AMEP News
English Language Centre
Semester 1, 2016
TAFE SA Foundation Skills
English Language Centre
delivering the Adult Migrant English
Program
Harmony Day
Adelaide City Campus
Level 1, 120 Currie Street
Adelaide SA 5000
T: 8226 6555 F: 8226 6882
E: els@tafesa.edu.au
W: www.els.sa.edu.au
The Adult Migrant English Program is
funded by the Australian Government
Department of Education and Training.
In South Australia, the AMEP is delivered
by TAFE SA Foundation Skills.
Cricos Code: 00092B I RTO Code: 41026
Yvonne Kavira and Wendy Carrera lead the students in the song “I am, You are, We are Australian”
Sameer Mohammad performing
Afghan Karaoke
After the concert the students had a picnic on the lawns outside the campus
More Harmony Day stories and photos inside
Manager’s Message
Welcome to all new students and those students
continuing their English language studies this term in
the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).
To make the most of your time with us, it is important
that you attend classes regularly and that you
complete homework assigned to you. Using English
outside of the classroom whenever you have the
chance will also help develop your English language
skills.
Learning English is one of the most important things
you can do in order to get a job and to participate in
the social and cultural life of Australia.
Relocation party!
At the end of Term 4 2015, we finished with a
fantastic class party. We said good-bye to the
Rundle Mall Campus and celebrated the end of the
year with dancing and lots of fun. We learned how
to dance Salsa as well as traditional Iranian dancing
which students from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan
knew and joined in as well. We all had a great time.
Students celebrating end of Term 4 and farewelling
the Rundle Mall Campus
Besides gaining these important English language
skills while studying with us, you also have the
opportunity to learn about life in Australia. Just as
importantly, you have the opportunity to form new
friendships and learn a little about other cultures as
we have students from all over the world in the AMEP
program.
We also have a wonderful group of lecturers,
counsellors and administrative staff to assist you
during this phase of your life in Australia.
They are a valuable resource here to help you gain the
skills you need to face your future life in Australia with
confidence and happiness.
Abdul Satar Khwaja demonstrates traditional
Afghani dancing
Peter Begg, ELS Education Manager
The Census collects
information about Australia’s
population and housing and
is used to plan services for
the community, including
housing, transport and education.
The Census is compulsory for every person in Australia
on Tuesday 9 August 2016.
For information go to census.abs.gov.au
Hui Zhou and Gabriela De Jusus Pereira
Sarmiento celebrating
Graduation
English Language Centre (AMEP) held a Graduation Ceremony on Friday 8 April 2016 for all students who
successfully completed a Certificate in Spoken and Written English in Term 4, 2015.
Meredith Hill, Senior Lecturer (AMEP) welcomed students and families to the graduation. Guest Speaker Mirsia
Bunjaku, Senior Manager of the New Arrivals Services at the Migrant Resource Centre of SA delivered an inspiring
speech and also presented students with their Certificates.
Congratulations
We also heard uplifting speeches from three students Reza Jafari, Lizhao Chen and Hau Nguyen. Lizhao’s
daughter (in the photo below) also wished heartfelt congratulations to all the students in the audience.
Reza Jafari, guest speaker Mirsia Bunjaku, Lizhao Chen with daughter Qinlin Li and Hau Nguyen
Mithal Mohammed Ridha graduated with a
Certificate I in Spoken and Written English
Seethalakshmi Lakshmanan, Khai Ta Zin and Rajni Katoch all graduated
with a Certificate II in Spoken and Written English
STUDENT STORIES
The following anecdotes were written by Robyn Waites’s Certificate III students
as part of their ‘Casual Conversation’ module
Definition of an ‘Anecdote’: a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.
A Sticky Moment
Shark!
By Nobuhiro
By Nina
You will never imagine what happened to me a few
years ago.
You’ll never believe what happened a few days
ago.
I was walking on a busy crowded street in New York
City. The street was packed with a lot of people, and
I was frustrated because I was rushing to get back
home. Then I found one spot on the street which
was clear. I thought I was lucky because I could cut
through the crowd and was able to get home earlier.
My friends and I went to Henley Beach to swim.
It was hot so we stayed in the water longer than
usual. At that time there were many people in the
water and we were all having a good time.
I walked to the spot and reached the middle of it.
Then I felt something hit my head. I touched my
hair and realised that something sticky was on my
fingers. At first I didn’t understand what it was, but
then I heard some laughing and yelling. I looked
around and understood. I had been cutting through a
fighting couple when a girl had spat at her boyfriend,
but her spit had hit my head instead. The sticky
liquid was her spit! I froze because I was shocked
and embarrassed, and then ran to the toilet and
washed my hair and hands. When I got home, I took
a shower and washed my body immediately.
Here is a lesson. Please watch out if you want to cut
through a clear spot on a crowded street. You never
know what might be coming.
Someone started to talk about sharks and who was
going to be first on the shark’s menu. We laughed
and laughed and were guessing who would make a
delicious meal.
Suddenly someone yelled from the jetty “SHARK,
SHARK!!!” People started screaming and panicking
in the water. I was so scared, I tried to run but I
couldn’t move fast and it seemed like forever to get
to the shore.
Bitten by Ants!
War in Australia
By Youping
By Denis
Ants are tiny insects, so people usually don’t think
they are dangerous. However, that’s not true. You
can’t believe it.
You’ll never believe what happened to me when I
first arrived in Australia.
When I arrived in Adelaide with my wife in 2012,
we visited the famous Kangaroo Island in South
Australia. It’s beautiful there and we had lots of fun in
the beginning. Then things changed when we arrived
at the gate to Flinders National Park. We wanted to
take a picture in front of the gate, so we went to one
side of the road.
While I was holding the camera, I heard a scream
from my wife. At the same time, I felt a sudden pain
coming from one of my feet. My wife told me she was
being bitten by big ants and so was I! We ran back
to the car and drove away as quickly as we could.
It was so painful that driving was very hard for us.
We were very worried about it because we had never
seen that kind of ant before and we didn’t know what
could happen. We hadn’t brought any medicine and
we didn’t think we could get it on the island!
From then on, we always take extra care of ants and
also tell all of our friends to keep away from ants,
because this is Australia!
One night, about 11pm, we were sleeping at home
when we heard heaps of noise and gunfire and
shouting. I told my wife and my children that we
had to sleep down on the floor because we were in
a war. The family’s feeling changed immediately and
we started praying to God about that situation and
thinking about what happened to us in Africa. After
a while I rang my brother and asked him what was
happening.
My brother said “Ooh, don’t worry about that, have
a good night with your family. It isn’t a war but an
Australian celebration with fireworks!”
I was embarrassed to hear that and all my family
started laughing.
Haighs Chocolate
Factory Tour
As part of their New Arrivals Settlement (NAX)
course, Class 720 planned a trip to Unley to visit
the Haigh’s Chocolate factory. The class enjoyed
listening to the presentation about the history of
chocolate-making in SA and observing how the
chocolates are made. They also enjoyed tasting the
chocolates before they took photos to remember
the day.
Harmony Day Celebrations
Students studying in the Adult Migrant English Program at the Adelaide City
Campus celebrated Harmony Day this year with other students also studying
English in the SEE program and WorkReady at TAFE SA.
It was a day full of wonderful activities acknowledging our cultural and linguistic
diversity and a sense of belonging and respect for each other in Australia.
The central message for Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’ reinforcing the value
of inclusiveness in Australian society. This year’s Harmony Day theme is ‘Our
diversity is our strength.’
The Harmony Day Tree:
Students interviewed each other then wrote about their partner on a leaf which was then glued onto the
tree - this prompted a lot if interesting discussions!
Teacher Julianne Warner
with her new arrivals class
celebrate Harmony Day
together
Students brought in an item of
cultural and personal significance to
share with the class
Harmony Day Celebrations
At the Adelaide CIty Campus on Harmony Day there
were henna artists at work painting on people’s hands,
flower making, shared lunches and picnics, displays
in the library of class work and an amazing concert
in the atrium. The concert concluded with a fantastic
rendition of “I am, You are, We are Australian” which
students sang with such passion and joy that it gave
the audience goose bumps.
Thank you to everyone who dressed up in orange or
in traditional costume and participated in the day’s
activities. It was a lot of fun!
The TAFE SA Salisbury Campus celebrated Harmony
Day by reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness.
By holding each other’s hands, as represented by
our class activity, we aimed to communicate the
importance of cultural diversity and encourage true
values among us.
The photos of our Harmony Day moments show how
much fun we had participating together, creating our
paper chain and sending out our messages to all.
Our Harmony Day messages
A demonstration of Tai Chi which is a form of exercise to relax and
strengthen the mind and the body
Hanging our paper chain together
A happy class effort
Yvonne Kavira sings a French song from the Republic of Congo
Georgia Manouras and students
Parliament House
By Wladyslawa
Last week we went to the Parliament of South
Australia. South Australia has two houses in
Parliament.
First is the Legislative Council which has 22 members
of Parliament. Second is the House of Assembly
which has 47 members of Parliament. Both Houses
are elected by eligible voters every 4 years. Voting is
compulsory. The Legislative Council and the House
of Assembly of South Australia are responsible for:
schools, public transport, public hospitals, courts
and prisons. The Premier is the leader of the State
Government.
During our tour we admired both houses which
have different colours. The Legislative Council has a
red colour and the House of Assembly has a green
colour. On our excursion, we took some photos
which we can use later to remind us of when we were
students at ELS.
This excursion was well worth it. Thank you for taking
us there.
My class at Parliament House learning about the
South Australian Government
Ajak’s story
My name is Ajak. I come from Sudan. I came to
Australia in 2009 with one of my brothers called
Bol Alit and my three daughters. Before I came
to Australia, it was very difficult for me in Sudan. I
lived in Kakuma Refugee Camp for 15 years and
this is where I met my husband and gave birth to
my three daughters. In 2006, I lost my husband to
an illness. It was another three years before I came
to Australia on 27 May 2009, but sadly I had to
leave my mother and my younger brother who is
physically disabled back in Kakuma. When I arrived
in Australia, I couldn’t speak any English, I couldn’t
even write my name.
After that, I was thinking a lot about my brother
and my mother and in my heart I knew I had to
somehow bring them both to Australia. I decided to
hide a small box under my bed and each fortnight I
would put $100 into the box to save enough money
to eventually bring my mother and younger brother
to Australia. It took me six years to save enough
money. I saved $10,000 this way.
I finally submitted the forms to Immigration for
their visas to come to Australia. I was then told
that my mother could come to Australia but my
brother couldn’t come without a doctor flying with
him because he was sick. I was shocked at this. I
didn’t have enough money to pay for another ticket
for the doctor as well. I was in despair. I tried to
borrow money from the bank but because I wasn’t
working they wouldn’t lend me any money. I didn’t
know what to do. Amazingly a kind friend lent me
another $4000 to pay for the doctor’s ticket to
Australia on the condition that I could pay it back
in three months’ time. I said yes. Other friends also
helped me out with money which I have now paid
back. All together it cost $25,000 to bring them to
Australia.
On 17 September 2015 my brother and mother
arrived at the Adelaide airport. I’m happy because
God helped me bring my mother and brother
to Australia. I also want to thank Anella from
Department Immigration who helped me a lot in this
whole process and also the Adult Migrant English
Program for teaching me English because now I
can tell you my story in English.
Pathway courses
It’s always a pleasure to bump into former students
and see them successfully progressing with their
chosen studies and career.
Whilst visiting Hau Nguyen on her Pathways to
Community Services work placement last December
at the Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Parafield
Gardens, I had the double pleasure of seeing
Swarna Fernando, a former Pathways student, on
her Certificate III Early Childhood Education work
placement.
Junih, one of the permanent staff members at the
Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Parafield Gardens,
is also a former ELS student who took one of our
Vocational courses at that time.
Junih’s
Junih’sstory
story
By Junih
This is a short story about my learning journey as a
student at TAFE SA.
I’m originally from Indonesia. I arrived in Australia
March 2011 and enrolled in the AMEP program as
soon as I was able. After I left the AMEP program,
I enrolled in the SEE Program to study for my
Certificate IV in English Proficiency at the TAFE SA
Adelaide City Campus.
Around mid-2012, I was offered the opportunity
to study for a Certificate III in Children’s Services,
also at TAFE SA and served my work placement at
Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Parafield Gardens.
Our thanks go to the Goodstart Early Learning
Centre, Parafield Gardens and all the other excellent
Aged Care facilities and Childcare centres that
offer our students the golden opportunity of a work
placement and the first step towards an interesting
and rewarding career.
After I finished my studies in December 2012, I
applied for a job at the same child care centre and
started in a casual position. I have also completed
my Diploma in Children’s Services through TAFE
SA Regency Campus and am now working as a
permanent qualified assistant at Goodstart Early
Learning Centre, Parafield Gardens.
Andy Barrett, Lecturer
Pathways to Community Services
I will always be grateful for the opportunities TAFE
has provided me.
Swarna Fernando, Hau Nguyen and Junih Superli at the Goodstart Early Learning Centre, Parafield Gardens
Illumination
Ivana’s Story
By Olivia, Evening Program
By Ivana
Last Wednesday, the 24th of February, all the evening
classes walked to North Terrace to see “Illumination.”
It was part of the Adelaide Fringe. All the students
left at 8 pm to watch the lights on North Terrace and
we saw colourful lights on many buildings. I was so
surprised because they looked SO AMAZING!
My name is Ivana and I am from Bosnia and
Herzegovina. It is a small country in Europe. I came to
Australia on May 2015 and I started learning English
at TAFE SA, ELS (now known as English Language
Centre or ELC) in August 2015. All of the teachers and
students are very helpful and friendly and I like to learn
English here.
On the first building, Bonython Hall, (below left) we
watched a moving story of the circus. There were
many animals and circus performers moving up and
down and around the building in crazy colours. It was
beautiful!
On the second building called Elder Hall (below right),
you could make a design on a computer yourself.
The third building, the Art Gallery, had moving
pictures of insects and fish under the sea. It was
amazing to watch because the fish and insects
moved up and down the pillars and across the top
and bottom of the building.
The Library which is the fourth building was my
favourite of the bright lights because it showed the
story of Australia’s Aboriginal people - how they live
and make fires to cook. We could hear classical
music being played along with beautiful lights.
All the students took lots of photographs and when
I went home I shared the pictures on my phone with
my friends and family.
Some of the students from the evening program taking in the lights
I am a preschool teacher, but my English skills aren’t
good enough for a job in a kindergarten.
That’s why I decided to find a volunteer job because I
need to improve my English. I found a very interesting
volunteer job for me. It is a job with the Salvation Army
store in my suburb. I started in December 2015 and I
work twice a week, on Wednesdays and on Thursdays.
When I went to the interview I was excited because it
was a new experience for me. On the first day of the
job, I was very nervous because I didn’t understand
enough English. I felt blocked in my mind because
everything was new for me. The second day was easier
for me and I hoped that every day in the future it will be
easier.
My job in the beginning was to put prices on clothes, to
put clothes on hangers and to separate kid’s clothes,
women’s clothes and men’s clothes. After that I needed
to sort these clothes in the sales area.
I also met other
volunteers who
work there. All of
the workers in this
shop are so helpful
and friendly and so
is the manager who
interviewed me.
I feel very good
because I will help
the poor with this
volunteer job and
also I will help myself
to learn the English
language.
Predrag’s story
A Police visit!
By Bev
By Helen
Predrag Blazujevic was born in Croatia and came to
Australia in 2000 from Serbia. He was a master plumber
by trade and left his country during the war in the
Balkans.
Each term our school counsellors organise a
Community Expo for our students. Many different
community groups have a stall where they show
information flyers, brochures and other things.
These groups are all important for the settlement
needs of our students. One of the stalls this term
was run by SA Police (SAPOL). I was lucky to meet
Senior Constable Jane Tan. Jane is Chinese from
Malaysia and originally came to Adelaide as an
overseas student many years ago. Ten years ago
she joined the Police Service and since then, has
been in different roles such as dog squad officer and
education officer now.
Predrag came to ELS and did his 510 hours and
started to look into resuming work as a plumber. He
was shocked to find that his qualifications from Croatia
were not fully recognised and he was told he would
have to take up an apprenticeship. In his mid-forties
this was somewhat daunting however once he started
his studies, he realised that it was necessary for him to
undertake these courses due to the differences in the
plumbing industry standards.
Due to his previous experience as a plumber, Predrag
was allowed to complete his studies without an
apprenticeship with a plumbing company and managed
to complete the four year course in one year. His grades
were excellent and he became the first person in the
history of Regency TAFE to receive a scholarship for the
Master Plumbing course.
He then worked for five years for McGill and Sons and
at the same time he studied part time for two years to
become a Master Plumber.
The company was extremely helpful when Predrag
wanted to set up his own business. They sent
supporting letters to all plumbing retail outlets and long
standing customers introducing Predrag and his level of
expertise.
I invited Jane to come and speak to a couple of our
classes, especially as we were doing Law and the
Police as part of our settlement course. She gave a
very interesting talk. She has a vibrant personality and
quite an Aussie accent. She shared interesting stories
about her choice of career and also gave a short
Powerpoint presentation about the role of the South
Australian Police. Jane chose to wear her uniform
in an attempt to show the friendly face of the police.
Throughout the talk she was encouraging towards
the students about improving their English gradually
and not giving up when things were difficult. Some of
them inquired about the possibility of joining SAPOL
when their English was better and Jane responded
very positively.
Predrag has now had his own business as PB Master
Plumber for eight years and is extremely grateful for the
opportunities this country has provided him with.
Senior Constable Jan Tan talks to students about her vocational
pathways when she first arrived in Australia and about the role of
the South Australian Police Force
Plumber Predrag Blazujevic
School Holidays
Public Holidays
New Year’s Day 1 January
Good Friday 25 March
Queen’s Birthday Easter Saturday 26 March
Labour Day 3 October
13 June
Australia Day 26 January
Easter Sunday 27 March
Christmas Day 25 December
Adelaide Cup 14 March
Easter Monday 28 March
Proclamation Day 26 December
ANZAC Day 25 April
New Year’s Eve 31 December