GUESTS

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Guest Speakers have addressed the school Community, Students and Friends over recent years.

Guests have included:

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

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

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.

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".

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.