Welcome to the Modern Languages Department!

Guten Tag! Bienvenue! My name is Betty Yanitski and I teach both German and French here at Sal. We have a lot happening in our department, from exchanges to various cultural activities, including movies, trips to restaurants, our annual gingerbread house contest, Sal Oktoberfest and our Halloween storybook reading project. There's never a dull moment for those with a passion for languages.

 

Exchange Opportunities

Languages are such a dynamic field in the new global economy and they are taking our students to amazing places! Two exciting programs that we are presently offering at Salisbury involve exchanges of different kinds, but both are worth checking out.

Three-Month Exchange

The first exchange is a 3-month reciprocal exchange program with Germany under the umbrella of Alberta Education. Students apply in their Grade 10 year, and if successful are matched with a student from the Hesse area of Germany in May. (Hesse is a German province located near Frankfurt.) The actual exchange takes place the following year. Because students reside with their exchange partner, the main cost incurred is for the flight. The German students arrive for their 3-month stay at the end of August; Canadian students head to Germany at the beginning of March. Students are matched based on information provided during the application process. The exchange is a wonderful opportunity to gain language proficiency and to experience German culture first hand. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Yanitski in Room 216.

You may also find more information about the exchange or download the application from the following site: www.education.gov.ab.ca/nie/exchange

Deadline for Application:  February 28

In September we welcomed Hannah Berg, Hauke Köstner and Denise Blaha to Sal as part of the Alberta/Germany 3-month exchange.  Then students waited anxiously for the end of September to celebrate Oktoberfest, and what's Oktoberfest without real German Pretzels!  At the beginning of October we hosted 20 students from Bad Schwalbach, touring them around the area, including visits to West Ed, Drumheller and Fort Edmonton.  They also got a chance to experience the Canadian version of Halloween preparations. German students were busy in October creating original Halloween stories they subsequently read to students at Mills Haven.  The stories were very well received by their enthusiastic younger counterparts. In December the French 20 students read their original Christmas stories to students at Campbelltown and German students created their  own gingerbread masterpieces as part of our annual Gingerbread House Contest.  French students chowed down on delectable "Crêpes." 

Two-Week Exchange

In addition, Salisbury has set up a partnership with a high school in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. Bad Schwalbach is a small town not too far from Frankfurt. This October we  hosted 20 German students and their chaperones from the Nikolaus-August-Otto-Schule. They were very excited about coming to Canada.   During their time here (2 weeks), we had various activities planned for them, including trips to Drumheller, Fort Edmonton, the Provincial Museum, West Edmonton Mall and a Sal Football game.  We also hosted  a Farewell Dinner for them their last evening with us and they had some fun activities planned for us in turn, including a photo booth.

 Our students involved in the program will spend two weeks in Germany tied in with Spring Break in March. Students will be billeted with the families of their exchange partner from October and will attend school with them as well as tour the immediate area.  We are also spending 4 days in Munich. Again, this is an amazing opportunity for students to get a look at life in Germany, to meet new people, to put their language skills to good use, and to experience German culture first hand.  We are hoping to run this program every two years. (2012/13 and then again 2014/15, for students registered in German.)

 The school's name:  Nikolaus-August-Otto-Schule  Check out the website: http://www.nao-schule.de/

In October of 2012, Salisbury was very excited to host 20 students from our partner school in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. The students were here for a busy two weeks! Things kicked off with a welcoming lunch in the library catered by our own talented Mr. Hess. The students also attended classes at Sal with their hosting partner, took part in discussions in German classes, and went on day trips to Fort Edmonton, the Provincial Museum,West Ed, and an overnight trip to Drumheller. Weekends were spent with the host families, travelling to the mountains and of course, experiencing life Canadian style. On their last evening with us, we hosted a Farewell Potluck supper, and the next day, there were sad faces and some tears as we said "Auf Wiedersehen" to our new friends. We look forward to seeing them again in March when our students head to Germany.

In January we will be putting the finishing touches on the trip to Germany which takes place over Spring Break.  Beginning on March 16, 15 Sal students are heading to Bad Schwalbach to experience German life first-hand.  They will be staying with families, checking out the local school, touring various sites in the area, and travelling to Munich for 4 days.  Also in Germany for 3 months from March until the beginning of June, are our own Christi Lademann, Joel Krause, and Miranda Johnson, as part of the reciprocal exchange.  Stay tuned for information about the “Sprachdiplom” in April and the German Travel Contest in February.  There are always lots of things happening in Second Languages.