Junior School Languages Update

By Ms. Lauren Bell, Head of Languages, Junior School

January and February are big months for the languages department! We are excited to reflect on our celebration of Lunar New Year and language buddy sharing and to announce our plans for Global Connections Week (GloCo), which takes place February 7-9.

Mandarin students learned all about Lunar New Year, which is one of the biggest holidays for many Asian countries. Through stories, songs and dance, students learned the origins of the holiday and all about the Chinese zodiac. They participated in various craft activities and searched for rabbits in the display case!

Schoolwide activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year included special red gift envelopes for all students, a lion dance and drum parade, lunchtime cultural film screenings, trivia questions and prizes, and a Dragon dance performance by Mr. Larry Lei and senior school students for our grades 2/3 students.  

Language Buddies 
Language sharing across grade levels is an invaluable learning tool for both younger and older students to practise, review, and build confidence and enthusiasm for using the language to communicate in a real way.

French 7 students joined students from French 6AA, 5CH and 5BJ to share stories and review the geography of the French-speaking world. Spanish 6AA and Spanish 3FA partnered up to review the story “Sopa de Cactus,” which includes songs and raps, practising opposites, and using puppets to increase expression and fluidity. And Spanish 7HK and Spanish 1HD enjoyed practising opposites, games and songs ("Choco Choco La La" is a favourite) and together read the story “Un helado por favor.”

We look forward to expanding buddy sharing activities as teacher and class schedules allow.

Global Connections Week (GloCo) is February 7-9, with many activities planned to celebrate the diverse cultures of our WPGA community. These include morning performances in the junior lobby, globally-inspired lunches in the dining hall, and fun student workshops in languages classes. We can't wait for next week!