Languages Other Than English

Now more than ever Australians need to become more aware of other cultures. With Australia’s increased trade and interaction with other countries, learning another language is becoming a vital part of the social and economic future of our nation. Languages are becoming increasingly useful in various types of work. Employers in the hospitality, medical, banking and marketing industries now advertise for applicants with a second language.

Here at Nazareth College we foster the development of our students in LOTE by offering Japanese and Italian from Years 7 to 12. They form part of the core curriculum in our Middle School and in Senior School become electives. In Years 11 and 12 we also offer Chinese as a First Language.

Our students are encouraged to use the LOTE being studied in many different situations. We use many interactive websites to reinforce vocabulary and we expose them to many different relevant cultural experiences such as Japanese Manga drawing and Italian Folk Dancing. Our students enter, and are successful, in many inter-school language competitions.

Nazareth College has developed a Sister-School relationship with Shibuya Junior High School in Tokyo, Japan. Students from Shibuya visit Nazareth College annually and are hosted by our students. During their stay they are involved in many activities with our students such as excursions to tourist destinations and cultural presentations.

A group of Nazareth College students visits Shibuya Junior High School bi-annually. There they are immersed in the Japanese culture by staying with Japanese host families and attending school. They also enjoy tours of some important Japanese sites. We are currently organising a Study tour to Italy and hope to make that a bi-annual event. We hope to tour the main tourist sites as well as spend time in an Italian High School. The aim of the study tours is to immerse our students in the language of their studies.