Lunar New Year
In Week 5, our international students, Senior School Language students, German Exchange students and staff celebrated Lunar New Year together. Lunar New Year (in 2026, the Year of the Horse) is celebrated uniquely with festivities and traditions across many East and South-East Asian communities, including China, Korea and Vietnam. We were particularly excited to join with our international students in marking this significant cultural event. All enjoyed the delicious traditional Chinese food such as dumplings, spring rolls and prawn crackers as we reflected on the importance of appreciating and respecting cultural traditions such as these.
German Exchange
Each year, Senior School German students from Concordia College have the opportunity to take part in a two-month exchange with Bavaria, in Southern Germany. Our students travel to Germany in late November, staying till late January, giving them the opportunity to experience snow sports, Christmas markets, German Christmas and New Year traditions, the German school system, and exciting holidays with their host families. The German students attend school in Australia during Term 1, with highlights including beach trips, the Oceans and Outback trip, and an Australian Easter.
This year we have welcomed eight German students to our Year 10, 11 and 12 cohorts. The students have fitted in seamlessly, forming new friendships and enjoying the chance to study subjects that they do not usually do in Germany such as Child Studies, Food and Hospitality, Health and Wellbeing, and Media. In Week 4, the Languages Faculty invited all students at the College to a 'Meet the Germans' event. Along with enjoying lamingtons and Tim Tams, it was a wonderful opportunity for the exchange students to share information about life in Germany, and for the Australian students to ask them questions. We are looking forward to welcoming the Exchange students to the German classes in the younger years, so that our younger students can learn more about German culture and the German school system, and hopefully become inspired to take part in an exchange themselves when they are older!
Trish Prenzler
Faculty Leader Languages
