Mandarin Class
Weekly classes that take your child from first words to real fluency, and when they're ready, all the way to VCE or IB. We insist on running small group sessions to give each child sufficient attention and guidance to bring out their greatest potential.
Two streams: which is right for my child?
Immersive stream
For children who already speak Mandarin at home
Taught entirely in Mandarin to deepen a strong foundation: reading, writing and richer expression, drawing on the best of both Australian and Chinese curricula.
Non-immersive stream
For children new to Mandarin
Starts with English support and plenty of fun, then gradually shifts into more and more Mandarin as your child grows in confidence.
Progress you can see
Regular assessment shows exactly how your child is progressing, clearly, and without pressure.
Immersive stream pathway
Playgroup (Ages 1–3 · with parent)
Prep
Level 1
Level 2 & up
1 hr per class
Focus
A fully immersive Mandarin environment; building native-like language skills through play
Core skills
- Storybook reading & retelling
- Mandarin songs with actions & movement
- Listen, speak & recognise themed vocabulary
- First steps in character recognition
1 hr per class
Focus
Introduction to reading & writing characters (starting with pictographs); speaking & listening practice
Core skills
- Reading pictographic characters
- Stroke order & strokes, step by step
- Text recitation
- Retelling & discussion
1.5 hrs per class
Focus
Character progression (pictographs + high-frequency characters); Pinyin; levelled Chinese readers
Core skills
- Reading high-frequency characters
- Systematic Pinyin instruction
- Reading texts aloud
- Levelled reading comprehension
2 hrs per class
Focus
Advanced characters (radicals & components); writing in common text types; deep reading
Core skills
- Fast character learning through radicals
- Writing in common text types
- Building idioms & sayings
- Chinese traditional culture in depth
- Deep reading & comprehension
Aligned to the Victorian Curriculum: Chinese
Non-immersive stream pathway · 1.5 hrs per session
Level 1–3 · Introductory
Level 4–7 · Intermediate
Level 8+ · Advanced
Focus
Themed vocabulary and everyday expressions; introduction to reading and writing Chinese characters
Core skills
- Listen, speak & read themed vocabulary
- Everyday conversational expressions
- Reading & writing characters (strokes/order)
- Four tones & Pinyin recognition
- Follow simple classroom instructions
Victorian Curriculum · F–4
Meets Victorian F–4: join interactions such as 你好 / 谢谢 / 请; read characters for numbers, colours and family; identify the four tones and basic strokes; create simple texts.
Focus
Expanding common vocabulary; sentence reading and construction
Core skills
- Build and use common vocabulary
- Sentence reading & construction
- Text decoding & comprehension
- Character dictation
- Time/place expressions & connectives
Victorian Curriculum · Levels 5–8
Meets Victorian Levels 5–8: initiate and sustain interactions; describe experiences and preferences; use connectives (和, 因为…所以) and time/place detail; transcribe speech in Pinyin.
Focus
Aligned to secondary-school curriculum; in-depth literacy & critical expression
Core skills
- Complex sentences & cohesive devices
- Idioms (成语), sayings & rhetoric
- Analyse sources & build arguments
- Two-way Chinese–English translation
- Discussion of issues & extended writing
- Deep reading & cultural understanding
Victorian Curriculum · Levels 7–10
Meets Victorian Levels 7–10: sustain in-depth discussion on topics of interest; use idioms and rhetorical questions; synthesise multiple sources to argue a position; create & translate bilingual texts.
Aligned to the Victorian Curriculum: Chinese (Second Language)