Categories
Current Newsletters
Term 1, Week 9
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Learning through Conversations
We have recently held Learning Conversations with families in the Primary School, as well as with our Year 12 families.
The importance of these conversations cannot be overstated. Whether students are in their first year or final year at Cedar, the principle is the same – education is a partnership. As a school, we value the support of our parent community, as we work together to give your child the best possible education.
Healthy Communication
We all learn and grow through healthy communication. While phone calls may not be as personal as face-to-face conversations, we do appreciate your understanding and flexibility. Taking the time to both listen and talk to one another throughout the school year will continually benefit teachers, parents and students, and will ensure a smoother, more successful journey.
Around the Campus
In this issue of CedarNews, our Director of Senior School Student Development looks at how we can all play a part in preventing bullying, there’s photos and a highlights video from the Upper Primary Sports Day, Year 11 Health students learn more about homelessness, and our Year 4s create mini shelters from sticks, stones and string.
Mr Peter Thomson, Principal
Calendar
The Front Page
Bullying. No Way!
Last Friday, Music, art, activities, and an array of bright orange accessories all worked together to highlight a powerful anti-bullying message.
Students in the High School made a united stand against bullying as they came together to support the Bullying no way! National Day of Action against bullying and violence. Prefects ran the events and activities on the day, which began with a devotion in the morning lead by the Faith and Fellowship Prefects. They had also organised the advertising leading up to the event, and the Creative Arts Prefects worked with Mr Downton and several student bands to enable some live music during lunch time.
Some of the High School students also took part in a scavenger hunt and banner creation during lunchtime, which were also co-ordinated by our Head Prefects. High School students were encouraged to wear a splash of orange to show their support and it was great to see lots of orange accessories, including socks, to support the day. The Prefects lead the way, donning bright orange superhero capes!
Stand Up, Speak Out
Unfortunately, bullying is a common occurrence in society in many forms, and schools are not immune. At Cedar we always encourage students to care for one another and look out for others. Some strategies we encourage students to implement as a safeguard against bullying are: standing up for others if they see or hear of bullying; speaking to a staff member if they, or someone else they know, is being bullied; and always treating each other with respect and kindness.
Display Love
Respecting and caring for one another has always been an important part of the Cedar community. In fact, it’s part of our mission statement: To prepare students for real life as they Discover Jesus, Display Love and Develop Self. It is also something God has called us to do: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Bullying no Way! Day is a wonderful opportunity to come together and stand united against bullying, however it can’t be the only day we do this. We need to take a stand against bullying every day to ensure that everyone is cared for, feels included, safe, and a valued part of the Cedar community.
Mrs Nichole Tiller, Director of Senior School Student Development
Week 9 News and Notices
Public Holidays – Term 1
Friday April 15 – Good Friday Holiday
Year 8 and 9 Camps
High School Leadership has made the decision to cancel the Year 8 and 9 camps, which were planned for Week 10 of this term. This has been in response to the ongoing COVID situation, and in conjunction with advice from the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA). These days will now be normal school days for these students.
SACSA Athletics
We have recently been notified of the cancellation of the upcoming SACSA Interschool Athletics Carnivals, which were planned for Week 10. While this is disappointing, it has been considered as the necessary decision given the ongoing COVID cases in South Australia.
Primary School Learning Conversations
The Primary School Learning Conversations will continue during Week 10, with most taking place on Monday April 4. Parents/caregivers who have not yet booked their conversations must book by Sunday April 3. Some classes have moved their conversations to alternate days due to teacher availability – please contact your teacher, or log in to the Portal if you are unsure when your Conversation is scheduled.
The Great Cedar Run
Primary School students will be taking part in the Great Cedar Run during Week 10, supporting two Cedar Dads, Matt and Clint, who have partnered with The Sebastian Foundation to raise much needed funds to support youth mental health through a program called Open Parachute. This is a fundraising challenge held from Monday to Friday, during fitness time. The students will all be running or walking a course on Campus and tallying up their laps to see how many kilometres each day can be achieved. We are hoping to be able to collectively keep up with Matt and Clint, as they run and ride approximately 150km a day.
There are two ways we would like to raise money for The Sebastian Foundation:
Friday 8th April will be a Casual Clothes day for Primary School, with a gold coin donation. In addition, parents, friends, and family are welcome to sponsor students to help motivate them to run extra hard, to achieve our goal of beating Matt and Clint to Adelaide!
Sponsorship can be made through the Qkr! app, via The Great Cedar Run menu. All students in Primary School may wear PE uniform during Week 10 to maximise running output! Please see the letter sent home for further information.
UCAT – University Clinical Aptitude Test
The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is now open for Registrations and Bookings until 17 May 2022. Testing begins on July 1, 2022 and the last testing date is on August 12, 2022. Visit www.ucat.edu.au to register, or for more information.
It is important to note, you will need to register if you are interested in studying Medicine, Dentistry, Oral Health or Clinical Sciences at the University of Adelaide or Flinders University. Otherwise, if you wish to study at any other University in Australia, visit www.ucat.edu.au/about-ucat/universities.
POSHC – April Holiday Program
The April holiday program for POSHC (Out of School Hours Care) is now available to download. Bookings are essential, please see the program and booking form for further information. Details have been sent home with students.
School Attendance
It remains vitally important that you please keep your child/ren home if they are:
- Unwell
- Experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms
- Any other member of the household has COVID-19
- They are a close contact for a person who has COVID-19 and are required to quarantine
Please notify the college ASAP if your child/ren tests positive for COVID-19 by emailing [email protected] and include your child’s name and class, the date positive test taken and date the symptoms began, and if your child attended school in the 2 days prior to the positive test or symptom onset.
Absentee Notification
It is important to continue to notify the College if your child will be absent. Parents/caregivers can phone the Front Office from 8am, or alternatively leave a voice message. We also have a student absentee email notification, which can be accessed under the Cedar Portals menu on our website.
Clicking the Student Absence drop-down will open your device’s email client, prompting for the required information. This email should be sent from the email address you have registered with the College. If required, the Front Office may phone, email or send a text message to confirm the absence.
Playstart Soccer @ Cedar
PlayStart Soccer sessions will be held on the Cedar College Oval on Thursdays, starting from May 12 (Term 2).
PlayStart Soccer’s R-3 program are fun sessions for children to learn new skills and improve existing ones. Whether your child is looking to get a start in soccer or just stay active for 50 mins after-school, this is a great way to tick those boxes!
The 8-week program costs $99 and can be booked online at https://playstart.com.au/afterschool-programs/ and selecting Enrol Now, and Cedar College as the Location. For further information, email soccer@playstart.com.au or contact our After-School Sports Co-ordinator at Cedar, Mrs Michelle Green.
Easter Services @ CityReach
You are warmly invited to the Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday services at CityReach Oakden.
Good Friday – 9am and 10:30am
Resurrection Sunday – 9am and 11am
+ Easter egg hunt for kids (between services)
There will be singing, drama, hot cross buns, and a Sunday Easter egg hunt! We hope to see you there!
Calendar Information
TERM DATES
Term 1, 2022 – Tues 1 Feb – Thu 14 April
Term 2, 2022 – Tue 3 May – Fri 1 July
Three week break between Terms 2 and 3
Term 3, 2022 – Tue 26 July – Fri 30 Sept
Term 4, 2022 – Tue 18 Oct – Wed 14 Dec
UNIFORM SHOP
Regular opening hours during term:
Monday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Wednesday 3pm – 5:30pm
Thursday extended opening hours:
TERM 1 – Weeks 1 – 6, 3pm – 5.30pm
TERM 2 & 4 – Weeks 1 – 3, 3pm – 5.30pm
PRIMARY ASSEMBLY
Our Primary School Chapels and Assemblies and held on Fridays at 8:50am.
Please note that currently our Chapels and Assemblies are not able to be attended by parents, due to restrictions.
Should guidelines for large gatherings change, parents/caregivers will be informed. Thank you for your understanding.
Primary School News
Upper Primary Sports Day
On the 18th of March 2022, students from Year 3-6 were blessed with a stunning day for the Upper Primary Sports Day.
Students proudly displayed their house colours and came prepared for a test of strength, speed, and who could cheer the loudest!
New Challenges
The relays kicked off the day with some sensational running from the students and big smiles from the parents watching on. It was extra special to have family and friends able to join us and give encouragement to the students.
The addition of another high jump mat and the Jenga relay added some new challenges, and helped the day run perfectly on time! The photo finishes of the 100m finals were amazing and I was very thankful for the video replay in determining the final placing for many races!
Green Machine
The 200, 400 and 800m pre-events, held earlier in the week, had Bradman start the day in the lead, and they were too good to catch on the day. Bradman was back to their best, finishing first, and the two captains, Ania S and Indiana G, could not be prouder!
The final results for the day were: Bradman 1st – 436 points, Gould 2nd – 404 points, Laver 3rd – 354 points, Jackson 4th – 336 points
Thank you to all the parents and friends who came to cheer on their students. Thank you to all the staff who arrived early and ran the events, and to the Front Office legends Mrs Watson and Mrs Riches for all the support. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without our super maintenance team of Mr Marshall, Mr Smith, Mr Gardner and Mr Garfoot, undertaking the huge job of set-up and pack-up, and thanks also to Mr Fernihough for his amazing photos and highlights clip.
Mrs Bek Robinson, Sports Co-ordinator Year 3-12
Curriculum News
Sticks, Stones and String
The outdoors came indoors, in a miniature way, as the Year 4s used their creativity to find solutions to a complex problem.
Last week, students in 4JH/EP imagined that they were lost in the Australian Outback with only some rope and a tarpaulin. After conducting some research, they were required to design and build a miniature “wilderness shelter” using the natural resources around them.
These shelters needed to keep out the cold, wind and rain. It was very challenging, with some shelters collapsing and requiring rethinking, redesigning and rebuilding.
Students who opted to work alone also found that they would, at times, need a friend to lend them a hand to hold sticks or tie string. It was a great lesson on how difficult it is to survive on our own and how we are better off when we are in community. The students came up with some unique and creative results and they had a lot of fun in the process!
Mrs Janine Homer, Year 4 Teacher
Cycle of Life
Over the last few weeks, the Year 2 classes had the privilege of investigating the Monarch Butterfly life cycle first hand!
The caterpillars have been living in a special enclosure, full of leafy food, in the Year 2 Classroom. Over the weeks, each caterpillar made preparations to build their chrysalis, no doubt enjoying all the attention from the students!
The children eagerly observed all the changes that the caterpillars went through, and were so excited when the butterflies were released and experienced their first flight!
Here’s an explanation of ‘A Life Cycle of a Caterpillar’ from Alice, in Year 2.
Do you know how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly?
First, a mother butterfly lays an egg. Soon the egg will hatch and the baby caterpillar will eat its egg. Then the caterpillar will eat and eat, and once it has eaten a lot, it will make a chrysalis.
The chrysalis is green and gold. It will stay there for about ten days. You can see brown inside after a few days. Then the chrysalis will turn into a butterfly.
Isn’t it amazing how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly?
Mrs Kerry Schlotfeldt, Year 2 Teacher
Senior School News
Displaying Love to Others
On Tuesday of Week 7, the Year 11 Health and Wellbeing class, along with Miss Adamson and Mrs Rogers, had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Urban Education Program which Baptist Care SA runs for schools.
As part of this program, our students had the opportunity to be involved in serving lunch to people who are experiencing homelessness, and assisting them with tasks. Part of the program also involved our students being educated on the serious issue of homelessness through quizzes, personal stories, and video clips.
Personal Challenges
The Health and Wellbeing class were also given the opportunity to visit the West Care centre, which included their courtyard, gym and the study hub for students studying social work. The Year 11s were extremely generous this year with their donations of goods to the centre, supplying toiletries, canned foods (with ring pulls), noodles, spaghetti, boxes of cereal and packets of biscuits. It was an informative excursion, with all students being engaged and emersed in the experience.
Student were also challenged with a verse from Matthew 8:20
“Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
This was a confronting reminder that Jesus spent most of his ministry years essentially homeless. He then called others to count the cost of following him, in order to serve and show God’s love to others.
Mrs Melissa Rogers, Year 11 Health and Wellbeing Teacher
Previous Newsletters
Read all the news from our previous issues
