Weekday Courses
#2641 Beginner French
Tutor: Mélanie Lacombe
Dates: Monday (9, 16, 23 February 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 March) 4-6pm
Venue: Waikanae Presbyterian Church Lounge, 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae
Cost: Members $175 Non-members $190
A minimum of 8 people is required to run this course and a maximum of 12
Come and discover the basics of the French language. This course has been developed for complete
beginners who are curious to explore a whole new world. Hear new sounds, speak new words and
understand a new logic. If you have always been interested but didn’t know where to start, this is
your chance. You will even learn some practical sentences so that you’re able to communicate next
time you’re in a beautiful French-speaking country.
Mélanie Lacombe is an experienced teacher, until 2024 a teacher at l’Alliance Française in
Wellington. Originally from Cannes, she studied English in Paris and gained a Masters degree from La
Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1998, specialising in teaching French as a second language. She taught French
in Japan for a number of years before moving to New Zealand. This will be the third year Mélanie has run this course for Kapiti WEA.
#2642 Intermediate French
Tutor: Mélanie Lacombe
Date: Monday (9, 16, 23 February 2, 9, 16, 23,30 March) 7-9pm
Venue: Waikanae Presbyterian Church Lounge, 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae
Cost: Members $175 Non-members $190
Numbers: A minimum of 8 people is required to run for this course and a maximum of 12
This course is aimed at people who already have some knowledge of French. During the course, you will practice the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing with the aim of refreshing your French. You will become more comfortable using what you already know and expand your knowledge to help you speak more naturally, outside the textbooks, in real-life situations. Mélanie will use a variety of supports such as popular French songs and news articles to help you get a better understanding of French culture. The course is interactive, giving opportunities to practice with the tutor and the other participants.
Mélanie Lacombe is an experienced teacher. Originally from Cannes in the south of France, she mostly lived in Paris where she studied English first and then gained a Masters degree from la Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1998, specialising in teaching French as a second language. She has been in New Zealand since 2013. After 10 years working at l’Alliance Française in Wellington she is now focusing her energy solely in the Kāpiti area. She has run this course for the last eight years for Kāpiti WEA with excellent results for participants. For the last three years, this course has been run twice a year.
#2543 Wine & Watercolour
Tutor: Alfred Memelink
Date: Thursday 9th April 6.30 - 9.00pm
Venue: Waikanae Presbyterian Church Hall, 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae
Cost: Members $50 Non-members $55 (materials included)
Numbers: A minimum of 8 people is required for this course, maximum 15
Alfred Memelink is a gifted watercolour artist and teacher who likes to bring the joy of art to others through his classes. These include Wine and Watercolour evenings for adults. This course has been successfully run by the Kapiti Coast WEA in recent years. Alfred also runs Artspace Gallery in Petone, which not only displays his own art, but also the creativity of over 300 New Zealand artists and craftspeople in all genres, with regularly changing exhibitions.
Beginning with a glass of wine/juice and nibbles, you will learn the pleasure of watercolour painting in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process. During the evening, you will be guided through painting your own watercolour of a Kapiti Coast scene in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The course will cover different techniques (eg painting ‘wet-on-wet’, colour mixing and brush control). No previous experience is necessary, and the session is especially suitable for beginners. Artists with some experience who want to fine tune their skills and style will also benefit from Alfred’s guidance. And no need to worry about drawing as this will already have been done for you.
#2644 Introduction to Chinese Language & Culture
Speaker: Cheng Yunn Fen
Dates: Wednesday (15, 22, 29 April 6, 13, 20, 27 May, 3 June) 6-8pm
Venue: Waikanae Presbyterian Church Lounge 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae
Cost: Members $150, Non-members $160
Numbers: A minimum of 8 people is required to run this course and a maximum of 12.
Cheng Yunn Fen has a Diploma in Teaching from the Singapore Institute of Education and a BA from Canterbury University. She taught English in Singapore for ten years before moving to New Zealand. Since then, she has provided private tutoring in both English and Chinese and run Chinese courses at Kāpiti Community Centre. Fen is bilingual in English and Chinese, has strong communication skills and experienced in adapting teaching styles to meet individual student needs. Her lessons are engaging using flashcards and videos to connect learning with real-world contexts.
The course will introduce speaking, reading and writing Chinese as well as an understanding Chinese culture. This includes conversational Chinese (speaking simple words, including greetings and naming family members, counting, telling the time and asking for help), reading (recognising Chinese characters), writing (Chinese characters and pinyin), and culture (discussion on Chinese history, festivals and food).
#2645 Kapiti Readers & Writers Autumn Series
Speakers: Writers who live on the Kāpiti Coast or have written about it
Dates: 5 Wednesdays 22, 29 April, 6, 13, 20 May
Time: 2.00-4.30pm
Venue: Waikanae Presbyterian Church Hall, 43 Ngaio Road, Waikanae
Cost: $20 per session or $80 for the five weeks
This series is jointly organised by Kāpiti WEA and Bookmark Kāpiti
The Readers and Writers series celebrates the people, stories and places of the Kāpiti Coast. At a number of weekly sessions, we will hear from creative people who either live on the Kāpiti Coast or have set some of their work in the region. They will talk about their work, their inspiration and how their artistic endeavours tell us something about ourselves as New Zealanders. The series is being planned for April-May. Details will be publicised by Bookmark Kāpiti and Kāpiti Coast WEA when the programme is finalised.
© 2024 Kapiti WEA