March 2008 - ISIK College

The Isik NewsVolume 1 Issue 220 March 2008Parents and Friends’ BarbequeParents and Friendsof Isik Collegegathered for theannualParents’ BarbequeOn Sunday 16 March a“welcome” barbecuewas held at the Isik CollegeUpfield campus.The day was a big successthanks to the closecooperation and valuableefforts of the membersof the Parents andFriends’ Association,the teachers and staff.Continued on page twoImportant Dates:∗ Monday 7 April: CurriculumDay (No school for students)∗ Tuesday 8 April: Students returnto school.∗ Tuesday 15 April: Years 7 to 9Parent Teacher Interviews.∗ Thursday 17 April: Years 10 to12 Parent Teacher InterviewsPlenty of catching up.

Page 2The Isik NewsFrom The PrincipalDear Students, Parents and Friends ofIsik College,We have completed Term 1 of the 2008school year very smoothly. As I mentionedin my previous message, theUpfield campus is now being used exclusivelyby our secondary boys. Consequently,we are experiencing greaterease and efficiency this year.I am sure our new students and staffmembers have settled in and are readyto offer more of their qualities to theIsik College family in Term 2.Term 1 has been short and quite busywith its own routine. We have heldseveral events including; two New Parents’Information Nights, one for parentsof new students in Years 11 and12, and one for parents of students inother years; the Year 7 and 8 schoolcamps which were of great benefit interms of building long lasting friendships;a very competitive hand-ballcompetition that was proudly organisedby our VCAL students; the annualparents and friends’ barbecue that enabledus to extend ourwarmest welcome to all ourparents (albeit in the heatof a 37˚C afternoon); andthe opening of our new conferenceroom on the very meaningful occasionof celebrating the Birth of Prophet Mohammed(phuh) for which our PastoralCare Department invited Mr MehmetSeker, author and columnist of ZamanNewspaper, to address our students.Term 1 Interim reports will beposted to parents within the firstweek of term break. I encourage allparents to examine their son’s InterimReports and make an appointment viathe letter enclosed to discuss theirsons’ progress.As you know membership renewaltime for our Parents and Friends’ Associationhas recently ended. Ourcommittee will go through the applicationsand send letters of invitation“camps were of great benefit in terms ofbuilding long lasting friendships”to a General Meeting to be held at thestart of Term 2. During this meeting,elections for new committee memberswill take place.Have a nice and safe Term break.Yours truly,Mr Deniz ERDOGANPRINCIPALParents and Friends’ Association Barbecue (from page one)The event provided an opportunity for theAssociation members and teachers to socialisewith parents in a relaxed and friendlyatmosphere.The members of the Parents and Friends’Association would like to extend their warmestthanks to those of you who attended onwhat was an extremely hot day. Withoutyour presence, the day would have beenmeaningless.For those who were unable to attend thisyear, we look forward to seeing you at nextyear’s event.A wide variety of barbecuedmeats, salads, dips and dessertswas enjoyed by all.We look forward to seeing you all at theforthcoming General / Election Meetingfor which invitations will be sent outshortly.Ilhan Demet,PresidentParents and Friends’ AssociationChildren enjoyedthe food as wellas the colouring-incorner.

Volume 1 Issue 2 Page 3Dear Parents,The evening of 19 March 2008 wasMawleed Night (Mevlid Kandili), the nightmankind was given the greatest of gifts,and the whole universe was honored withthe birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad,peace and blessings be upon him.The Islamic world celebrates this wonderfulday usually by the giving of sermons,prayer, gifts and, of course, by theremembrance of the Prophet (saw) andhis exalted personality, life and deeds.The Pastoral Care Department endeavoursto celebrate all significant and specialdays of the Islamic calendar. To betterinform and promote an understandingof these, the evening for Mawleed washeld on 19 March in our new conferencehall.God was gracious to the believers whenHe raised up among them a Messengerfrom themselves who recites to themthe verse (of His Book) and shows them has presented the Prophet as the mostHis signs [in themselves and in the universe],purifies them [of their sins and Him to obey His Messenger as a proof ofideal example and invites those who lovetheir deviations of thought and beliefs], their love. Moreover, Allah wants us toand instructs them in the Book and the obey the Prophet sincerely, not just as aWisdom. They were evidently in mani-duty. This kind of obedience can only bepossible if the Prophet is“The Pastoral Care Deprtment endeavours toloved with a sincere heart.celebrate all significant and special days ofthe Islamic Calendar.fest misguidance be (Al iImran, 3.164).The evening included beautiful readingsfrom the Quran by Mr. Adem Soylemez,examples of the life of Rasulullah (saw)was given by our talented year 9 students,a lovely reading by Mr. Kadir Emniyet,and the enlightening sermon givenby Mr. Mehmet Seker. They boughtclarity and understanding to our minds,and peace to our souls.A big thank youto all involved for helping make a veryenlightening and uplifting celebration.The matter of loving the Prophet (pbuh)I would like to wish all ourstudents and their families asafe and happy holiday break,Inshallah,Mahir KaraDeputy Principal ( Pastoral Care)VCAL Handball CompetitionThe VCAL boys organized a very successful handball competition during TermOne of 2008. The competition covered Years Seven to Eleven as well as a teamof teachers. The first match was held in week six and continued for two weeksfrom which, finally, the champions arose. On the day of the finals the keen VCALboys cleverly organized a school sausage sizzle as well as an out-of-uniform day.This not only encouraged students to get into the spirit of the game, but alsogave students the opportunity to celebrate the event in style. Unfortunately,during one memorable match, Ercan Sakarya was hit in the face by one of theopposing year 10 students causing a near fatal blow to the teachers’ team. Thiswas the only injury sustained by any competitor. All students showed greatsportsmanship throughout matches and VCAL students conducted the tournamentprofessionally. The teams that made it to the finals were 10B and 11B, with11B emerging victorious. Thank you VCAL students and congratulations 11B.By Ibrahim Akbay & Mr Ahmed Rajab

Isik CollegeThe Back Page BlurbUpfield CampusKing StreetDallas, 3047Phone: (03) 9359 2411Fax: (03) 9357 2478E-mail: upfield@isikcollege.vic.edu.auGardening NewsIsik College (Upfield) is delighted to introduce gardening asan elective for 2008. This will involve creating garden bedsto grow plants from different countries, using a variety offood plants to cook and make recipe books.We are asking school families for help with this project by:• Giving us ideas on what plants to grow (eg. Mediterranean,Asian, African food and herb plants)• Giving us plant cuttings and seeds to grow from your gardens• Coming and working with students to help with the growingand the cooking. This invitation is extended to parents,aunts, uncles and grandparents or anyone else who may havesomething to share.If you have any suggestions or can help in any way, pleasecontact Mr Okan Alkin on (03) 93592411.A message from the Environment, (Waste Wise)To preserve thisSave our forests, recycle!Year 11 Camp, “Wilson’s Promontory”On 25 February the Isik College Year11 Biology class set out on an excursionto Wilson’s Promontory. On thefirst night, they stayed at the ‘Zaman Yurt’,which was a great bonding time for thestudents. The next morning they set off ona three hour trip to the Promontory andthey had already confronted their first hurdle:waking up. As they arrived the timehad come for the first of the two educationalactivities: the observation of a beachecosystem, and the second, the observationof the river ecosystem. The boys had learnta lot that day and experienced a test oftheir physical stamina, for a lot of walkingwas involved, but the biggest obstacle hadyet to come.That night, the boys had to set up theirtents, some had set theirs up with ease, butothers… well, lets say they preferred sittinga maths exam. After setting up theirtents and eventually sleeping in them, oneof the group tents was vandalized by a“WOMBAT!” Those were the first wordsof Ali Ocal as he woke to the sounds of thescratching and ripping of the tent material.Ibrahim Mohammed Ali heard Ali’s screechand woke only to be confronted with ababy wombat, which at three o’clock in themorning seemed very scary. Savas Semirli,who wasn’t phased by this minor event,picked up the torch and flashed it at theeyes of the fearsome beast, only to visuallyclarify that it was a cute little wombat. SerdarBal another member of the group inthe tent, was fast asleep during this wholeevent, not even waking to the fact that thewombat walked over him, on the way in,and on the way out.The second day had arrived and the boyswere taken to a grassland ecosystem, toobserve its environment. That was the onlyactivity for the day, and the students hadthe rest of the day to themselves, to do asthey please.All in all, Wilson’s Promontory was anamazing experience, one that will never beforgotten by students nor teachers. Theboys learnt many things on their trip, butmost of all they had fun. On behalf of thestudents, THANK YOU to all the teachersand people who participated in organisingthis wonderful event, without whom theseamazing experiences may not have takenplace. By Savas Semirli 11ATime for reflectionon the beach atWilson’s Prom.