08 November 2018
It is not often as a teacher, that you get the privilege of working with a group of boys for five consecutive years. Luckily for me, the current Year 12 EALD class and I have had that very rare privilege. Boys have come and gone, but I have been so lucky to build close relationships with each of the boys in this class. Therefore, it was only fitting that we finished off the year with a Celebration Dinner which was held on the Thursday of Valedictory Day, 25 October.
The venue chosen was the Kings Head Pub. While many might wonder why, there was a method to my madness. The Kings Head Pub is well known for its South Australian sourced menu, and an icon of South Australia, the pie floater. One brave boy, Anson Lu (Year 12), decided to take the plunge and ordered the South Aussie icon. I don’t believe he was all that impressed upon being presented with the rather unique meal, and all of the boys were rather perplexed as to why you would put a perfectly good pie in bright green pea soup. They all had a taste test, and despite his reservations, Anson managed to eat the whole thing!
I spoke about each of the Year 12 boys: Jason Cha, Difan Deng, Louis Lau, Anson Lu, Paul Pruttimuttakul, Howard Zhang and Simon Zhang about how they had each made their mark and that there was no doubt that each of them had a bright future ahead. Much had been overcome during their time at Saints, it was about more than just language and yet each of them came out a better person because of it. As I wished them well in their final exams, I reflected on the things they had taught each other and also taught me. Each boy was presented with a gift with a symbol of St Peter’s (tie clip) and South Australia (Charlesworth Nuts and Fruchocs) as a small token to remember their time here. I also had the chance to thank other staff who have been so integral to their time at Saints: Mrs Amanda Bruce, Ms Fangfang Qiu and our EALD volunteer Dr Meredith Kaesehagen. So, I farewell the EALD class of 2018. Five years is a long time in their short lives, and they will not be forgotten.
Miss Sally Ziniak
Coordinator of EALD (English as an Additional Language or Dialect)
