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SOMERS Camp
Every two years, 160 children from schools in each
district in Victoria have the chance to attend the Somers School
Camp. This year eight children from SEPS were the lucky ones to have
been selected. Somers Camp was set up as a school camp in 1959 and
celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Prior to becoming an
educational facility it was originally an RAAF training base. Its
location on the shores of Westernport bay on the Mornington
Peninsula make it a wonderful place to stay. We set off in the
morning and after 1.5 hrs we arrived at our new home for the next
nine sunny days. We quickly settled into our cabins, each
accommodating 20 boys or girls and a teacher. The first day was
spent getting to know our way around the camp and getting to know
other people from the different schools. The rest of the days were
fun filled from when we got up at seven in the morning until lights
out at nine at night. The activities were fantastic and some were
really challenging as they involved heights. The activities included
rock climbing and abseiling, boating, bike riding, a high and low
ropes course, environmental studies on the beach, archery, drama,
surfing and the giant challenge swing, which at 18.5 meters tall is
the highest swing in Victoria - it certainly lived up to its name!
We also had evening activities and we all performed in a concert,
had a camp fire and enjoyed a brilliant disco. During our time at
camp we all experienced new challenges and at times had to conquer
fears. We learnt how to work as a team and how to cooperate to
achieve our goals. Many parents had attended the camp when they were
at Primary School and they all had great memories of Somers. We
all brought wonderful memories
back with us. We had also made many new friends. It will be two
years before the children at SEPS will have the opportunity to go to
Somers again, and when the time comes we encourage you to put your
name forward as it is a tremendous experience!
By Mr. Meban and the eight superb ambassadors who
attended Somers Camp from SEPS
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Wheel Chair Sports
We were very lucky to have Gary from Wheel Chair Sports Victoria
(WCSV) visit us to discuss disabilities and how the organisation
supports people to continue to actively participate in a huge number
of sporting activities. Gary was injured when he was twenty one
years old in a workplace accident. Despite being paralysed from that
day on, he still wanted to keep fit and continue to play some of the
sports that he enjoyed as an able bodied man. WCSV supported Gary
with this. Gary told us about his sporting achievements, such as
competing in triathlons’ and how WCSV help people with disabilities
achieve their sporting ambitions and dreams. We were then invited to
see how we would cope by competing in games in wheelchairs, we all
thought this was an awesome experience but we were also reminded of
how difficult life can be for disabled people and how to prevent
injuring ourselves. By Meban |
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Book Fair
Whilst the unpredictable
Melbourne weather had an impact on our “Special Friends Day”,
the Book Fair was still a great success. Some special friends
braved the weather and roamed the classrooms to view what
fantastic learning takes place at SEPS and afterwards welcomed a
warm cuppa. The horrid weather did not deter the rat, Geronimo
Stilton from visiting each classroom. The money raised from the
Fair will go towards purchasing books for the library.
Many thanks for your support and donations - SEPS children will
reap the rewards. By Genevieve C. |
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Tree Planting
Congratulations to our children, teachers and City Wide helpers
Mat and Chris, who planted over 200 plants for
National Tree Day. City Wide donate many of the plants and mulch we
use around the school. They also provide staff to assist at working
bees. We thank them for their ongoing support. |
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Visit by UK Surgeon
We were very privileged to have had Dr Martin Jones
(and his son Oliver) visit SEPS. Dr Jones is Frazer Simpson’s (5M)
uncle and is visiting Frazer and his family during his holiday from
the UK. Dr Jones is a plastic and reconstruction surgeon in the UK
and he kindly agreed to pop in to speak to the level four pupils
about his work and many aspects of the human anatomy. Many fantastic
questions were asked during the session and it was a wonderful way
to conclude our topic of 'The Human Body'.
Many thanks to Dr Jones for taking time out to visit us as Sandy
East!
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Maths Learning - Rob Vingerhoets “Critical
Friend”
Classrooms have been buzzing with exciting maths learning
activities at SEPS. Critical
Friend - Rob Vingerhoets has been working with teachers and students
to assist in the planning and teaching of an exemplary maths
program. Rob has modeled maths teaching for our teachers to observe
and teachers and student alike have enjoyed every minute of
"learning together". |
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Gallery for a Day
Children's’ book illustrator Mark Wilson visited
SEPS to conduct “Gallery for a Day” workshops with all our students
during their art sessions. Mark inspired the children with his
stories and instruction for creating their own sketches. The
children produced some outstanding drawings displaying a huge
variety of approaches to drawing the same object.
Some of the children's comments:
“Mark told us that we shouldn’t copy other people’s drawings but
draw in our own style and be proud of what we draw.” Chelsea
“Mark showed us his illustrations in children’s books that he had
done. The detail and colours he used created simple but interesting
effects.” Nathan |
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Special Friends Day
We had a very successful Special Friends Day at SEPS.
The children extended invitations to family members and special
friends to join us in an afternoon of our school activities. The
afternoon started with some entertainment. The preps performed
the fun song Mr Clickety Clang with their Grade 6 buddies, Grade
1C performed a Japanese Animal song and the SEPS Stars performed
a hip hop dance to - I am real.
Our visitors
enjoyed visiting the classrooms and sharing learning experiences
with the children. Everyone also had the opportunity to visit
the Book Fair being held in the library. |
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Footy Day
We had AFL footy
player Shannon Grant come in to talk to us on how it felt to be a
football player. Hannah and I asked him 10 questions about his AFL
footy career. Shannon had a picture with all the North Melbourne
supporters and then signed their footy jumpers, scarves and hats. A
total of $392.50 was raised. Thank you to everyone for your support.
By Hamish.
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QUESTACON Science Circus Visit
On Monday our students enjoyed a visit from the
QUESTACON Science Circus. We were very fortunate to have this
experience, which is usually reserved for rural schools. Peter Rich,
father of Corey (5E) and Jodie (3C), is employed by Shell - the
major sponsor of Questacon Circus. As an employee, he entered a
staff competition and won the visit for SEPS. We were also honoured
to have the Chairman of Shell Australia, Mr Russell Caplan, visit
our school.
Students in all levels of the school enjoyed the entertaining and
informative show. The children in grade Prep, 1 and 2 learnt about
bubble making and marine animals. They were fascinated to learn that
the Sea Cucumber can turn itself into slime to protect itself from
predators!
Students in grades 3 and 4 learnt about vibrations and sound waves
and their relationship to making music. They were also mesmerised
with experiments involving liquid nitrogen.
The grade 5 and 6 students also enjoyed the Coolest Show on earth
(liquid nitrogen) as well as learning about explosions and pain.
Peter Rich proved the theory of distributed force by sitting on a
Bed of Nails - 300 of them in total!
It was a terrific day all round. Students gained much from the
experience, including a new inspiration for studying science.
Thank you to Russell Caplan, Peter Rich and
Shell Australia for giving the students of Sandy East this
marvellous opportunity. |
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Life Education Van
Our school is fortunate to host the Life Education Van. Our
students (and teachers!) always look forward to visiting the van and
participating in fun and enlightening activities, learning about
looking after our bodies - and hopefully meeting Harold the Giraffe
too! The van has undergone a recent upgrade and is looking fantastic
complete with an Interactive Whiteboard. |
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Legacy
Chris Spence came to our school to
talk about Legacy. He also explained his life story about how he was
Deputy Head of the Royal Australian Air Force. He was involved with
the air force for 38 years. He was wearing a medal around his neck
called an AO (Order of Australia) as well as five service medals
clipped onto his jacket. He explained that legacy was what people
left behind and when they passed away. The Legacy Foundation began
to look after the wives and children of soldiers who were killed in
action. Everyone is now much more informed about Legacy now, thanks
to Mr. Spence.
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Adventures in Antarctica & Gallipoli
Mr. Chapman amazed us with stories and photos of his
adventures in Antarctica & Gallipoli. Some of his amazing
experiences included seeing elephant seals and the way they
protected their mates, how king penguins check the water for seals
before swimming and about a post office in the middle of Antarctica
which could only fit 3 people. He also explained some of the
dangers, and told the story of the12 year old girl who fell through
thin ice on their trip. Luckily, her back pack got caught and she
was saved. He also talked about Gallipoli, where he was invited to
the Dawn Service with John Howard. He explained that it was much
more than just a cove but that it was a very emotional place. He
felt he was privileged to visit . His visit was much appreciated by
all the students in Grade 5/6. |
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Police Band
We were thrilled to have the Victorian Police Band
visit us at SEPS. They are a very versatile band playing a large
range of instruments and presenting many different types of music
and songs. Some of our children starred as singers and dancers
entertaining us all while the band music played. Everyone was
invited to join in and bop to the beat. What talent we have among
our children and staff!
We are very grateful to
the Victoria Police Band for entertaining us so well.
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Casual Dress Day – Junior School Council
(JSC)
JSC had Casual Dress day as
a fundraiser. Money raised was donated to helping
survivors of the two natural disasters in Burma and China. We
collected $561:00 which is a terrific effort!
JSC decided to donate the money to the Rotary
Club of Hampton who are organizing Shelter Boxes for the people in
these stricken countries. Mr. Geoff Tickner from the Rotary
organization visited our assembly for the presentation
of the cheque from our school. Mr. Tickner brought one of the
shelter boxes for us to see first hand. The boxes contain items that
provide shelter, warmth, cooking facilities, tools and kids packs
for a family of up to 10. The boxes can even be used as a water
container or bath. They are half a cubic meter in size and weigh 55
kilograms.
Thanks everyone for such great support for this
worthy fundraiser and helping others in need. |
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Gearing up for Inline Hockey
Ben and Hugh from Inline Hockey Victoria came to
Sandy East and talked to us about Inline Hockey. They went through
what safety equipment is used and how to play the game. They also
showed us some footage of the State Inline Hockey Team and gave us
some free passes to come and try.
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Biggest Morning Tea
SEPS hosted a “Biggest Morning Tea” to
raise money for The Cancer Council’s cancer research initiatives.
The morning tea was part of an Australia wide fundraising event
involving “Biggest Morning Teas” happening in hundreds of places. It
was a great opportunity for our community to enjoy a friendly chat
over a cuppa whilst donating to a very worthy cause. We would like
to thank Lisa Cox for her wonderful organization of the event and
Sharyn Seeberg with her team of willing class reps for their valued
assistance. We would also like to thank Gayle Gilliland and Debbie
Linnigan who donated the raffle prize from their stock of lovely
hand crafted jewellery which was displayed at the morning tea. A
total of $234 was raised. Thank you to everyone who supported. |
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| Steve Pleasants,
organizer Lisa Cox, with helpers Rebecca Wilde |
| and Gayle
Gilliland enjoying cuppas at the Biggest Morning Tea |
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It’s Raining Puppets
SEPS students were dazzled with the touring show ‘Its Raining
Puppets’. The show was very entertaining full of bright and
colourful puppets of different dimensions and forms. The show
included a range of songs from ABBA classics to Ricky Martin. Murray
the puppeteer spoke to the students about how marionette puppets are
made, as well as showing the children how to make them move.
Everyone laughed, clapped and squealed in delight as each new puppet
was presented. A superbly presented piece of theatre, enjoyed by
all.
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Guest Speakers have addressed the school Community,
Students and
Friends over recent years. |
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Eric Phillips, Arctic explorer from Brighton,
returned after a successful trek to the North Pole. Eric has said
“…that to have achieved that goal without losing any fingers felt
fantastic.” Although Eric was deprived of home comforts the trek
presented him with many rewarding experiences and hair-raising
moments which he shared with
us at Sandringham East PS |
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Dr Richard Boyd, Scientist, from Monash Medical
School described how his team grew a functioning thymus, a small
organ that is critical to the immune system. He defined stem cells
as the body's building blocks. Dr Boyd recounted how exciting his
life as a research scientist had been and how he had lived, worked
and studied in different countries. He inspired us with his energy
and enthusiasm for his work |
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John Bertrand spoke to the Grade 5 and 6
students about his life sailing adventures, directions he has
taken and the determination to improve in what he does best. John
inspired our students as he spoke of his commitment to each task he
takes on and the focus and resilience necessary to see things
through particularly through his sailing experiences. John is also
involved with the Alannah and Madeline foundation which highlights
getting along with others. |
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Leanne Mercer spoke about her life as a Television journalist and the
responsibilities of a program producer. Leanne shared her years of
experience in Australia and overseas and how important each was to
her career. She also discussed her experiences as author of her
first book "Take Forty". |
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Robyn Moore - Motivational Speaker and
Journalist, features as the voice of Blinky Bill. Robyn Moore is
also a motivational speaker and she shared her unique understanding
of 'the power of the word' and how it clears the way for new
thinking and communication required to create solutions. |
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