Faith, Family Forever Excelling

Transcript

1 Faith, Family Forever Excelling Volume 31 Issue 1 Friday, 9 February 2018 MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Mrs Gina Kadis Welcome back everyone How good is it to see the College filled with children and staff back after summer holidays! Great to welcome all back - relaxed and energised once again ready for another exciting year of learning. It s been a great start to the 2018 College year. The Parent & Student Information Day on Monday 29 January was very informative and a valuable opportunity to work together to support the learning of our students. Staff from both campuses were introduced to all families. Mr Peter Karamoshos (Deputy Principal and Head of Senior Campus) outlined key priorities for our children and staff in our Middle School (Years 5-8) and Senior School (Years 9-12) and Stephanie Kosmetos outlined key priorities for our children and staff on the Junior Campus from ELC to Year 4. From here, parents and students met with Home Group teachers to receive key class routines information, timetables and ensure students knew exactly where they needed to be for their first full day of schooling Tuesday 30 January. I am very proud of our staff and students. We have had a fabulous start to the College year. Thank you everyone. Congratulations to all our Year 12 graduates and well done to our Year 12 St George College Dux of 2017 Evangelos Saloniklis (recipient of the University of Adelaide Principal s Scholarship and entrance into Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) ELEC & ELE Double Degree) We are very proud of all our Year 12s for doing their absolute best. We are very proud of all our subject teachers for doing all their best to motivate and educate our graduates to such a high standard not just Year 12 teachers who are exceptional but each and every teacher who taught and guided our students over the years. Sincere thanks! Our graduates excelled in their internal assignments and assessments at a SACE level and passed the rigorous Moderation Process with distinction. Globally, young people continue to be challenged by the examination process. Despite the thorough preparation we give our students regarding examination techniques with 9 rounds of semester examinations before Year 12 some of our children continue to find examinations daunting and stressful. We will continue to work with our children through our weekly Wellbeing Programs to strengthen their resilience and share strategies with families to further support their child to get stronger at taking examinations. We congratulate all our graduates who got into their first preference at university and further education. Big shoes to fill for our current Year 12s! We are very proud of our new cohort of Year 12s. I write this to you having just come back from our Year 12 Retreat at Belair where our students have been working strategically with the Wellbeing and Head of House Team, to be ready for the challenges and exciting opportunity that Year 12 will bring them. Kali Thinami. Our Commitment to our families We have a No surprises policy regarding how your child is progressing in their wellbeing and teaching and learning. Our subject teachers and home group teachers are available for interviews in Week 6 of Term 1 and Week 6 of Term 3. Please see the Calendar Dates in the Term 1 College Calendar attached at the end of this newsletter. Feel free to staff (contact Teresa on tmcanulty@sgc.sa.edu.au if you want the address of any staff member or ring to leave a message for a teacher to call you when they can). Parents are encouraged to make contact directly with the teacher that is working CRICOS Provider No: 02799F KEY DATES 14 February 2018 Red Heart Day - Sparta Fundraiser 16 February 2018 High Achievers Assembly 19 February 2018 Orthodox Great Lent Begins 20 February 2018 Parent Information Evening 6:30-7:30 Junior Campus Hall UNIFORM SHOP HOURS Monday 2:45pm-3:45pm Tuesday 8:15am-9:15am Thursday 2:45pm-3:45pm Call to book an appointment time if you need a longer timeslot.

2 Welcome new students and their families We look forward to getting to know you and you getting to know us. Strong community and family relationships are very important to us all. Together we can make such a positive impact on the learning and futures of our students. We warmly welcome the following students and their families (where there are no older siblings) to St George College: ELC Ellen Demourtzidis Scarlett Diamandi Vera Janjic Natasha Jokic Andrej Lalic Elena Lalic Antony Markaj Dimitrios Saredakis (commencing in February) Francesca Sorgini (commencing in March) RECEPTION Panayioti Akritidis Frideriki Giazitzoglou Nikolaos Kiriakakis Militsa Miltiadous YEAR 1 Karmandeep Singh Nimrat Brar Lou Ran He Eirini Ktisti Theodore Papoulis YEAR 2 Charalampos Kiryttopoulos (returning to SGC) YEAR 4 Georgios Giazitzoglou Alexandros Kiryttopoulos (returning to SGC) Eva Tsimiklis YEAR 5 Teserach Bayew Mingyang Liu YEAR 7 Charlotte Bandasak Costa Korakianitis YEAR 8 Sarah Bayew Alex Kambanou-Nikolic Dimitri Oikonomou Ermias Takele YEAR 9 Alexander Jost George Koutsouridis (returning to SGC) Arthur Kyros Guo Xian (Alvin) Loke YEAR 10 Zhiheng He Anastasia Medic YEAR 11 Yimeng Feng Xiaomin (Melody) Jiang Stratis Giazitzoglou Cleo Tsimiklis Lysander Bastiras Harry Hall Zixuan (Anthony) Liang Geonha (Matt) Seo Esther Feza Yiming Zhang Welcome to our new staff Mr John Saredakis Head of House (Athens) & Staff Development and Home Group Teacher Year 7 Ms Kate O Halloran English and Year 11 Drama We are delighted to welcome back Old Scholar and previous teacher at St George Mr John Saredakis who is back in this new Leadership role. He has already implemented exciting initiatives to support our Orthodox values and using ICT to enhance differentiated teaching and learning at St George. Kate comes to us with a strong background in middle years and SACE English and Drama having taught extensively in Darwin, Northern Territory and in South Australia. The SACE courses in senior years operates in all South Australian and Northern Territory schools and some schools in South-East Asia. I thank Kate for her dedication and commitment to support the differentiated needs of students in her classes. The College Diary (Years 3-12) Goal setting plays a critical role in the achievement of our dreams. The College Diary plays a pivotal role in helping students and families work together to set goals and monitor the academic progress of students weekly at the College. It is also critical for regular communication between home and the College. Please spend time talking to your child about their progress before you sign their diary weekly. Home Group teachers check this weekly and value your input. The student learning experience benefits. Help us to help your child become more independent and become a resilient learner. Parents and Friends We have always had a strong, dynamic group of parents and friends here at St George College. We are so grateful to one and all for their tireless work and achievements. An active Parents and Friends helps build community relations and raises funds for special projects. In particular, it s a great way to form long-lasting friendships. I encourage you to get involved and support this dedicated team of parents. They need more hands on deck. The first meeting is advertised later in this newsletter. Meetings are held in the Principal s Office at the Senior Campus hosted by the Parents and Friends Leadership Team. First meeting is Thursday 15 February 2018 at 9am. If you want to know more about the Vision and Strategic Direction of the College do contact me directly on (gkadis@sgc.sa.edu.au) if you have any queries or if you have time to pop in for a coffee and chat ring Mrs Emily Giles on to make a longer appointment. Gina Kadis (DipT, BEd, MACEL) Principal 2

3 MESSAGE FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL Mr Peter Karamoshos Welcome back Welcome back to the 2018 school year. I trust students and their families took the chance to relax and recharge while enjoying the festive season. In addition to celebrating the joy of Christmas, I hope everyone strengthened their connections with family and friends during this special time. My family and I spent time in Melbourne sharing Christmas with loved ones. It was terrific to have an extended period to spent quality time with my nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles something that is really important and something I don t do often enough. Students enjoying school Our teachers, Heads of House and Home Group Teachers are committed to ensuring our students are happy coming to school, happy while they are at school and happy when they leave to go home. If our students are in this frame of mind, they are obviously better positioned to maximise their learning opportunities at our College and to tackle the world in general. All staff will guide and support students in their academic and personal development through their daily interactions and through the structured Wellbeing program. This program will provide students with strategies on how to build resilience, cope with challenges and strengthen relationships. Please contact subject teachers, Home Group Teachers or Heads of House with any issues or concerns so we can work together to make sure our students continue to be happy. New Effort criteria for student reports To provide greater clarity to students and families on the types of characteristics which support student academic growth and the personal attributes we wish to develop in our students, three qualities will be used to assess effort in student academic reports: Conscientiousness, Resilience and Behaviour. The Effort Grade (Excellent, Satisfactory or Minimal) will be determined through considering these three attributes and applying the grade which best represents the student. The table below shows what is considered Excellent effort in each of the three criteria. Conscientiousness Resilience Behaviour Excellent The student consistently takes responsibility for their learning, displays an outstanding approach to all tasks, is independently motivated and self-disciplined, is hardworking, sets high expectations, is thorough, is well organised and meets all deadlines. The student consistently makes changes to maximise their understanding, always accepts and acts on feedback, is proactive in seeking help to improve and shows a positive approach when faced with challenges. The student consistently remains on task, avoids distractions, shows respect for students and staff, allows others to maximise their understanding and is always punctual. Reading for Meaning A big focus in 2018 during our staff professional development sessions, and in our 4A lessons, will be on improving literacy for all students. The Reading for Meaning program on the Senior Campus will have two aims: encouraging reading for enjoyment providing students with specific strategies on how to better understand what they reading We will be holding a Parent Information Session on Tuesday 27 February from on the Senior Campus Library for parents of Year 5 10 (and any other parents who are interested) to explain the program and to share ideas on how parents may support literacy at home. 3

4 FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Miss Stephanie Kosmetos Welcome from the Junior Campus Welcome back everyone and a warm welcome to our new families. In Reception, 9 children from our Early Learning Centre joined us along with 7 children new to the college Nimrat Brar, Frideriki Giazitzoglou, Luoran He, Nikolaos Kiriakakis, Eirini Ktisti, Militsa Miltiadou and Theodore Papoulis. The following children also joined us in other year levels; in Year 2 Charalampos Kiryttopoulos, in Year 4 Georgios Giazitzoglou, Alexandros Kiryttopoulos and Eva Tsimiklis. We wish them and their families a happy and productive time in the Junior School. During the days (weeks for some) leading up to the first day of school, staff were busy preparing their rooms to make them welcoming and comfortable learning spaces. They had also been undertaking professional learning activities in particular on Assessment in Reading and using a new reading assessment tool- the Oxford Literacy Assessment. Oxford Assessment is a friendly levelled reading scheme which ensures that all children are reading books at exactly the right level for them. The assessment encompasses the student s accuracy, reading strategies, fluency, comprehension, summarising and ability to infer. Staff also spent many hours in the holidays levelling the beautiful new readers that the school recently purchased, changing the levelled reading program from a coloured system to a number system. Thank you, Mrs Greenfield, for driving this initiative and supporting all junior campus staff to have these new resources ready for our students to enjoy at the start of the new school year promises to be another significant, enjoyable and fruitful year for all members of our school community. A Wonderful start for the ELC! What a wonderful and exciting start to 2018! The Christmas holidays were busy with making changes to the indoor and outdoor areas of the ELC to accommodate the 3 and 4-year-old programs on a daily basis. Thank you to the ELC team who were at school moving and sorting equipment and furniture in readiness of the new school year. Also, a big thank you to the children who have adapted to the new routine with ease and transitioned into the ELC without a fuss. The new children that joined us in the ELC are: Ellen Demourtzidis, Scarlett Diamandi, Natasha Jokic, Elena Lalic, and Antony Markaj. We often reflect that our purpose and our focus is on the children, caring for each one as an individual, encouraging independence and starting each child on their own path of learning. Junior Campus SRC At last week s assembly, we introduced and presented badges to the students who were elected by their peers to form the new student leadership team. The Junior Campus SRC leaders are Elena Demetriou and Socrates Tsangari in Year 4 and Maria Vizzari with George Psarombas in Year 3 who will help service the needs of the Junior Campus. These students will take on the responsibility of representing the views of their peers that have come from class meetings and bringing forward their ideas to discuss at our regular SRC meetings. We congratulate them on receiving this position of service and look forward to seeing the positive contribution and impact they will make to our school community. Responsibility in leadership means accepting the duty to contribute to others and follow through on expectations. You do not need a title to become a leader. Leadership is about service. These messages about how we display leadership and serve our school community are a big part of student leadership in our school. For our Year 3 and 4 SRC students they will have many opportunities to lead and show leadership, these include; Running Junior Campus assembly Helping organise fundraising events Helping at P&F events Monitoring the cleaning up of play areas Reinforcing positive play Master of ceremony at Grandparents Day and Christmas Concert Buddy program We find that when given responsibility, our students go above and beyond to show leadership and be positive role models to other students. From a young age students are instilled with our college ethos and values that are displayed throughout the school and are lived daily by the students. 4

5 Student Leadership Induction Ceremony Friday 2 February 2018 Congratulations to all our student leaders for 2018 who were inducted into the student leadership team. Students were reminded that; to lead is to be the best version of yourself to be the best you can be and to be a role model for your peers. To respect yourself and to respect others. To be a leader means to serve your College community. To help others and encourage them to be great leaders. The 6 essential qualities of an effective leader are: to display the values of the school to enjoy serving others to have self-confidence to be proactive to be favourable among staff and peers to be involved in a variety of school activities. We trust that our students will work tirelessly to serve their school community and do their very best to support their peers who elected them into these positions and make them proud. Miss Angela Drakopoulos 5

6 STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM 2018 YEAR LEVEL NAME STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SRC) 3 MARIA VIZZARI & GEORGE PSAROMBAS 4 ELENA DEMETRIOU & SOCRATES TSANGARI 5 AMELINA KLIRONOMOS & STRATIS ANDRITSAKIS 6 NICOLA TSANGARI & NIKO ANDRESAKIS 7 OLIVIA KALATZIS & SHIRAJ PANNU 8 ISABELLA ARONIS & YOELL WOLDEGZI 9 LULIA ALGHEDA & SAVVA TOUMAZOS 9 ANASTASIA TOLIS & PETER VIZZARI 10 FRIDERIKI DIAMOND & GEORGE TOUMAZOS YEAR 8 HOUSE CAPTAINS 8 ATHENS = ZOE DESYLLAS & ALESSIA MARKAJ 8 OLYMPIA = MIA VREUGDENBURG & XENOPHON APOEFIS 8 PELLA = ARYANNAH APOSTOLOU & HARRY LIAKOS 8 SPARTA = JOHNNY DIAMOND & YIANNI HALILAJ YEAR 12 HOUSE CAPTAINS 12 ATHENS = POLINA AMBROSE & TOULA TSAKIRIS 12 OLYMPIA = GEORGE KOSMIDIS & LOUIS KATOPODIS 12 PELLA SARITA TSOLOS & EVAN LIAKOS 12 SPARTA = ELEFTHERIA PIRINTZIS & GEORGE CHRISTPOULOS PREFECTS 11 ROSA MULALEM MARU 11 DIMITRIOS TOLIS 12 RAHEL ABRAHA 12 GEORGE CHRISTPOULOS INTERNATIONAL PREFECTS 12 YUNYI LI (JASMINE) 12 WAI YAN CHENG (ALICIA) COLLEGE VICE CAPTAIN 12 DEMI BALDERANOS COLLEGE CAPTAIN 12 ALEXANDROS KATSIGIANNIS 6

7 Careers Corner With Mr Rodas and Mrs Kylie Greenfield Welcome to the first Careers Newsletter article for the year. I am looking forward to working in partnership with students and parents to explore different career and study options. The careers section in the newsletter is a valuable resource for career information, courses available and key dates for Careers Information Days, University Open Days and Important dates for applying for courses and Scholarships for year 10 to 12 students. I am the new Careers Coordinator at the College and I am excited to be supporting students with their subject selections and career pathways. The Careers Centre has been relocated to the Senior Campus Library (near the corridor entrance) All students from years 10 to 12 are able to access career counselling either by ing kgreenfield@sgc.sa.edu.au or coming into the library to set up a meeting time with me. As a part of their Career development year 10 students will complete a mycareermatch profile which gives them feedback on their personality styles, associated strengths and weaknesses and potential career suggestions. This is followed up by some career research and guest speakers from the tertiary sector within the Personal Learning Plan which is embedded into the Year 10 curriculum. Throughout the year there will be a number of opportunities for interested students to visit various tertiary and industry based events that can further assist in future career decision making. Parent will be asked to attend and support the counselling of their child in their subject selections (for Years 10 and 11) and tertiary/ work applications and transitions (for Year 12). The College plans to invite back a number of old scholars who are currently working and studying to chat informally about their experiences at a Career Mentors Day. Old scholars interested in participating can call reception on and leave their details with Polyxeni Kyriacou or me (mrodas@sgc.sa.edu.au). We would love to hear from you. Helpful Resources: myfuture My Skills South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) Job Outlook m.au/ Provides extensive information to help with career research and planning including video clips, career information and career planning tools. Quality Indicators of Learning and Teaching (QILT) website uses feedback from thousands of students about their experiences studying higher education in Australia. Offers a nation-wide search of vocational training and appropriate organisations, as well as detailed statistics and analysis. Provides information on courses and how to apply to the Universities and institutes of TAFE in South Australia. Also provides information on the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT). Provides careers and industry information to help decide future career direction. Encompasses Online career assessment tool matching student strengths & personality with careers that best suit. NB All year 10 students complete an assessment within their PLP curriculum. UMAT 2018 UMAT is a test that is used specifically to assist with the selection of students into the medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs at undergraduate level at the universities listed on the website. Registrations for UMAT 2018 are now open and close 5:00pm (AEST) 12st June, The test takes place nationally on the 25 th July, 2018 and results released mid September. 7

8 Greek Corner With Theochti Antoniadou 9η Φεβρουαρίου Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Ελληνικής Γλώσσας Ημέρα μνήμης του εθνικού ποιητή Διονύσιου Σολωμού Η 9η Φεβρουαρι ου, Ημε ρα μνη μης του Διονυσι ου Σολωμου (8 Απριλι ου Φεβρουαρι ου 1857), καθιερώθηκε και ως Παγκο σμια Ημε ρα Ελληνικη ς Γλω σσας. Αποφασίστηκε από την ελληνική κυβέρνηση να γιορτάζεται αυτή η μέρα σε όλα τα ελληνικά σχολεία και όχι μόνο. Το υπουργει ο Εξωτερικω ν, καταρτι ζει σε συνεννο ηση με το Υπουργει ο Παιδει ας, Ε ρευνας και Θρησκευμα των, αντι στοιχα προγρα μματα εκδηλω σεων που προτει νει, σε ο λες τις Ελληνικε ς Κοινο τητες της Διασπορα ς η αλλοδαπα πανεπιστημιακα ιδρυ ματα με ε δρες ελληνικω ν σπουδω ν η σχολε ς ελληνικη ς γλω σσας, να γιορτάζουν επίσης αυτήν την μέρα. Το Υπουργει ο Εξωτερικω ν φρόντισε στο πλαι σιο διεθνω ν οργανισμω ν ο πως του Ο.Η.Ε. και της ΟΥΝΕΣΚΟ, για την καθιε ρωση της 9ης Φεβρουαρι ου ως Παγκο σμιας Ημε ρας Ελληνικη ς Γλω σσας. Η ιδέα για μια Διεθνή Ημέρα Ελληνικής Γλώσσας προωθήθηκε μέσω της Γενικής Γραμματείας Απόδημου Ελληνισμού σε συνεργασία με πολλές Διπλωματικές Αποστολές της Ελλάδας καθώς και με ελληνικούς Συλλόγους και Κοινότητες. Το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο, μαζί με τα Ανώτατα Πατριαρχεία και τους Αρχιεπισκόπους που υποστηρίζουν σχολεία ή μαθήματα ελληνικής γλώσσας στην διασπορά, ζήτησαν επίσης την καθιέρωση της Διεθνούς Ημέρας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, η οποία αναμένεται να συμβάλει σημαντικά στην εξάπλωση του ελληνικού πολιτισμού. Ο Διονύσιος Σολωμός Στις 9 Φεβρουαρίου, ο κόσμος γιορτάζει την μνήμη του Διονύσιου Σολωμού. Ο Διονύσιος Σολωμός γεννήθηκε στη Ζάκυνθο στις 8 Απριλίου 1798 και πέθανε στις 9 Φεβρουαρίου Οι γονείς του Σολωμού ήταν ο Νικόλαος Σολωμός και η Αγγελική Νίκλη. γράφει ποιήματα στα Ιταλικά εμπνευσμένος από την Ιταλική φιλολογία και η δουλειά του ήταν επισήμως αναγνωρισμένη. Το 1823, τελείωσε το πιο γνωστό του ποίημα, τον «Ύμνο εις την Ελευθεριάν». Εμπνευσμένος από την Επανάσταση του 1821, έγραψε 158 στροφές. Όταν ο Σολωμός και ο φίλος του, Νικόλαος Μάντζαρος, που σύνθεσε την μουσική για τον ύμνο, πήγαν στο βασιλιά Όθωνα για έγκριση του έργου τους έως εθνικό ύμνο της Ελλάδας, η αίτησή τους απορρίφθηκε. Αργότερα όμως, για το έργο αυτό, ο Μάντζαρος και ο Σολωμός καταξιώθηκαν και βραβεύτηκαν. Το 1861, 4 χρόνια μετά τον θάνατο του Σολωμού, ο υπουργός του στρατού πρόταξε το Μάντζαρο να συνθέσει μουσική για στρατιωτική παρέλαση με βάση τον «Ύμνο εις την Ελευθεριάν». Το 1864, όταν τα Επτάνησα ενώθηκαν με την Ελλάδα, ο «Ύμνος εις την Ελευθεριάν» έγινε ο εθνικός ύμνος της Ελλάδας. Από τους μαθητές της 10ης Τάξης Ελληνικών, Αικατερίνη Γιουβαντσιούδη και Γεώργιο Τουμάζο Αγιασμός Κολεγίου Αγίου Γεωργίου 2018 Την Τρίτη, 6 Φεβρουαρίου, τελέστηκε στον Ιερό Ναό Αγίου Γεωργίου ο καθιερωμένος αγιασμός του Κολεγίου μας με την παρουσία όλων των μαθητών, των εκπαιδευτικών και γονέων των μαθητών μας. Με συναισθήματα χαράς και ευλάβειας λάβαμε, μαθητές και εκπαιδευτικοί, την ευλογία του Θεού και τις συμβουλές των Πατέρων της Εκκλησίας μας, για την έναρξη της φετινής σχολικής χρονιάς. Ο Αγιασμός τελείται για να είναι ο Θεός μαζί μας και να μας δίνει δύναμη και φώτιση. Για να γίνει, ο Αγιασμός, ο ιερέας χρειάζεται: νερό, ένα κερί, λίγο βασιλικό, το Θυμιατό, το Σταυρό και το Ευχολόγιο. Όλοι οι μαθητές, οι μαθήτριες, οι εκπαιδευτικοί και οι παρευρισκόμενοι γονείς αγιαστήκανε από τους Πατέρες μας, λαμβάνοντας έτσι την αληθινή σοφία. Η αληθινή σοφία φαίνεται μέσα από τα έργα της καλής διαγωγής και με τον ήρεμο τρόπο με τον οποίο γίνονται. Αληθινή σοφία είναι αυτή που έρχεται από το Θεό, που είναι απαλλαγμένη από τα ψεγάδια της ιδιοτέλειας και είναι ειρηνική, αγαθή, πειστική, γεμάτη ευσπλαχνία και καλούς καρπούς, αμερόληπτη και ειλικρινής. Μετά από το θάνατο του πατέρα του το 1807, ο Σολωμός πήγε στην Ιταλία Καλή Σχολική Χρονιά! για σπουδές. Ο Σολωμός άρχισε να 8

9 Out of School Hours Care With Mrs Janice Copeland Welcome to our first newsletter for 2018! To our returning families, welcome back and to our new OSHC families, we d like to welcome you to OSHC. We hope your Christmas and summer vacation was relaxing and enjoyed by you and your children. At Vacation Care, we enjoyed the days with lots of amazingly creative children exploring our craft activities and free play. It was a fun Vacation care program for everyone. Our first week in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) saw new faces join the group and familiar faces returning; some for extra days and some returning to their usual routine. The children settled in well and were eager to explore the areas and return to the quieter OSHC afternoons of play. We have a variety of activities for the children to explore and welcome any ideas and thoughts from them to extend our programme. Many thanks are offered to all parents, educators and children for making our Summer Vacation Care programme such a great success. We have been most encouraged by the feedback that we have received regarding our staff and programme as well as ideas for our April holiday programme. Please send me an if you have any suggestions for future Vacation Care sessions. In December we welcomed Chelsea Fryar Betham and Nerissa Andary to the Vacation Care team. Many of the children knew Chelsea as the Reception teacher and were delighted to get to know her in Vacation Care. Nerissa is an Educational Support Educator at Glen Osmond School and will be working in our Vacation Program during the school holidays. Our team is growing as are the enrolments and children attending the programme. I would like to thank Petros Karavasilis for leading the Vacation Care team whilst I was on holidays in Queensland. Thank you Natalie, George, Helena, Chelsea and Nerissa, for all the hard work and energy you put into making the holiday program a fun-filled one for the children. As the Vacation Care programme neared its end, we said our farewells to our OSHC Educator, George Ragias. George works in a local Adelaide Child Care Centre and could not refuse the offer of full time work in the centre. He was able to say his farewells to many of the children on his last day. Each year your child s OSHC enrolment needs to be updated and renewed. Whether you are renewing or enrolling for the first time, on a casual or permanent basis, please fill out the 2018 Enrolment form and return it to OSHC or to Polyxeni in the office. Polyxeni has OSHC enrolment forms in the Junior School Reception and copies are available in the OSHC classroom. You are also able to download a copy from the website. If your child is absent from school or you pick them up early from school you will need to call me on to report them absent Permanent Casual Fee OSHC $ (Daily) $ (Weekly 5 Days) $27.50 We use the National Quality Framework to guide our planning and approach. Our program also incorporates photographs, weekly evaluations and feedback. Our evaluations are ongoing and will include children s photos and short learning outcomes that are shared with OSHC staff and documented on the OSHC walls and in the children s Journals. This term Natalie and I, being the educational leaders of the service, are planning to review the programming of OSHC using the feedback from the staff, children and parents. We are open to all suggestions regarding the daily program and Vacation Care. You can speak to Natalie or myself, or you send your suggestions by to. oshc@sgc.sa.edu.au Upcoming April Vacation Care Dates: 16 th -30 th April. The April vacation care program will be uploaded to the school website and will be ed to all families. Important dates # There are 11 weeks in this term. # Adelaide Cup Day. 12 th March # Good Friday 30 th March Easter Monday 2 nd April # Term ends on Friday 13 th April

10 Playgroup News With Mrs Janice Copeland Greetings and Welcome back! I hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas break and are ready for another amazing and enriching year in Playgroup. Our first Tuesday playgroup morning was a great start to the term. I was reassured as I watched the children eager to reconnect with their playgroup space and of course immerse themselves in their learning! Thursday saw the return of more of our Playgroup friends. We were excited to discover that Lana is going to be a big sister and congratulated Irene on her pregnancy. Maria and her Yia Yia, Maria shared the news that their friend Dimitri had become a big brother. Maggie gave birth to a son, Kostantinos in early January. Congratulations Maggie and John. Andrew brought Costa to playgroup, sharing news about Costa and his baby brother, George. We enjoyed listening to stories about Costa s special moments with his baby brother. We look forward to when Amalia can bring in George for a visit. On both our playgroup days, it was a pleasure to watch the children explore the play space and all it had to offer. The EYLF states that: Play provides opportunities for children to learn as they discover, create, improvise and imagine. When children play with other children they create social groups, test out ideas, challenge each other s thinking and build new understandings. It was wonderful to see the children reconnecting with each other as they played and explored. The playgroup curriculum is an emerging one, rather than a prescribed one. The learning environment has been created to encourage the children to explore, solve problems, create and construct. As they interact with the materials and play spaces spontaneous teachable moments occur, and are used to build on their learning. Their immersion in their play illustrates how play enables them to simply enjoy being. The self-selective nature of the program helps the children; no matter how young, develop resourcefulness and independence whilst occupying themselves constructively without continually relying on adults. This independence will help prepare the children for their early childhood experiences, school and lifelong learning. 10

11 Seniors Luncheon Chinese Award Congratulations to Savva Miltiadous who received the On Tuesday 12th December 2017 (during the school Chinese Award. holidays) our dedicated Junior Campus dace group entertained the senior citizens of St George at their Christmas luncheon by performing several Greek dances as well as a very talented musical piece on the bouzouki. The senior citizens and the organisers were appreciative and touched by the performances and our talented students were so enthusiastic to perform for them. Congratulations Mrs Maria Miltiadous Congratulation to Aristotelis Giouvantsioudis-Mousiadis who competed in the 2018 Australian Junior Chess Championships on 13 January to 21 January in Melbourne. Aristotelis opponents were born 2004 and He tried but he finished seventh place with 6 points. 11

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