Japanese Sister School
This year, we launched the inaugural penpal program with our sister school in Japan - Kyoto Seibo Gakuin. Each student studying Japanese at St Aloysius College has been paired up with a penpal from our sister school and has had opportunities to exchange letters and emails written in a mixture of English and Japanese. Over 100 letters from Japan arrived at the end of Term 2 and needless to say, students were very excited to read their letters and even find some photos and stickers tucked inside the envelopes. At the beginning of this term, students also had the opportunity to talk to their penpals online in breakout rooms and learn more about them, as well as Japanese culture and school life.
The penpal program has been a pleasant experience that I as a Year 7 Japanese student is able to have. Writing to my penpal has helped me study Japanese and I have made a new friend that has a great sense of humour. It has truly been enjoyable and has allowed me to have a conversation with someone who is living in Japan. I hope we can do this program again next year.
Aimee Keating, 7C
I have thoroughly enjoyed the online sessions with our Japanese sister school! I have learnt many things about the Japanese culture and along the way, have had the chance to strengthen my language skills. It has been lovely to compare school and lifestyles with our penpal. This program has been great!
Sylvie Ottinger, 8C
I am very grateful for the opportunity to communicate with our penpals as speaking and listening is an area that I often struggle with in languages, and real-world practice always helps! It has also been meaningful to be able to make a face-to-face connection with our penpals and talk to them in their native language despite living on different sides of the world.
Lila Kelly, 9C
The letters and emails with our Japanese sister school have provided me with an incredible opportunity to interact with the world outside Australian boundaries, as well as on a personal level. I was able to communicate with my penpal and learn about them, their culture, and their language, which differed from mine. Furthermore, writing letters and emails to my penpal assisted me in learning new vocabulary, practising writing about certain topics, and improving my grammar. This program has been an excellent approach to learning while having fun, and I hope it continues in the coming years.
Tram Pham, 10C
Throughout the rest of the year, we look forward to continuing to connect with our Japanese sister school and collaboratively explore ways to provide more authentic learning experiences.
Arina Mizuno, Languages Leader