Prix

Mark Williams was a leading light in the field of French teaching.  He taught at Otumoetai College, Tauranga, and was Secretary / Treasurer of NZAFT from 1998-2003.  He died shortly afterwards, but his legacy lives on in the professional development awards we give out each year in his name.

Rules and Criteria for the Mark Williams Award.

The Mark Williams Award is for a teacher-led project which focuses on enhancing the students' French learning experience.

1. Applicants for a Mark Williams Award must be paid members of the NZAFT.

2. Application for an award must be made in writing to the NZAFT President.  Application forms are available by downloading a copy from this page.

3. Applications for an award must state:

• Name, address, and contact details

• Current position and designation

• Description of the student-focused project for which the award is intended

• Reason for applying for funds

• The maximum amount requested is a maximum of $ 250

• Proposed ways of sharing benefits with colleagues.

4. The selection will be made from applicants who meet all the requirements in their application. The decision will be based on the following criteria:

• The project must benefit more than one student

• The project must be carried out during the school year the award is awarded.

• Adequate planning is demonstrated

5.  Members receiving an award must supply NZAFT Executive with a short written report of the project, suitable for publishing on www.nzaft.co.nz.

6.  Disbursement of the award will be made upon reception of the relevant receipts and of the short written report upon project completion.

7.  The award may be granted for a project within or beyond New Zealand.

Applications must reach NZAFT by the 6th of April 2023 (send to presidentnzaft@gmail.com).

You can apply for the 2023 award using the form below.

Annie Mansfield, Rolleston College Christchurch (2023)

A big thank you to the NZAFT for giving us the Mark Williams award this year. 

We used the money to pay for the food during our recent French immersion camp on the Banks Peninsula.  

In the evening students were put into teams and given a recipe to prepare.  One group cooked gratin dauphinois, another group cooked quiche Lorraine, and the dessert group cooked moelleux au chocolat.  For our petit-déjeuner we enjoyed pain perdu, croissants and chocolat chaud, served in bowls, bien sur! 

The students and teachers all agreed that the standard of dinner was extremely high.  Never before has a school trip enjoyed such good food! 

Priscilla Pollard, St Mary's College Auckland (2023)

The Senior French Quiz in Auckland is an institution and 2023 was no exception. Once again a group of enthusiastic Year 12 and 13 students from around the rohe competed and laughed.  Students competed in teams against each other, completing a series of rounds on French language, culture, history and trivia. The students enjoyed the companionship and the competitive, yet friendly atmosphere.  They also enjoyed the dancing...and the zumba...and the prizes! Lots of learning and laughter! Thanks to all the teachers who brought their students to St. Mary's and who helped manage the event. It is so good to be able to hold it again after all the COVID disruptions.  And of course thanks for helping us fund this event, NZAFT!

Mary Hamill, Western Heights High School (2018)

Inspired by her use of a VR headset at the NZALT conference, Mary will by 4 VR headsets for use by her students.  To support their preparation for a visit to France in 2019, the students will use the headsets as part of their learning about “Places in a Town” and “Directions” using a cultural perspective. They will also use them to plan our visit to France.  Already they can investigate different places in and around Paris using VR headsets.  This will certainly bring the planning to life and allow those who are not going on the trip to also participate.

Susan Johnson, Lincoln High School (2018)

Susan’s French classes are hosting students from New Caledonia and she is planning an evening for them.

Susan explains:

We are hosting an exchange with our partner school from Poindimie in New Caldedonia.  This particular group of students is visiting us as they are studying earthquakes in Science in English and they are coming over to explore this idea further in our Science and French lessons and in the surrounding area. We are planning an evening at the end of their stay with students and their families where we share a meal and cultural practices. This would involve New Caledonian students and their host families and teachers of both schools.

Students would gain an insight into French language and New Caledonian culture. The evening would be an opportunity for the two groups to come together and share their experiences and learnings from the 10 days. New Caledonian students and their hosts would present to the group in French and English. Students will also perform and teach each other some songs.

Priscilla Pollard, St Mary’s College (2018)

Priscilla is planning her third Senior Quiz.  These are becoming an institution in Auckland for, as Priscilla puts it, the following reasons:

• Quiz will be addressing French as a language and culture and the delivery will be in French

• Students will relate to each other after the quiz – hopefully able to interact in French

• This is already an annual “selling point” for senior students at St. Mary’s College and

• other high schools in Auckland

• Acknowledges our seniors and all they CAN do

This could be circulated around the whole country – I am always happy to share the quiz information.

Suzy Lallemant, Shirley Boys’ High School

After their “cantine” experience in France, Suzy’s students are inspired to try eating “à la française” in a “civilised” way.  Suzy has this planned:

Last year during our senior students’ trip to France we ate several times in the school cantines in Arras and Dijon.  My students were blown away by how “civilised” it was to eat seated at a table and talk with their friends instead of just standing outside (usually leaning against a wall) or eating a sandwich on the way to the weights room.  They all said how much they would love to eat cantine style at home in New Zealand so… I’m prepared to give it a go, and invite our sister school (Avonside Girls’ High) to send their senior French students over to join us.

I have 11 senior students, and we will invite 6 girls and their French teacher. We would like to have meals 6 weeks apart maximum so they don’t lose momentum, and start with the Dijon students who will be here visiting with us in late April.

Students will have the chance to SPEAK FRENCH!!!  They can join me in the school kitchen before school to put the meal together (crock pot!!) and of course we will discuss what to eat and what needs to be bought.  While eating the boys will speak ONLY FRENCH to chat and also get to know the girls from Avonside Girls’ High.  Taking the time to eat together will encourage the boys to talk about topics of interest to them. It will enrich their vocabulary as they speak to new people, and at the same time provide a cultural experience for the students that didn’t go to France.

Priscilla Pollard, St. Mary’s College (2017)
 

The Award would be used towards prizes, a shared meal and materials for the activities for a Year 12 and 13 Quiz night to be held at St Mary’s College.

Suzy Lallemant, Shirley Boys’ High School (2017)
 

The Award would be used towards two pou to be gifted to Lycee Jacques Caron in Arras and Lycee Carnot in Dijon during a visit to these schools on a cultural exchange.

Stephen Grimwood, Newlands College (2017)

The Award would be used to support a trip to France in April/May 2018, during which the students intend to visit their Shared Histories partner school, Collège Louis Nucera, and attend ANZAC commemorations in Antibes.

Ali Rennie, Te Puke High School (2017)

The Award would be used towards building a Lightboard Studio to flip the French classroom.