Misli of those early years also reported on Slovenian traditional festivities. New Year, Easter, St. Nicholas, and Christmas were celebrated with all the traditional icons – the religious rituals that gave the event meaning and all the other ways of marking the occasion, Christmas tree and manger, traditional dishes and potica, music and dancing. Above all it was the Slovenian togetherness that gave comfort and made the new country less alien.
Teachers
Some of the people whose name appears on the list have worked unremittingly and voluntarily in the field of education, language teaching, organizing cultural events, and dedicating themselves to to this work of maintaining their cultural heritage and handing it on to the next generation, for as long as 30 years.
Students said
My connection to Slovenia was a tenuous one (only my estranged father is Slovenian) and it existed in my mind in post-card form as that beautiful yet strange eastern-European country where some of my cousins lived. Through Slovenian class I was introduced to many exciting and new concepts that give flavour and uniqueness to a culture, from poems and proverbs (pregovori) to contemporary short stories by Andrej Blatnik
Teachers said
I was delighted to find the students highly responsive, motivated to learn Slovenian and about Slovenian culture. They were keen to know about Slovenia today, as a people and about its context in the world. I incorporated authentic sources of journals, radio, newspapers, television, videotapes. The cyber world of the Web opened the window on; the country, daily news, virtual guides of cities, and new literature.
ISSV Projects 1998 – 2009
It was based on a broad concept and vision for the maintenance of Slovenian identity – a sense of who we are and where we are going in the modern world. The website is an expression of our sense of pride in our origins, our language, our continued existence as a separate independent people, despite the pressures brought to bear on us to change. Thezaurus is also a vehicle for further projects on the Web, structured in such a way that projects can be included and expanded according to need. The structure is flexible and dynamic, so that new projects can be added.
BoS (1993-2001) and VCAA (2001-2006)
In 2001 a review of the two-year VCE course brought some changes. The major change is that a key writing assignment during Year 12, the so-called CAT 1 was replaced with a series of eight strictly defined tasks or Outcomes in Year 11 and six tasks in Year 12. They were to be completed under test conditions and assessed by the classroom teacher.
VISE (1980-1986)
Following a name change of the accreditation body, to Victorian Institute of Secondary Education (VISE), Victoria conducted a major educational reform in 1978 and 1979, which affected the accreditation of Slovenian as an HSC language. Initially there was a delay of two years before the accreditation procedure could begin. Secondly Slovenian became the first and pioneer subject, so-called HSC Group 2 subject under the new HSC assessment scheme. It became a model for all subsequently accredited languages.
VCAB (1986-1991)
The VISE educational reform was followed by a second complete overhaul of senior secondary school curriculum and assessment. In 1986 a new authority, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board (VCAB) set up nine Fields of Studies Committees (FOSCs) for all areas of teaching. Aleksandra Ceferin was appointed to the Field of Studies Committee for Languages Other than English (FOSC LOTE). She was one of the twenty-four members, comprising secondary teachers, experts and theorists on a number of languages.
VUSEB (1976-1978)
In June 1976 Aleksandra Ceferin approached Victorian Universities and Secondary Education Board (VUSEB) regarding the certification of Slovenian as a Higher School Certificate subject and received a positive response from the Head of the Committee for Balto-Slavonic languages, prof Jiri Marvan at Monash University. She prepared the required documentation including sample examination paper and a list of resources for the teaching of Slovenian.
Victorian Secondary Certification Authorities
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board (VCAB) was given the mandate to prepare a major curriculum and assessment educational reform at the senior level. Victorian Curriculum reform was completed, and ready to begin implementation in 1991. The first model courses were developed for all areas on the principle, that each teacher implement a two year senior studies course according to the strictly defined structure , tasks and aims, with the flexibility in the choice of topics, particularly in the case of English and Languages Other Than English (LOTE ).