Posted July 23 2010Thought for the week
“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
Thomas Paine
I have been thinking recently about the role of “guilt” in our lives. I have felt for some time that “guilt” was a very negative motivator and that living with a sense of being guilty about something could be quite damaging to our feelings of self worth. However, when someone has done “the wrong thing” they always have a sense of guilt about what they have done and when one can attach the guilt to a certain behaviour or action, then when the action or behaviour disappears, the guilt goes too. Being open, honest and “upfront” is essential in the healing process. If the truth has been manipulated and modified then we are not freeing ourselves up to move forward. Mary Baker Eddy says “… the sin is punished so long as the sin lasts”, but it is we who do the punishing to ourselves. Once we have seen through the behaviour, the action has stopped and all cards are on the table, any sense of guilt must disappear because we have risen above it. Having a general sense of guilt about something over which we have no control, or which happened in the distant past and cannot be changed is pointless and very harmful. I believe that is why Jesus Christ said things like “he who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone …” and “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not and ye shall not be judged:”
So what about consequence? Is there never a consequence for “wrong-doing”? There is always a consequence even if it does not come to the attention of others. However, justice must be seen to be done and that is why when something comes to ones attention it must be dealt with. We must always take responsibility for our own actions.
Huntingtower has some very definite expectations of its students and parents. As you know all senior school students sign a commitment not to smoke, drink alcohol or take illegal drugs at any time including weekends and holidays. This commitment lasts until they have graduated from school. Our parents also sign this commitment in the sense that they agree (on the enrolment form) to support this expectation. As a consequence, we ask all our parents to ensure that if they are hosting a party, the following three things occur:
- The party is fully and actively supervised
- No alcohol (etc) is available and if any child brings alcohol it is removed from them until they leave the party and
- No open parties are held.
I have often said that if parents do not support the high expectations in this regard, they cannot be effective. However, it is not the expectation that is at fault it is the unwillingness to make the stand that we know will give our children the best foundation for a successful future.
Our children are all wonderful, beautiful creations; they do not need alcohol or any other drug to make them happier, more sociable, more acceptable or better people. The statistics on deaths due to drink driving should be enough to encourage us to train our children to be the “designated driver”.
The Annual school Fete will be held on November 6 this year and we would really appreciate it if every parent can think of an item or items that they could contribute to the silent auction or perhaps for a prize at another stall. You will all be contacted and asked to assist in some way, either in preparation, cleanup or serving for an hour or two on a stall. We are so grateful to you for your willingness to assist and take part. Please put the date in you calendar and invite all your friends and family to come along.
If anyone is considering purchasing a Mazda, Holden, Audi or Mitsubishi, please contact me as we have an arrangement with Penfold Motors in Burwood and Huntingtower will receive a contribution for any car purchased from them. One condition is that a letter from me must be taken to their representative first. So please see me if you are after one of these cars.
SholtoBowen
Principal
July 23 2010 | All and Principals Message | No Comments » | 
Posted July 23 2010Diary Dates:
- Cybersafety Evening – Monday 26 July, PAC.
- Bye Bye Birdie Interval Suppers – Thurs 5 to Sat 7 August.
- Positive Parenting Skills Nights – Wednesdays 11 to 25 August (Junior School)
- Fete – Saturday 6 November 2010
CyberSafety Awareness Evening
July 26, 7.30pm, Performing Arts Centre
Featuring Dr. Martyn Wild, CyberSafety Expert from La Trobe University. A must-attend evening for all adults interested in the online wellness of their families. During the presentation, the engaging Dr. Wild will discuss the latest information on:
• Current trends in child and adolescent internet usage, and the hot technologies every child wants
• Information every Parent needs to know about Social Networking
• Simple strategies to keep your kids safe online
• Why parents are the frontline defenders when it comes to CyberSafety
Open to all adults. $10 per Student (12 years and older), $20 per Adult, $30 per Couple, $40 per Family ( 2 Adults & 2 Students). All proceeds to the Huntingtower Aquatics Sports & Fitness Centre. Reserve your tickets today. Book and pay securely online at http://events.huntingtower.vic.edu.au/ or call the office on (03) 9807 8888.
Cadbury Chocolate Drive
Just a reminder that all funds from the Chocolate Drive are now overdue. If you haven’t yet paid, can you please provide the Office with either a cheque (payable to ‘Huntingtower PTA’) or cash ($60 per box). We would very much prefer to collect the proceeds this way so we can ensure we have enough money to pay Cadbury. Putting the proceeds through on the school account is a last resort only and is very difficult to administer so we’d really appreciate your support.
Positive Parenting Skills Nights
Accredited Presenter Kellie Jasper will be facilitating intimate workshops teaching the respected ‘1-2-3 Magic’ and ‘Emotional Coaching’ techniques to interested parents of children aged between 2-12 years. Learn simple ways to minimise challenging behaviour, encourage good behaviour and build stronger family relationships. The three sessions in August will run for 2 hours each (including supper) and cost $80 per person or $140 per couple. Please book through the school office as numbers are limited.
Bye Bye Birdie Interval Suppers
We’d love volunteers to help serve supper for the Bye Bye Birdie musical (those interested please contact Deb Davey on debbiedavey67@gmail.com.
Fete Rides
We are delighted to advise that the following rides have been booked for this year’s Fete.
- Fantasy Island Jumping Castle
- Cha Cha
- Panda Obstacle Course
- Giant Super Slide
- Cup and Saucer
- Sideshow Alley games including mini golf, dunking machine, laughing clowns, etc.
- Traditional Animal Farm (still obtaining quotes).
Pricing will be determined once the Animal Farm has been booked, but based on feedback from last year, this year we plan to offer junior and senior wristbands, as well as discounts for large families.
Fete Donations
Thank you for all the terrific donations that have already come in for the Fete. If you have any spare books, clothes, dvds or general bric-a-brac for the Dad’s stall, we’d be very grateful if you could please leave it up at the green sheds near the trainline (2nd door from the left).
We kindly requesting that every family please donate some small goods or services for the Silent Auction which will be part of our Fete in November this year. The goods or services (must be new) will be sold to the highest bidder and money raised will greatly boost our efforts in fund raising towards the new Aquatic Centre. Preparations for Silent Auction are well under way and the request is made to each family (not each child) that did not have a chance to help or to offer the help so far. Any support will be greatly appreciated, whether it is a pair of socks or set of kitchen mugs. Carton boxes will be placed around the school grounds on Tuesday, 10 August 2010 to facilitate the collection of the donations.
July 23 2010 | All and Events and PTA | No Comments » |
Posted July 23 2010WAVERLEY EISTEDDFOD
We are now really looking forward to preparing for the Waverley Eisteddfod. A notice will be posted this weekend to all instrumental musicians from Years 7 to 12 and the Junior School notices will be handed out to the students on Monday 26 July.
The performance times have just been released so please take note of them below – if your child is unable to attend the Eisteddfod please inform me immediately as numbers are crucial in each section (Lynley Bramble BH 9807 8888 AH 9803 7701 or email lbramble@huntintower.vic.edu.au)
WAVERLEY EISTEDDFOD ENSEMBLE SECTIONS
Saturday 21 August – Huntingtower Performing Arts Centre (Full details are in the notice)
NB. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE
ARRIVAL TIMES
Arrival Time: 8.30am 18y and under Large Ensemble (9am Section)
(Senior Music Classroom) Concert Band
Irish String Orchestra
Britten String Orchestra
Arrival Time: 10.40am 21y and under Small Ensemble (11am Section)
(Senior Music Classroom) Mendelssohn Quintet
Arrival Time: 2pm 14y and under Large Ensemble (2.20pm Section)
(Junior School to Music Junior Orchestra
Centre Ensemble Room. Middle School Orchestra
Middle School Orchestra
to Senior Music Classroom)
Arrival Time: 4pm 15y and under Small Ensemble (4.20pm Section)
(Senior Music Classroom) Vivaldi Ensemble
Junior Ensemble
Beethoven Trio
Schumann Quintet
A detailed rehearsal schedule is included in the notice (which will be received by every parent next Monday) so it would be greatly appreciated if parents could ensure that their students attend all rehearsals. Many thanks for your wonderful help.
SOLO CONCERTS
As this Bulletin is printed a Year 11 and 12 Solo Concert will have just been held. These concerts are extremely important performance opportunities for VCE Music Performance students but it is also wonderful to hear students perform who are not necessarily studying music as a VCE subject.
During this term there will be solo concerts for Years 8, 9, 11 and 12 musicians and concerts for Years 7, 10 and Junior students in Term 4. You are extremely welcome to attend any of these entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable concerts.
IPSHA BIENNIAL MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR JUNIOR SCHOOLS
On Tuesday August 10 members of the Junior Orchestra will perform at Dallas Brookes Hall as part of this extremely exciting festival. Unfortunately there is a limit on the number of orchestral players who can participate and the children involved have already received an initial notice. A second notice with full information will be distributed very soon.
HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS TO……….
The following for the wonderful recent events or events to come:
1. The VCE Piano Trio (Jacob Davey, Elliot Kitchingman, Eloise Verbeek) for being chosen to perform at the inaugural Showcase Concert for the South Eastern Arts Festival. This ensemble won the section at the South Eastern Arts Festival and it is a great honour that they have been asked to perform at the Showcase Concert.
The VCE Trio will also perform at a special church service for Australian Women to be held at High Street Road Uniting Church next Friday.
2. The 14 Huntingtower students who were chosen to attend the State Music Camp which was held at Caulfield Grammar, Caulfield during the first week of the school holidays. Two hundred students attended from all over Melbourne and Victoria and a very exciting concert (4 orchestras performing) was held at Robert Blackwood Hall at the conclusion of the camp.
STRING ORCHESTRA TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND – JULY 2010
The Huntingtower String Orchestra has just returned from a magnificent 10 day tour of New Zealand. It was such a wonderful experience to see this beautiful country in the grandeur of winter and to meet so many warm, friendly, enthusiastic people. The days were packed with excitement (from floods and landslides to soothing hot spring swims and Hangi feasts) and the five concerts were all received with standing ovations from the large audiences. It was a humbling experience to have the privilege of performing in such amazing venues for such friendly audiences and also to be able to perform with our soloists Prudence Davis (Principal Flute – MSO) and Jeffrey Crellin (Principal Oboe – MSO). The purity and beauty of the sound produced by Prue and Jeff in the huge cathedrals will be something which we will always cherish.
A huge thank-you to Prue and Jeff for their wonderful musicianship and camaraderie (and love of games – ask Jeff for a game of “Haunted House” or “Upbeat” and he’ll keep you occupied for hours!) and also to Helen Tillinh for her constant care of us all and to Rob Kitchingman for his wonderful interpretative and management skills and his Kiwi sense of humour which kept us all entertained!
Another huge and special thanks to the students – we could not have asked for anything better in any way – you were all magnificent!! (not to forget our 3 “old” students who kept us on our toes!)
SPECIAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
1. Waverley Eisteddfod Ensemble sections which usually involve every player from Years 3 to 12 on NB. CHANGE OF DATE to SATURDAY 21 AUGUST – please keep this date free.
2. Huntingtower Camerata Gala Concert
Sunday 10 October at 2.30pm. There will be many more details to come but once again all players (Years Prep to 12) and choristers (Years 3 to 12) are involved in this very important event.
MUSIC DATES – TERM 3 2010
1. YEARS 11 and 12 SOLO CONCERT
Thursday 22 July 7pm Orchestral Room
2. SENIOR SCHOOL MUSICAL – PAC
Monday 19 July Sitzprobe
Sunday 25 July 1st Dress Rehearsal
Sunday 1 August Tech Rehearsal
Monday 2 August 2nd Dress Rehearsal
Tuesday 3 August Matinee Performance 12.30pm
Thursday 5 August Performance 7.30pm
Friday 6 August Performance 7.30pm
Saturday 7 August Performance 7.30pm
3. IPSHA BIENNIAL COMBINED MUSIC FESTIVAL (Junior Orchestra)
Tuesday 10 August Dallas Brookes Hall
4. WAVERLEY EISTEDDFOD (Choral Sections – Senior Chamber Choir)
Friday 20 August PAC
5. WAVERLEY EISTEDDFOD
(Ensemble Sections – Junior/Middle School/Senior Orchestras, Concert Band)
Saturday 21 August 9am – 5pm PAC
6. YEAR 8 SOLO CONCERT
Thursday 26 August 7pm Orchestral Room
7. YEAR 9 SOLO CONCERT
Wednesday 1 September 7pm Orchestral Room
8. CHAMBER CHOIR AND SMALL ENSEMBLES CONCERT
Thursday 9 September 7pm Orchestral Room
9. JUNIOR MUSIC EVENING
Thursday 9 September 6pm PAC
10. YERNGA RETIREMENT VILLAGE CONCERT
Thursday 23 September 1:30pm
11. VCE SOLO/GROUP RECITALS
During the Holidays TBA
MUSIC DATES – TERM 4 2010
1. CAMERATA GALA CONCERT REHEARSALS (Senior Orchestra only)
Saturday 2 October 2pm-5pm PAC
Sunday 3 October 2pm-5pm PAC
Monday 4 October 7pm-10pm PAC
Friday 8 October 7pm-10pm or Saturday 9 October 2pm-5pm PAC
2. CAMERATA GALA CONCERT
Sunday 10 October 2:30pm PAC
3. YEAR 7 SOLO CONCERT
Thursday 21 October 7pm Orchestral Room
4. CHILDREN’S WEEK CHURCH SERVICE
Tuesday 26 October 9:30am Police Academy Chapel
4. YEAR 10 SOLO CONCERT
Tuesday 26 October Orchestral Room
5. JUNIOR WIND AND FRIENDS CONCERT
Thursday 4 November 6pm PAC
6. HUNTINGTOWER FETE (Senior/Middle School Orchestras, Concert Band)
Saturday 6 November 10.30am-12 noon
7. LITTLE SYMPHONY and LITTLE CHOIR CONCERT
Thursday 18 November 6pm PAC
8. JUNIOR SPEECH NIGHT
Friday 26 November 6pm PAC
9. SENIOR ORCHESTRA BREAK-UP TEA and SPEECH NIGHT REHEARSAL
Sunday 28 November 5pm-8pm
10. SENIOR SPEECH DAY
Saturday 4 December 2pm Robert Blackwood Hall
July 23 2010 | All and Music | No Comments » |
Posted July 23 2010An audio recording of the Junior and Senior Orchestral and Choral Concert held in June will soon be available on two separate CD’s; CD1 contains Junior and Middle School material and CD2 contains Senior School material.
Each cd will cost $10 and can only be purchased separately.
If you are interested in obtaining one or both of the CD’s, please place an order with Amy Cox at the front office. You can do this in person, by phone or by email (acox@huntingtower.vic.edu.au). Please specify whether you would like the Junior or the Senior CD or both, the quantity you would like, and provide your contact details.
The closing date for orders is Friday 6 August 2010.
July 23 2010 | Advertisement and All and Music | No Comments » |
Posted July 23 2010SDSSA Winter Sport Round Robin Day
On Friday, 30 July, Huntingtower will be hosting an SDSSA event – the Winter Sport Round Robin Day. It will be the first time that this event has been held. Division 1 schools will play matches in the morning starting at 9.30am, while the Division 2 schools (of which Huntingtower is a member) will play matches in the afternoon starting at 12.15pm. Huntingtower students will play in football, netball and soccer rounders. As there could be around 300 students across all our sports fields during this event, please would parents be particularly careful when driving in and out of the school grounds on this day.
EISM – GIS Sports Exchange for Intermediate Students (Years 9 & 10)
On Thursday 2nd September, the EISM is playing against the Gippsland Independent Schools (GIS). The GIS is the host association this year and most of the sports will be played in Pakenham. Students interested in representing their association in these sports are asked to nominate for the squad. This will involve attending selection trials and training sessions.
If Year 9 or 10 students wish to nominate to trial for an EISM representative team, they should see Ms Savage. Students and families will need to organise transport to the trials.
Football
Training times: } 4-5pm. Wednesday 18th & 25th August.
Training Venue: } Aquinas College, Gt Ryrie St, Ringwood. (Mel: 49 J10)
Game vs GIS: } 11.00am @ Beaconhills College, Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham.
Boys Soccer
Training times: } 4-5pm Tuesday 17th & 24th August.
Training Venue: } Huntingtower, 77 Waimarie Drive, Mt Waverley. (Mel: 70 G1)
Game vs GIS: } 11.00am. (Venue TBC)
Boys Basketball
Training times: } 4-5pm. Wednesday 18th & 25th August.
Training Venue: } Aquinas College, Gt Ryrie St, Ringwood. (Mel: 49 J10)
Game vs GIS: } 11.00am @ Beaconhills College, Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham.
Netball
Training times: } 4-5pm. Wednesday 18th & 25th August.
Training Venue: } Aquinas College, Gt Ryrie St, Ringwood. (Mel: 49 J10)
Game vs GIS: } 11.00am @ Beaconhills College, Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham.
Girls Soccer
Training times: } 4-5pm. Wednesday 18th & 25th August.
Training Venue: } Aquinas College, Great Ryrie Street. Ringwood (Mel: 49 J10)
Game vs GIS: } 11.00am. @ Beaconhills College, Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham.
Girls Hockey
Training times: } 4-5pm. Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 25th August.
Training Venue: } Knox Hockey Pitch, 220 Burwood Hwy, Wantirna South (Mel: 63 E10)
Game vs GIS: } 11.00am @ Beaconhills College, Toomuc Valley Rd, Pakenham.
July 23 2010 | All and Sport | No Comments » |
Posted July 23 2010The EMA is a strategy that provides assistance to low-income families by helping with the costs associated with the education of their children.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for receipts of the EMA, the claimant must:
- Be a parent or guardian of a primary or secondary school student up to the age of sixteen; and
- Be an eligible beneficiary of a Centrelink pension, allowance or benefit within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004 or be a Veterans Affairs (TPI) pensioner or be a foster parent; and
- Submit their applications to the school by the due date.
The eligibility criteria must be met at the first day of Term 2 (12 July, 2010). Applications close Friday 6 August, 2010).
Any applications based on Centrelink payments that are not income based (eg. Carer Allowance, formerly Child Disability Allowance, Mobility Allowance and Remote Area Allowance) are not eligible unless the claimant, in their own name, complies with the second dot point above.
July 23 2010 | All and Notices | No Comments » |
Posted July 23 2010At the Alliance of International Educators Conference held in July 2010 Meredith Lawson, Sandra Tiepermann and I presented on how our learning community is engaging Middle Schoolers in experiences that enable them to construct solutions to real world issues in our Integrated Studies Units. Our paper was entitled, Building Powerful, Inclusive Communities. We explored with educators from around the globe how we engender a culture of students saying, “I’m not sure but I want to find out, let’s think about this together.”
We shared examples of student led campaigns, extended role plays such as the Hungry Planet Banquet and a range of different ways that we create a passion for discovering and understanding other cultures. We demonstrated that through an array of structured learning choices, our students emerge with their own positive world view.
During the presentation, we received so many questions about how we empower students to understand that one small action can make a difference on a global scale. The impact of particular pinnacle experience units were explored with our audience on World Religions, Saving Planet Earth and Hungry Planet. We discussed how these units incorporate essential questions based on Harvard’s Teaching for Understanding Framework and offer our students opportunities for creativity, synthesis and the revolutionary use of class time. The educators we spoke with were impressed that each unit seeks to build community and an understanding of diversity as our learners become activists with global responsibilities.
Also during the holiday break, Merril Darling presented on Poetry Knowitry at the National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy held in Perth. She explored how many children have had access to poetry through rhyme and song from earliest childhood as an enjoyable, shared literacy experience. Her presentation highlighted how children delight in the predictability of rhyme and respond physically to the rhythmic writing found in many picture books.
Her Poetry Knowitry presentation focused on the practical use of poetry as a rich and engaging teaching and learning tool for developing phonemic awareness, analytical skills and deep literacy understanding. She shared theoretical underpinnings for the use of poetry. Her criteria for poem selection was also considered. The links to phonemic and literacy skill development were demonstrated along with a range of teaching, problem solving and thinking strategies Evidence was provided of the development of deep understandings of short poetic texts leading into children’s own poetry writing.
Our teachers benefitted greatly from sharing their experiences with other educators and it was great to receive such positive feedback at both conferences about our programs at Huntingtower.
Fiona Gordon
Head of Teaching and Learning
July 23 2010 | All and Features | No Comments » |
Posted July 23 2010Tutoring available in History and English, Years 7 – 12.
Learn to write succinct, critically focussed essays and papers. Cameron Bardwell, Monash University Bachelor of Arts (Honours), graduated in Huntingtower Class of ‘05, achieved Study Scores of 45 and 39 in VCE English and History respectively. He has a Distinction average at university.
Call 0406 785 672 or email cjbards@gmail.com.
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