Lifeskills @ Bendigo - City of Darebin

4Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012Director’s Report....continuedWe should also mention that we havequite a few staff members who have beenwith us now for quite a number of years– Dick has been with us for 13 years inAugust. Pauline has been with us 6 yearsand Rebecca has been with us for over 5years. Vicki has been with us 5 years andher Café staff have mostly been with usfor the entire time the Café(s) have beenopen. Victor has also been running theHireworks for almost 6 years, and othershave been with us for more than 4 years– Dominic and Laurie. If I have missedanyone, I apologise but on behalf of theManagement at Lifeskills I particularlywish to thank all of our staff for the splendidwork they do, often under challengingcircumstances, having to be flexible withthe daily changes we need to make at shortnotice.As you can see from the articles includedin this edition of the newsletter, we arecurrently offering a range of Ready2Workoptions for more than half of ourparticipants. This is largely due to Marie’sefforts in identifying and obtaining work,and then supporting both the participantand their employer to ensure that theplacement is maintained and ongoing.We are very proud of our Ready2Workprogram, and the outcomes achieved byour participants.I also wish to acknowledge the workdone by Vicki and her team in our Cafésat Bundoora and Banyule CommunityHealth Centre (BCHC). The staff in theselocations work extremely hard and arealways helpful and supportive towardsour participants who undertake training inthe Cafes. Twelve months ago LifeskillsCafé successfully tendered for cateringwork for the LTU Union and since thenthe workload of the Café has increasedimmensely. Vicki’s team have achievedmarvels, although Vicki probably seesRice Paper Rolls in her sleep!! I am alsoaware that Vicki is often working away inthe Café, when most of us are just wakingup in the morning.As you can see from the contents ofthis edition of the newsletter planningis underway for the end of year and thecommencement of 2013. If you wish todiscuss your plans for 2012 with any ofthe staff, please give Pauline or Rebeccaa ring.Ros LeslieManaging Director

Editorial5Welcome to the Winter Edition of the Lifeskillsnewsletter!Our Participant’s have added some highlights to this newsletter by contributing a beautifulpoem and writing articles as ‘Roving Reporters’! And the Art Show once again showcasedthe talents of our participants.Read about the activities undertaken at our Bendigo campus and our Ready2Work program.Also included is some important health information.The Lifeskills Formal is to be held at the end of Winter so watch out for the next edition andsome happy formal photos.A reminder that every edition of Lifeskills newsletter has a Public Announcements andClassified page. If you have anything you would like to place on this page please email us:info@life-skills.net.auGayle PohlImportant DatesLifeskills FormalThursday, 30th August, 2012Lifeskills Student Free DayMonday, 5th November, 2012Parent Information EveningTuesday, 4th September, 2012Melbourne Cup DayTuesday, 6th November, 2012Lifeskills Term 3 endsFriday, 28th September, 2012Camp Week - Queenscliff12th - 15th November, 2012Lifeskills Term 4 startsMonday, 15th October, 2012

7LTO Report....continuedSchool Based Apprenticeships and TraineeshipsNew and exciting times!! This term Lifeskillswelcomed four students from Concord Schooland one student from Glenroy Special School toour hospitality program. Whilst still attendingtheir respective schools these Yr 11 and Yr 12students will be at Lifeskills one day a weekworking in the Lifeskills Cafe and gainingtheir Certificate II in Hospitality (KitchenOperations), they will also receive credit in theirVCAL studies at school. Thanks to Vicki, Pauland Stuart for working with these students andoffering them the support they need to achievetheir goals. Harry is also returning from SwanHill to gain another round of his work experienceplacements so that he can complete his studies inSwan Hill – Welcome back, Harry!!Music at LifeskillsIn addition to our very successful programs atJETS Music Studios we decided to expand ourprogram. This term we have begun classes atDecibels Music Studio in Reservoir. Decibels isa fully equipped facility and under the guidanceof our own professional musician, Victor wehave commenced a program where participantscan create and develop their own compositionsand record them under the watchful eye ofNeil, the recording studio expert, at Decibels.The participants are loving it...standby fortheir performance at Presentation Evening inDecember.Open House December 2012 – Jets Music StudioAdvance Information - 10 December 2012 9:00AM-3:00 PM - you can come anytime during theday!! Hope to see you there.Art Exhibition – Parliament House – October2012Following our recent exhibition at the LTU ArtMuseum Gallery we will be hosting an exhibitionof participants’ work at Parliament House inMelbourne. We would love to see you there!!!More information and invitations will be in themail shortly.October 22 – 26, 2012. Opening Night – October23, 2012.Lifeskills Commitment to ParticipantsLifeskills acknowledges that every participantthat takes part in our program is a complexand multi-faceted individual, just like you andme. We will continue to offer a program thatsupports their endeavours whether to concentrateon employment alone or to contribute to theinclusive and cultural enhancement of oursociety. We acknowledge that we differ fromother worthwhile programs in that we emphasisa lifelong learning and wholistic developmentof our participants. We know from experiencethat they are articulate and proactive designersof their future and we do our best to support andencourage their unique endeavours.Pauline JohnstonAbove Left: Art Show entry

8Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012Lifeskills @BendigoThe year is flying by so quickly! Here inBendigo we are glad to be into the last monthof winter. The participants have been verywelcoming to the new staff members, NealeIrving and Carmel Murray. We would bothlike to thank them for their patience with usand are looking forward to being a part ofthis great group.So far we have all enjoyed the opportunityfor community access and have alreadybeen to some wonderful places. A lovelyman from the Historical Society showed usaround the famous Shamrock Hotel. Wewere given access to all sorts of rooms andheard some interesting facts (and tales) ofthe past. The weather was just right for anafternoon at the heated pool and a coupleof outings to the movies. All participantswere magnificent at the “City Challenge”locating land marks around our town. Weare looking forward to a round of golfthanks to Neale’s expertise. These outingsallow us to explore our community and trynew things.A wildlife expert visited us to educateus about crocodiles. He had the biggestcrocodile skull ever! Some of us had ourphoto taken with our head in its jaws . Wehad the group leader from Worksafe visitalso and she talked about the importanceof duty of care of employers towardsemployees. Also the importance of care forourselves and others. All received a showbag of useful information too. Participantsfound these really interesting and learnedlots about safety in the workplace. Amongstother things we are currently working on aproject of our choice and there are manydifferent topics being explored. Someparticipants have started to put togethera PowerPoint project and the standard isreally very high. Some participants haveasked if they may do more than one and arelooking to present their project in a posterformat to allow for greater artistic creativity.La Trobe Uni had a new intake of studentsmidyear and we took part in some of thecelebrations, including balloon art. Someof us were given balloon art to take homewhich was really cool.Work experience is something allparticipants would like to engage in.Currently two participants are workingwithin hospitality and performing verywell. Another participant is working withthe Nursing Department here at La Trobeand is doing an excellent job. The Bendigobank has provided opportunity for anotherof our participants to work in the mail room.He will commence in mid August. Anotherparticipant works twice a week at a nurseryand really enjoys this activity. Both Nealeand Carmel will continue to source otheropportunities that lead towards employment.Looking forward to the rest of this term!Carmel and NealeAbove Left: Caitlin and Jaws

9Participant’sCornerWINTERWarm jumpersIcy feet and fingersNoses runTrees are bareEars are coldRun inside to the heater. Brrrr!This is an Acrostic poem written by the Creative Writing group which includesthe following participants:Robbie, Crystal, Maritah and Julia

10Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012Cafes and FoodServicesIt’s hard to believe over half of the year has gone already and we are planningfor Christmas. Where has the time gone!We have had a very busy three months since the last newsletter. Our cateringhas increased and we have introduced new products into both cafes and ourparticipants, under the watchful eye of Melissa, are busy trying new cookierecipes for our Christmas range.We have also welcomed five new participants for eleven weeks in the SBATprogram. Liam, Adrian, Scott, Jacqui and Taneetha are working with us one daya week to broaden their knowledge and gain experience in a fully operationalkitchen. Each of them brings a different skill set to the kitchen and all of themhave a great enthusiasm to be a part of our team and learn how a kitchen runs.Everything is running smoothly and everyone is enjoying the experience althoughthey all now know seven hours on your feet in a kitchen is no picnic. Keep up thegood work guys you are all doing a great job and we will miss your help whenthe time is up!Enjoy this month’s recipe, rug up and stay warm!Vicki Shaw

11RoastedVegetable TartIngredientsMethod1 small eggplant1 red capsicum2 zucchini1 red onion1 sweet potato2 cloves of garlic100 mls olive oil375g block of shortcrust pastry300g low fat ricotta2 eggs½ cup grated parmesan2tsp chopped rosemaryPreheat oven to 190. Grease a 30x11cmloose-bottomed, rectangular tart pan.Cut vegetables into 2cm chunks andthen place in bowl with garlic and oliveoil. Toss until vegetables are coated,spread onto a tray and roast for 20 minutesor until cooked through and slightlygolden.Roll out the pastry on a floured surface.Place pastry in the pan and blind bakefor 10 minutes. Beat together ricotta,eggs, parmesan and rosemary. Fill prebakedtart shell with ricotta mixture andbake in oven for 15 minutes or until setthen top with roasted vegetables and returnto the oven for 5 minutes or untilwarmed through.Top: Roasted Vegetable Tart

12Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012Ready2WorkAgain a busy term …........Lifeskills had the opportunity to attend a postschool options expo at Heatherwood School forstudents with a disability. The expo providedan insight into Lifeskills and what we haveto offer. A successful, short and enjoyablepresentation was provided for families,students, carers and teachers which invoked alot of interest.I am happy to say we have successfully gainedadditional placements in the community andalso some paid work for our participants.Following is a list of wonderful and excitingbusinesses that are on board and are providingongoing placements.•ABC Child Care - Bundoora•Beautiful You Hairdressing•Brite Services•Bunning’s – Epping•Café•Coles - Bulleen•Courtney & Patterson•Glenlyn Aged Care•Green Sage Café•HiCity•Loyola College•Meadow Glen Aged Care•Mill Park Library•Southern Cross Care•Spotlight•Training Traveling•Woorinyan•YMCAI also look forward to attending the “RIDE”Disability Expo in September. This has beena popular event in the past and promises to beinformative and engaging. I am excited by thepositive feedback I get from the participants. Ihave seen growth and maturity in all of them.Marie StevensTop Left:John at FurnitureRestoration

13Art ShowAnnual Art Exhibition 2012Perspective was the title of the 2012Lifeskills Art Exhibition at LUMA, La TrobeUniversity Museum of Art. Everything fromthe artwork to the food prepared by LifeskillsCafé, was top notch. There were photographs,mixed media, digital art and drawings ondisplay. The artists named the exhibitionPerspective because it has two meanings andsuited everything they had worked on; a wayof viewing something or a way of depictingshapes in relation to one another. The showwas officially opened by Vince Alessi, theArtistic Director of LUMA, who commentedon the vibrant nature and high quality of theartwork.Leading up to the exhibition, everyoneworked to the best of their ability, and feltthe satisfaction of a job well done. Theartists showed enthusiasm for helpingone another and worked harmoniously& joyfully together. They enjoyed manyamusing discussions about naming theirwork and came up with some strangelywonderful titles; Carla Gallo’s Gift of Lightfor example, For the Love of Colour wasalmost called Crash of the triangles, andChristina Kalaitzakis’ colourful pockets intospace, representing her vision into anotherworld, became The Lion, the Witch & theWardrobe. During a field trip to the NationalGallery of Victoria (NGV) and AustralianCentre for the Moving Image (ACMI), theMultimedia class captured one another onfilm. Their photos, which were manipulatedusing the software iPhoto and Photoshop,were all sold on the opening night.It has been a pleasure to discover somuch imagination and talent amongstour participants. Thank you to all whoattended the opening night, to those whomade a purchase and to staff for their helpand support in making the evening a greatsuccess.Tamara TallentArt Program ManagerTop Right: Gavin Porter, Self Portraitin Winter 2012

14Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012ImportantInformationCancer Screening for Womenwith Intellectual DisabilitiesOver the next few months the CancerCouncil Victoria will be contactingVictorian women with an intellectualdisability by mail to raise awareness ofthe importance of cancer screening.There are a number of cancer screeningtests that can help detect and preventcancer, including Pap tests for cervicalcancer, mammograms for breast cancerand bowel cancer screening tests.The 2009 Victoria Population HealthSurvey of People with an IntellectualDisability, showed that women with anintellectual disability are far less likelyto participate in cancer screening thanthe rest of the population, which meansthey are at greater risk of developingsome cancers.Around 8,000 Victorian womenwith an intellectual disability will besent easy-to-read information on thebenefits of cancer screening. Thosewho receive the letter are encouragedto speak to their health care providerabout whether or not screening is rightfor them.The letter will include informationfor family or staff about Pap tests,mammograms and bowel cancerscreening tests and practical wayswomen can be supported to participate.Cancer Council Victoria is workingwith PapScreen Victoria, BreastScreenVictoria and the Department of HumanServices on the project.For more information contact LeaRawlings at Cancer Council Victoriaon Lea.Rawlings@cancervic.org.au /03 9635 5053

15CookingClassIt’s Wednesday morning and the Lifeskills kitchen at Union Hall, Latrobe University isbusy with the buzz of participants getting ready for their class ‘Present Food’. Todayon the menu is Chicken and Sundried Tomato Risotto and Banana and Berry Smoothies.Teacher Karen is currently on leave so the participants in this class are cooking up astorm with the guidance of Melissa, another experienced and dedicated teacher whomis part of the Hospitality team.Melissa and her students: Alex Lee, Jessica Briggs, Mark Pallazollo, Michael Contiand Ryan Crofts, will prepare, cook and present their delicious Risotto to share togetherin the Dining Room at Pings Restaurant.Melissa also runs a Cake Decorating class on Thursdays and the theme this week isSesame Street. The themes will change each week according to the student’s requests.Above left: Jessica, Sylvia, Molly, Sanjesh,& Matthew

16Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012Staff/ParticipantBirthday’sJune - AugustJune Birthdays:July Birthdays:August Birthdays:9 - Keith K23 - Vivi V3 - George V4 - Alexander L7 - Mary I9 - Chris S12 - Maeva R18 - Miranda G30 - Gayle P1 - Rebecca B1 - Dick U1 - Matthew B8 - Kassie D9 - John G13 - Ros L20 - Britteny S25 - Dennis T

17Student Profile:David DominiDavid spends his Monday’s at Lifeskills in the studio room on the Radio at Latrobe University’sAMF Radio station. He works alongside Eki, Stuart, and Chris. He likes to talk aboutsport from around the world. Of course, it’s exciting in the sports world at the moment becauseof the London Olympics. Chris also likes to talk about the weekend football and is a passionatesupporter of Hawthorn. They won this weekend!David is currently enrolled at Lifeskills in the Seed and Feed Program, Travel Training, MultiMedia and Radio. David loves Travel Training the best!David works at Coles in Bulleen two days a week. He keeps the aisles clean and gets rid ofunwanted boxes. When David is home on Sunday’s, he likes to watch Action movies starringJohn Travolta. David lives at home with his Mum, Dad, two brothers, and his four month oldcat, Biscuit.By the “Roving Reporters” in the Newsletter Group: Vasi, Martin, Rebecca and BiancaTop Left: David

18Lifeskills Newsletter Winter Edition 2012Getting toknow our Staff:Tracy HarknessTracy started her position at Lifeskills as an Administrative Assistant inMay 2012. Before Lifeskills, Tracy worked at a company called Servcorpas a Corporate Office Assistant.Tracy is visiting Sydney next week for five days with her partner Tashi. Shehasn’t been to Sydney before and is really looking forward to it. Tracy andTashi are booked in to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.Tracy is originally from Hamilton, New Zealand and has been in Australiafor the past twelve years. Tracy has lots of family still living in Hamilton andwould like to visit with them soon.Tracy likes to go to the movies on Thursdays and most recently saw ‘Ted’.It was a great movie! Shopping, or ‘retail therapy’, is also one of Tracy’sfavourite pastimes. One day Tracy would love to own a pure bred Shiatsupuppy.Tracy enjoys her new job at Lifeskills and has learnt many new office skills.Written by the “Roving Reporters” : Vasi, Martin, Stefania, Rebecca andMaritahTop: Tracy Harkness

Public Announcementsand Classifieds19If you have anything you would like to announce or advertiseon this page please contact Gayle on 9948 7970What about the range of eye wear available?The Clinic offers a comprehensive range of eyewear at very reasonable prices. Not all items aresubsidised under the Department of Health fundingarrangements. A copy of your prescription canbe provided should you wish to go elsewhere forsuitable frames or lenses.Remember – Please bring to yourappointment: Medicare card Concession card Current glasses or contact lenses Letter of introduction if requiredAustralian College of Optometry ClinicsCarlton ClinicCorner of Keppel and Cardigan Streets, CarltonMelways reference: 43 H3Easily accessible by public transportFor appointments phone: (03) 9349 7455For general enquiries phone: (03) 9349 7400Fax: (03) 9349 7499Braybrook ClinicWestern Region Health Centre– BraybrookPhone: (03) 9334 6622Broadmeadows ClinicBroadmeadows Heath ServicePhone: (03) 8345 5414Doveton ClinicCardinia-Casey CommunityHealth Service – DovetonPhone: (03) 9212 5709East Preston ClinicDarebin Community Health Centre – ReservoirPhone: (03) 8470 1199Frankston ClinicFrankston Community HealthPhone: (03) 9784 8342Email: clinic@aco.org.auWebsite: www.aco.org.auThe Australian College of Optometry providesservices in rural Victoria through a network ofprivate practitioners. Concession card holders wholive in country Victoria can call 1300 303 125 forinformation or visit www.aco.org.auSwanston StCemetery RdKeppel StPalmerston StGardigan StLygon StACOFaraday StPrinces StElgin StQUALITYAFFORDABLEEYECAREfor Victorian pensioners andhealth care card holders

20Express Create GrowLa Trobe Lifeskills Pty LtdLifeskills CentreLa Trobe UniversityBundoora Vic 3086 (PO Box 113)T 03 9479 1474 F 03 9479 1192E info@life-skills.net.auwww.life-skills.net.au