Final Farewell at Malvern Primary School

My school year at Malvern Primary School has finished now, and it is sad to see this positive experience of my year in Australia come to an end. I have loved my time at the school and I think that they have been happy with me. We had a whole series of final assemblies in the last week of school, one of which included a presentation and farewell to me. At our Canada Day assembly in November, I had presented the school with a blanket that has the Canada map on it, and now they had finished the top of it to make it into a hanging with a scroll to put up in the corridor at the school. The principal had a plaque made that will be mounted beside the hanging, stating that I presented it to the school in 2010. The music teacher also presented me with some Australian music which I will use with my choir back in Canada. The kids cheered and clapped and I sang a final song to them, which was an adaptation of “This Land is Your Land”. I was quite choked up singing the final verse to them, but I managed to get through it all. On the following day the staff had a final farewell luncheon, and the principal presented me with an authentic and traditional Akubra hat, like the kind of hat worn in the Outback. It is truly a great souvenir of Australia to treasure in the future!

For the last school newsletter, I summed up my feelings and experiences for everyone, which I would also like to share with you, my dear readers.

A Fond Farewell

By Karin Klassen

As the end of the 2010 school year is fast approaching, it is fitting that I pause a moment and reflect on what the teaching exchange has meant for me. I have loved my time at Malvern Primary School, and I thank Mr. Bennetts most sincerely for putting his trust in my application and actually agreeing to accept me as an exchange teacher for 2010. It has taken 10 years for me to find a music teaching match, and without this, I would never have been able to embark on my 2010 Australian adventure.

I have really enjoyed getting to know all students at the school. It has been a joy to teach the Prep to Grade 2 students in music and the older students in the support program. I hope that I have been able to make a positive impact to the school this year, and the music program in particular. I believe that I have managed to instil in the students a love of music and a joy for their own music making. I have really loved to share with you my love for Canada, and I sincerely thank you for embracing my country’s life, music and culture with so much enthusiasm. I have been able to go into each of the 30 classrooms and make a special presentation which culminated in a fantastic Canada Day Assembly, a huge event where each grade did a tremendous job on their assigned Canadian song, rap or dance. Thank-you also for buying Snowball treats to celebrate the Canadian winter! With the money earned, I purchased a Conga drum and a set of “Footnotes” for the school. Hopefully you will all see the items at our final school assembly and remember me fondly when you use them in the future!

I loved to participate in the many special happenings at the school, like Wacky Hair Day, the Asian Expo and the Africa Day assembly. I was happy to accompany the Grade 6 classes to their camps and incursions and even survived ski camp without breaking a leg! My encounter with a Huntsman at Mount Buller, however, could have been eliminated!! These events gave me a true picture of the rich and varied life at Malvern Primary and the students are fortunate indeed to be at this school. A real highlight for me was the opportunity to work with the Senior Choir for their Royal South Street festival performance in Ballarat. The Senior Choir even placed first and won a trophy due to their great rendition of a Canadian folk song under my tutelage!

I have also really enjoyed getting to know the staff at the school. Thanks to everyone for including me in your hearts, your activities, and your homes. I like to think that I have helped to brighten your days at school, by regaling you with laughter each morning as I recounted my harrowing tales of train rides or driving the car on the “other” side of the road! It was special indeed to have another music teacher at the school with whom I could work closely together as a team!

I have grown professionally throughout the year. I have been exposed to a wide variety of experiences and professional development opportunities through the school that have both challenged and broadened my own educational philosophies. As a result of being here, I have learned a new repertoire of Australian songs, dances, poems and books that I will be able to share with my classes back home in Canada. I have been given the opportunity to visit the music programs in a number of other schools in Melbourne, observing different grade levels and schools with different socio-economic backgrounds, and have had chances to see first-hand how other schools operate.

Together my husband and I have had the opportunity for travel throughout Australia, and have taken advantage of every suggestion or invitation that was given to us. So, we have travelled to most areas in Victoria and have flown further afield to visit each of the Australian states and territories. Not much grass has been left unturned, and we have enjoyed it all! Memorable also were our encounters with your amazing Australian animals – koalas, kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wallabies, kookaburras to name but a few.

We have loved the life in Melbourne. There is just so much to see and do. We have tried to take advantage of the many concerts, plays, musicals and special festivals that the city offers. Sadly, for each event we attended, there were a host of others that beckoned but could not be accommodated. The events that the International Teaching Fellowship organization arranged for us were also a lot of fun. A highlight for me was playing the violin in Bendigo’s Emu Bush Band!

Alas, I don’t think that I have perfected the Aussie accent yet, so unfortunately I won’t be able to share that with my Canadian cohorts! Still, I have become accustomed to the Aussie language by now. Without the exchange, I RECKON that I would NEVA have been able to answer intelligently when asked HOW YA GOIN’ MATE every morning and that I would never have realized that with the coming of the ARVO I had actually survived another day!

For me, my year at Malvern Primary School has been a most positive experience. We have appreciated all the new Australian friends we have made. We have loved the interaction, the fun, the food and the wine! Thank- you to everyone for your part in making this a memorable year for me and my husband! I have just loved my interactions with you all and I will miss you when we have to return to Canada at the end of the month. Just remember - keep healthy, keep happy, and always keep music as part of your lives. God bless! I have rewritten one of our Canadian songs to reflect my feelings at being a part of your great Australian country for 2010.

This Land is Your Land

Canadian Exchange Version 2010

From Karin Klassen

For Malvern Primary Staff, Students, Families and Friends

This land is your land, this land is my land
From the Great Barrier Reef to the Kangaroo Island
From the Southern Ocean to the Sydney Harbour
This land was made for you and me.

I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the gum tree forests and the Grampian Mountains
And all around me a voice was calling
This land is made for you and me.

I’ve roamed the Red Centre and I followed your coastlines
Your sandstone canyons and your croc-filled waters
As the Kangaroos bounded and the Kookaburra sounded
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining and I was strolling
Through the grasslands waving and the red clouds rolling
As the rain kept falling a voice was calling
This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From Island Tassie to the Indian Ocean
From the Yarra Valley to the city of Melbourne
This land was made for you and me.

And so I thank you for SUPER mem’ries

I’ve loved to meet you, and I’ve loved to teach you

A tear will fall down as I say good-bye now

In my heart you'll always stay.