About The School

Sister Schools

Students from year 7-12 have the opportunity to visit our sister schools every two years. Reciprocal visits also occur.

ITALIAN SISTER SCHOOL

Istituto Giannone in San Marco in Lamis (Foggia)

Our Sister School-the Istituto S. Giannone visited the school in March 2006. The group consisted of 24 Senior students between the ages of 16 and 19-many of whom are facing the equivalent of our VCE final exams in a couple of months (their academic year finishes in June). There were also three staff accompanying them. On the first day, our Senior Band gave an exuberant performance for the welcoming ceremony and Rachel Reece performed the 'Welcome to Country' greeting for our visitors.

The group was a strong presence in our school and stirred a lot of interest and excitement amongst our students –whether it was while walking in the school yard at recess and lunch-time, answering Italian questions in English from a Year 9 Italian class, attending a variety of classes and getting involved in Science or discussions on Garibaldi, or simply socialising at the barbecue or in the corridors-It was a great pleasure to hear our students dust off and use the Italian they had learned or were learning to communicate with our visitors.

CHINESE SISTER SCHOOL

Beijing Fangzhi School, Haidian, Beijing

During November 2005, three teachers (Mr Egeberg, Mr Hysen and Ms Ryan) and seventeen students (from year 7-11) spent ten days in China and Malaysia.

Students spent part of their trip at our sister school in Beijing and were able to attend classes and experience, first hand, the differences and similarities between the two schools. All classrooms have the latest technology, with data projectors and computers in each room and, although class sizes are about 40, students were also working in small groups.

During the trip we visited a number of historical sites such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Tianamen Square, and Great Wall of China, as well as eating at many restaurants.

A number of commitments were agreed to, after many discussions with the school's Principals and the Regional Director of the Haidan District. Our sister school is very keen to send a class of year 7 students to study for half a year at the school, to establish a video conference link, to have some senior students complete their VCE at the school as fee paying students as well as to continue with the exchange visits every two years.