Issue 9 2012.pdf - St George Christian School

ST GEORGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLINFANTS • JUNIOR • MIDDLE • SENIOR NEWS“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”Hebrews 12:1-2aFROM THE PRINCIPALFrom The PrincipalIssue 9 - 21 Issue September 3 - 3 April 2012011Thank you for your support as we at SGCS have joined with others in the independent school sector toexpress our concern about the proposed cuts to funding from State Government sources.On Monday I emailed a letter to the Premier, the Minister for Education and our local State Member ofParliament to express concern about the impact of this proposal. I am aware that similar action wasfollowed by our Board Chairman, Principals from other independent schools and by Stephen O’Doherty,CEO of Christian Schools Australia.This seems to have resulted in a far better outcome than the original proposal, with the Government nowmoving to freeze its funding to independent schools at 2012/2013 levels (http://csa.edu.au/component/content/article/91/752).I am conscious of the cost of schooling to our parents. In my discussions with our Board Chairman, I haveexpressed that I think it is imperative that, in light of this funding freeze, we do not raise our fees beyondwhat the Board was normally planning before the freeze. As we adjust to this new arrangement, we will notsacrifice any of the school’s teaching programs, as teachers are what make the difference in our children’seducation.The school Board and I will carefully consider the school’s response to this changed funding environment.We value your support and prayers. We also believe that we must continue to express our high level ofconcern about this freeze to our elected representatives, to those in government and through participationin various media forums.When what we hold as dear appears to be under threat, it is good to return to the words of Jesus forperspective.“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”John 14:1This is the final Newsletter for this term, and the final school term for Year 12. As they prepare for their HSCexams early next term, many Year 12 students will be at school during the holidays doing additional studywith their teachers. The school will come together to farewell our Year 12 students on the last day of Term 3,Friday 21 September. Please pray for them and their families.Term 4 commences on Monday 8 October for all students K-11.I hope your child has a refreshing break ready for all that is planned for Term 4.Mr James HonorPrincipalEquipping Your Child For Life

Whole School NewsDATES TO REMEMBERDATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE CHECK THEWEBSITE AND DEPARTMENT NOTES FOR UPDATES8/10/2012 Staff and students commence Term 49/10/12 “Away With Words” Art Exhibition of Yr 11 Major WorksKogarah Library & Cultural Centre - During Library Opening Hours13/10/2012 Duke of Ed Bronze (Yr 9) Test Hike 1 Bundeena - North Era - Otford19/10/2012 Yrs 7 - 12 CSSA Triathlon25/10/2012 Kindergarten 2013 Orientation Day, Infants Campus27/10/2012 Duke of Ed Bronze (Yr 9) Test Hike 2 Bundeena - North Era - Otford29/10/2012 Yr 10 Work Experience commences2/11/2012 Yr 7 2013 Orientation Day, School Hall6/11/2012 Yr 11 & 12 Parent Teacher Interviews12/11/2012 Yrs 3 - 6 CSSA Basketball Gala Day14/11/2012 Junior School Musical, SGCS Hall19/11/2012 Yr 12 Formal, LeMontage, Lilyfield20/11/2012 Yr 3 2013 Orientation Day, School Hall23/11/2012 Yr 8 Learning to Learn Presentations27/11/2012 Yrs 9 and 10 Parent/Teacher Interviews30/11/2012 Yr 7 Vaccinations - Hep B dose 2, HPV dose 3 (Girls Only)VaricellaYr 8 Graduation Breakfast and Final Assembly4/12/2012 Yrs 6 & 7 Final Assembly6/12/2012 Infants Christmas Concert7/12/2012 Middle School Christmas in the CourtyardYr 11 Awards Assembly, School HallYr 9 Awards Assembly, School Hall11/12/2012 Last day of school for students28/01/2013 Australia Day Holiday29/01/2013 First day of school Yr 1-5 and 7,11, 1230/01/2013 First day of school K, Yr 6, , 9 and 10cafe 12Term 4 is fast approaching and wehave some very exciting news –we are going online with our lunchorders!This will take the hassle out oftrying to find loose change in themorning, find paper bags etc etc.It will be faster, easier and lesscomplicated for you and morestream-lined for us at cafe 12.We will be posting home moredetails about this over the nextcouple of weeks.There will also be some changes tothe menu, new items added andsome old items deleted, so pleasekeep an eye on the website’smenu for these updates.We have thoroughly enjoyedserving your children this termand look forward to what Term4 brings. We trust you all have afantastic holiday!LIBRARY NEWSThe school has received a DVD from Autism Awareness Australia to assist teachers, parentsand other members of school communities in their understanding of children with autism.This DVD is available for loan from the Hurstville Campus Library.As the National Year of Reading enters its final months, parents might like to have aconversation with their children about what they have most enjoyed reading this year.Was it a book that made them laugh, think, discover or dream?What have YOU read in 2012?Barbara WilsonTeacher librarianVOLUNTEERSNEEDED FOR SENIORSCHOOL EXAMSSenior School requires assistance from volunteers who can read and/or writefor students receiving special examination provisions during exams.Information about Special Examination Provisions can be found on the NSWBOARD OF STUDIES website and from Senior Support.If you are able to help please contact the school office with your details andSenior School Support staff will return your call.Your generous assistance will be greatly appreciated.DISCLAIMERSt George Christian School does not represent, sponsor or endorse any of the advertisements contained in this newsletter, nor the quality ofany product, information or other materials displayed, purchased or obtained by you as a result of an advertisement in this newsletter.

Whole School NewsChange Over to Summer UniformFrom Monday 10 September to Friday 21 September 2012, students maywear their summer or winter uniform but not combinations of the two.From the start of Term 4, Monday 8 October, all students ARE TO BEWEARING FULL SUMMER UNIFORM.Reminder!To avoid permanent soiling and to keep it in good condition, have yourchild’s blazer dry cleaned before storing away for next winter.YEAR 12 STUDENTS OPEN TIME CAPSULEOn Thursday 23 August students from Mr Archer’s 2004 Year 4 class met in the hall to open time capsules they had madethat year whilst studying Ancient Egypt. It was pleasing to see almost all students in attendance including those who hadmoved on to other schools. It was a great time of catching up and reflecting on the past eight years. A real sense ofschool community was evident with some parents and interested staff also in attendance. There were plenty of laughs asstudents looked through the treasures they had placed in their boxes so many years ago. Photos from 2004 provided muchamusement and comments such as “why did I ever put that in” were heard from some.Thank you to Mrs Hampson and Mr Wilson (Year 12 advisers) for helping to coordinate this occasion.Mr Rob Archer

InfantsExcursionKindergarten children spent the morning at the Sydney Aquarium on Wednesday5 September and had lunch at the Botanical Gardens.UniformSummer or Winter uniform can be worn from Monday 10 September till the endof term. As Infants children are attending swimming lessons each day in Weeks9 and 10, they may wear their sports uniform for those two weeks. From thebeginning of next term, complete Summer uniform is to be worn.Father’s DayOur Infants children love having theirdads and grandfathers come and visit atschool. To have breakfast with them andhear them singing is a special treat. Thankyou to the dads who were able to attend.SwimmingChildren must have all their belongings labelled (including towels, swim caps, etc). This will make it easier to find theirclothing during their swimming program. The two weeks of swimming training is a valuable asset to their education andalways proves to be a lot of fun.We have had a busy term at Infants, with BookParade and Father’s Day breakfast, swimming,tennis and excursions as some of our activities.Everyone is looking forward to the holiday break andthe Infants staff wish parents a lovely, calm holiday.And then to Term 4!

Middle SchoolYEAR 7 mandarin SPEAKING ASSESSMENTThis week Year 7 studentshad their Chinese speakingskills tested by Mrs Wallisin a speaking assessment.Students were required tobring a photo or pictureof their family (real orimaginary!) and introducethemselves and theirfamily members using thevocabulary learned overthe first three terms in theirMandarin classes. Thisincluded being able todistinguish between people,talk about how many peoplethere are in one’s family,introduce individuals byname and family title anddescribe family members’ages, birthdays and jobs. Aspart of the lead up, studentspractised their speaking skills7C prepare for their Chinese speakingassessment by doing speed introductions andgetting peer feedback.by conducting class surveys and carrying out “speed-introductions”. At the end of the speaking activities, students weregiven the chance to give self-feedback and also seek peer feedback in order to improve.In the real assessment, Mrs Wallis was excited to hear students speak Chinese with confidence, fluency and accuracy, allwhile finding out some more about the families that make up our SGCS school community. She was very interested to knowthat many students have very famous family members including superheroes and TV stars. And before parents get tooworried about Mrs Wallis knowing their ages, students were encouraged that the assessment was about showcasing theirChinese speaking skills, not revealing age secrets, hence Mrs Wallis found that there are a lot of 30 year old parents out there!This just goes to show that learning a language also improves diplomacy skills!YEAR 8 MEET ACCLAIMED, AWARD WINNING AUTHOR GARY CREWThis term, Year 8 undertook an author study on award-winning Australian author, Gary Crew and his works. By studying Crew’swriting, students worked to understand the methods authors use to engage an audience with the ultimate goal of writinga formal essay evaluating his works. We were extremely fortunate to have Mr Crew visit to unpack with us his celebratedpicture book, ‘The Water Tower’.Mr Crew currently lives in Queensland where he lectures at the University of the Sunshine Coast and continues to write. Heflew down for the day to run two sessions with Year 8 to teach us about how to predict an outcome in a story by combiningthe power of images with words. We learnt that he often leaves his novels ‘open’ at the conclusion in order to make thereader use his/her imagination and to fully engage with the possibilities that a story might hold. It was a day that we willremember for a very long time.For further information about Gary Crew’s work please visit:http://www.thelitcentre.org.au/author/gary-crewMrs Deck

Middle SchoolTHE MARVELS OF TOURNAMENT OF MINDS“Making new friends, growing together, working together, learning from each other.”TOM is funTOM is greatI want to do itIn Year 8Voureen Canning (Yr 7)Calm confidence was evident as your Middle School Tournament of Minds Team gathered at the Bankstown Campus ofthe University of Western Sydney on Sunday 26 August in one of the most widely respected initiatives for Gifted and Talentedchildren. There was plenty of action on the day. In the midst of strong competition from more than one hundred teams ourTOM team were winners despite not bringing home the shield.Dedication and commitment to excellence marked the team of Ashleigh Ford, Jacob Madden, Carise Ong from Year 8and Voureen Canning, Jessica Fox and Baillie McWhirter from Year 7. Not only have these students been meeting as anExcellence Group each week but during the six week final preparations for the Long Term Solution they had fun meeting ateach other’s homes on the weekend too!Work seemed like fun as they laughed and joked together, imagined marvellously crazy ideas and helped each other moveout of their comfort zone. All of this while developing time management skills and enhancing language skills in script writing,public speaking, acting, music and dance, and creating props and costumes. They also displayed divergent, flexible thinkingso important in engaging in real world experiences.Wow, learning has been exciting!“Working in a small group for six weeks was a new experience for me. Seeing our skills develop was enjoyableand fun. I realised that everyone’s ideas can be incorporated and still have a fantastic outcome” Carise“In Spontaneous we each had a role and played our part confidently to come up with our most creativesolution” Jessica“It was great legitimately being grumpy because I was Grumpy Grandma!’ No wonder Jacob really got into hischaracter with a realistic vocal quality and body movement” Jacob“I really liked spending time with other people and working as a team. I have learned how important it is tonever put people’s ideas aside but to expand on them” Ashley“I’ve learned heaps from being part of TOM. It was soooo good being able to express ideas and show them in acreative way” BaillieCongratulations TOM 2012!Tournament of Minds FacilitatorJulie TralagganYear 7 - 12 SportGIRLS BASKETBALL GALA DAYOn Monday 20 August a team of eight Senior Schoolgirls ventured to Sutherland to compete in the BasketballGala day! Along with our enthusiastic coach, MrsHampson, the day was filled with many highs and lowsas the team finished in 3rd place. Across the four gamesplayed, there were many memorable shots includingDanielle's 3-pointer as soon as she returned on the court.Mrs Hampson risked receiving a technical foul by runningonto the court to congratulate Danielle! My unexpected3-pointer was celebrated with squeals and cheers andbasketball pro, Ladeasha also shot a 3-pointer as well assome free throws. Overall the day was filled with laughsand memorable moments, even though we didn't comefirst, the day turned out to be a success!By Lauren Markovski

Year 7 - 12 SportOPEN BOYS ZONE BASKETBALL GALADAY COMPETITIONOn Wednesday 22 August, nine of our senior boys headedto Sutherland Basketball Stadium to take on all the schoolsin our zone in the crazy game of orange balls going throughnetted hoops.It was a nice and warm winters day in Sutherland as oursquad hit the court for our 1st game versus MACC. It didn’ttake long for the “SGCS dream team” to get warmed up aswe started this game with speed and skill, racing away to acommanding lead of 8 to nil in the first half. The second halfwas a much closer competition as MACC came back towithin 2 points close to the end. We eventually prevailed withsome solid rebounding and defence to take the win 14 - 10.Our 2nd game saw us come up against the red hot favouritesof Inaburra. It was always going to be a tough game againsta well-drilled side, which has 3 Rep players (each of whomcan slam-dunk) and trains every week. We stayed relativelyclose to them in the first half as we finished 10 points to 4down. The second half saw Inaburra show their superiority asthey closed the match in style winning 21 – 8.Our 3rd match was versus William Carey Christian Schooland it was a tight battle with us coming from behind to takethe win 16 – 12 after again some clutch shooting by JonahPearson, good team passing and some good offensive anddefensive rebounding by our big guys.Our 4th contest was against Sutherland Shire Christian School. We dominated from the opening tip-off and were unluckynot to keep them scoreless in the first half. The halftime score was 12 - 2 and we felt comfortable with our lead, with the finalscore being 22-6.Our 5th and final game was the make-or-break game for us - we needed to win in order to make the final. We were upagainst a tough, athletic team from Regents Park Christian School. It was always going to be a physically grueling game aswe were tired and they are known for their physical presence on the court. We couldn’t have got off to a worse start as theyraced to an 8-nil lead in the first 3 minutes. From that point we were on the back foot and they were intimidating us intomaking poor decisions and unforced errors on both end of the court. The second half was more of the same however,towards the end, our frustration led to us matching their physicality on the court to salvage some pride as we made the finalresult a 25 – 8 loss.All in all, it was a great day of shooting hoops and fellowship, as we won 3 and lost 2. I was proud of our boys as they battledhonourably on the court, and conducted themselves in a fair and sportsmanly way on and off the court. Each team membercan hold their head high as good sporting ambassador for our school. There was some great play from our boys andeveryone on the team performed their roles well and showed good skill across the board.Mr Tomlin (Coach)Open Boys Basketball Team: David Hindmarsh (12), Chris Ollerton (12), Ethan Pearson (12), Danny Zhang (12), Josiah Sherwen(12), Anthony Miovski (12), Matt Zhang (11), Jonah Pearson (10), Simon Leech (10).Zone AthleticsApproximately 85 students were eligible for the CSSA South Metropolitan Zone Athletics carnival on 6 August. It was a greatsunny winters day, we travelled out to “The Crest” athletics track at Bass Hill. There was plenty of individual and team successthrough the day, congratulations to the whole team who competed very well. As a school we came 4th overall.CSSA State AthleticsOn 30 August we travelled to Homebush for the CSSA State Athletics Carnival. We had 23 students to compete in a broadrange of events from Javelin to 100m to 2 relay teams. Again all students were on their best behavior and competed in goodspirits. Congratulations to the following students who attended this carnival; Peter Axiotis, Nathan Chang, Laura Douglas,Zara Doyle, Anabelle Evagelatos, Jessica Fox, Anthony Girgilakis, Emily Junk, Ashley Karagorgovski, Eve Mallis, Jacob Mciver,Iavor Nikolaea, Michael Nikolovski, Ladaesha Ofria-Hunt, Jessica Payne, Kathryn Pritchard, Bryn Shanahan, Rachel Sherwen,Simon Shilson-Josling, Kurt Stavrou, Wyatt Tester, Jai Thomas, Kevin Xie.A big congratulations to Michael Nikolovski, Iavor Nikolaea and Wyatt Tester for coming in the top three of their events,making them eligible to compete at the CIS Athletics Carnival on the 19 September at Homebush.Mr Moore

Year 7 - 12 SportBOYS U/15 BASKETBALL GALA DAYEight boys represented our school well at the U/15 Zone Basketball Gala Day. The team included the following boys fromYears 7, 8 and 9: Jai Thomas, Lachlan McWhirter, Ngere Papera, Jarrod Hart, Harrison McKeon, Noah Moynihan, JacobMcIver and Iavor Nikolaev.In the first game we played Regents Park Christian Community School who were very strong and simply too good for us onthe day. Nevertheless, we saw that game as a big wake up call and quickly reorganised and bounced back.One of the highlights of the day was the game against Mt Annan Christian School which was a tightly fought out tussle withthe leading team changing with almost every basket. With a shot just moments before the buzzer, our SGCS side went up 29– 28. Congratulations boys on a good win.In the game against Inaburra, we nearly caused a massive upset by narrowing the margin to just two baskets late in thesecond half. Jai Thomas took charge and led SGCS well shooting 3 pointers, driving to the basket and popping jump shotsfrom all over the court. None of the Inaburra players could mark him adequately, however, Inaburra, the tallest team of theday, ended up winning the Grand Final that afternoon, and beat us 31 – 25.We also played long term rivals Sutherland Shire Christian School in a close match in which we won and had another loss toWilliam Carey Christian School.Of course, its not all about winning. The boys played with a good team spirit and were able to meet friends from otherschools to make the day really worth while. Not only that, seeing how other schools play has helped our boys develop theirown skills further.Well done boys!Senior SchoolSilver Practice Hike 2012Between 9-11 June twenty six Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s AwardCandidates walked from Mill Creek (Wiseman’s Ferry) along the historicalGreat Northern Road via 10 Mile Hollow and Hungry Flat to the MogoCamping Area. This was their Practice Hike. They are presently preparingfor their Test hike to the Lower Blue Mountains.Mr G BinnsBronze Practice HikeBetween 28-29 July thirty five Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s AwardCandidates walked from Waterfall via Uloola Falls and Karloo Pool tothe Heathcote Scout Camp. They returned the next day to Waterfall viathe Heathcote State Park. This was their Practice Hike. They are presentlypreparing for their Test hike (The Coastal Walk).Mr G Binns

AdvertisingAre you looking for something funfor boys that delivers challengesand opportunities to grow and, atthe same time, make good friends?How about getting him involved inThe Boys’ Brigade? (BB for short)Boys aged 5 to 12 years old (years K to 6) are invited to participate.Some of the great things you can do at BB are;Playing gamesPaintingSinging and actingCraftsOutings Sports skills Cooking Bible studies Parent / son activities... and more!Our weekly BB Meetings:Boys’ Brigade meet weekly onTuesday’s (during school term)Dates: First meetingTuesday 9th October.Time: 6.15pm - 7.45pmVenue: Kogarah Bay CongregationalChurch, Corner of Wyee &Souter Streets, Kogarah Bay.Uniform:Boys will be required to wear TheBoys’ Brigade polo shirt, blue shorts orjeans and joggers (or similar).Cost:$70 per child per school term or$7 per week.For boys joining in Term 4 2012, thepolo shirt will be supplied at no cost.For further information on The Boys’ Brigade:Lance Whittaker - 0429 042 503The Southern Sydney Volunteer Expowill be held on Thursday 11 Octoberfrom 11 am – 3 pm at SutherlandEntertainment Centre, 30 Eton St ,Sutherland.The Expo showcases over 60community service organisations inSt George and Sutherland Shire witha range of volunteer roles available.It provides people interested involunteering with an opportunity tomeet community organisations keento harness their talents, interests andpassions.Free EntryDate:Thursday 11 October 2012Time: 11am – 3pmVenue:Sutherland Entertainment Centre30 Eton Street, SutherlandContact us at:www.volunteerlink.org.aukeystone.asn.au

AdvertisingCome & PlayTennis atThe Tennis Blast Academy is the homeof 3 players ranked in the top 8 in AustraliaKody Pearson, no. 1 boy inAust. 2012, 13 y.o.Lance Thompson, Violet Apisah,no. 7 in Aust. 12 y.o. girl; ShalisseThompson, Kody Pearson & PatriciaApisah, no.8 in Aust. 11 y.o. girl.4 day school holiday camp:• Tuesday 2nd October to Friday 5th October 2012• 8 hours for children aged 5-9 for $110• 16 hours for children aged 7-12 $199• The opportunity to play our in-house Competitionduring the school termSchool terms:• We offer ‘Fun’ & ‘Competitive’ weekly progamsduring the school term• Students will be appraised on their progress toensure there is progression to reach their fullpotential• In-house & District Competition for ages 5-12 toteach children how to play matches, teamwork,how to be a good sport!www.tennisblastacademy.comHarold Fraser Reserve, 280 Princes Highway, Carss Park.To enrol, please email us at: cp@tennisblast.com.auPhone Patrick on 0435 390 765 0r 9546 8053TENNIS COACHINGJAMES WOODWARDTennis Coaches AustraliaLevel II TCA CoachPrivate & Group CoachingChildren & AdultsFree Introductory Lesson60 Hillcrest AveHurstville Grove 2220Phone: 9580 5275Mobile: 0412 127 068

Important information: The $550 commission is inclusive of GST. Only for new loans and lines of credit of $100,000 or more (or higherif required by the particular home loan product). Excludes internally refinanced loans, bridging loans and credit limit increases on existingloans. Applications are subject to credit approval. Full terms and conditions included in our Loan Offer. Fees and charges are payable. Yourpersonal details or details of your loan will not be disclosed to the school. We may cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this offer at any time.Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124. Australian Credit License 234945.