I have been teaching at the German Saturday School for the last 4 years. I started as an emergency teacher and soon after I got a job offered. I was born and raised in Germany. My home town is Herne/Westf.

 Due to my husbands job we traveled a bit. We lived in South Africa, Johannesburg, where I worked at the German School in Jo'burg, teaching German. After that we got a transfer to Japan. First we lived in Tokyo and then moved to Yokohama, where both our children were born. When my daughter was in Grade 1, I got a job offer at the Yokohama International school, where I worked until we got a transfer to Australia.

We came to Melbourne in 1998. Now I do work during exam time at Holmesglen Tage College and enjoy teaching Grade 3 at the German Saturday School.

Together with my two children (then 16 and 5 years old) we immigrated to Australia in April 1996 and settled in Melbourne (my former husband is a German violinist and Suzuki-violin teacher). While my daughter had her mother tongue well established, my son was in need of a continuous bilingual education. I taught him reading and writing in German - my mother, a former teacher, had sent me all the material that was used in German Primary schools at the time. This way I learnt to deal with the difficulties of raising a child in a non-German speaking social environment. Today my son is doing VCE year 12 and finding it far too easy!!

I had studied psychology in Germany, but in 1997 I enrolled myself as a mature student at La Trobe University. In 2001 I completed my studies with a BA Hon. in Humanities and Social sciences. I am currently doing research for my PhD. I am also a translator.

I commenced teaching at the German Saturday School to make a contribution to the learning of German with children of similar circumstances regarding the German speaking environment. I enjoy teaching very much and I am trying to make the lessons fun and to further progress in all areas of language skills.

Info coming soon.

I was born in Australia but my first language is German because my mother's family is German. I started attending German Saturday School at the age of seven and continued until 16.

When I was 15 I went on exchange to Germany for three months where I stayed with family and went to a Gymnasium. My German improved a lot and I started studying VCE German at Canterbury Girls in year 10.

In 2005 I started working at the German Saturday School as a teacher's assistant which I did until 2007; at the end of last year I was offered a teaching position. I am currently studying German as part of my Bachelor of Arts degreen at Monash University.

I have been teaching for the German Saturday School since the beginning of the school year 2008. I love my subject German (and also Biology) and I have the desire to share this enthusiasm with my students. I teach the younger Native Speaker Class with 14 students in the age between 6 and 9 years. I was born and raised in Leipzig, which is located in the eastern part of Germany. After I finished my study (teaching for secondary school, subjects German and Biology) I taught mainly German. I am married with a 5 year old son and due to my husbands job we have been in Melbourne since last September.

I have been with the German Saturday School for 11 years now and I love it. I am part of a group of enthusiastic, native-speaking teachers and we are all dedicated to our work. I love children. Since I was a girl I wanted to be a teacher. I have always surrounded myself with children. I was fascinated by their response to the world around them and their hunger for knowledge: Was? Warum? Wieso?

I also love my German heritage: culture, music and literature. Naturally I like to share this love with children. I have deliberately chosen level 3, because at that level children begin to write the spoken language at our school. As a native speaker my emphasis is on proper speaking, pronunciation and writing. I plan my lesson accordingly, using material from different sources. I find teaching both demanding and challenging, but none the less interesting and rewarding.

I migrated to Australia from Germany in 1959. I am married with 3 grown up children. I graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree from Melbourne University. My hobbies include: reading, music, literature and tennis. I write poetry (also for children).

Download Helene's Curriculum

My passion for language and literature led me to study German and English in my Arts (Hons) degree at Melbourne University, and subsequently to a Masters and a PhD in German literature (both written in German), during which time I was teaching language, literature and conversation classes at beginners, post-VCE and intermediate levels in the German Department. During my studies I received a scholarship to study at the Goethe Institut in Göttingen and a German Government scholarship (DAAD) for postgraduate studies at the Würzburg University where I met my husband. I also had the opportunity to teach in the Anglistik department of the Würzburg University.

On completion of my doctorate, I finally joined my husband “full-time” in Stuttgart where I worked as an editor in medical publishing. When we came to Melbourne in 1998, I was finally able to formalise my love of teaching by doing my diploma of education (combining teaching rounds with teaching German for Melbourne University at LaTrobe), and I taught German and English at the senior campus of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar until the birth of our son (now aged 7 and a student in Steffi’s class). Our daughter arrived two years later, and since then I have been combining full-time parenting with some casual employment, including relief teaching at the university and the Goethe Institut, coaching and editing work, as well as my involvement at the local kindergarten and primary school (committee work,  literacy support).

Although we speak German at home, we believe it is very important for our children to learn and speak German with other children and their families. When I joined the parents’ committee at the start of the year, I didn’t anticipate “resigning” two terms later, but I am really thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the wonderful students of the acceleration class. We will be hearing and speaking as much German as possible, and there will be lots of games, songs and flashcards, with plenty of authentic texts, reinforcement and practice.

My parents are Austrian and have always placed a strong emphasis on learning a second language. My link with Saturday Morning German School goes back to when I was enrolled in the Kindergarten class at the age of four. The Saturday Morning German School was then held at the Lutheran Church in East Melbourne. I spent 12 years of Saturday mornings learning German – and loved all experiences, such as the Christmas concerts, St Nikolaus and the many German Poetry Competitions. It provided me with a real insight into German culture and a great opportunity to make friends.

For me, German was particularly relevant, as when my family travelled to Austria every second year to visit Oma, it was great to be able to communicate with her as she couldn’t speak English.

I studied German throughout secondary school at MLC and even went on an Exchange to Austria. I completed my VCE in 2005 and I am now in 3rd year at Monash University, studying a double business degree in Marketing and Management.

Now in 2008, I’m back in the Kindergarten class, but this time as a Teacher. I have a “hands on” approach to teaching German with the Kindergarten class, through singing, art & craft, dancing, play, drama and discussions. My aim is to make learning German interesting and fun – where the children are eager to return each week!

I graduated from the University of Erfurt in Germany attaining a diploma in German language/literature and child psychology in 1981. After my studies, which focused on teaching grades 1-12, I worked in that age group, specialising in supporting disabled children. I was very impressed and took any opportunity to work with physically handicapped, autistic or intellectually disabled children. I found employment with the 'Paul & Charlotte Kniese Schule fuer Sehbehinderte' (a special comprehensive school for the visually impaired) in Berlin, where I taught kindergarten to grade 10 for ten years.

My husband who was born in Germany but grew up in Melbourne, always wanted to go back to Australia so we migrated to Tassie in December 1996. It was very difficult to find work and we set up our own businesses. My husband, as an engineer developed a heating business and I operated a printing business.

In 2003 I was offered a part time position at the University of Tasmania as a supporting German teacher. Since 1997 I have been writing for 'Deutsche Rundschau' a German news paper published in Canada.

In 2006 we moved to Melbourne and I am happy I found work at the German Saturday School.

I was born in Germany - Ost Pommern (East Pomerania) in a little village. My parents had a farm.

1945 - the Russians invaded our country. After surviving a horrendous year under their reign, my parents, my twin brother, my younger sister and I were displaced and settled on the beautiful island Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea. Here I continued and completed school.

1951 - I studied domestic science in Berlin for 4½ years. After my 'Staats-Examen' I worked in my profession for a year as 'Hauswirtschaftsleiterin'.

1955 - I married and in 1957 my husband, I and our eldest son/ then 10 month old migrated to Australia.

1958 - We established a cake shop and operated it for twenty two years (my husband was a “Konditor”.) We have now three children.

1980 - A new chapter in our life began. My husband died and my daughter was only 2 ½ years old. I opened my own business - a coffee shop and lunch bar.

1982 - My daughter and I visited Germany and stayed there for six months. When we arrived back in Australia my daughter couldn't speak English any more, but German. To preserve her German I enroled her in the German Saturday School, which she attended for seven years. My involvement with the school began 24 years ago, as a parent and committee member of the first parents‘ committee.

1990 - I was offered a teacher’s position at Holmes Glen College of TAFE teaching German to adults, a position I still hold. I also started teaching at the German Saturday School.

1996 - Obtained a German Language Diploma.

2005 - I accepted the role as the principal of the German Saturday School.

Download Sigrid's Curriculum

Info coming soon.