8 March 2024
Girton Grammar has been honoured to host 13-year-old cyclists Konoha Ogawa and Hoho Sasaoka from Mie prefecture in Japan, who are visiting to compete in the Bendigo International Madison.
The arrangements were made after the school was approached by Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services. Girton is the only school in the region that offers Japanese language studies, and it was important to the visiting students and their teachers to be hosted at a school that would be able to offer language support if required.
During their time at Girton, the students have enjoyed attending Senior School classes with buddies in various year levels and even joining in Co-Connect sessions. The students also had a wonderful time with the Junior School students, who they found very cute!
The visit has enabled Girton’s students to hear about the lives of young people in Japan, complementing their studies of the Japanese language and culture. It has also provided an opportunity for students to apply the words they have learned in class in a real-world setting as they communicate with the visiting students using a mixture of Japanese, English and gestures.
Thank you to all the students who acted as buddies for the visiting cyclists during their time at Girton.
