Year 7 Italian Excursion

On 16 May, the two Year 7 Italian classes went on an excursion to Carlton. The journey was exciting as we took trams and trains to get there. We arrived at the CO.AS.IT which is an Italian museum that focuses on migration in the 50s and 60s. We were greeted by Maria who shared migration stories of Italians first arriving in Australia. She told many stories of tragic events and their journey when migrating to Australia. We were shown many videos and photos of what life was like for Italian immigrants. We learnt about the many shops and restaurants that are located in Carlton, which have been here since Italians first arrived. 

Following the presentation we were given the opportunity to experience a tour of the museum. We saw many interesting things like jewelry and family heirlooms. We gained knowledge and learnt more about Italian migration to Australia.

After our amazing experience at the museum, we headed toward Brunetti’s. On the way, we observed the shops and their history. As we arrived at Brunetti’s we were welcomed by the amazing waitresses who walked us to our own room that had tables and chairs set up for us. We were given three different types of pizza. We enjoyed margarita, vegetarian and prosciutto pizza. We were able to get a hot drink of our choice, which included hot chocolate, tea, chai and coffee. We were given an hour to eat and everyone was very full. We then packed our bags and headed to Brunetti’s Ice Cream Parlor. We had so many delicious ice cream and gelati flavors to choose from, which was a very hard decision. 

We had an amazing experience at both the museum and the restaurant. We were so grateful to have this opportunity to learn about Italian history and eat delicious pizza and ice cream!

Italian Classes
Year 7

Japanese Calligraphy Workshops

On 13 June, the Years 9, 10 and 11 Japanese classes had a Calligraphy Workshop with an instructor from Ebisu Design.

The Year 9 students learned to write the Japanese Kanji character that means ‘fun‘. The Year 10 students wrote the same Kanji but they designed the character so that it looked fun. The Year 11 students learned ‘sumie’ drawing with ink and brush and drew bamboo trees.

All students developed their calligraphy skills quickly and took their beautiful piece of work home.

Miho Yamanaka
Teacher

Making Japanese Sweets

‘Mochi’ (Sticky Rice Cake) is getting popular here in Australia. I think some of you may have already tasted ‘Yukimi Daifuku’, which is vanilla ice cream wrapped with mochi.

At the end of last term, the Year 8 Japanese class made Japanese sweets called ‘Shiratama Dango’ (Mochi Ball) and explored how the Japanese sweet tasted. Mochi Ball is made of rice flour and water, then kneaded into a small ball shape (smaller than a ping-pong ball). It’s then put into boiling water for a few minutes. It is quite a simple recipe. We also made two different toppings, roasted soy-bean flour and sugar and a sweet soy glaze.

Some students who seemed to cook for the first time were unsure how to measure the amount of the sugar and did not know how to see when the water had boiled for cooking. However, they enjoyed kneading the rice flour dough, shaping the small balls and making the topping sauce.

I hope students enjoyed this cooking session and learnt more regarding Japanese culture. I would like to thank the Food Technologies team, especially Ms Christine Vaughan, for letting us use the kitchen and assisting me with the cooking session.

Hideaki Sakurai
Teacher