22 Mar 2018
Our story about the pen pal program was such a hit that we thought we'd bring you an update. Here's the story that appeared on Grenfell High's newsletter:
'This year as part of their LOTE (Languages Other than English) program, Year 8 will be writing letters to their fellow Year 8 students at Sir Joseph Banks High School in Sydney.
This has come about as a result of Yongyan Xia winning the Heywire competition in 2016. As part of her prize Yongyan was invited to Canberra to meet the other winners and to design a program that would enable students to learn more about their heritage and a different culture. The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) then makes funds available through a grant scheme for organisations to implement these projects. Last year we were fortunate enough to receive funding for the pen pal program.
Our project will involve the students writing 4-6 letters throughout the year to one another, culminating in a visit to Sir Joseph Banks High School on the Year 8 excursion at the end of the year, where the students will get to meet their pen pal in person. This is our sister school down in Sydney and their students come from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds and cultures. It is hoped that through this project our students will gain a better understanding of, and have a greater awareness of, multiculturalism in Australia. This will also provide the literacy focus for our LOTE subject this year.
Year 8 students have recently completed their first letter and are eagerly awaiting their first letter in reply.'