighted to discover interesting facts and wonderful creations by students in other year groups.

In class, students have been sharing picture books by Japanese author, Junko Morimoto, and Tasmanian ex-pat and Hong Kong resident, Sarah Brennan. Some of the stories are familiar to our students as they are retellings of folk tales that were studied in Japanese lessons earlier in the year.

Some very kind parents donated their time and expertise and came to visit certain classes to talk about their experiences with particular Asian places and cultures.

Many thanks to those who have already visited, and those who have made plans to come and share their real life experiences. Students love having you come and work with them in their classrooms!

The finale of the assembly on Wednesday was most exciting! Students lined up and made a grand entrance representing their assigned nations.

All students joined in singing and Year 8 and Year 5 students demonstrated different algorithm dances. We had entertainment from the Phillipines, and two terrific Bollywoord performances! Year 6 presented, and the 3-6 concert band.

Ms Gilligan entertained everyone with a speech in Japanese (accompanied by translator Mrs Kinne), and also gave a very interesting presentation on animals from Asia.

Everyone loves the Soran Bushi dance and the whole assembly joined in most enthusiastically. The amazing Japanese students finished off our festival with Taiko drumming. Impressive, vibrant, powerful and stunning! What a show-stopper!

You can see photos from the assembly on our gallery: Asian Festival assembly.