Term 1, Week 6
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Halfway Through Term 1
We’re halfway through Term 1 already, with some busy and exciting weeks ahead. Both the High School and Upper Primary are holding their Sports Days, and the High School will be competing in SACSA and SSSA Interschool Athletics Carnivals in the coming weeks.
Beyond the Classroom
Outside of the normal classroom activities, there are five different camps in the second half of this term. These times provide a great way for students to connect and learn outside of the normal school environment, as they continue to develop themselves as young people.
Mr Peter Thomson, Principal
Calendar
The Front Page
FROM THE JUNIOR PRIMARY CO-ORDINATOR
A Wonderful Start for Receptions!
This week marks the beginning of full-time school for our new Reception students. The first five weeks of school are a big adjustment, with many new routines to learn, and many new faces for the children to meet and get to know.
Our Wednesday rest days have helped the children to make a smooth transition to school, however we are now looking forward to having the children at school every day.
Adventures Ahead!
We have many new adventures ahead, as we learn and experience new things together. In Week 4 we enjoyed a Teddy Bears’ Picnic with our new Year 5 buddies, and we’re looking forward to learning more with them throughout the year. This week we will be going on our first school excursion to Northgate Reserve where we will be exploring our surroundings and collecting little treasures from nature to stick onto “nature crowns”. We are all particularly excited about this special day.
Nature Play
We are also excited about the re-opening of the Junior Primary Nature Play area near our classrooms. This area has been out of action for a number of weeks while we waited for the construction of a safety fence around the new building site. The Nature Play space has had to be reconfigured for 2019, and we are now able to enjoy the added benefit of activities on the shaded grass area, under the large trees. The new building will, no doubt, be under way soon and we will be able to watch the construction progress closely from the windows of our classrooms.
Coming in 2020
The new building will include spaces for Science and Art, as well as our Cedar Learning Improvement Centre (CLIC), and also some new toilet facilities. These toilet facilities will greatly benefit the new Reception children each year, as they will be directly opposite our classrooms, allowing them to stay close by during class time. We look forward to enjoying everything the new building has to offer in 2020!
Mrs Sharlene Tirimacco, Junior Primary Co-ordinator
News & Notices
Week 6 News and Notices
Winter Uniform Orders
With only five weeks left of Term 1, it’s time to check and order new winter uniform items.
Term 2 marks the start of winter uniform for all students. All new students, who have not yet done so, should visit the Uniform Shop to order any winter uniform items that may be needed, in order to receive them in time.
If your student has a winter uniform from last year, now is the time to try it on for size, in case new items need to be ordered for Term 2.
The Uniform Policy is available on our website’s Uniform page, or via the Front Office.
POSHC Holiday Program
The Term 1 school holidays run from Monday 15th April – Monday 29th April.
The April POSHC holiday program and permission forms that have been sent home, are also available for download from our website under “Documents for download” on the School Life page. Bookings are essential and further details are available by contacting POSHC on 8336 0068 or 0433 013 304.
Primary School Parent/Teacher Interviews
Details regarding the Primary School Parent-Teacher Interviews (March 25 & 26) will be sent home shortly. These interviews are compulsory for all parents/caregivers to attend, to give opportunity to connect with your student’s class teacher, and receive a brief update of their progress.
Compassion Sponsor Children
Currently Cedar is privileged to sponsor five children, four of which are from the Thailand Compassion projects that we visit as a school. By the school supporting these children, they now are able to access formal education, nutritious food, healthcare for themselves and their family and, most importantly, hear about God. You can have this same opportunity to support a child by sponsoring them as a family, praying for them and including them in your family, through letter writing. By sponsoring one of these children, your child may have the opportunity to meet them when they get to Senior School or you may like to send a small gift with the Thailand Service Trip team at the end of this year.
If you are interested in supporting children in these projects please contact Miss Kerry Spriggs either through the High School Office or by email: [email protected] .
Year 6 Twilight Tours
All of our current Year 6 students and their families have been sent invitations to our Year 6 High School Twilight Tours, next Wednesday night, March 13. This is an important night for all Year 6 families and students. Families are asked to RSVP using the link in the email/letter that was sent out.
While this evening is designed especially for our Year 6 students, if you currently have students in Year 3-5 and would like to know more about the High School, please email Lara Webb [email protected], so that we can extend an invitation to you for next week’s tours. All Cedar families will continue to be invited to this event once they begin Year 6.
High School Sports Day
The High School Sports Day will be held on Friday March 8 and is a compulsory day for all students in Year 7-12. Students assemble on Vickers Vimy Reserve at 8:30am and parents/caregivers are welcome to attend. All visitors are required to sign in/out at the visitors’ table, located near the Sports Centre.
Students are required to wear their House colour polo shirt with their PE shorts and hat. They will also need to bring a drink bottle, their own lunch (the Canteen will be open as normal, and a fundraising sausage sizzle is also available) and should wear and re-apply sunscreen throughout the day.
Upper Primary Sports Day
The Upper Primary Sports Day is scheduled for Friday March 22. Coloured House T-shirts that were ordered through Qkr! have been sent home with students, and only a limited amount of extra stock is available. Parents/caregivers are able to contribute towards our fundraising cake stall, which will be held at Recess time. The day will conclude at 2:30pm, and can be signed out from their classrooms after this time.
Mosaic – Thursday March 14, 7pm
Mosaic is a group for women of all ages, and this year has moved to Thursday evenings.
Mosaic is an opportunity to connect with women over a coffee, to encourage and support each other, and to hear from engaging speakers on various topics, that impact a woman’s life. Join us on Thursday the 14th March at 7pm in the CityReach Oakden Cafe for fellowship and to hear from Mrs Sandie Gardner on the topic of Childhood Trauma.
SPECIALTY DESSERTS $4 | TEA $2 | COFFEE $3. Please note that there will not be a creche.
FROM THE BUSINESS MANAGER
2019 School Fees
Thank you to all of those families who have paid their Term 1 fees, or put in place a payment plan. All Term 1 fees were due at the end of Week 2 of this term, unless an approved payment plan has been arranged.
If you have not yet paid your fees, please contact the Finance Office promptly on 8261 3377 to organise payment as soon as possible, as failure to pay fees in a timely manner will result in a late payment fee of $25 being charged. Continued non-payment can result in your student’s enrolment being referred to the Principal for suspension, pending outstanding monies being paid.
Please also be aware that we require a full term’s notice of an intention to withdraw a student from the school. Any families that fail to give adequate notice will be required to pay one term’s fees, as per the Enrolment Agreement.
Mr Jeff Thorpe, Business Manager
Dates this Term
TERM DATES 2019
Term 1 – Tue 29 Jan – Fri 12 April
Term 2 – Tue 30 April – Fri 28 June
We will continue to have a three week break between terms 2 & 3
Term 3 – Wed 24 July – Fri 27 Sept
Term 4 – Tue 15 Oct – Wed 11 Dec
UNIFORM SHOP 2019
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 – Weeks 1-3, 3pm – 5.30pm
TERM 4 – Weeks 1-3, 3pm – 5.30pm
PRIMARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY
The Primary School Assemblies and Chapels are held on Fridays at 8:55am. Parents/caregivers are welcome to attend, and tea and coffee is available beforehand in The Terrace. Odd weeks are Chapel.
Week 6 – Year 6
Week 8 – Sports Day (no Assembly)
Week 10 – Year 2
Primary School News
Year 4s let off STEAM
We have been enjoying some creative STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) activities in Year 4 this year. STEAM is a lot of fun and provides students with the opportunity to learn creatively, think innovatively, develop problem-solving skills, resilience and teamwork.
One Small Step for Lego-man
This past week the students were given the task of designing a parachute out of everyday materials, for a Lego Minifigure. We looked at real-life parachutes, discussed what made them work and applied those ideas to our designs. We had a control Minifigure without a parachute and timed his fall off the Library balcony.
One Giant Leap for Lego-kind
The students then launched their brave Lego Minifigures off the side of the balcony. We measured success by comparing our drop times against the “control drop”. We had a range of successes. One poor figurine* was taken by the wind before he was even launched, and could be seen flying away towards Fosters Road! The students also had the opportunity to reflect on their design, taking into consideration what worked well, and looked at what they could improve. It has been wonderful to see some deep learning take place as a result of when things go to plan, and also when they don’t!
*No Lego Minifigures were hurt in these experiments!
Middle School News
Year 8s Rule the Kitchen
All three Year 8 classes have enjoyed a busy time in the kitchen this week, preparing meals for a special family member in the Home Economics dining room.
If there’s one thing that television cooking shows have taught us, it’s that cooking for a large group presents a number of challenges that are not usually considered when cooking for just 3 or 4 people. While the Year 8s have focused on their safe food preparation and handling practices, and also pre-tested the recipes, the real-life lunch service always provides new learning experiences.
Building Skills
The tasty Thai Green Chicken Curry with rice, and Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding, required students to calculate the correct cooking time and procedures, in order to keep to schedule. The added responsibilities of taking orders, serving drinks, and ensuring that the kitchen is kept clean and safe, all contribute to the students’ experience and skill building.
For students who would like to further their food skills in Senior School, Cedar College offers a school-based VET program, Certificate II in Kitchen Operations, which provides 40 SACE Stage 1 credits as well as preparation for the Hospitality industry, and structured workplace training.
Senior School News
Sports Day off to Early Start
The race for team honours at the High School Sports Day got off to an early start this week, with the 1500m taking place on Wednesday.
Enjoying the cooler weather, the distance runners had the opportunity to compete a few days out from the main event, allowing for more recovery time before the big day on Friday. Congratulations to Isabel S and Marcus W, for winning their respective Open Division races, and to all of the other division winners who put in a great effort on Wednesday. With the new Community Group House Team structure in the High School, all of the teams have been readying their lists in anticipation of hot competition on Friday.
Powerful Incentive
The four House teams received some extra incentive to aim high, following a visit from 2017 Cedar College graduate and Port Power rookie, Connor Rozee. Connor, who captained Bradman in his final school year, inspired the High School students as he talked about achieving his AFL dream, through hard work and commitment to both his football training and his studies. The entire High School is proud of his achievements, and we look forward to watching him show his skills in the AFL this year.
