15 August 2024
From the Junior School:
On Wednesday of Week 3, our Years 3 to 6 French learners, along with some special guests including Year 4 French students from Walford Anglican School for Girls and our Year 6 learners of Chinese, were treated to a French Concert by Canadian ‘teacher rockstar’ Étienne. Known for his engaging approach to education through Rap, Rock and Dance music, Étienne blends catchy beats and fun actions with language learning. He now travels the world presenting at French teachers’ conferences and performing to students. In the lead-up to the event, our students learned several songs and raps (impressively, most Junior School boys can now conjugate the verb avoir by heart!) and created posters and signs to welcome Étienne.
During the performance, the usual quiet of Memorial Hall was transformed into a true rock concert atmosphere. Student fans cheered, sang, danced and lined up for autographs from their French rockstar hero. It was fantastique to see the students’ enthusiasm and enjoyment of the French language and culture expressed through song and dance. Our students are now looking forward to presenting some Etienne’s songs at our French Assembly in Week 7. The success of the event was a testament to the hard work of everyone involved and we are very grateful to Étienne for bringing such joy and energy to our community of language learners!
Julia Procopio and Arasmia Hanna
Junior School Language Teachers (French and EAL/D)
From the Senior School:
On Thursday 8 August French-Canadian musician Etienne entertained all French students in the Senior School in a rock concert in Memorial Hall. We were joined by students from Loreto College and St Aloysius College. Etienne – DJ Delf has been on a world tour in New Zealand and in Australia. He engaged and enthused our students, who were up and out of their seats chanting to his latest song ‘La Manie’. It was a sight to behold to see the boys and girls moving to the beat of the music and waving their arms around. Etienne’s essential messages through his music and song are to encourage students to continue with their French studies as we can never be sure where the skills we learn in speaking a language other than English will take us. Our students had fun while listening to the French language, some of which had already been learnt in the classroom, delivered in a different way, and with a different French accent! Students also had the opportunity to have their posters autographed during and after the concert. Thank you to all participants, visiting schools, spectators and staff for joining us, and to David Williams and Daniel Spiby for their assistance in the set up and creation of a great ambiance in Memorial Hall.
Irene Castrechini-Sutton
Head of Languages (Acting); Coordinator of French
