St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Concord played host to international guests earlier this term, welcoming students and staff from Yoder Bilingual Academy in Taiwan.
Children watched presentations from both schools, traded gifts, and were given time to chat together and play games over the course of the day-long visit, which was the second St Mary’s has hosted over the course of a four-year partnership.
School leaders from both countries said the exchange was a valuable way for students to learn about another culture, and for Taiwanese students to practice their English. All were struck by how quickly students bonded.
It helps students to widen their horizons and be open to the global world.– Anna Marsella
“They have joint interests such as K-pop bands and they immediately connected with each other,” said Yoder CEO Jerry Hsieh.
“They’re at the park now and they’re actually playing cricket, which is a sport that is not so common in Taiwan,” St Mary’s Principal Anna Marsella.
“It’s lovely for them to have the exchange, and we’ve been really looking forward to welcoming the school. It helps students to widen their horizons and be open to the global world.”
Students said they enjoyed socialising with one another and learning about life in another country.
“We got to learn about how they live in Taiwan and get to know them better,” said St Mary’s student Charlize Petracca.
“I liked to play soccer with them,” said Yoder student Lucas Ku.