Welcome to the first year of Mandarin lessons at Truganina South Primary School. This year’s Mandarin is all about getting to know the language and Chinese culture. Students will have a taste of speaking Mandarin such as greeting and exchanging names with each other. Activities such as singing, playing memory games, craft making, role-playing, Chinese calligraphy and online quiz have been used throughout the year to enrich students’ learning experience. Along with cultural festivals such Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-autumn Festival, students also develop cultural understanding and awareness of the differences and similarities between their own culture and the Chinese culture. Students learn to write some of the most common Chinese characters and practice speaking Mandarin by recording words, short phrases and simple sentences in their Ipad through Seesaw. I hope students will have fun in learning Mandarin this year and for the long run, preparing them to become multilingual and capable global citizens.