Thanks to everyone who has contributed their words, thoughts, art, wisdom and photos to The Bark this year. It has been a pleasure creating and editing The Bark and I hope you have enjoyed reading about all the wonderful happenings around Candlebark.
Wishing you all a very happy & Merry Christmas and a safe, fun-filled, action packed New Year. See you in 2019!
Jane Cahill - Editor In Chief
Contents
- Year End Message from John
- Term Dates 2019
- 2019 Term Fees Payable dates
- Frolicking Freedom
- Cobaw District Schools Orienteering Championships
- Music in 2019
- School Sports Victoria - State Primary Track & Field Championships
- Community Notices
Year End Message from John
The 2018 school year ended with one of the most crowded but worthwhile terms we have experienced in thirteen years. It's been wonderful to see so many different activities and projects carried out with such commitment, enthusiasm and creativity by teachers and students. The Year 7 trip to New Zealand was a new adventure for us, and succeeded triumphantly, despite the endless complications with the flight home and the delays at both Christchurch and Melbourne! Activities like hiking up mountains and sea-kayaking will be long remembered by this group. We had a farewell lunch for them on the second last day of term, for teachers and Year 7 students, and it was a memorable event. We say goodbye to them with much affection, and much admiration for the ways in which they have progressed.
Coming eighth in the National chess titles went almost unnoticed by the wider School community, but was certainly appreciated and respected by everyone involved in the chess scene. It was a fantastic result, and the huge workload cheerfully shouldered by Andy Moffat and Cam in making this happen definitely deserves special mention.
The orienteering was also amazing – you'll find coverage of it in this issue of The Bark.
Among other events in the last few weeks of term was a Grade 6 dinner at a restaurant for teachers and Grade 6 students, to celebrate the graduation from primary school by these boys and girls. They've been an exuberant, lively and delightful group to work with.
At the Romsey Christmas celebration this weekend just gone we had a choral group from school singing – and they did so well, in difficult circumstances! It's a bit tough to see Christmas having to compete with advertising by a bank and real estate agency, but that aside, the enthusiasm and commitment of the children was evident.
Finally, the many different plays on offer last Tuesday night were wonderful – in their variety, creativity and complexity – but I think virtually all of you were there, so there's no need for me to go on about that!
My next task is to write the Annual Report, where I'll cover the year in more detail, but for now I'd just like to thank you all again for the support that is expressed so often and so movingly by parents – expressed in words and actions – and to wish you a sparky Christmas and a new year full of delightful interruptions.
- John
Term Dates 2019
- Term 1 - January 30 to April 11
- Term 2 - April 29 to June 28
- Term 3 - July 23 to September 19.
- Term 4 - October 8 to December 18
2019 Term Fees Payable dates
- Term 1: January 16
- Term 2: April 15
- Term 3: July 9
- Term 4: September 24
A 5% discount applies to fees which are paid in full by the due date each term.
Music fees are invoiced at the end of each Term, and are payable in full before the next term begins.
Frolicking Freedom
Until Tuesday, when I took my year ones down to the creek to frolic wildly in the water and look for tadpoles. We were perched upon the rocks, some waded in their clothes, others shed layers to squeal with delight as their skin touched the cold water. I watched with joy as every one of my students grinned ear-to-ear, and endeavoured to undertake some masterful task, such as finding a water beetle, throwing a bucket of water at a friend or shrieking wildly as they stood under the waterfall and anticipated how icy the drops would feel on their head.
I thought back to that oh so cheesy meme. Come into the present moment, just be and enjoy being. This, I thought with sudden certainty. This is it; this is the moment that we are all just ‘being’ in. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and just let that feeling soak in. I could not want to be anywhere else, with anyone else at that moment. The connectedness we all felt, the students with each other, and I with them, were priceless. We had initially gone down there so one of the students could deliver a lesson to the others on water bugs and how to catch them, but after that we simply remained there for no other purpose then to soak up the joy that comes from playing in that luscious creek, under dappled sunlight, listening to the hum of dragonflies zooming past our noses.
Over the gurgling sounds of the water, I told the students that I used to work in a school that was all concrete and tanbark. Greys and blues, whites and blacks, so little green. The students stared at me blankly; they couldn’t imagine it and didn’t spend much time trying. They’ve been here from the beginning, and in some ways they take it for granted. But one of my students, who herself only came to Candlebark recently stopped suddenly, eyes gazing up into the tree canopy, and said, in her usual shiny tone, "Wow… isn’t this just BEAUTIFUL”. We smiled at each other, knowingly. The gift that Candlebark offers is perhaps not necessarily any of the things it presents on the surface. Its truest gift, if you ask me, is the way it offers up to teachers and students alike, the time to frolic, to explore, to unravel oneself and discover who you are and what you might like to be. The time to be present, to just be and enjoy being.
- Nat Haimon
Cobaw District Schools Orienteering championships @ hanging rock
On Friday the 30th of November 36 eager Candlebarkians headed to Hanging Rock for the Cobaw District School Orienteering Championships. And what a day we had. The weather was glorious, the kids were enthusiastic, the chess sets were out, the guitar was being strummed, the football was in use and a group of Candlebarkians were found dancing to Bohemian Rhapsody during a break. It was a wonderful excursion before a single map had been handed out… but we were there for the Orienteering Competition and compete we did (the results are below).
The orienteering courses varied depending on the age groups and we had students in the Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 categories including several Grade 2s competing in the Grade 3 section.
The students headed off in teams of two to run their various courses around Hanging Rock and were back before we knew it (a good thing in a race!). One student had a limp, others were in unexpected groupings, most had never done orienteering before, but all of them came back with big a grins on their faces.
Here's a list of the place-getters:
Grade 3 Boys 1050m - 1st place: Albert Cahill and Banjo Ford; 2nd place: Charlie Hutchison and Henry Astuto
Grade 4 Girls 2200m - 2nd place: Madison Hallifax and Ava Connell
Grade 5 Boys 2500m - 2nd place: Bryn Sawyer and Max Sheppherd
Grade 5 Girls 2500m - 1st Place: Maisy Hayter and Ebony Sutherland
Grade 6 Boys 2725m - 1st place: Callahan Ure and Reuben Cahill; 2nd place: Aidan Ford and Henry Bourke; 3rd place: Elliot Foster and Lucas Taylor
Whilst the results were fantastic, most importantly the kids really enjoyed the day and they did Candlebark proud.
And finally a big big thanks to Mandy deLacy for organising this event.
music in 2019
2019 will, no doubt, be another very musical year at Candlebark. The Christmas break is a great chance to chat with your son or daughter about whether to begin learning an instrument. We have an exceptional group of music tutors at Candlebark with the following instruments on offer: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Violin, Cello, Double Bass, Piano, Voice, Guitar and Bass Guitar.
Here is a link to an interesting article about the benefits of learning a musical instrument:
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/9-ways-learning-an-instrument-strengthens-your-brain/
Sometimes our teachers get booked out so please get your enrolment forms in ASAP in order to shore up lessons for next year.
State Primary Track & Field Championships
Henry Bourke represented Candlebark in the State Primary Track & Field Championships on the 29 October at Albert Park. Henry did really well and placed 10th in the State Track and Field 1500m event.
Community Notices
Free Legal Help with Child Support
To check eligibility and enquire about an appointment go to www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/childsupportenquiry or call Legal Help on 1300 792 387
The $50 Club - Kids for a Cause
Want to invest in your own community? The sky is no longer the limit. Inspired by women’s giving circles all over the world and the Awesome Foundation’s model for giving, we are now seeking FIFTEEN local young people prepared to give $2 each in addition to the Field Trip contributing $20 to form THE $50 CLUB, a club of local young people aged 9-17 who will give $50 to a community cause or project on the day of the Goonawarra and Rolling Meadows Share the Love Festival: Sunday 9 December, 10-3pm. We are hoping this will be a monthly club in 2019 - kids giving small seed grants to other kids and community causes or projects on an ongoing monthly basis - but it all starts here at the GRM Share the Love Festival 9 December, register your interest with a friend via the website.
SIGN UP NOW: https://www.thefieldtrip.co/50-dollar-club
For more information go to : https://www.thefieldtrip.co
KIDX 2019
Are you aged 9-17 and want to give a short talk on a BIG idea??
Announcing: KIDx - a school holiday program for kids unlike any other, in the summer school holidays - January 19-20 at Sunbury Community Health.
In the style of a TEDx event, kids aged 9-25 will deliver short talks on BIG topics interspersed with fun interactive games and activities the whole weekend. With prominent community representatives in attendance to hear the voices and ideas of the young people speaking, it’s a wonderful intersection of intergenerational thinking and conversation!
Register via website https://www.thefieldtrip.co/kidx2019
Credits:
Created with images by John Klishin - "untitled image"