LOTE (Languages Other Than English)

In our globalised world, languages play a key role in helping us communicate across cultures.

Beaconhills has developed an excellent reputation in LOTE, with many students choosing to continue their language studies to Year 12 and beyond to university.

Not only does knowledge of another language enhance students’ career prospects, but it provides intellectual and educational enrichment. Learning a second language increases students’ knowledge and understanding of their first language.

At Beaconhills College, we offer two languages, French and Japanese, supported by an exciting international exchange program with our three sister schools as a reciprocal arrangement.

In France, we offer two exchange visits each year at two schools; “ Immaculée Conception” in Laval, in La Mayenne region and  “Lycée Saint Exupéry”  in Bourg St Maurice in the heart of the beautiful French Alps.

In Japan, we offer a two and a half week visit to Ibaraki Christian High School, located in a fishing village north of Tokyo. The program also includes a number of special excursions, including a tour of Tokyo.

In both programs, students live with a host family and many develop life-long friendships, while being immersed in the culture, studying and visiting a range of spectacular attractions – from ski resorts in France to the traditional shrines and temples and amazing scenery of Nikko National Park in Japan.

French and Japanese are introduced at Preparatory level at the College through songs, legends and folk stories and basic teaching of the Japanese alphabet. At Year 5, students can choose one of the languages to continue studying until Year 8 (end of Year 9 at Pakenham Campus), after which LOTE is an elective subject.

It is important to remember that choosing a language as a VCE subject can help boost students’ overall VCE results, as their marks are ‘scaled up’ if they succeed in the subject.