While most Illawarra students gladly flee the classroom on weekends, one group of students will faithfully return each Saturday morning, for lessons not taught Monday-to-Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Smiths Hill High School is home to the Saturday School of Community Languages – one of 15 centres of its kind operating state-wide.
The classes are for high school students who have a background in the languages on offer – Arabic, Chinese, Macedonian, Greek, Serbian and – when the demand exists –Spanish and Turkish.
More than 160 students attend the Board of Studies-approved Smiths Hill centre and about 50 of them study Arabic.
While new migrants made up most enrollments in the 1980s and 1990s, the 38-year-old school is increasingly taking on second and third generation Australians, and recently arrived refugees, said Khaled Elhage, the centre’s assistant supervisor.
“A lot of the students coming to the Arabic subjects are [here] a result of the refugee program,” said Mr Elhage, speaking to the Mercury from the centre’s end-of-year presentation on Saturday.
“We’re finding this is a really great way to transition into a new country and a community, and still be supported to maintain their identity.”
Parents and students crowded into the school for Saturday’s presentation.
Presenters included Wollongong Police Local Area Commander Joe Cassar and Principal Nancy Morvillo, who oversees 15 centres throughout NSW.
Visit sscl.school.nsw.edu.au or phone 4226 2446 for more information.
