Melbourne Study Tour Introduction The study tour to Melbourne, Australia, was held on 22 October to 31 October in 2011. This was ourfourth study tour of the school to visit Melbourne and our sister school, Princes Hill Primary School (PHPS). Twelve students (7 P.6 students and 5 P.5 students) were chosen to be the school representatives of the tour. Principal Chan and 2 teachers led the team for the visit. From the overseas exchange program, we wish to expandstudents' horizons and enhance their competitiveness so that they can learn to "think globally, act locally". The authentic and practical environment creates language needs for students to use English to communicate actively on a daily basis, result in improvement in English. For teachers, the programhelps to enrich the pedagogies and competence levels. Thus, this is a golden opportunity for our students and teachers to learn and develop.
Team Members and grouping
Highlights of the study tour Group photos 1. Departure: At the Hong Kong airport (22.10.11) Day 1 – (October 22, 2011) We are leaving for the Melbourne exchange program at the Hong Kong International Airport. All the families came and we took many photos along the way at the airport. All the students were excited! When we arrived at Melbourne, all the LHT students together with their host families had a shared dinner in PHPS.
2. Hello, Melbourne! Hello, my host family (23.10.11) Day 2 – (October 23, 2011)
3. Welcome to Princes Hill Primary School (24.10.11) Day 3 - (October 24, 2011) Our first day of school was amazing. We started our day with a small assembly with our Aussie buddies and the P.5 and 6 students. The rest of the day is followed by project learning activities. The Aussie buddies needed to design their dream houses in groups. Our students joined in their discussions and helped with the designs.
4. The campus (25.10.11)
Our second day of school was challenging but yet interesting. We started our day with an assembly with all the students in PHPS. The students in PHPS also presented their projects such as fashion design, architectural design and hip hop dancing.
5. Skpe with LHT students (25.10.11)
In the afternoon on the second day, we had a Skype with teachers and classmates form LHT. They gave us a surprise that some of our parents came to LHT and joined their Skype with us! We enjoyed the time chatting with our friends and telling them our memorable experiences in Melbourne and in PHPS. We were eager to share our life here in Australia to all of them.
6. Farewell to PHPS! (31.10.11)
The journey of this Melbourne study tour finally came to the end. We prepared four performances during the farewell ceremony. The first one was a clarient ensemble ‘The Moon Represents My Heart’. The second performance was a violin duet by called ‘Triumphant Song’. The third one was a recorder ensemble. The song was ‘Spring’. The last performance was a group singing. The song was ‘Shining Friends’ which means that all the PHPS buddies are our shining friends. We hope our friendship can last forever!
7. Back to Hong Kong (31.10.11)
School lives 1. Putonghua Lesson(25.10.11) After lunch one the second day, Miss Lee taught a Putonghua lesson to 20 PHPS students. It was about some vocabulary items related to the school, as well as talking about Mid-Autumn Festival. The students could memorize the pronunciation of the Chinese words well. At the end of the lesson, they learnt the song “The Moon Represents My Heart”. Everyone enjoyed the lesson. The students were especially interested in the traditional Chinese lanterns!
2. Skype Conversation with PHPS(25.10.11)
3. Cooking Lesson (25.10.11)
On 25th October, the day was followed by a cooking lesson prepared by 3 parent helpers from PHPS. We learnt how to make two kinds of Australian food – lamington and sausage roll. Peeling and cutting the onion made us cry, but we had lots of fun! The food we made by ourselves was very delicious! We shared the food with our buddies afterwards. We all like Australian food very much.
Outing activities 1. Visit Healesville Sanctuary (26.10.11)
Our students went to Healesville Sanctuary today. We saw lots of wildlife animals. We visited the Wildlife Hospital. There was a keeper feeding a little bat. One of the most enjoyable shows was “Birds of Prey”. We learnt how big birds catch their preys. Besides, we learnt how to throw a boomerang. It was fantastic! In Wildlife lesson, we were able to touch some animals like a snake, a frog and a lizard. Last but not least, we saw the famous Australian animals like kangaroos, emus and koalas. They were really cute!
2. Visit Melbourne Museum (28.10.11)
Today, we visited Melbourne Museum with our buddies. First, we attended a talk "Making a Quid" and listen to the "Melbourne Story" . They are about people's live in the past. Then, we explored "Bunjilaka" (Aboriginal Cultural Centre). After that, we went to inosaur Gallery". We saw a lot of fossils of dinosaurs!
Project Learning - Life in Australia Outdoor Fun
Animals Reflective Journals “My 11 hours plane flight to Melbourne! First Night in Melbourne”
“A New Learning Experience at Princes Hill Primary School”
“A Special Outing to Healesville Sanctuary”
“A Special Excursion to Melbourne Museum”
“My Second Home, My Second Family in Melbourne”
“My Last Weekend with My Host Family”
Students' works Road Signs Hunt Local Food / Snacks Communication with PHPS Pen Pal Program
Links Princes Hill Primary School Website: http://www.phps.vic.edu.au
Princes Hill Secondary College Website: http://phsc.vic.edu.au
Visit Melbourne Website: www.visitmelbourne.com |