As the new school year approaches in a few weeks, the Greek Community of Melbourne’s Language & Culture Schools are gearing up to welcome it with joy and enthusiasm.
“We look forward to welcoming both returning and new students and sharing with them a fantastic adventure, a wonderful life experience filled with games, friends, action, and, most importantly, knowledge and a meeting with a unique culture and one of the richest and most significant languages globally,” says the school’s director, Mrs Maria Bakalidou.
While catering to a broad spectrum of ages, levels, and needs, the primary vision of these schools remains the promotion and continuation of the Greek language and culture in a society characterised by multilingualism and multiculturalism. “Apart from the connection to our cultural roots, knowledge of a language with such a significant presence and contribution to the fields of science and arts can serve as a passport for higher education and a successful professional career,” explains Mrs Bakalidou.
The Greek Community’s Language & Culture Schools believe that the journey to knowledge is a journey to joy and creation. With modern curricula, experienced and trained educators, and interactive teaching methods, they create the conditions for students to evolve their acquaintance with the language and culture into an exciting life experience.
“For this reason, we choose a holistic approach to Greek language proficiency both inside and outside the classroom, with a series of actions, educational programs, excursions, school events, and celebrations. We also include sections on Greek Music and Dance, Theatre Education, History, and Culture in most of our programs as complementary to the language courses,” Mrs Bakalidou adds.
With a 95-year history in education, the Greek Community passionately serves its vision of promoting the Greek language and culture through its schools in eight Melbourne areas: Alphington, Balwyn, Doncaster, South Morang, Vermont South, Windsor, and two units for children who have Greek as their first language in the City and Bentleigh.
“Continuing the tradition, this year’s successes of our students in the VCE exams once again affirm the quality and high level of our programs. Specifically, in the Modern Greek subject, 50 per cent of our students achieved a score equal to or greater than 33/50. Moreover, 19 per cent of our students achieved a score equal to or higher than 40/50, a percentage more than double that of the overall Victorian students who competed in the Greek subject this year. It is worth noting that these scores do not include the subject’s scaling,” Mrs Bakalidou highlights.
In addition to the Greek language teaching sections, the Greek Community also offers Ancient and Modern Greek classes for adults, both at the Greek Centre and online. There are also classes in Ancient Greek for high school students, Greek classes for late beginners aged 10-18, a Creative Theatre and Arts Centre, and the pioneering and highly successful Greek Program ‘ELA’ for children aged 18 months to 4 years, operating in the Huntingdale, Mill Park, and Bulleen areas.
For more information and registrations at the Greek Community schools, you can call the Community at 96622722, send an email to education@greekcommunity.com.au, or visit the website greekcommunity.com.au/schools.
