Armidale High School is among a select group of schools to win funding to promote Asian languages and culture within their classrooms and school communities.
As part of the national Becoming Asia Literate: Grants to Schools initiative, Armidale High, will receive a $20,000 Federal Government grant.
“The funding will go towards the project ‘Hanshimashou – Let’s Communicate’ which allows classes to use ipads and IWB to communicate in real time with peers in our sister school in Inami, Japan,” Mrs Deb Moore, the teacher responsible for the project, said.
“AHS students learn firsthand about Japanese culture and lifestyles. Inami students visited Armidale in August this year and we will return the visit in September 2012; the project fosters on-going relationships between students.”
The grant was part of the $62.4 million National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP) to support Asia literacy. Minister for Schools, Early Childhood and Youth, the Hon Peter Garrett MP, announced the new funding recently.
Principal of Armidale High School, Anne Matley, welcomed the announcement, saying that the grant will extend learning possibilities across the curriculum.
“This is a great opportunity to strengthen links with our new sister school in Japan after a long and successful partnership with Inami High,” Mrs Matley said.
“Our P & C is very supportive of our Asian Language Program and parents are very enthusiastic about these opportunities for their children to participate in cultural exchange in our increasingly globalised world.”
