NEWSLETTER: Dandenong campus (April 2006)
The 'let us know' list
1. If any of your contact details have changed, please let us know.
2. If you are planning to have contact with your student outside of SAIL hours you must let us know first and complete the contact request form.
3. If you intend to bring a friend to SAIL please direct them to the website first and direct them to apply online or just let us know beforehand.
4. Let us know if you are going to miss a Saturday by email, phone or the "Can't Come Sheet"- now also online here!
5. Please check and read your emails each week- if possible, Friday is best!
6. Please let us know before you speak publicly or publish an article about SAIL.
Week Five Talks
Tim Burch will be coming back for a repeat performance of his popular tutor talk for this coming week five. Following lunch and drop-offs on Saturday 15th April at 1.15pm, Tim will be visiting to talk to tutors about teaching strategies with children and managing difficult behaviour.
Themes
There are just two weeks of Commonwealth Games left, and the final week will culminate in a Mini Games of our own. The SAIL Games will include world class events such as three-legged races, egg and spoon races and others. The SAIL Games will take place during lunch of week 5. As at the real thing, we expect Australia will win everything.
The next theme will be ‘threatened and extinct species’ which includes any animals that are currently under threat, or a species that is already extinct - this could include dinosaurs or civil libertarian politicians!
The display board has been looking rather bare this year. If students would like to display their work please feel free to hang it up for all to see and appreciate, whether it is related to the theme or not.
Coordinator in training
We are very pleased to welcome Nik Tan as a SAIL Coordinator in training! Nik, a former Footscray SAILor who jumped ship, will be attending Dandenong every Saturday and assisting Matt and Jackie with the logistics of the program. Please feel free to approach Nik for help or advice on Saturdays.
Church Garden and car-park
Just a quick reminder to keep an eye on students when outside in the church grounds. Children need to be supervised at all times and care taken to ensure that the gardens and flowers are well looked after. Please encourage everyone to use pathways and to walk around flowerbeds. Thanks to those who are already discouraging children from playing in the carpark, and particularly from playing around cars.
A small note: while it is possible that the next Mozart is in our midst, please encourage the potential Mozarts to practice at home rather than on the piano in the hall. We understand that it has requested advice for an intervention order as a result of a recent bashing of it by a two year old.
Excursions
There have been a couple of fabulous excursions for SAILors over the last few weeks. Thanks to the connections of Nicole and some assistance with transport from Dianne and Danielle, four of our littlest students were treated to all the sing-a-long skivvy excitement of a Wiggles concert.
On Tuesday this week two familes experienced “Suessical” the musical at the Mt Scopus Memorial College. This all-singing- and-dancing musical extravaganza was based on the characters and stories of the children’s author, Dr Seusss. Thankyou to Leon for assisting with transport on the night.
Teacher consultants
Tracy and Karen are continuing to do a wonderful job with assessing our students’ reading. If your student has not yet been assessed please let Jackie know. Tracy and Karen will be assisting you to use the assessments and reading focus recommendations to assist with guiding students’ reading and to record progress. Please see Jackie if you would like to know more about this program.
WholeSAIL news
SAIL About and experience the Sights, Sounds and Tastes of Africa!
If you are looking for an excuse to take SAILors into town, here’s an option! The Arts Centre and the African community present free music, dance, storytelling and performances, and food for purchase with the foyers of Hamer Hall transformed into a thriving African marketplace. Please fill out the usual forms if you intend to SAIL away to the Hall for this. Free Activities 23 April | 12noon -5pm | the Arts Centre, Hamer Hall foyers
SAILor’s Long Journey
Most SAILors have amazing stories to tell but few are documented. This has just changed for one SAILor, Sara Karim, about whom a book has just been released. By Melbourne journalist, Peter Browne the book was recently published and titled “The Longest Journey”. It compiles first-hand interviews of refugees, policy makers, aid workers and officials to track the Sudanese refugee journey from Nairobi, Kakuma, Geneva, Canberra and Melbourne. The author discusses the opportunities and obstacles facing refugees in the resettlement process, and asks if Australia’s resettlement policy is really fair. An exceptional read and great insight into the experience of the majority of SAILors.
SAIL About to Portland
The first SAIL camp of the year saw 8 SAILor teens hiking the Great South Western Walk, near Portland, Western Victoria. In spite of some torrid weather that saw everyone in bed at 8:30pm one night, the camp was a great success.
Of note were the four boys who attended and spent half the camp writing raps and the other half collecting shells on the beach (‘aw man, this is fully beautiful’). In honour of this mixture of activities and the dress code adopted by the SAILors in attendance, the camp was labeled ‘Gangstars and seashells’. Big-up yo!
A fuller report is on the website of the organizers from the Friends of the Walk – see http://www.greatsouthwestwalk.com/membership/notices.php#2
Job offer - Beacon Foundation Project Coordinator
Victoria’s Beacon Foundation is seeking a full-time Project Coordinator to manage the foundation’s projects and to provide support for the rest of the team. The Foundation is currently focused on the “No Dole” project, which specifically targets Victorian youth and aims to strengthen connections between students, business, industry and the community. For more information, contact Jane Artup on 0404 465 493 or the Foundation at (03) 9248 3367
Totally Trivia
A Sudanese man was forced to marry a goat after the animal’s owner caught him having intimate relations with it. The BBC reported that the goat’s owner, Mr Alifi from the Upper Nile State had heard a loud noise around midnight on 13 February 2006 and immediately rushed outside to find Mr Tombe with his goat.
"When I asked him: 'What are you doing there?', he fell off the back of the goat, so I captured and tied him up". Mr Alifi then called elders to decide how to deal with the case. "They said I should not take him to the police, but rather let him pay a dowry for my goat because he used it as his wife," Mr Alifi said.
This idea has been referred by us to the Victorian Law Reform Commission. Further submissions would be welcome.
We would like to thank everyone for such a brilliant and smooth start to the year, and to welcome back all our old vollies, alongside a very warm welcome to our newest tutors. We also give special thanks to all those who have been assisting with the packing up of the hall each week. It makes an enormous difference!
Matthew and Jackie