28th March, 2013 Term 1: Week 9/9 The Heartbeat of Mountain District Christian School Cnr Macclesfield Rd & Jindabyne Ct P O Box 483 Monbulk 3793 Phone 9756 7244 Fax 9756 7356 mdcs@md mdcs@mdcs.vic.edu.au @mdcs.vic.edu.au
From Principal s desk... As you are aware last Thursday and Friday we had parent-teacher meetings across all year levels. Thank you to all who participated in this part of school life. If for some reason you were not able to come, please ensure that you make a time to come to school or have a phone conversation to see how we can work together this year to educate the children here. As Term 1 comes to a conclusion I would like to encourage all readers of the MDCS Newsletter to have a safe and enjoyable Easter break. This Christian School is founded on a biblical approach to life. We believe that Jesus died in our place, was buried and, on the third day, resurrected. This is the message of Easter. May you rest in the knowledge that Jesus paid the price for you and rest on Him. Year 1/2 As many parents would be aware our much loved Mrs Heading will be leaving for Maternity Leave as of Friday, 10 th May. With this in mind we recently advertised for a replacement teacher for one of our Year 1/2 classes. I am pleased to announce that Mr Ken McDowell will be joining the MDCS teaching team from Wednesday, 1 st May, to assist the students in their transition. Term 2...There is much to look forward to in Term 2... there will be a new event; an evening for people who are really keen to look a little more deeply into a Christian view of life that undergirds Mountain District Christian School... There is much to look forward to in Term 2 of this year. While several elements of the school year have not changed there are three that I d like to bring to your attention. Firstly, the MDCS Athletics Day has moved from fourth term and will be on Tuesday, 30 th April, (train now!). Secondly, please be aware this is the first year of a new state wide approach to VCE examinations where there are few external mid-year exams for Year 12 students. Thirdly, there will be a new event; an evening for people who are really keen to look a little more deeply into a Christian view of life that undergirds Mountain District Christian School. Shalom, Chris Prior PRINCIPAL MDCS staff return after the break on Thursday, 11 th April. Please note that the teaching staff are attending the biennial Victorian Christian Education National conference at Donvale Christian College and will not be at school Monday 15 th through to Wednesday, 17 th April. Term 2 commences for students on Thursday, 18 th April. IMPORTANT NOTE TO PARENTS: WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECKS (WWCC) After recently reviewing the MDCS Camp Policy, we would like to highlight to you the requirement that parent helpers staying overnight on camps are required to have a WWCC. We value your presence and help at camps, so are personally encouraging you to get a check done. There is no charge for volunteers. WWCC are valid for 5 years. Having a valid WWCC would also enable you to take on other roles in the community where you are supervising kids (eg. at church, cubs / scouts, guides, sporting clubs). Application forms are available from the School Office, or from Post Shops. More information can be found at: http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/ workingwithchildren/ If you already have a valid WWCC, please let us know. Some of you will not need one due to processes you have already completed for your employment check with us. Since the process can take some time (5-6 weeks), we encourage you not to delay applying. We would be pleased to help in any way we can just ask us in the Office! Forms and Letters sent home this week: All 1/2 & 3/4 classes Parent Liaison letter Aussie Hoops program Reminders: Return Year 7, Year 9 Boys and Year 10 Immunisation cards to the office as soon as possible Return Yr 9/10 Camp forms dcs.vic.edu.au
Parents please note... MARCH Ifanybodyhasanyofthefollowing itemsthattheywouldbewillingto donateorlendtotheyear12theatre studiesclassforourproduction, comingupinlatemay,pleasecontact theschoolofficeassoonaspossible. * Threerapierswords * Twohobbyhorses * Littleredwagon * Oldwinebarrels Thanks!Andwelookforwardtoseeing youatourperformancesinmay. 28th - END OF TERM ONE! 29th - Good Friday APRIL 18th - TERM 2 Begins Can you help?! We are in need of more volunteers to help us with the School Banking program. This involves processing the bank deposits for our students and only takes a little over an hour about once a month. All training provided with free tea or coffee! Our Tuckshop is off and running for another year with our small team of dedicated volunteers, but there is still room for more to join in the fun! If you could spare a couple of hours on a Friday, even just once per term, we would love to hear from you. Thank you in anticipation of your participation!!!! Head lice There are ongoing issues with recurrent head lice at school. Please check your children's heads diligently over the holiday period. A lice check will be undertaken early in term 2. ENROLMENT FOR 2014 If you are planning to enrol your child to join their sibling/s at MDCS in 2014, please make contact with the office to secure your places! Enrolment is offered to siblings of existing students before other applications are accepted. Don t delay - get your applications as soon as possible. Lost property LAST CHANCE!! There is STILL a SMALL window of opportunity to check the lost property. You may come early in the holidays during office hours to look through. COME EARLY before it is sent to the Op-Shop and gone forever! Prayer Points: For a safe and restful Easter Break for all families, staff, students and extended school community. We wish you a wonderful Easter! Whole School Assembly 22nd - Immunisation: Yr 7, Yr 9 (boys) & Yr 10 Secondary Assembly (Yr 8) 23rd - Yr 11/12 Soccer dcs.vic.edu.au
From the Library... Our Year 5 and 6 students continue to make an impression with their book talks. On Monday Sam, dressed up as a world war 2 pilot, kept us all interested, as he explained aspects of the life and world of a pilot. He used models he'd accurately created from Lego to demonstrate how the planes fought in the air. We all learnt something new. Well done Year 5 and 6 students! Community News... ECHO School Holiday Program 9 th and 10 th of April Prep to grade 6 Morning & Afternoon tea, Lunches and covers all activities. Games Craft Dance Music Movie Super challenges Action stories.and HEAPS more FUN! $30* per child for full 2 days For more details call Matt Conway 5968 4046 cs.vic.edu.au
Interschool Swimming... We took our best swimmers to the interschool swimming sports held at Monash Aquatic Centre on Wednesday 20 th March. It was a good day to see how we stack up against the might of some of the bigger schools we compete against. We were very competitive all day with just a few seconds between 1 st and other places. We had two swimmers that won events. Maddi Ashton and Erin Jones both won events, while the 13 years girls medley relay was also won by our school. Our swimmers went in many events often filling in holes to receive a participation point. These points accumulated were enough to beat our friends over at MECS by just two points. This was the closest tussle between schools all day and created a great atmosphere which students enjoyed. A great day was had by all, with our school receiving an admirable 5 th place. cs.vic.edu.au
Year 9 Food Technology...celebrate Passover! For our final lesson of Term 1 we celebrated with a Christian version of the Jewish tradition of Passover. It involved responding to the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. This story remembers how God was with the Israelites despite the overwhelming odds against them getting away from Pharaoh's clutches. On the night before he was betrayed, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. Just as they would have done, we shared a meal that was interspersed with various symbols acknowledging God's deliverance and celebrating God's love fand provision for us. In addition, we celebrated the freedom we all received through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Thea Maguire Food Technology teacher Outdoor & Environmental Studies Camp...cont from front page... From Tuesday 12 th to Thursday 14 th March the Yr 11 Outdoor and Environmental Studies class went on surf camp to Cape Paterson. The students enjoyed carving up the waves while surfing in glorious weather. They also had the opportunity to see what lies beneath the surface in an early morning snorkelling session. We visited the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant and had fun exploring the old underground Wonthaggi State Coal Mine. The camp was full of bright sunny days, adventure, night beach games and laughter. cs.vic.edu.au
Year 3/4 farm visit cont... Yesterday, the 20th of March, I went on an excursion with my class. Firstly we went to the Schroder s house. When we got off the bus we went to see the bees. Theresa told us how the bees Warn other bees and how the queen mates. My favourite fact was that the queen lays twenty thousand eggs each day for three years. Next we went to see the vegetable garden. They have a lot of different vegetables. My favourite vegetable was the corn. Then we got on the bus to go to Cherryhill Orchards. When we got there we went into the packing shed. Later Mr Riseborough came and told us a bit about the machines and how their new machines was worth a million dollars and he showed us around the place. We got on the bus to go to Hamish's farm. When we got there we went to look at some of the animals. There was two dogs, a calf, lots of chickens, four older cows and a bull. Next we went to look at the vegetables. My favourite thing was the watermelon. I learnt that forty thousand litres of milk feeds 40 cows. Eliza Roma Cnr Macclesfield Rd & Jindabyne Ct P O Box 483 Monbulk 3793 Phone 9756 7244 Fax 9756 7356 mdcs@mdcs.vic.edu.au mdcs@mdcs.vic.edu.au
Year 3/4 Farm excursion... On Wednesday the two 3/4 classes went on an excursion. First we went to a bee farm. First we learned that 1 hive can have 60 thousand bees. After that we got to try some honey. Next we went to the vegetable garden. I saw corn that was 3 meters high. The next farm we went to was Cherry hill orchard. when we got off the bus we went in the factory. I saw an elevator that can carry the cherries. After that we had recess we got back on the bus. Later we went to my house. First we were talking about Henry we leaned that Henry can drink six litres of milk a day wow!!. Next we went in to the dog run we got to pat the dogs. Some people got to pat Henry then we had lunch. After lunch we had a play, and after the half an hour play we went to the vegetable garden. We had some carrots, tomatoes, watermelon and lemon cucumber. When it was time to go back to school I stayed home.!!!!!!!!! Hamish Gemmill cs.vic.edu.au