St Norbert College students have gained outstanding results in their final WACE ATAR Second Language examinations.
Both the Japanese and Italian programs offered to students from Years 7 to 12 prepare students for life and careers where a sound knowledge of languages is advantageous. Students can choose tertiary studies in Japanese and Italian that can combine with other majors, making employment options open-ended.
The College’s language courses are aimed at students for whom the language is a second (or subsequent) language. These students have not encountered or interacted in the language outside of the language classroom, however students may have experienced some short stays or exchanges in Japan or Italy.
St Norbert College students are engaged in innovative Japanese and Italian programs which provide a number of unique prospects in a challenging learning environment that follows the guidelines of the WA Languages curriculum.
Students study a semester of both Japanese and Italian in Year 7 and in Year 8 choose to study Japanese or Italian. In Year 9 and Year 10, Japanese and Italian are popular elective subjects and students can continue Japanese or Italian Second Language Courses in Year 11 and Year 12 ATAR WACE.
The Languages Learning Area offers academic extension and differentiation through the dedication and expertise of a talented team of teachers, supported by the work of a number of native-speaker assistants at Year 11 and 12 levels.
Achieving personal excellence is encouraged through a range of Japanese and Italian initiatives and contacts, including:
- A student exchange program with our partner school, Seijo, in Tokyo, and the WA Association of Teachers of Italian (WAATI) exchange
- Before or after-school additional Japanese and Italian-speaking classes available for Year 12 students
- A WACE senior marker visits St Norbert College to provide tips on gaining better WACE results
- The College has teachers who are WACE examiners
- The College has established links with the Japan Foundation, Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre, the Consul-General of Japan in Perth and the Consul-General of Italy in Perth.
- Formal recognition of language competence is gained through a variety of external competitions and examinations, such as the ACER Language Competence Contest and contests offered by Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of WA and WAATI
- School incursions and excursions
- Languages Week
As part of a long-standing exchange program, in 2019 St Norbert College hosted a visit from 14 Year 9 students from Seijo in Tokyo. The students spent a two-week homestay with our families from every year level, enjoying the many kindnesses offered by SNC families.