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VOLUME XXVIII No 6 6th May, 2011 F R O M T H E H E A D O F C O L L E G E ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ We welcome all students, teachers and parents to Term 2 of 2011. The students joining the St Spyridon family are especially welcomed and we are pleased that they are already settling into their new environment with success, with the help of their teachers and peers. We commend all students and their teachers K-12, for embracing the Easter focus of our College, beginning with the Junior School Assembly and culminating on Good Friday, when the Upper School Lamentations Choir chanted the Engomia in our Parish Church and our Year 11 boys were entrusted by Father Steven Scoutas and the St Spyridon Parish, with the solemn task of carrying the Epitaphios in the procession. We thank Mr Mavrommatis and all the teachers who assisted him in preparing our students for these daunting but edifying tasks. The Junior School girls, dressed in white, who placed flower petals on the Epitaphios stole our hearts. We thank the parents who support all our efforts to instil in our young people the values of Orthodoxy, which have stood the test of time and place and sustain us all. As can be seen from the Dates to Remember section of this Newsletter, Term 2 and indeed the month of May, is filled with activity. We invite our parents’ and friends’ presence and support, for all functions, not least of which is the Official Opening of the Sports and Performing Arts Centre by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos on the 19th May 2011 and the Gala Dinner to be held on the 28th May, 2011. We thank Mr Anthony Tsoutsa and the All Saints Grammar School community for hosting a memorable Greek Orthodox Archdiocese National Schools Event for 2011. We commend our teachers and students on the participation of our College. We wish all our students and teachers all strength for an exciting and rewarding Term 2.

Mrs E. Stefanou-Haag

DATES TO REMEMBER M A Y

ISA

7th

Mothers Day

8th

All Schools Swimming Championships

9th

NAPLAN Years 3 & 5 and 7 & 9 Greek Attainment Certificate

10th NAPLAN Years 3 & 5 and 7 & 9

11th

NAPLAN Years 3 & 5 and 7 & 9 P & F Mother’s Day Lunch

12th ISA Netball Trials ACER Scholarship Exam Year 11, 2012

13th ACER Scholarship Exam Year 7, 2012

14th

Parent Teacher Conferences Years 7 and 12

16th

School Photos SS and JS

17th

K – 2012 Information Morning

18th

Official Opening of Sports & Performing Arts Centre K-12 9.30am at Senior School

19th National Maths Day

20th

ICAS Computers JS

24th

Information Morning and Tour JS

25th

Divine Liturgy

26th

Gala Dinner

28th

Half Yearly Exams Yrs 10 & 11 begin

30th

J U N E

ASISSA Cross Country JS

2nd

HSC and Careers Expo Year 12

3rd

Vaccinations Year 7 girls, Year 7 boys and girls

6th

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K – 1 2 N E W S EASTER HYMN Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών, θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας και τοις εν τοις µνήµασι ζωήν χαρισάµενος. Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling on death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life. UNIFORM SHOP Please note in your diaries that the Uniform Shop will be closed on the following days. Wednesday, 20th July 2011 Wednesday, 27th July 2011 and Wednesday, 3rd August 2011 Mrs H. Simicos ANZAC DAY On Saturday, 16th April, 2011 Father Steven Scoutas presided over the ANZAC Day Service at St Spyridon Church. St Spyridon College was represented by Mrs Synesios, the College Captain, Vice Captain and Senior Prefect, Prefects, Junior School Captains and Vice Captains.

P & F N E W S UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES Mothers Day stalls Wednesday 4th , Thursday 5th & Friday 6th May Mothers Day Brunch Thursday 12th May LAMBATHA STALLS Our traditional Lambatha stalls were well supported this year reaching a record fundraising total of $3596. We do get excited about the financial result as this will go directly to our students to contribute to the higher standard of facilities they will benefit from in the immediate future. We look forward to giving you details very soon as to which facilities or resources will be purchased with these funds. However, lets remember the cultural and religious significance of the lambatha during Easter. It is our role as a committee to raise this awareness and not raise funds alone. We thank the St Spyridon community for their lambatha purchases.

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PALM SUNDAY LUNCH Our Palm Sunday lunch was the most successful in a while with the arrival of 240 community members who gathered to enjoy and share a variety of Lenten mezethes and a main meal of BBQed whole snapper or fried calamari with roasted potatoes, village bread with tarama and/or skordalia and ending with a traditional Lenten dessert of halva or moustaleuria (grape juice cake). A huge thank you is extended to all those members, parents and friends who assisted with the preparations and management of the meals on the day. We are thrilled to announce a profit of $6036 for this event. EASTER FOCUS ASSEMBLY What an impressive exhibition of both creative and performing arts of our Junior school children! Our College offers an elegant, accurate, rich, colourful and thorough presentation of the Easter story at this assembly. The hall is tastefully and appropriately decorated with all kinds of Easter arts and crafts ranging from lambathes to needle work crosses to Easter symbol mosaics to colourful Easter egg dying displays to name only a few. The success of this particular assembly was reflective of the overwhelming number of family members who attended and praised performances as touching as the chanting of Epitaph hymns…….Our sincerest congratulations are expressed to our talented students and their hardworking teachers who raised our Easter spirit and prepared us all for Holy week.

MOTHERS DAY STALLS Students will have enjoyed shopping and spoiling their mums, grandmothers, aunts and godmothers in their selections made at our Mothers Day stalls. This is always a fun and valuable learning experience for our children.

MOTHERS DAY LUNCH

Our Mothers Day gathering this year will be a lunch held at Tony’s at La Perouse at 11:30am on Thursday 12th May. All ladies of our community are invited to attend and enjoy this pleasant outing. There are always prizes and surprises awaiting at this function for its guests to indulge in, so do not miss out.

Please contact Anna Stamoulis 0405683320 and Erenie Bourdaniotis 0410318053 for all the details for this event.

Mrs M Pascalis P&F Assistant Secretary

APRIL VACATION CARE April Vacation Care 2011 was our most successful holiday period on record and the children had a fantastic time! With a fun and varied program, the children went to the movies and watched Rio 3D, brought their bikes and scooters to school on wheels day, were able to make their own pizzas, were rock stars for a day when the music bus came to the centre, searched the school for hidden eggs during our Easter egg hunt, competed in our Easter Olympics, went to Taronga Zoo, made koulourakia, and competed in our inaugural colouring-in competition. Thank you to all the children and families for joining us in April and for your continued support of the centre. The July holiday program will be available mid-term. To be placed on the mailing list, please give Patricia a call on 9516 2188.

Pyjama and pizza making day was lots of fun!

We rocked out on the music bus!

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We hung out with the giraffes at Taronga Zoo!

Congratulations to Danae Margaronis and Athena Demetriou for winning the colouring in competition!

Athena making some beautiful koulourakia

Spiderman joined us on party day!

The boys on party day enjoying a pizza lunch! AFTER SCHOOL CARE After School Care fees are $17 per day and we are able to reduce fees if your family receives the child care benefit. Our operating hours are 3.30pm-6.30pm. At after school care children are given the opportunity to complete homework and play games. There are art and craft activities and afternoon tea is served also. Our Active After School Sports program is back again this year for a 7 week session each term on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Monday sport is with Sam Gray and Tuesday sport is with Attila Kelenyi. First session begins next Mon 2 May. For enquiries or to book your children in, please call me on 9516 2188. Miss P. Doyle Children’s Services Coordinator

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National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy 2011 Letter to Parents

In May 2011 the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be completed by all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in all government and non-government schools. NAPLAN has the support of all State and Territory Education Ministers and will assess the literacy and numeracy learning of students in all Australian schools. The results of the tests will provide important information to schools about what each student can do, and will be used to support teaching and learning programs. Parents will receive a report indicating their child’s level of achievement. Each student’s level of achievement will be reported against the national minimum standard. Background information (student name, gender, date of birth, language background and Aboriginality) will be collected as part of the National Assessment Program. This information is treated confidentially and held securely to ensure that every student’s right to privacy is maintained. The tests will be conducted across Australia for all students from 10-12 May 2011. TUESDAY 10 MAY WEDNESDAY 11 MAY THURSDAY 12 MAY Language Conventions (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) Writing

Reading

Numeracy (Number; Algebra, function and pattern; Measurement, chance and data; and Space)

In the Numeracy tests students do not require any measuring tools such as rulers or protractors. In Years 7 and 9 there will be two Numeracy tests: one where a calculator is allowed and one where calculators are not to be used. For the calculator test, the student should use the calculator that they currently use at school. Friday 13 May – A ‘catch-up’ day is scheduled for students who missed a test or were absent on a test day. Students may be considered for exemption from the tests if they are newly arrived in Australia (less than one year before the test) and with a language background other than English, or if they have significant intellectual and/or functional disability. All other students are expected to participate in the tests. Special provisions which reflect the student’s normal level of support in the classroom will be provided for students by the school. Large print, Braille and black and white versions of the test are available for students with vision impairment. Access to special provisions and exemption from the tests must be discussed with the school Principal, and a parent or carer consent form must be signed. Students may be withdrawn from the testing program by their parent or carer. This is a matter for consideration by parents and carers in consultation with the Principal. If you wish to withdraw your child from the tests you must sign a parent or carer consent form. Consent forms are available at your school. Please contact the Principal if you would like further information about your child’s participation in the National Assessment Program. Additional information about NAPLAN can be found at: http://www.naplan.edu.au/parents/parents. htmlhttp://www.naplanforparentsnsw.com.au

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J U N I O R S C H O O L R E P O R T Χριστός Ανέστη! A warm welcome back to all our staff, students and parents. We hope you had an enjoyable break and are ready for the challenges of Term Two. This term we have NAPLAN in Years 3 and 5, ICAS Competitions in Science, Computers and Writing for Years 3 – 6, Life Education K – 4, Interrelate Years 5 & 6, our Junior School Athletics Carnival, ASISSA Cross Country, Half Yearly Exams, Reports, Parent Teacher Interviews, School Photos, as well as our Kindergarten 2012 Parent Information Morning and Junior School Open Morning for prospective parents and the Official Opening of the Sports and Performing Arts Centre and Gala Dinner. It is therefore important, that students are at school every day so that they do not miss these valuable learning opportunities and experiences. We look forward to seeing as many parents as possible at our Carnival and functions. UNIFORM Please note that students should have changed to full school winter uniform on Monday 2nd May. Please consult the student planner regarding uniform requirements including grooming. JUNIOR SCHOOL PHOTOS School photos have been scheduled to take place on Tuesday 17th May 2011. Every student from Kindergarten to Year 6 should have received an Order Envelope and Package selection form last term. Please read carefully the instructions on the envelope on “How to order”. All envelopes with payment are to be handed to your child’s class roll teacher by Monday 9th May at the latest. The photographers will not accept any late orders. The Junior School Classes, Individual and Family Photos will be taken on Tuesday 17th May. All children must be in full school winter uniform. They must have their blazer and girls are to wear navy tights, not white socks. All students to be neatly groomed, girls’ hair must be tied back and boys’ hair to be cut so that it is off their faces and above their collar.

EASTER FOCUS ASSEMBLY

Even though The Easter Focus Assembly has become an annual event, each year brings us renewed awe and reverence. It makes us reflect on our own personal journey through Holy Week. At the end of last term each class gave a short presentation reflecting the purpose of Easter. Year 5 were wonderful in chanting the Engomia Hymns. Parents and visitors were delighted and moved with all classes’ wonderful presentations. The traditional items were prepared by the students. The remarkable thing is that these have remained unchanged since the establishment of the early Christian church but are made new each year and encourage future generations. Thank you to all staff and students for such a moving and special assembly.

WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY Friday 20th May is National Walk to School Day. Now in its 12th year, this program promotes the vitally important message Active Kids are Healthy Kids. Our school is encouraging parents and grandparents to walk to school on Friday. If you drive your children to school we ask you park a little further away and walk a couple of blocks to

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school. We hope that you will support this program and participate. We encourage everyone to also start the day with a healthy breakfast. Breakfast gets the metabolism going and helps prevent a slump in concentration.

OFFICIAL OPENING SPORTS AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE JUNIOR SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS On Thursday 19th May, Junior School parents are asked to take their children directly to the Senior School. Supervision will commence at 8.15a.m. All students to be at the Senior School by 8.30a.m. Junior School students to gather on the grassed area in front of the Technology Wing if weather is fine. If raining children are to gather in the canteen covered area. Year 5 and 6 are to bring their sports uniform in their bags to change for the afternoon sports. Year 2 students are to come dressed in their ‘cats’ outfits and are to bring their sports uniform to change into when they return to school. At the conclusion of the Official Opening and after recess the Junior School students will be bussed back to the Junior School Campus. All students will be provided with a muffin and a bottle of water for recess. There will be no canteen available for recess for Junior School students. Lunch orders will be collected in the morning during roll call at the Senior School and lunch will be at the Junior School. FAREWELL AND BEST WISHES Ms Tsokas Year 6 teacher will be commencing maternity leave on Monday 9th May. We wish Ms Tsokas all the best and “Kali Eleftheria” and thank her for all she has done for Year 6. Miss McCarthy will be taking Year 6 and we welcome her to our school community. Mrs Dimitrelis Year 4T teacher is also leaving us on the 16th May for personal reasons and we wish her all the best for the future and thank her for all her services to our school. We welcome Mrs Port to our school as she is replacing Mrs Dimitrelis. GREEK ATTAINMENT CERTIFICATE The students who chose to sit for the Greek Attainment Certificate will do their test on Tuesday 10th May. We wish them all the best and thank Mr Amditis for preparing the students.

NAPLAN Years 3 and 5 will be sitting for the NAPLAN Tests on Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th May. This is a mandatory test nation wide. The students will be tested in Literacy and Numeracy. Mrs M. Hamer Principal Junior School S E N I O R S C H O O L R E P O R T

Χριστός Ανέστη GOOD FRIDAY Congratulations to the students of Year 10 who chanted the Engomia at St Spyridon Church on Good Friday Evening. They were joined by students across the years, in particular Year 7, Year 9 and Year 11. Thank you to Mr Mavrommatis (Year 10 Adviser) for preparing and supporting the students. Congratulations also to the Year 11 boys: Christopher Avgoustou, Kosta Baratsas, Peter Kolistasis, Giorgio Lambos, George Mantzavrakos, Yanni Vlahopoulos and John Patis for carrying the Epitaphios. A wonderful experience and blessing for all.

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PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES Monday, 16th May, 2011 – Years 7 and 12 only 3.30 p.m. – 6.30 p.m. Appointments are to be made directly with Teachers by the students. Parents are asked to attend the Parent Teacher Conferences with their child. Parent Teacher Conference for Years 8 – 11 will be held in Term 3. Years 10 and 11 Wednesday, 20th July, 2011 Years 7 – 9 Monday, 25th July, 2011 WINTER UNIFORM

A reminder that blazers are compulsory and must be worn to and from school. On days students are allowed to come wearing sports uniform e.g. Thursday ISA training, students must wear their full tracksuit. YEAR 12 – HSC TIMETABLE Students are now able to view their personalised HSC timetable on Students Online. To access their timetable they will need their PIN Letter

Package distributed from the Board of Studies by Mr Kaldis. Students are advised to pay particular attention to Examination starting and finishing times as they do vary. Misreading the timetable is not grounds for appeal. The complete timetable is available on the Board of Studies website at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au ACER SCHOLARSHIPS On Saturday, 14th May, 2011 Year 6 students will have the opportunity to sit for the external ACER examinations on the basis of which Scholarships will be offered. Year 10 will be sitting for their exam on Friday, 13th May. Letters have been sent to all relevant students. Good luck to all students. 2011 THEATRESPORTS SCHOOLS CHALLENGE This year, St Spyridon College will be competing in the 2011 Theatresports Schools Challenge, run by Impro Australia. This drama competition involves teams of students from many different schools around Sydney and regional New South Wales taking part in heats, in which they must create scenes and characters based on surprise offers and audience suggestions with no preparation time. The St Spyridon team, made up of Year 9 students will be competing in their heat at Newington College on Tuesday 17th May at 7.00 p.m. They will be competing against schools such as Newtown High School of Performing Arts, Sydney Girls High School, The Scots College and Waverley College. Tickets are $5 at the door, and the team would love if you could come and show your support for them. Ms L. Davis Drama/English Team Mrs A. Katsogiannis Principal Senior School

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C A R E E R N E W S UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME lunchtime presentation. On Thursday 12 May, a representative will come to the College to give a presentation on the university courses and the application process involved in applying to this university. Instead of using the UAC process, students apply directly to UND and this process involves an interview with a senior member of the academic staff. A successful student will receive a conditional offer for a course often before the HSC exams. Come along to hear all about the University on Thursday 12 May at 1.25 pm in T1 during your lunchtime. UNSW INFORMATION Year 10 Subject Selection and Information Evenings UNSW is providing a series of popular Year 10 Subject Selection and Information Evenings for current Year 10 students and their parents. The evenings provide excellent information for students who are planning to attend university. Information on UNSW’s admissions processes, bonus points and course specific assumed knowledge is presented along with comprehensive HSC subject selection information presented by the Board of Studies NSW. Additionally, representatives from all UNSW faculties, along with staff from the Student Recruitment Office, Admissions, Scholarships and other student support services are available on the evening to answer your questions on program options and student life at UNSW. Please note that parking permits are only available for evenings held on the UNSW Kensington Campus. Space at these evenings is limited so please register as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The dates are as follow: May 9, 11, 23 – UNSW Kensington Campus, Scientia Building May 12 – Riverside Theatre, Parramatta May 19 – Wenona School, North Sydney Go the Network Schools site to register. www.networkschools.unsw.edu.au Enter the school name and look for the “Year 10 Subject Selection and Information Evening” to register. Law School Parent & Student Information Evening – Thursday 12 May UNSW Law School is inviting Year 11 and 12 students and their parents to a night of information and insights into what studying law is really like. It will take place from 6 to 8pm in the Law Building, UNSW Kensington Campus. Apply early as places are limited. Registration is essential at www.law.unsw.edu.au.

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY INFORMATION Year 10 Information Evenings “The Path to University” will be held on 6th and 8th June at 6pm. These annual evenings are designed to help year 10 students and their parents choose their HSC subjects and navigate through the process of applying to university. Topics will include ATAR, scaling and university entrance, subject selections, career pathways and university transition. Registrations will open on Monday 16 May at 5pm at http://sydney.edu.au/future_students/domestic_undergraduate/year_10_evening/ Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies: Parent & Student Information Night The Faculty is holding an information night for parents and students in Years 11 and 12 on Wednesday 11 May in the PNR Lecture Theatre at 6pm. Further event information and registration are available at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/info-night/ A Scholarships Information Evening will be held on Tuesday 28 June at 6pm. Did you know that the University of Sydney gives out over $65 million in scholarships each year? That’s $65 million for over 700 scholarship schemes (not including prizes or college and sporting scholarships). A scholarship information evening for year 11 and 12 students will be held on Tuesday 28 June to assist students’ chances of receiving a scholarship. See Uni of Sydney website for more information. UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME INFORMATION A Nursing Information Evening will be held at the Darlinghurst Campus on Monday 23rd May from 6pm to 9pm. A Business and Law Information Evening will be held at the Broadway campus on Tuesday 24th May from 6pm to 9pm. An Arts & Sciences, Philosophy & Theology and Education Information Evening will be held at the Broadway Campus on Thursday 26th May from 6pm to 9pm. Notre Dame OPEN DAY will be held at the Broadway Campus on Saturday 27th August from 10am to 4pm. THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS will host some exciting and informative events for students who are interested in a career in business or commerce. There are 3 different events.

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Chartered Accountants Cadetship Evening, which will be held on the Wednesday 18 May from 4:30pm at the Sydney Convention Centre. This is an excellent opportunity for Year 12 students to engage with over 25 employers, attend information sessions regarding cadetships and receive tips on the recruitment process. Meet the Business Leader, which will be held on Wednesday the 24 August from 4:30pm at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Sydney. This event will give Year 10 and 11 students a great opportunity to meet and network with young and experienced Chartered Accountants from a variety of business roles. Chartered Accountants Australian Economics and Business Studies Competition, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia currently sponsors the ‘Chartered Accountants Australian Economics and Business Studies Competition’. For further information and competition details register at http://www.studentcompetitions.org  Furthermore, their website is an excellent tool for students to access a wide variety of information, including study support, event calendars, career advice, industry updates, etc http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/students Course Information Day at JMC ACADEMY (for diploma, associate degrees and degrees in Audio Engineering and Sound Production, Film and Television Production, Digital Media and 3 D Animation, Popular Music and Performance and Entertainment Business Management) will be held on Saturday 14 May at 41 Holt St, Surry Hills at 11am and 2pm sessions. Phone 9281 8899 to register or book on-line at www.jmcacademy.edu.au ‘A Day in the Life’ Programs These programs (run by Think Education Group) give students the opportunity of experiencing what some career areas would be like. Be a Designer, Hotel Manager, Events Manager, Head Chef, Photographer, Interior Designer or Graphic Designer. Designer - Saturday 10am to 4pm 28 May, 18 June or 23 July $80 For more Information Ph 1300 851 245 Hospitality Management Wednesday 6 July or Thurs 14 July $50 For more Information Ph 1300 851 237 Photography, Interior or Graphic Design 2 day workshop. 21 & 22 May or 9 &10 July $160 For more information Ph 9251 0029 Costs include lunch Mrs A. Skerman Careers Adviser

S P O R T S R E P O R T SENIOR SPORTS REPORT

CONGRATULATIONS………

Martha Spilioti (Year 9) competed in the Australian Age Championships in the holidays. Martha achieved 2nd place in the 200m Butterfly race receiving a silver medal. She also finished top 10 in the 400IM.

Furthermore Martha represented ISA in the NSWCIS carnival last week. Martha competed in a number of events securing a Gold medal in the 200m Butterfly and Bronze medal in the 400IM. She will now represent NSWCIS in the NSW ALL SCHOOLS Carnival.

We wish her the best of luck in the upcoming meet.

Ms K. O’Shea Girls Sport CONGRATULATIONS…

…to the 14A’s who made it to the semi finals (4 – 2 against Homebush Boys) at Futsal Regional Championships on Tuesday, 3rd May. Teams consisted of: 14A’s Panos Armenakas, Daniel Arzani, Alexander Cardamis, Ethan Tsiribas, Nicholas Makridopolus, Simeon Kerameas, Stefan Petrovski, Dane Ivanovic

14B’s Kristian Kontakos, Alexander Michos, Steven Antoniou, Elias Hatzon, Michael Hatzon, Aaron-Paul Kostantakis, Stefan Prso, Alexander Stamoulis

Mr A Condous Boys Sport

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