MM 28 March 2013 - Mount Evelyn Christian School

28 March 2013Celebrating40Years1973-2013A Japanese ExperienceEliza & Britney enjoy dressing up for SP Japan Day, Story page 6135 York Road Mount Evelyn 3796 - www.mecs.vic.edu.au - 03 9738 6000 - 03 9738 6001 (fax) - Absent student: 03 9513 1561

From the PrincipalOn Saturday, a significant event occurred – and it wasn’t the startof the football season. It was far more significant - a signpost thatcharacterised the health of a community: the MECS Working Bee.There are many things that happen within this place to keepour school running and most of it occurs without fuss orfanfare. But I think it’s time to acknowledge the entouragethat turn up for MECS Working Bees. Ably led by Peter, ourschool grounds are wonderfully and skilfully maintained andtransformed into gardens on which we regularly receivecomments of praise. Sometimes our beautiful grounds aretaken for granted, but they don’t ‘just happen’ – it takes a lotof ‘behind the scenes’ work.Enter the humble Working Bee. They run every weekend aroundthe State at various schools and kindergartens. Aside from theobligatory nature of parents being ‘required to do it’, I believethere is something much stronger that gets parents to MECSby 7am-ish and working together to achieve fantastic outcomes.Working Bees are evidence of the parent partnership that isso vital to MECS. Peter frequently comments that WorkingTahlia & CalebPage 2Thursday Thursday 15 December 28 March 2013 2011Mount Evelyn Christian School NewsPaulMECS PrincipalBees at MECS are never really ‘work’; they would be betterdescribed as ‘community bees’ where people genuinely feelthat they are a part of something bigger, something living,with all its parts working to achieve common goals.Working Bees are fun and create opportunities to meet newparents and to build stronger bonds. Attendance becomessomething desired, not a chore that just has to be ticked off.The health of a community is often seen in the small thingsthat create big outcomes. Thanks to all of you who turned upon Saturday, or who turn up on other Saturdays, to not onlykeep this place looking great, but to build up the community ofMECS. I know that it makes one Peter a proud man.MP CS Foods - A Gourmet TermCS FoodsAs part of studying ‘Foods’ this Termthe MPs were involved in a numberof activites which included cookingsessions to bake goods for theParent’s Afternoon Tea and visitingthe Victoria Market. Here are some oftheir refl ections:CookingLast Thursday my class did cooking.My group made double chocolateyoyo’s. For the double chocolateyoyos we needed an electric mixer,spatula, dark chocolate, fl our andlots more! There were other groupsthat made banana bread, cupcakes,ginger bread and savory cheesedreams. In my group were Hannah,Reuben, Evan, Caleb and myself andwe also had a parent helper. There isa Food Tec room and we did all thecooking in there.Tahlia MPAOn Thursday, MPA prepared for theparent’s afternoon tea by cookingsome yummy dishes like tinycupcakes, chocolate yoyos and lotsmore! We had cooking groups andparent helpers. In my group therewas Toben, Jasmine and Jed and ourparent helper and we made cupcakes.My favorite bit was icing the cupcakes.Jess, MPAAmaya, Jonathan, James & KailemBryce & RyanJuliaLucas & CodyCelebrating 40 YearsHannah

MP CS Foods - A Gourmet TermVictoria Market ExcursionThe Middle Primary students went ona wonderful excursion to the VictorianMarket, where they had the opportunityto see a variety of fresh foods. Studentsexplored the Market in small groupsand enjoyed seeing and tasting newfoods from a variety of cultures. Theyall enjoyed the challenge of buyingtheir own lunch, making sure they werehaving a balanced meal. Thankyou to allthe lovely parents who helped make theexcursion a very successful day.Ali, Meredith & JessMP TeachersEvan, Azrielle & ReubenPage 3Thursday Thursday 15 December 28 March 2011 2013Mount Evelyn Christian School NewsFirst when we arrived we sat down and atemorning tea. Next we looked around forthe foods we wanted to eat for lunch andwe had to choose one thing from each partof the food pyramid. Then we went to buythe food. We saw all of these interestingfoods like cow tongues, liver and brains.My group bought croissants, watermelon,butter for the croissants, shredded ham,nuts and hot jam doughnuts. After, we gotto eat all our food that we bought. I didn’tlike the look of the live crabs but I did liketaste testing the food.Elise Ammann MPCJenna, Indigo, Jessica, EmmersonWhen we were at the market theteachers told us the rules and we setoff. We were just looking for the fi rst halfand then we decided what we wanted.We wanted French bread, tzatiki dip,grapes, strawberries, a peach, anorange, salami, and Swiss cheese. It feltlike we were in Master Chef! After we gotour ingredients we went to the park toeat and have a little play before we wentback to the buses and back to school.Emily MPOMP Afternoon Tea FinaleLucas, Nicholas, Josiah & JonathanWe got into groups and had a look around.Our group looked at the meat and fi shstores fi rst. We saw a huge crab that youcan’t even fi t in the frying pan! Next wesaw a lot of big fi sh that are twice as bigas your arm. Then we saw cow tongues,pig trotters, hearts, brains and kidneysfrom animals. Yum or yuck?! After that webought pizza and went to the fruit and vegstores. I saw a lot of different fruit that Ihave never eaten before. We bought twopackets of strawberries. Yum! We all wentto the park to eat all of our food. Delicious!!Marcos MPOMiddle Primary celebrated a festive finale to ‘FOOD’ with an afternoon tea for their parentsand special visitors, held in the PUMP room this Tuesday. The children had workedtogether in small collaborative groups to research and cook different recipes to serve. Therange of culinary delights was a credit to the children’s developing teamwork skills, theirmanners were beautiful and many a recipe was requested- even a book may be produced.Well done kids. It was a lovely afternoon. The Middle Primary teachers, Ali, Jess, Dez andMem were delighted with the attendance of so many friends and family in support of ourunit and are very grateful to the parent helpers who gave their time to help the childrenin both the planning and production stages for this activity. Thankyou so much! We hopeyour children take more interest in shopping and helping in the kitchen from now on -maybe even a future Masterchef?!MeredithMP TeacherAsherJosiah IronsNathan & JamesJasmineJadeCelebrating 40 YearsOliver

MECS NotesThe MECS Uniform ShopThe MECS uniform shop stocks greattracksuit pants to keep your kids warmand comfortable this winter. Come andhave a look at them and other schoolwear items on Thursday 18 April from9:15-11am in the school Canteen.See you there,Karen McKennerDollarmite BankingPlease note: Term 2 Dollarmite Bankingwill begin on Wednesday 1 May as I willbe away for the start of term.EvelynMECS Facebook PagesDid you know that MECS has 4Facebook pages?This is a good tool to keep up to datewith events and news at MECS. Please‘Like’ our pages so you can get regularupdates.Mount Evelyn Christian School – MECSMECS - Past StudentsMECS - KindergartenMECS - Music For Young ChildrenProgramMeals Needed - TheLord’s TimingLast week a staff member asked if wecould send a meal home to a family. Itwas with great regret that I had to tellthem that our freezer was empty andthat we couldn’t provide a meal for them.I then went by the offi ce and Cassie saidto me, “Amanda, a parent has dropped2 meals off for the community freezer”.I was blown away by the Lord’s timingand we were able to get the meals to thefamily straight away - the meals wereeven still warm! But now I still have totell people that the freezer is empty!We would really appreciate meals indisposable containers, either freshlymade or frozen. They will be gratefullyreceived in the Main Offi ce. Pleasemark the container with the ingredients,the amount of people the meal is for andthe date it was made.Thank you for supporting others in theMECS community.Amanda and NicoleCommunity Relations OfficersAri, Lachlan, Persis and I attended aLeadership camp at Oasis from 22 - 24March. We had a very enjoyable andproductive time learning from somevery inspirational leaders. Most of theteaching was done through practicalactivities and it really stuck in your head.Each one of us was in a small group ofabout 4-8 people each. In these ‘clumps’we refl ected on what we had learned, andencouraged each other in the areas thatwe felt they were strong in. Personally,I met some amazing people and got afew new friends on facebook, and I cansay the same for the rest of the studentleaders that attended. One major highlightfor me (although it was all really good)would be the impromptu worship sessionsthat I joined in with, as there were a lot oftalented musicians and worship leadersthere. It was a wonderful time, and wehope to bring the skills we learnt there intoour schools, churches, and so on.PeterYear 12 Student LeaderCelebrating 40 YearsPage 4Thursday 28 March 2013Mount Evelyn Christian School NewsStudent Leadership ConferencePersisPeterLachlan & AriOpen Day10am - 1pmSaturday May 18, 2013Working Bee 23 MarchBacon, eggs and a good cup of coffee were a great way to start our fi rst Working Beefor 2013 (thanks cooks). After a good feed we got to work. We shifted 30 metres ofmulch, put in some bollards, raked and resurfaced the running track with 8 metresof Lilydale topping, spread 5 metres of crushed rock down near the Kindergarten,washed and cleaned all the buses inside and out, pruned lots of plants, did a rubbishpickup all around the school, cleaned all the pits and drains, cleaned all the leavesoff the car parks and courts, washed and cleaned the fence and cupboards outsideJunior Primary, put a fence barrier up in the Kindergarten, replaced blown fl urotubes in classrooms, replaced chair and desk feet, wrote up test tags for electricalequipment and gave the deck in front of the music room and Senior School a coat ofstain. We also stained the seats down at the junior oval and ironed some table clothsfrom the dinner last weekend.It was a great day. There were about 5 families here for their fi rst Working Bee whichwas great. During morning tea Gerry set up the movie that was put on for the 40thanniversary last weekend which showed images of when we started to build MECS.Everyone loved it and many saw family and friends who were involved in the buildingof MECS. Thanks to all the 60 or so people who came to make Saturday an excellentday and make our school look great.Pete and SteveGrounds Management

Parent Teacher InterviewsThe Parent Teacher Interviews for all sections of the school will be conducted onMonday 22 April, Wednesday 24 April and Tuesday 30 April. This combinationof days is a change from how Parent Teacher Interviews have been conducted in thepast, with the notable difference of all interviews being conducted after school hours.One of the positive outcomes of this change means that there are no disruptions toclasses for students.Last year for Primary and Middle School we introduced the new internet-based bookingsystem Parent Teacher On-Line (PTO). PTO was a great success and the feedbackfrom parents and staff was very positive.For this round of interviews (and ongoing) we are opening up thePTO system to include the Senior School parents, which will bring thewhole school online with this simple way to book your Parent Teacherinterviews.You will receive a letter home during the holidays (via email or mailedif you do not have an email address) giving you the easy to followinstruction sheet with your user name (parent surname) and a unique password.The PTO booking system will be accessible to you from the 15 April and you can accessthe PTO site by clicking on the PTO logo on the school’s website www.mecs.vic.edu.au.Do not panic if you do not have internet access at home or elsewhere, you will beable to contact the Offi ce (and SS offi ce) and the offi ce staff will be able to bookthese online for you.If you have any questions about the new system after reading the letter, the instructionsheet and by ‘having had a go’, please feel free to contact the offi ce for help (after 15April). If you have not received your letter with your user name and password, alsocontact the offi ce for another copy.I hope that you fi nd the PTO system easy to use and a time saving experience.ChristineOffice ManagerLast P & F MeetingMECS Parents and FriendsOn Monday morning the MECS P & F gathered for the fi nalmeeting of P & F as we know it.Evelyn opened the meeting with a reading from Ecclesiastes3 and shared about there being a season for everything.There was discussion over what to do with the funds in thebank account and it was decided the money would bespread over three projects - some middle school outdoorplay equipment, a playpod for the primary school andsome Christian artwork for the gym.Details for these projects will be worked out over thecoming months and updates and photos will be in thenewsletter as they are available. Details were sortedout for account name changes and signatory changes.More information will be available soon about newPage 5Thursday 28 March 2013Mount Evelyn Christian School NewsMECS NotesDrama for Everyday LifeDrama for Everyday Life is a programthat uses drama, games and roleplay to teach social skills and selfconfidence in a safe and creative smallgroup environment (4 or 5 students),and has been offered at MECS for thepast 10 years. Parents, teachers andstudents themselves anecdotally reporta signifi cant improvement in social skills,behaviour management and confi dence.In Term 2, a 7 week program will beoffered, commencing Thursday 2May and continuing on 9, 23, 30 May,and 6, 13, 20 June at a cost of $125.Enrolment forms will be sent home tocurrent participants and are available atthe Main Offi ce for new enrolments.Year 12 ParentsEach year we have a ‘Funny Photo’ takenwhere the students dress up or ‘act up’.This is exclusive to Year 12 students andSS staff. The photo is the same size asthe group photo, i.e. 10 x 8, and costs $15per photo.When all the school photos are returnedto school and distributed, I will be givena sample of the Funny Photo from whichthe students can then decide if theywant to order or not. When this happensthere will be a deadline given for ordersand money to be received and then I willorder the number of photos required.Please contact me if you have anyquestions regarding the above.RosalieSS ReceptionistDylan’s CakeHi, I am Dylan. I made this chocolatefudge cake. I was able to cut it up into25 pieces for my class.ways to be involved as a volunteer andalso fundraise at MECS through the newFriends of MECS - stay tuned.NicoleCommunity Relations OfficerCelebrating 40 YearsIt tasted very yummy, everybody in thewhole class liked it and I’m proud ofmyself. Cheerio mates.Dylan - MP

Page 6Thursday 28 March 2013Mount Evelyn Christian School NewsSP Japan DayIt was Japan day for all the SeniorPrimaries. Nearly everybody was dressedup; it was like being in Japan for real!First we learnt how to write and countfrom 1 to 10 in Japanese - it was veryinteresting! Then we tasted sushi, wasabipeas and rice puffs… they were delicious!Shortly after, we did some paper origamiand then made fi sh kites.Kailem, Dakota & AbbeyJoelFinally it was time for the Senior Primarykids to present their wonderful projects.All the parents were amazed.In conclusion, it was an extravaganza of aday that everyone will remember.Ellie TaggartEliza SPDTom & DanielEleanorChloe & KaseyBekJoshAlexiaBenAssociationAssociation for Christian EducationBrittany, Aiden, Asher & DanielCelebrating 40 YearsThursday 9 MayAGMJoin us for a Community Dessert7.00pmHosted by the Board in thenew Kindergarten FoyerCelebrating40Years1973-2013Then relocating to the Staff Room forthe more formal part of the AGMAll Welcome

2013 Term 1 Week 8: 24 MAR - 30 MARThur 28 MarchEnd Term 12013 Term 2 Week 1: 18 APR - 27 APRThur 18 AprilTerm 2 BeginsWelcome back Morning Tea Staff Room 9amSchoolwear in Canteen 9.15-11amMon 22 AprilPT Interviews 4-6pmTues 23 AprilVCE SoccerWed 24 AprilPT Interviews 4-9pmThur 25 AprilANZAC Day Public Holiday, School Closed2013 Term 2 Week 2: 28 APR - 4 MAYTues 30 AprilYear 7-12 Tribal Cross CountryPT Interviews 4-9pmWed 1 MayYear 7 & 8 SoccerMP SwimmingThur 2 MayParent Seminar (A)Fri 3 MayPrimary Cross Country2013 Term 2 Week 3: 5 MAY - 11 MAYMon 6 MayMP IncursionTues 7 MayPS Workshop with Richard GalbraithWed 8 MayMP SwimmingThur 9 MayAGM 7pm Dessert, 7.30pm Start, in StaffRoomFri 10 MayMothers Day Stall2013 Term 2 Week 3: 12 MAY - 18 MAYTues 14 MayYear 9 and 10 SoccerTues 14 - Thur 16 MayNAPLANWed 15 - Fri 16 MayYear 6 CampYear 6 Connect Morning TeaLOSTLeah MPO is missing:Glasses- transition lenses, with purpleand clear arms, in a pink case.Last seen Friday 22 March.Please bring them to the Offi ce orcontact Karen.Celebrating 40 YearsCalendarNEWSLETTER DEADLINE is 11am Tuesday on published week.Email articles (images attached as jpg) to the Newsletter Offi cePage 8Thursday 28 March 2013Mount Evelyn Christian School NewsMECS COMMUNITY NOTICESMECS does not endorse the products or services of any private advertiser. No responsibility is accepted by Mount EvelynChristian School for the accuracy of information contained in advertisements or claims made by them.Guinea Pigs need a HomeGuinea Pigs Pumpkin & Shadow need anew home... due to circumstances theyjust aren’t getting enough attention fromchildren at the moment. Would you liketo take them for just $20? Come witha good size cage & cuddle pouches.Contact Karen.Work NeededOrganised, perfectionist mum lookingfor paid work within school hoursMonday to Friday. Indoor or outdoorlabour work. Cleaning/sorting,gardeningetc. Fit and healthy. Loves the Lord.Contact Rebecca.Bunkbeds NeededI am looking for 2 bunkbeds for mysister-in-law, free if possible. Are youable to help?Please contact Karen .Entertainment BooksIt is that time of year again! The2013/2014 Entertainment Booksare coming. Look out for the orderform that will be coming home soonor you can order online now atwww.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/193f695. A sample book willbe in the offi ce at the beginning of Term2 for people to look through if you areunsure of what the book is about. Thebook costs $65 and the school makes $13on every book sold. One example of howto save money with this book is Coles orWoolworths Gift cards. For every $100gift card you save $5, so if you get a $500gift card to do your grocery shopping fora month, you save $25 a month and bydoing this each month it won’t take longto get your money back on the book andthen you still have lots of other vouchersto use. Books that are ordered will startto be handed out to your child in class onMay 1. If you have any questions pleasering.Evelyn DubbeldAffordable Food MarketFriday 12 April, 9.30am-1.30pm MountEvelyn Scout Hall (behind IGA). Freecupcake making and Free Cookingdemonstrations.Holiday FunMeet Cred andPat the Dog fromCoinland. Lots offun & giveaways!At Commonwealth Bank, EastlandShopping Centre, Thursday 4 April,11-12am and 2-3pm.M ontrose AuskickRegistration Day, 13April 2013, MontrosePrimary School Oval,9.30am – 11.00am, Cost: $70.00.Registration and Payment Onlinewww.afl auskick.com.auThis year we are running an under 8’sside that will train Saturday with Auskickand play Sundays. If you are interestedplease see Reece at Registration Day.Contact: Rachael.3 Bedroom Rental NeededA MECS family, single mum and 2 kidshave sold their house and are looking fora 3 bedroom rental up to $300 wk withinclose commuting to the school. Neededby 24 April. Contact Katie.Microwave for SaleThis much loved Panasonic ConvectionMicrowave Model NN-CD997S willnot fi t into the‘microwavespace’ in ournew home. Themeasurementsare (W) 62.6cmx (D) 37.6cm x(H) 50.1cm. Please see all the featuresand benefi ts online. It is in excellentcondition and is a current model whichretails at $1099. My price to you is $550.Please contact.Dog & House SitterrequiredApril 6-15. Yarra Valley areaIf you canhelp please contact me.NOTICES SENT HOME THIS WEEK(can also be downloaded from website)• Parent Teacher Interviews Letter (During Term Holidays)