YEAR 3 NEWS

Many Year 3 students have been eagerly watching the Olympic Games events and following the performances of their favourite athletes.  Some groups have been incorporating their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar into poetry about the Olympic events.

High Jump

The run up is fast
Pushes off the ground strongly
Over the high bar
Wow!
Olivia Lindsey 

Swimming

Kicking, bubbling, breathing
Rapid, straight, exhausting
Magnificent!
Arani Sivakumar

Running

Ready, set, go, run!
Run, run, run; try to succeed
Nearing the finish
Exhausting!
Veronica Stephens 

Soccer

Passing, kicking, running
Muscular, fast, strong
Breathtaking!
Brooke Meinhart  

Equestrian

Leaping over poles
A beautiful dressage test
Strives to gain a gold
Success!
Taylor Everett

Beach Volleyball

Hitting, jumping, blocking
Strong, sandy, sunny
Radical!
Peta Falzon  

Basketball

Tries with all her might
Bounces the ball on the ground
She shoots perfectly
Gold!
Grace Martin 

Diving

Jumping, flipping, splashing
Strong, fast, do-able
Exciting!
Jessica Taylor  

YEAR 4 NEWS

In addition to learning about China, we have been focusing on the Primary Years Program (PYP) Profile attribute ‘Principled’ this week. We read the classic book, The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese. It is about a little yellow duck that gets lost on the Yangtze River in China, after running away from his owner to avoid being smacked. He is captured and put in a cage, and is in terrible trouble until he finds a friend who helps him to get home safely to his family.

After 4B had read the story, we all wrote one or two paragraphs about the characters in the story and how the PYP Profile applies to them.  Are the characters open minded, balanced, reflective, caring, knowledgeable, principled, thinkers or inquirers? Here are some drawings of Ping and our character profiles:

“The boy in the story was knowledgeable, caring, a communicator, a risk-taker and a thinker, he thought of the duck’s feelings and so he was knowledgeable about what it was like for the duck. He knew it was wrong for him and his family to eat the duck therefore, he was also principled. He was definitely caring as he cared about the duck and what it would be like for the duck to die. He thought about what it would feel like to be the duck and to be killed and then eaten. The communication between him and his family is different. He stood up to them and told them what he believed. Because he did that, he became a risk-taker.” By Maeve

“Ping the duck lives in a boat with his family. After the story I decided that Ping is:

A thinker because he actually thought about what he did before he made the action. Another reason is after he did one action he thought ahead. He was balanced because he had a balance between being first and last and happiness and regret. Ping was a risk-taker by running away from home.” By Caroline  

“I think Ping is a risk-taker because he takes the risk of staying over night and making the journey to find his family. I think the boy was a caring person because he let Ping go.” By Laura 

“The boy in the story was caring because he thought about Ping and let him go instead of eating him. He was also a thinker because he thought about how he would feel if he was stuck in a cage, so he let Ping go.”  By Jemima

“Ping is a small yellow duck. He should have been more knowledgeable when he ran away because he was afraid of being smacked by his master. He was a risk-taker when he ran away. When he ran away, he got caught but a little boy released him.” By Ellina

“I think Ping is a thinker because he thought about the consequences if he got on the boat last. I think the boy is open-minded because he thought about the duck and he thought that if he had been trapped what would he  have done; he would have been scared.” By Cohava

“Ping was a risk-taker for running away and then returning to face the music. I also think that Ping was principled at the end to come back and say, ‘I really want to be with my family and I’ll get a spank, but I’ll be in a position where I feel comfortable’.” By Eleanor

“Ping was knowledgeable in the end because he thought from his past experience that it would be wiser to get spanked than run away again. He was also a risk–taker because he took the risk to run away and get lost and caught. Finally he was reflective because he thought of his past and what had happened to him.” By Mackenzie

Amanda-Jo Birchall
Year 4 teacher

YEAR 5 NEWS 

A busy week for 5R

It has been a very busy and exciting week in the 5R classroom! The students have continued to work on Olympic based activities in both English and Mathematics, enjoyed a variety of special activities to celebrate Book Week, as well as participating in the making of our class movie. Everyone has enjoyed the Cotton Ball Shot Put, the Paper Plate Discus Throw and the Straw Javelin measuring activities. In smaller team groups we have also explored the Olympic Games to investigate such issues as the importance of team spirit in achievement as well as the need for discipline to ensure success. Special visits by author Christine Booth and former Olympic Basketball Boomer Mel Dalgleish have capped an exciting week of events…all hopefully captured on film.  Stronger, faster, higher…..Class 5R surges on through another exciting term!

Janet Robertson
Year 5 teacher

Pictured below: Mel Dalgleish, Australian Olympian Basketball (1980 and 1984) with wife Marny and daughter Alana.

JUNIOR SCHOOL SWIMMING CARINVAL RESULTS

The Junior School students, adorned with splashes of colour, banners and mascots, arrived at the Canberra International Sports and Aquatics Centre for their annual House Swimming Carnival. They swam in many events, joined in the war cries and cheered for other House members.  The highlight of the day was once again the Junior and Senior House Relays. Thank you to all the parents who came to support their children at the carnival and to those parents who gave up their time to assist with timekeeping and judging.

Age Champions

8 years – Kirralee Poslek
9 years – Amy Abbey
10 years – Cate Marques
11years – Arabella Schiwy
12 years – Courtney Thoo

Record Broken - 9yrs Backstroke – Sophia Koundouris 

Senior House Relay - Bates

Junior House Relay - Chisholm

Winning House - Chisholm

SENIOR SCHOOL LANGUAGES

Year 7 Languages Day

On the morning of 28 July, some 170 Year 7 students took part in a Languages Day organised by the Languages Faculty. The aim of the day was to allow students to sample some of the languages and cultures they have not yet studied during the course of the year. They were treated to a session in the three other languages they had not studied in Semester 1.

In French, students learnt about body parts by taking part in an aerobics session and used a variety of games and songs to learn about fruit and numbers.

For German, students participated in a drama workshop, in which they learnt some new words via circle games; learnt how to greet each other; produced ‘freeze frames’ for German words used in English; and watched a highly entertaining video about the culture of the country.

On offer was a Japanese workshop, whereby students made origami flowers to be put on a plum tree (Ume), sang songs and participated in traditional games played in Japan.

Students in the Latin sessions learnt how words with Latin origins can be found in English and the Romance Languages.

For the final session all students came together in the Multimedia Theatre to have an overview of the study tours which older students have participated in for French, German, Japanese and Latin. They also watched excerpts from the Year 8 Languages Night on video, and last but not least, there were prizes for cracking a code.

Some of the comments made by the Year 7 students who participated were “awesome” and “an incredible day”.

Rhiannon Richards
Languages Faculty 

SCHOOL COUNSELLORS

CYBER BULLYING

Our last Newsletter submission focused on Relational Aggression, the type of bullying most often used by girls in their relationships with one another. This week we would like to look more closely at the issue of Cyber Bullying and the online behaviour of teenagers.

Definition: Cyber bullying is the use of electronic information and communication devices such as

e-mail, chat rooms, text, blogs, mobile phones, pagers and websites to bully or otherwise harass an individual or group through personal attacks or other means. It may constitute a computer crime.

Incidence: In a study of 120 Queensland Year 8 students over a quarter said they knew someone who had been bullied by technology, whilst a British study found that one in four children reported being bullied online or by mobile phone. Other studies conducted in the US, the UK and Australia have found lower rates of reported bullying ranging from 7% to 14%, with most targets reporting texting as the main form of bullying followed by chat rooms and then email.

With the number of adolescents who have access to internet and mobile phones expected to rise to over one million, it is reasonable to predict that the number of incidents of cyber bullying will rise also. Over half the students in a Brisbane study reported that they thought cyber bullying was increasing. Finally, in the case of cyber bullying it seems that girls could be more involved than boys, as they are more likely to communicate regularly by email and texting.

Issues Unique to Cyber Bullying: When considering the impact and experience of bullying behaviour there are a number of features particular to cyber bullying that are worthy of special consideration.  Firstly in many cases it is possible to arrange the technology so that it is difficult to determine the identity of aggressors. This anonymity may also mean that individuals feel less constrained by social norms and therefore may do and say things through technology that they would not have the courage or inclination to do face to face. With cyber bullying there is also the potential for a much wider audience to be aware of the incident. For example, emails can be forwarded and websites can be created that endless numbers of people may visit. The sense of humiliation and hurt may be far more public and potentially more profound.

A further aspect of cyber bullying which sets it apart from other forms of bullying is the 24/7 nature of the means of bullying.  Access to individuals through mobile phones, texting and email is unlimited which can mean finding respite from the behaviour is difficult.  In shutting off avenues for receiving bullying messages, the individual is also having to shut down avenues for communicating and staying connected generally. Finally, electronic forums often lack supervision as messages sent between users are only viewable by the sender and recipient.  Increasingly, computers and phones are placed and used in private environments such as adolescent’s bedrooms, where adult supervision is less likely to occur.

What Can Parents Do?

• Become aware and educated about cyber bullying methods. Learn everything you can about information and communication technologies and how your child is using them. 
• Consider the location of information technologies in your house and whether it facilitates easy access for supervision.  The location of the computer in the house has a major impact on whether, and how well, parent’s monitor online activity. Over half of all computers are located in ‘non-social’ rooms such as bedrooms or home offices.
• Talk with your children about online behaviour and your expectations.  Discuss responsible use.  Teach them never to post or say anything that they wouldn’t want the whole world –including you – to see or read.  Create a contract or agreement with clear rules about ethical behaviour and an agreement about the consequences for breaching the contract.
• Help children to understand the power and impact of the written word, as opposed to the spoken word. Written words seem more concrete and in the case of websites, emails, texts etc the targeted students can read what has been written over and over thereby potentially compounding the distress and harm.
• Encourage your children to come to you if anybody says or does anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Stay calm and keep the lines of communication and trust open.
• Work with your child’s school to take a consistent, clear approach to online behaviour.  Be aware of the school’s policies on bullying, cyber bullying and online behaviour. Communicate any concerns you have about online behaviour or cyber bullying, which may also be occurring at school, to staff within the school.

Sharon Prendergast and Julie Smith
Senior School Counsellors
Paula Morelli
Junior School Counsellor

CAREERS NEWS

Year 10 Work Experience

Year 10 students are currently seeking work placements for the week 1 to 5 December 2008. If your business can assist by taking a student for a week, please contact the Careers Advisor, Deanne Reynolds on 6202 6426 or deanne.reynolds@cggs.act.edu.au

University News

- A reminder that the ACT Tertiary Open Day is Saturday 30 August -

The Careers Room has been flooded with information for prospective tertiary students including scholarship information and special consideration - many universities have recently released information for the 2009 intake. Please see individual institution’s websites or pick up a brochure in the Careers Room.

The message is apply, apply, apply. 

• Bond University – a ‘boutique university’ on the Gold Coast which fast-tracks your undergraduate degree. More info at www.bond.edu.au
• Adelaide University – Bachelor of Oral Health is a three year degree leading to job opportunities in dental surgeries, education and aged care. Bachelor of Dental Surgery is a five year degree to become a dentist. See www.health.adelaide.edu.au/ugprograms
• UNSW – Co-op Program for 2009. These are industry linked scholarships in Business, Science and Engineering. Details at www.co-op.unsw.edu.au
• UNSW – Bridging courses in Maths, Chemistry and Physics are available for students. Applications at www.unsw.edu.au/bridging
• UNE – Early Entry and Scholarships forms are available from the Careers Room.
• LaTrobe University – details of the guaranteed entry scheme have been released and are available at www.latrobe.edu.au
• NIDA – the National Institute of Dramatic Arts is now accepting applications from students wishing to study acting, dance and technical production. For a full list of courses go to: www.nida.edu.au

Gap Year Experiences

• Antipodeans Abroad offer three month overseas placements for school leavers completing community work in the developing countries. For details see www.antipodeans.com.au
• SnowSkool offers courses in the Canadian and NZ snowfields for school leavers to be trained as ski and snowboard instructors. For details see www.snowskool.com.au
• Latitude (formerly Gap Activity Projects) offers global volunteering opportunities. For details see www.lattitude.org.au

Employment Opportunities

• Bluescope Steel is keen to receive applications from interested students who are resourceful, innovative and team players who would be interested in a career in the steel industry. Cadetships are available with a starting salary of $27,336 while you complete your studies in Engineering or Science at Wollongong University. Details at www.bluescopesteel.com/cadets
• InTACT offers a training pathway to a career in ICT. For details see www.intact.act.gov.au
• Honeywell are recruiting for their 2009 Apprenticeship Intake from school leavers who have successfully completed their Year 12 studies. They are looking for:
  • A commitment to study and work
  • Good communication skills and the willingness to listen
  • A can-do, self-motivated attitude
  • A mature and responsible approach
  • A strong customer focus

If you're also a team player, good at maths, a natural problem solver and work well with your hands, we want to hear from you. For our 2009 intake, we have openings in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Auckland.

All applicants are requires to go to the Honeywell website and following the links to the information regarding application processes: http://www51.honeywell.com/pacific/careers/Apprenticeship_Program.html

or contact: Michelle Meldrum 02 9353 7325, email michelle.meldrum2@honeywell.com