Music Information
Forthcoming dates

6 August 1999 No. 23

From the Head of Junior School

LAP (Learning and Assessment) tests for boys in Year Three and Year Five were completed this week. There can be a tendency for parents to panic when the word 'testing' is mentioned.

The LAP is a series of assessment tasks for children across all Victorian schools and designed to provide feedback on the progress of each child. The results also allow the school to highlight gaps in its curriculum and make any necessary changes to programmes.

The test results provide feedback only and are not used as a part of your son's formal assessment.

We do not envisage that the results of the LAP will tell us anything new about your son. The LAP will simply confirm what we already know, or in some cases, highlight areas where we may need to be working harder with specific boys.

Results are expected in the school early in Term Four, when parents will be provided with a detailed overview of their son's performance.

Congratulations are extended to the staff and boys involved in yesterday's Year Four concert where an appreciative audience enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of entertainment.

Special thanks are extended to the Music Department under the guidance of Miss Jenni Allen and Mrs Julia Piggin for the organisation of this event.

Mr Dick Briggs from the College Archives has informed me of an exhibition currently being held at the Old Treasury building. The exhibition titled, "The Old School Tie" involves fourteen Melbourne and Geelong schools who have opened up their collections of artifacts to provide a light-hearted exploration of public and private education.

The exhibition is being held from Friday 6 August until Sunday 3 October and entry attracts a small charge. Further details can be obtained by contacting the exhibition organisers on 9651 2233.

Today the Camp Quality Puppets visited us. The puppet show showed the boys how to be loving and supportive of other children who have major illnesses such as cancer.

The school was given a fact sheet regarding children with cancer and I provide some facts for your interest.

• between 150-200 children between the ages of 0 - 14 years are diagnosed with cancer each year in NSW.
• the peak age of diagnosis for most cancers in children is 3 - 5 years.
• more than 65% of children with Leukaemia are cured and about 90% of children with many solid tumours, diagnosed at an early stage, are cured.
• Leukaemia is the most common form of childhood cancer - it is not infectious and the child poses no health threat to other children.
• it is rare for cancer to be inherited.

This day was a casual clothes day with a gold coin donation. All money raised will be donated to Camp Quality.

This week has been National Kindness Week and as such, Kindness has been our theme.

I reminded the boys of the parable of the 'Good Samaritan' (Luke 10:25) where one of the most noted tales of kindness was recorded. The boys were also encouraged to look for little ways to help others (preferably without them knowing!), showing kindness by thinking and doing things that would please others.

Our classroom reminder sheet contained the following passage of scripture;

'.... So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. . Be tolerant with one another and forgive any of you who has a complaint against someone else.' (Colossians 3:12)

My thought for the week;

Guy B Mason

Music Information

All boys who are sitting for Australian Music Examinations Board Exams are invited to attend aural training sessions in Miss Allen's music classroom in Upper Shergold every Wednesday at 8.00am. This will begin on the 11th August.

Jenni Allen
Head of Junior School Music

Forthcoming dates