Caversham Wildlife Park

On Friday 10th September we took the Italian students to Caversham Wildlife Park. Their host brothers and sisters accompanied them so we had approximately 40 people in our group. Some hosts had never been to this famous tourist destination before so it was an excellent adventure for them too. Debbie was our guide and she was very good at providing information about all the different exhibits and the amazing animals that live in the park. For example, did you know that wombats can travel at up to 40km per hour ? Amazing isn't it ? Especially for an animal that looks quite "plump" (they can grow to 35kgs). You can only touch the koalas with the back of your hand and you shouldn't touch the leaves otherwise the koalas won't eat them. The Farm Show was a wonderful way to highlight some excellent elements of Australiana such as sheep shearing, whip cracking and billy tea swinging. Erik swung the billy successfully, Antonella and Martino tried to crack the whip and create a sonic boom but didn't quite make it. After a magnificent morning in the wilds at Whiteman we travelled to the marvellous Mondo Nougat factory for some tasty treats. It was a great day and we hope everyone continues to enjoy the exchange experience !

Il Primo Giorno A Mount Lawley

Che giorno favoloso ! La mattina presto eravamo nella mensa di Michelle Masarei (la madre di Myles). Poco dopo sono arrivati gli studenti d'italiano dell'anno 8 GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) che hanno fatto da cicerone per i Tiranesi. Dopo un giro della scuola scoprendo le aule di multimedia, fotografia, palestra, ecc siamo andati nell'aula N4.1 in Middle School North per una lezione con gli studenti dell'anno undici. Ognuno doveva conoscere sei persone nuove con delle domande in inglese e italiano e poi i Tiranesi hanno completato i loro poster intitolati "Eccomi". Questi poster sono stati messi in biblioteca cosi tutti gli studenti a Mount Lawley Senior High School possono conoscere chi sono i Tiranesi e sapere come si chiamano, con chi vivono durante il soggiorno a Perth ed altre informazioni utili. Dopo pranzo alcuni studenti hanno lavorato con gli studenti GATE, aiutandoli con il loro italiano. Timoteo, Emanuela, Chiara ed Erik sono stati bravissimi ! Grazie ragazzi ! E` stata una bellissima esperienza per i nostri studenti, sicuramente una che non dimenticheranno mai. Poi i quattro "maestrini" hanno avuto l'opportunita` di provare a giocare Aussie Rules Football. Erik e` stato bravissimo, he took a great mark ed e` stato applaudito dagli studenti di Middle School. Dopo pranzo ho avuto Laura in classe con gli studenti dell'anno 10 ed e` stata bravissima ad aiutare gli studenti con il loro italiano, grazie Laura ! What a hectic but fantastic first day. Well done to all the Tiranesi, you were wonderful ambassadors for your country today and gave our MLSHS community a great taste of Italian language and culture.

Family Hostings

One of the most wonderful things about being part of the Mount Lawley school community is the care and consideration that families involved in programs like the Lawley Italia Cultural Exchange Program show not only to the young people they are hosting but also to the whole group involved in this special program, students and parents combined. I am proud of the way everyone has worked together to find solutions to the challenges (big and small) that we have encountered along the way. I would like to salute Bianca Petale and the incredible effort she has put into the planning and coordinating of such a complex program. Her expertise in this area is a wonderful asset and ensures that things run smoothly. May we all have a positive experience that hopefully enriches our lives and reminds us of the value a program like this provides all involved. Here are the new families, host brothers and sisters and host parents.