A Little Taste For Learning New Language

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday August 5, 2008

By MATTHEW RAWSTHORNE

WYONG Creek Public School has students with backgrounds from many countries including Austria, France, Laos, Cambodia and The Philippines, meaning English is not the only language many of them can speak.

Year 1 student Mia Suggitt is bilingual, speaking French and English, while kindergarten's Alan Whyman speaks Laotian but very little English.

Students also learn French at the school with community volunteer Mrs Evelyn Thomas, who visits every Thursday.

She is from France, near Villers-Bretonneux where many Australians lost their lives in World War I, and has a lot to tell students about the history of her country.

Mrs Thomas had some newspapers sent from France this year to describe the 90th anniversary celebrations of the end of the war.

She teaches the students lots of phrases in French, how to count, greetings and songs.

"Learning another language like French will make children smarter by increasing knowledge and learning how the grammar of French works," a teacher at the school Mrs Anne Whight said.

"French is a popular lesson at The Creek."

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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