News 140 4a 2015

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VOLUME XXXII No. 4 19th March, 2015

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps

friendship And he who plants kindness gathers love.

St Basil the Great

DATES TO REMEMBER M A R C H

25th March Celebrations 22nd Year 6 25th March Assembly 2:30pm in Hall 24th Annunciation School closed 25th Year 12 Half Yearly Exams begin 26th Year 4 visit Senior School 8.30 – 11am 27th Easter Focus Week JS Greek Orthodox Swimming Carnival JS

Twilight Tours SS 5.00pm Information Morning JS 9.30 – 11am

31st

A P R I L

Easter Focus Assembly in Church Hall 1.30pm JS Term ends

2nd

Public Holiday – Western Good Friday 3rd Western Easter Palm Sunday

6th

Orthodox Easter 12th Staff Development Day 20th Students return Term 2 (change to Winter Uniform)

21st

Anzac Day 25th K2016 Information Morning 29th M A Y

Futsal Regionals JS 1st National Schools Event School Photos JS

6th – 8th

NAPLAN 12th – 14th School Photos SS ICAS Digital Technologies JS

19th

Appreciating Culture Lecture 26th

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C O L L E G E C A P T A I N P R O F I L E  

Name: Christos Raptis

Age: 17

Number of years at St Spyridon College: 13

Previous Leadership Roles: SRC in 2010, 2014. Peer Support Leader 2013. Delphians House Captain 2014

Subjects I am currently studying: Advanced English, Mathematics, Legal Studies, Business Studies, PDHPE, and Modern History

Hobbies: Playing and watching football (soccer) and cricket, going out with friends

My Future Aspirations: To study Law or Business at UNSW, University of Sydney or UTS

Favourite Quote: “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” - Pele

One thing I am most proud to have achieved: Becoming College Captain of the School at both the primary and senior school.

One piece of advice I would give younger students: Make the most of each day, so don’t waste time in class but enjoy every minute you spend with your friends.

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P & F N E W S EASTER ‘LAMBATHA’ STALLS 23/3/15 - 2/4/15

The P&F has been busy preparing Easter lambathes and gift packs. Thank you to everyone who assisted. We look forward to seeing you all at our stalls between Monday, 23 March – Thursday, 2nd April from 2:30pm, in the Primary and Infants playgrounds. There will also be a stall at the Easter Focus Assembly, and our Easter Raffle. PALM SUNDAY LUNCH - SUNDAY, 5 APRIL 2015 The P&F look forward to seeing you at our Palm Sunday Lunch. We will be serving delicious Lenten mezethes, seafood and desserts. Please join us with your family and friends! Lenten Recipe www.lenten-season.com ~ Lenten Monastery Honey & Tea Cake ~ ~Ingredients~ 1 cup honey 1 cup oil 2 tsp. cinammon 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups of flour 1 cup very strong cold tea 1 tsp. baking soda (dissolve in the tea, set aside to cool) ~Directions~ With a mixer, beat the honey & sugar well. Slowly add the oil, and the 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add the tea, with the dissolved baking soda, and the cinnamon. Mix ingredients and add more flour, as required, till the mixture is thick (but still pours easily) into a greased & floured 13x9 inch pan.

Bake at 170-180 degrees for approx. 50 mins.

Cake can be served plain, dusted with icing sugar or drizzled with honey.  

Best enjoyed with Greek coffee! Angela Vergotis (Asst. Secretary) [email protected]

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K – 1 2 N E W S 25th MARCH CELEBRATIONS On Sunday 22nd March we will commemorate Greek Independence Day and The Annunciation of The Virgin Mary. We remind parents that due to the significant growth in our school population, the following arrangements have been made: 10:00am: Years 5 and 6 to meet their teachers in Mary Hamer Quadrangle. Years 7, 8 and 12 to gather in the Infants playground. The students will represent the School in St Spyridon Church for the memorial service. At the conclusion of the service, Father Steven will speak on the significance of the day. Poems will be recited by students from St Spyridon College Junior and Senior School and the Afternoon School. At the conclusion: Children are dismissed to go home, have lunch and freshen up. 12:45pm: All K – 12 students are to assemble behind our school banner in the assigned area at Martin Place Cenotaph. The teachers will assume responsibility of their class and mark the students present. Parents are asked to move away from the line up area allowing teachers the space to assemble the students appropriately. When the march commences, we ask that parents please keep their distance. Teachers will be walking alongside their class. The students will proceed along Pitt St to Sydney Opera House for the afternoon celebrations. The day is a special occasion for all, but particularly for our Orthodox Colleges and we will be very much in the public eye for most of the day. We ask you, as parents, to reinforce what we are saying at school regarding appearance, behaviour and courtesy, so that we as a school community can be proud of our students. The P&F will provide water and a snack to the students on their arrival at the Opera House. Students are to remain seated in their grade groups in the care of their teachers until the

conclusion of the formalities which will be at approximately 4:00pm. No student may leave before this time.

At the conclusion parents are to collect their child from their Roll Teacher. We ask parents not to approach the teacher until the close of the ceremony; so that your child can be marked off the roll. Uniform Students are to wear their summer uniform with blazer. Please note that if an item of your child’s uniform eg: hat, socks, tunics are worn or faded, they need to be replaced prior to Sunday. Parents are to ensure that students’ shoes are polished, that buttons on blazers, shirts and dresses are replaced and that hems are sewn. A reminder that hems of dresses should be knee length. Girls’ socks should turn over at the ankle. Anklet socks are not permitted. Junior School students are to bring their new broad brimmed school hat with them. The combined Choir of students from the three Greek Orthodox Day schools will be performing at the 25th March celebrations. CONGRATULATIONS Our congratulations are extended to our Bursar and Parish Executive Officer Mrs Christina Tsaconas and her husband Nick on the birth of their second grandchild, Marissa Rosalie Tsaconas. Marissa's parents Chris and Arna are ex-students. We wish them every blessing! SCHOOL CLOSED Please Note: School will be closed on Wednesday 25th March. Children are encouraged to go to Church with their parents on this day.

UNIFORM CHANGE Students are to wear their Winter Uniform from the 21st of April. Please ensure that you have all the necessary items before the end of Term 1.

UNIFORM SHOP TIMES 8.30 am to 10.00 am and 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm – Wednesday only school Term.

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J U N I O R S C H O O L R E P O R T INDEPENDENCE DAY Year 6 Assembly Year 6 will be presenting an assembly on the significance of the 25th March on Tuesday 24th March at 2:30pm in the Church Hall. All welcome. SWIMMING CARNIVAL We congratulate all the students who participated in our recent Swimming Carnival. Well done to Catherine Coutts who broke several records and to all the event and age champions. Congratulations to the Corinthians who won on the day. My thanks are extended to Mr Dookie, Mr Volas, the teachers and the many parents who ensured that the carnival ran smoothly. I also thank the children who were unable to swim but assisted with jobs. Congratulations to the students who were selected to represent our College at the ASISSA Carnival on 16th March. Natalia Fountoulis James Cardamis Hudson Rallis Stavros Haralambides Jasmin Moros Sophia Karatasos Evangeline O’Reilly Sia Manos Leon Kalyvas Catherine Coutts have been chosen to represent ASISSA at CIS on the 19th March. A remarkable achievement for our College as we have never had so many students representing at the Combined Independent Schools Carnival. I wish all the students the best of luck. STUDENT STUDY PLANNER I remind all parents to sign their child’s study planner each week. In there you will find their homework and any notes from their teachers. If a teacher has written you a note, kindly initial that you have read it. Should you wish

to write a note to the teacher, or request an interview, you may do so. I kindly ask that if you have a sensitive issue to discuss, that you call the office instead to make an appointment. ASSESSING AND REPORTING The introduction of the New Australian Curriculum has afforded us the opportunity to reflect on what we do, why we do it and how we do it. Over the coming months you will notice some changes to the way we assess students and there will be some changes to the way the reports are structured. The first change you will notice is that there will be no formal half yearly or yearly testing period. The structure of the K –6 report will also change to reflect the new curriculum documents. Parents will be informed and consulted throughout this process and invited to give input. Our aim is to continue to develop a learning culture that is student focused with clearly articulated learning intentions and criteria for success. The Successful 21st century learner is in our sights! MORNING AND AFTERNOON PROCEDURES Just some reminders to ensure the safety of all students.

Any child left in the school grounds before 8:15am will be taken to Before School Care. This includes siblings of children who are participating in cocurricular.

Parents are encouraged to drop off and pick up their child/ren and leave the school grounds immediately so as to free up parking.

Children are not permitted to play in the playground after school. They are to sit in the designated area with the teacher on duty.

Electronic devices such as mobile phones and ipads are not to be used whilst waiting for parents. If used, they will be confiscated. These devices may only be used under teacher supervision during a lesson. Students who are not picked up by 4:30pm after cocurricular will be taken to After School Care. Mrs A. Synesios Principal Junior School

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S E N I O R S C H O O L R E P O R T PROGRESSION – Year 10 A reminder to Year 10 students that the Expression of Interest forms to progress to Years 11 and 12 at St Spyridon College are due to me at the end of this Term. CAREERS AND SUBJECT SELECTION Parents of Year 10 students who would like to have an interview with Ms Hakos to discuss career choices and subject selection with their child, can contact her by email [email protected], or by phone through the school office (9311 3340) to make an appointment. Ms Hakos works Tuesday to Friday each week. RESPECT and UNDERSTANDING Program (RUA) On Tuesday 15th March Year 9 students represented our school at the annual Respect, Understanding and Acceptance (RUA) schools harmony program which is designed to bring together Year 9 students from a broad range of Government and Independent schools and from a variety of cultures and faiths e.g. Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Muslim and Catholic. The focus of this day centres on the Australian values of inclusion, fairness and respect for all. The program explores the participants’ shared identity as young Australians. It also addresses cultural and religious differences with a strong emphasis on understanding others to combat racism. It is hoped that by raising awareness we may move closer towards creating a more cohesive society. The project works by fostering relationships between students from diverse communities. On the day students came together and engaged in sessions designed to enable them to explore their commonalities and differences, explore the impact of racism and interact in a positive way through discussion and cultural activities.

The key achievement of the RUA program is the enthusiastic response from all the participating students. We look forward to reading their evaluation in the next Newsletter.

Mrs A. Katsogiannis Principal Senior School M I D D L E S C H O O L R E P O R T

YEAR 7 REFLECTIONS on SENIOR SCHOOL Recently in Pastoral Care Year 7 were asked what they considered the positives and negatives of Senior School, as well as what advice they wish they had been given before

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starting. Below is a list of their thoughts. The number of positives as compared to the negatives speak for themselves! The Positives

- Bigger space and playground - It’s great to meet new people - More activities to get involved in - Big lockers - Teachers are really nice - Felt welcomed, it’s a brilliant school - New subjects - More focus on our studies and on

sports - Moving from class to class is fun - Can speak to our Year Adviser about

problems - Eat where and when we want – it’s our

choice - We are expected to be responsible for

our learning - The Planner is very useful, keeps us

organised and on track - Amazing in every way - Can sit where we like at break times

…just not behind the buildings - Don’t have a no hat no play policy - Not scary or confusing - Don’t dislike anything - Its great being with my older brothers

and cousins - Get to see and mingle with big and

older students…they are friendly, nice and funny

- Peer Support Leaders helped us get class and learn about the school

- Feel independent even though there are rules we have to follow

- It’s so good here, I hope in 20 years’ time the grades are like they are now, that way I can send my kids here.

The Negatives

- More homework - Heavy bag - Don’t like being the youngest again - The uniform gets really hot - Don’t like getting negative comments - Boys are always on the field and girls

can’t play - Too many things to try and

remember…it gets exhausting.

Advice I wish someone had given me - Don’t worry there are plenty of people

to help you - You will have great teachers don’t be

scared - It will be exciting - Stay on top of your work and be

sensible - Be prepared for lots of homework and

to use your planner all the time - Always be prepared for class and

listen to your teachers…they want to help you be better

- The teachers are friendly, but try to stay in their good books

- Sometimes you can get lost, but don’t worry there is always someone you can follow

- It’s not like the American High Schools you see on TV

- You don’t lose friends you make them - It’s awesome and you actually learn a

lot - If you fall behind in high school it

won’t be enjoyable. EARTH HOUR IS COMING…..

  Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The event is held worldwide annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30pm to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday in March, as a symbol for their commitment to the planet It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney back in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide. Earth Hour 2015 will be on Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Every year since it first began our school has encouraged going beyond the hour by switching off all non-essential lighting and appliances during Period 4 each day. SRC’s from across the year

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groups will once again be reminding us all about our St Spyridon, Period 4 ‘DAILY Earth Hour’….and ‘Vote 1 for Planet Earth’

EASTER RAFFLE & DONATE A TIN CAN APPEAL All students were given Easter Raffle tickets last week as well as information about the annual Donate Tin Can Appeal. Students and families are reminded that the success of these initiatives is dependent on everyone working together in support. The filled raffle ticket booklets …to the value of $5.00, need to be brought back and given in at the office as soon as possible and non-perishable food items passed on to class SRC’s. Middle School students will be rewarded with Maples for each individual item that is donated. YEAR 4 VISIT TO THE SENIOR SCHOOL On Friday 27th March Year 4 will be spending the morning at the Senior School as part of the Transition Program. Starting Senior School can be seen as a daunting prospect and as a big step up into unfamiliar territory. The Transition Program, which involves several visits to the Senior School over the next three years aims to make the process less intimidating by familiarizing students with the campus, the subjects on offer and the teachers. Invitations with details about the event were given to Year 4 this week to bring home. Parents are advised to read it so that everyone is properly prepared for the day. RAISING FUNDS FOR THE LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION Kalliopi Mentis from Year 9, as mentioned in previous Newsletters, has been growing her hair for the past 3 years. After Easter she will cut her beautiful long locks and the proceeds from those who have sponsored her will go to the Leukaemia Foundations World’s Greatest Shave fundraiser. Kalliopi had a target of $2500 but she has surpassed this! Currently her total stands at $2724. Well done Kalliopi. Once her hair is cut it will be donated the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign, another

wonderful initiative that takes donated human hair and makes it into wigs for cancer patients. If anyone would like to donate please follow the links below http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/kallimentis

Ms G Kokinelis Dean of Middle School

G R E E K C O L U M N  Αγαπητοί γονείς και φίλοι, Καλή Σαρακοστή! Αυτή τη φορά θα σας κρατήσουμε συντροφιά με το γραπτό ενός μαθητή της Β΄ Λυκείου. Απαντάει κι αυτός σε γράμμα που έχει λάβει από μια νέα – ηλεκτρονική – φίλη του, την Αλεξάνδρα. Καλά να περνάτε! Κ. Μ. Φαλέτα Σύδνεϋ, 28 Φεβρουαρίου, 2015 Αλεξάνδρα γεια σου, Έλαβα το γράμμα σου και χάρηκα που θα ξεκινήσουμε να αλληλογραφούμε μεταξύ μας. Έχοντας μια εικόνα για το ποια είσαι, πού ζεις και πώς περνάς, μου δίνεται η ευκαιρία να σου πω και για μένα κάποια πράγματα. Είμαι κι εγώ δεκαέξι χρονών, ψηλός, έτσι βλέπω τον εαυτό μου και τον σιγκρίνω με άλλους, λεπτός, καστανόξανθος, με καστανά μάτια. Ζω με τους γονείς μου και την αδελφή μου που είναι μικρότερή μου. Φέτος πήγε στην Α΄ Γυμνασίου και ξέρεις, είναι λίγο δύσκολα γιατί έχει πολλές εργασίες, αλλά σαν μεγαλύτερος αδελφός, πάντα προσπαθώ να την βοηθώ. Η περιοχή που μένω είναι κοντά στο νερό, δηλαδή παραλιακή, σ’ ένα διαμέρισμα με θέα στη Γέφυρα του Σύδνεϋ, εκεί που την πρωτοχρονιά πέφτουν τα βεγγαλικά.

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Μου αρέσει το μπάσκετ, δηλαδή η καλαθοσφαίρηση, το ποδόσφαιρο, είμαι οπαδός του Ολυμπιακού, η μουσική και τα ηλεκτρονικά παιχνίδια. Ξέρω ότι η Αθήνα σαν πόλη είναι όμορφη, αλλά και το Σύδνεϋ είναι μια φανταστική μεγαλούπολη, χωρίς καυσαέριο, γεμάτη πράσινο και όμορφα σπίτια. Έχει την περίφημη Όπερα, μεγάλα πάρκα, ένα πολύ ωραίο ζωολογικό κήπο με όλα τα ζώα που μπορείς να φανταστείς. Έχει επίσης μεγάλα κτίρια και ωραίες θάλασσες, αλλά όχι όπως της Ελλάδας γιατί εδώ έχουμε τους καρχαρίες… Έχω και άλλες εικόνες να σου περιγράψω, αλλά θα το κάνω στο επόμενο γράμμα μου για να έχουμε κι άλλα να πούμε. Στο επόμενο θα σου περιγράψω τις καλοκαιρινές μου διακοπές. Και πάλι, χάρηκα πολύ για το γράμμα σου! Σε χαιρετώ φιλικά. Χάρης Harry Gavalas Modern Greek Year 11 C A R E E R S C O L U M N  Macquarie Uni in a Day Thursday 16th April, Central Courtyard, Macquarie University Students in Years 11 and 12 are invited to Macquarie University to see what a day as a student is really like. Attendees will be able to sit in on lectures, experience practicals and tutorials as well as speak to lecturers and current students. Contact: 02 9850 1881 or [email protected] http://www.mq.edu.au/about/events/view/macquarie-in-a-day/ UNSW Year 10 Information Evenings- Register Now UNSW is holding Year 10 subject selection and Information evenings in May (early in Term 2), which students and parents may wish to attend. Registrations are now open and fill up quickly. Go to the following to register: https://www.whatson.unsw.edu.au/egateway/students.schedules_search?p_event_id=42&p_high_school_id=742&p_session=

ENGINEERING WOMEN IN ENGINEERING TED TALK For girls and their parents- This is worthwhile watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEeTLopLkEo UNSW ENGINEERING LINK PROJECT 2015 Wed 15th April – Thu 16th April, 8.30am – 4.00pm, ANZAC Parade Sydney The Engineering Link Project, run by The Engineering Link Group, is a two-day program hosted at UNSW, where Year 11 and 12 students are guided by professional engineers to solve model problems from different disciplines of engineering. The program follows the design - make - appraise model of problem solving, where each group will fully prepare their solution on paper, present it to the engineer for approval and then have the opportunity to construct their solution. Each group's solution will be tested to ensure it meets the criteria set, then extended beyond the scope of the design, usually to destruction! Student cost is $46.45 for the two day project. Students will participate in a different engineering module each day, facilitated by engineers from UNSW and the local community. Each module is designed to showcase an example of engineering in that discipline. http://www.eventzilla.net/web/event?eventid=2139072624&dateid=2138872224 REGISTER HERE - See more at: http://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/all-events/engineering-link-project#sthash.oIXlJcnM.dpuf UNSW: BUILT ENVIRONMENT PARENT AND STUDENT INFORMATION SESSION Wed 25th March, 6.00pm – 8.30pm, A valuable information session where students can:

- Learn about degrees within the disciplines of Architecture, Design, Construction and Planning

- Hear about the career paths within the Built Environment

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- Have any questions answered about studying at the faculty of Built Environment at UNSW

http://www.be.unsw.edu.au/Parent_Info_Night YEAR 12 Students in Year 12 should register to receive updates and reminders about upcoming events for future students at UNSW. Register at: https://www.whatson.unsw.edu.au/egateway/students.splash SAVE THE DATE: UNSW Scholarships Information Evening: Wed 15th July UNSW Engineering and Science Information Evening: Thu 11th June UNSW 2016 Guaranteed Entry UNSW has published a booklet detailing the selection rank which will allow for guaranteed entry into specific UNSW courses in 2016. The selection rank is made up of both the raw ATAR and any bonus points students may be eligible for. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/a8f413ea842f87cb70f1566f9/files/UNSW_221848_Guaranteed_Entry_web.pdf YEAR 10 STUDENTS ENGINEERING Week 15th -19th June The UNSW AUSTRALIA School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CVEN) in conjunction with its Industry Advisory Committee will be holding a work experience program to promote engineering career options to high school students. The program will be run during Week 9 of Term 2: from Monday 15th June to Friday 19th June 2015, and will be available to Year 10 students across NSW. Any interested students should see Ms Hakos as soon as possible. Australian Catholic University Student Stories Check out some of the stories of current ACU students to better understand what university has in store. http://life-less-ordinary.acu.edu.au/undergraduate/meet-our-students/

The School for Excellence: Getting the Most Out of the Time Spent at School This article discusses some ways for students to make the most of their time at school so that they can spend less time on homework. http://www.tsfx.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/HSC-2014-Study-Tip-2.pdf University of Wollongong Information Evenings Southern Sydney: Tue 5th May These events are designed to provide information prospective students may need when choosing UOW courses. http://www.uow.edu.au/future/events/index.html PRIVATE COLLEGES Australian National College of Beauty Open Day Sun 3rd May, Level 5, 235 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont View the campus facilities, speak to lecturers and experience interactive elements of beauty therapy, natural therapies and counselling. Contact: 1300 885 385 http://www.ancb.edu.au/events/openday-sydney Billy Blue College of Design and CATC College of Design Open Day Sun 3rd May, 10.00am – 2.00pm, Northpoint, Level 9, 171 Pacific Highway, North Sydney Learn about what both colleges have to offer at the same open day. Contact: [email protected] or 1300 851 237 http://www.apm.edu.au/about-apm/upcoming-events National Institute of Dramatic Art Short Courses for Young People NIDA has a range of short courses for people aged between 12 and 18. These courses include a HSC Drama Group course and a HSC Drama Individual Project course to develop techniques to analyse a play, create a character and perform a dynamic monologue. http://www.open.nida.edu.au/courses/Demographic/Young+People

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International College of Management Sydney: Undergraduate Information Evening Thu 30th April, 6.30pm – 8.30pm, 151 Darley Road, Manly, Sydney Get an overview of their courses, an explanation of the application process, and hear directly from students and staff about ICMS. http://www.icms.edu.au/event/undergraduate-information-evening Basair Aviation College: Career Information Seminar Wed 25th March, 7.00pm – 8.30pm, Bankstown Airport, 628/23-25 Airport Avenue, Bankstown Basair Aviation College is the largest flying school in Australia. Learn about the courses they have to offer by attending a career information seminar. http://www.basair.com.au/ SCHOOL HOLIDAY EVENTS Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) Free Workshops 8th Apr 2015, 10am - 3pm AIE Industry Experience Days are a great opportunity to learn about the local and international game development, 3D animation and visual effects industries. During the day, students will participate in hands-on workshops using industry standard software in a fun and creative environment. Students will also learn about the different pathways to get into the industry, what should be in a portfolio and get creative in practical workshops using industry-standard 3D animation and game development tools. Contact Simon Freeman: [email protected] http://www.aie.edu.au/ied TRIAL A TRADE at Angliss Institute, Ground floor, 26-32 Waterloo St, Surry Hills NSW An opportunity to try out some trade areas! For example: barista, chef, patissier or tourism, events and hospitality industry professional. Individual sessions for each field each run from 10am -12pm on the following dates: Tuesday 14 April, Tuesday 30 June, Saturday 12 September, Tuesday 29 September. Simply choose your preferred course and register at

www.angliss.edu.au/register-for-trial-a-trade or contact 02 9125 5179 by phone or email [email protected] for further information. Ms G. Hakos Careers Adviser L I S T E N I N G T O O U R S T U D E N T S NARRATIVE ‘Lonely Old Man’ Every day in New York City, many homeless men have to beg for a cent. Every hour, I believe, homeless people die somewhere in the world. Today I will be telling you one man’s story, and his name is John Robertson. This is a story about his life. One day, as every day, John miserably sat down in his soggy, filthy, torn up old clothes, and scratched his shaggy, messy, brown beard. As wealthy people walked past in their black suits and beautiful dresses, he would give his rusty old harmonica a tune. That day, he was miraculously lucky enough to get a nice juicy twenty dollar note. It started to pour down heavily, so he quickly covered himself with his hands, strolled to the nearest shelter (which was a convenience store), and entered it. Blue, red, green, striped and spotted packets of chips were everywhere. His stomach started to rumble, so he bought a packet to keep him going for the day. The man behind the register saw that he was poor and homeless, so he said, “On the house!” John’s usual, sad, regretful face disappeared. He hugged the man with one hundred percent happiness, and started to cry with joy. John thought he was set for the night, so he prayed as he did every night. “Dear God, thank you for letting me get through another day. Please make tomorrow as excellent as today. Amen.” He lay on the bench as he closed his eyes, and fell asleep. The next morning, John woke up in extreme shock, as his harmonica was gone! Somebody had stolen it! He cried out in an extremely

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loud but sad voice, “THIS IS A CATASTROPHE!” For the next hour, John just lay down speechless, but then he stood up and shouted, “No! This is the day John Robertson will not be lonely anymore!” He went to an underground subway station, where he knew it was crowded. He swiftly and slyly pinched a green one hundred dollar note out of a defenceless lady’s handbag. He went behind a pet store where criminals sold three-legged puppies that no one wanted. He bought one with big hazel eyes. It was as white as snow, with beautiful brown spots on it. They spent every second of every hour together. Things turned around for John. Some years later, as he grew older, he became weaker. There came a night when John knew that the end would come any day, so he squeezed his dog and they both closed their eyes gently. They both never woke up. This happens to many homeless people all around the world. Nicholas Papas 5A S P O R T S C O L U M N  

JUNIOR SCHOOL The 2015 St Spyridon Junior School Annual Swimming Carnival took place at Des Renford Aquatic Centre on Friday 6th March. What made it a great day was the beautiful weather, the wonderful attitude of our students, the assistance from our parents and the support from the staff of our College and in particular Mr Dookie for helping the sports program with modern technology! I thank you all! Congratulations to all our winners, age champions and to our house champion. Good luck in all the other carnivals that will follow. ASISSA TEAM Juval Mikhail, Jordan Kougias, Anthony Hatzigiakoumis, Franklin Pyliotis, Michael Vlahos, Isabella De Pasquale, Christina Borean, Ekaterini Hatzidimitriou, Dimitra Katsidis, Paul Giavis, Marlon Rallis, Jorge Cooney, Lucas Leondaris, Adrianna

Drakoulis, Eleni Haralambides, Natasha Bebonis, Natalia Fountoulis, James Cardamis, Hudson Rallis, Stavros Haralambides, Jasmin Moros, Sophia Karatasos, Evangeline O’Reilly, Sia Manos, Leon Kalyvas, George Manos, Anthea Preketes, Angelique Drakakis, Phillip Preketes, Zane Rallis, Catherine Coutts, Sara Theocharidis, Belinda Darwish, Florence Chrysostomou, Mary Gatsis. RESULTS: Champion House 2015 1st Corinthians 251 points 2nd Nemeans 208 points 3rd Olympians 203 points 4th Delphians 187 points AGE CHAMPIONS 2015 8 yrs Girls - Catherine Coutts Boys - Zane Rallis 9 yrs Girls - Anthea Preketes Boys - Leon Kalyvas 10 yrs Girls - Sia Manos Boys - Hudson Rallis 11 yrs Girls - Eleni Haralambides Boys - Paul Giavis 12 yrs Girls - Isabella De Pasquale Boys - Juval Mikhail ASISSA SWIMMING CARNIVAL The 2015 ASISSA Swimming Carnival took place at Warringah Aquatic Centre on Monday 16th March. We had a squad of 32 students representing us at this carnival. I am very proud of all our students for their great athletic spirit they showed on the day! I congratulate everyone but especially the students mentioned below who will be representing not just our College but ASISSA at the CIS Swimming Carnival this Thursday at Homebush and wish them good luck in their events. A big thank you to Miss Galanis for helping on the day.

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Students’ names: 1. Sophia Karatasos #1 girls 8-10 200 free relay 2. Sia Manos #1 girls 8-10 200 free relay #9 girls 10 50 free #21 girls 8-10 50 back 3. Jasmin Moros #1 girls 8-10 200 free relay #9 girls 10 50 free 4. Evangeline O’Reilly #1 girls 8-10 200 free relay 5. James Cardamis #2 boys 8-10 200 free relay #28 boys 8-10 50 fly 6. Stavros Haralambides #2 boys 8-10 200 free relay 7. Leon Kalyvas #2 boys 8-10 200 free relay 8. Hudson Rallis #2 boys 8-10 200 free relay #10 boys 10 50 free #16 boys 8-10 50 breast 9. Natalia Fountoulis #35 girls 8-13 50 free 10. Catherine Coutts #5 girls 8 50 free UPCOMING EVENTS The Combined Greek Orthodox Swimming Carnival on Monday the 30th March at Des Renford Aquatic Centre. St Spyridon will be hosting the carnival.

ASISSA NETBALL GALA DAY An enthusiastic team of Year 6 girls represented St Spyridon College at the ASISSA Netball Gala Day held at Moore Park recently. Congratulations to Teoni Antonopoulos Victoria Kyriakides Carolyn Makridopolus Mia Spyropoulos Alexia Costa Sofia Mavrolefterou Valentina Spyridopoulos for their selection into the St. Spyridon Netball Team, and to; Vicki Synesios (GD/WD), Mary Diamond (GA), Demi Micos (WA) and Anneta Maroulis (WD) who were who were highly recommended by coaches of other teams on the day and were nominated for the ‘possibles and probables’ team that would represent ASISSA. Congratulations to Vicki Synesios who made the final 'possibles and probables' selection game. All girls played with notable skill and great sportsmanship on the day, encouraging each other and the girls on other teams. They were excellent representatives of our College. I look forward to your continued teamwork and dedication during Interschool Netball in Term 3.

Mr J. Volas Sports Coordinator

Ms D. McCarthy Netball Team Manager

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SENIOR SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS Saturday 7th March 2015, six St Spyridon College boys’ basketball teams travelled to Penrith to compete in the ISA Basketball finals. The final Saturday of the season, finals day, is the climax of the year for all students playing competitive schoolboy basketball. For the St Spyridon boys, the past couple seasons have been all about growth in team numbers and improvement in skill. A successful season is often measured in a number of ways namely the number of teams in finals, finals won as opposed to lost, number of teams entered and improvement from previous season. Success in boys sport in the ISA is also measured with regards to promotion and relegation. Where did our boys end up this year? To begin this season, the College entered 8 teams, one more than last season and two more from the one before. This season, 7 boys teams qualified for semi-finals and 6 of those qualified for the finals. Of the 6 teams, 3 were victorious; including the Open Boys, the real achievement lies in the possibility that the boys will most probably be promoted to division 2 for season 2015 - 2016. The most impressive aspect of the season was to see the improvement in all boys’ teams over the course of the two Terms. Below is a wrap up of what was without doubt, one of the most exciting seasons of boys sport. The finals day was a great success for the College with 6 of 8 teams competing for their respective championships. The U13 white boys had a difficult finals match up with Blue Mountains Grammar, but were buoyed by theirnarrow yet satisfying win against St Pius X College the week before in the semi-finals. Unfortunately the boys were outplayed and were unable to match the Blue Mountains Grammar teams skill and offensive dominance, despite this the boys toiled till the very end never giving in and deserve to be commended, particularly considering this was their first year playing basketball. Having made the finals for these boys was an excellent achievement in itself!

The U13 Blue team were also finalists this year, matched to play against St Patricks College in the development league. The Year 7 boys were excellent all year, improving week in week out and the final was a fitting and deserving finale to their season. The boys played positively throughout the game and were in a position to win the game with the scores level midway through the second half. In the final 4 minutes of the game the boys conceded easy points and the game got away from them. Like the U13 white team, the boys will be better off next season having now played one season and knowing what is required.

The U14 White team had a tough game against a very strong and well prepared Oxley team; in the regular season both teams enjoyed one win each against each other. The final fittingly would prove the difference between the teams. Our boys were trying to win back to back titles but unfortunately were beaten by a team that won most of the rebounds and their height advantaged helped them make most offensive rebounds count. The U14 Boys had nothing

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left at the end and without doubt were deserving finalists. The team’s skill level and general team play have improved dramatically throughout the last two seasons. Much of this success is due to Mr Karagiannis the coach of the team who has guided these young boys to two grand finals in consecutive years and no doubt many of them would fancy their chances of being promoted to the First V basketball team of the College for next season. Congratulations.

The U14 Blue team were our first winning team on the day, these boys were playing their second consecutive final and after last years disappointing end, were looking to try and win their first grand final. The boys enjoyed a great start to the game taking a 10-2 lead in the first 8 minutes of the half. That lead was cut to two by half time and the boys had to really lift in the second half in order to win the game. Phillip Protos was exceptional all game and he really stepped up when needed, driving to the basket and scoring valuable points. After some very nervous moments the boys were victorious and the post-game celebration showed how much the boys wanted to win. Congratulations to all the boys and their coach Mr Georgoulopoulos.

The U15 Blue team were up against Redlands in the final. This team has dominated throughout the year and were perhaps the school’s best chance of winning a title this season. With that said, finals are a different game and the team that best deals with the various circumstances thrown at them are the ones that will walk away with the win. Our boys were only up one basket after 5 minutes with George Andrianakos quickly racking up 4 fouls and having to sit on the bench for the major part of the first half. Michael Constantopedos was excellent in picking up the responsibility in George’s absent and Steven Soulakellis was also contributing with strong offensive plays. The boys went to the half up by 4 with George scoring an amazing half-court shot just before the buzzer. Ultimately this shot would make the difference in the game with the boys victorious at the end by 1 point. The second half was also very close with the lead changing until the very end of the game. This was a heart stopping game and one the boys would no doubt savour for some time. Congratulations to the boys and their coach Mr Condous.

Open Boys Our Open boys have 6 Year 12 players playing their final ISA game, a fitting finale for these boys. They were matched up to play Blue Mountains Grammar the same school that the boys defeated last season in the final. There were many obstacles this team had to overcome in order to win back to back titles, namely their opponent’s determination to exact revenge from last season. The other was the fact that the boys only have 7 members in their team and that in the regular season Blue Mountains Grammar had defeated our boys by

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a considerable margin. That said the boys made a great start to the game leading 10 - 7 in the first 7 minutes of the game. From the outset the boys’ strong defence laid the platform for success. It was obvious our boys had a strong game plan and Adonis Tsoustas and Christain Ishak were successful in executing baskets. Christian was in foul trouble early but Christos Kollias and Michael Savic were equal to the task, winning many offensive rebounds and dishing it out to Matthew Chiam, Peter Contominas and Emmanuel Kapodistrias who scored easy baskets. The boys dominated from start to end and were deserving winners considering their tireless defensive efforts. On a personal note it has been a real pleasure to watch the growth of this team over the last couple of seasons. After losing many Year 12 boys last season it seemed that the team would struggle this season but as always the excellent preparation and well-constructed plays from their Coach Mr Koulouriotits made all the difference. I would like to commend all the boys, but in particular the Year 12 boys for their outstanding effort throughout the year but also for their contribution to boys’ basketball throughout their time at their College. Back to back Opens titles is a rare achievement and one that will be difficult to emulate. We now wish the boys the best of luck in their upcoming gala day for Greek Orthodox Colleges where one obstacle awaits - that being winning another back to back title.

ISA SWIMMING - Boys Wednesday 11th March, the St Spyridon College ISA swimming squad attended the annual ISA swimming carnival. This carnival presents an opportunity for individual success and team success. Over the last couple of years both the boys individual and team effort has been excellent. The boys have won the last 2 overall Junior Boys Division 2 Championship Shields. This is no easy task and a first for the College in winning back to back titles for the same age group. If this is not enough, the boys again had a real opportunity to achieve a third title in a row, creating a school record first. While this would be a difficult task the boys have been training very hard at squad training with Ms Flokis who herself had experienced the joys of success being involved in two winning teams in her time at the College. What a meet the boys had on an individual level. Some of the individual highlights included: James Zouroudis - 3rd Place for in the 50m Freestyle heat with a time of 41.44 Mark Gacevic - 2nd place in the 50 m freestyle (34.16), 1st in Breastroke (46.81), 1st in 100m freestyle (1.20.31),1st in Butterfly (42.20) Spiros Zafiropoulos - 2nd in 50 m freestyle (31.48),1st in 100m Freestyle (1.11.79) Christian Jenkins - 1st in 50m breaststroke (43.71) Jordan Frazis - 3rd in 50 m Freestyle (33.29), 2nd in breaststroke (49.01), 2nd in 50m backstroke (39.77), 2nd in butterfly (36.70) Nicholas Frazis - 2nd in 50m Freestyle (28.32), 1st in 50 m breaststroke (38.52), 1st in 100m Freestyle (1.01.91), 1st in Backstroke (33.08) and 3rd Overall , 1st in butterfly (30.17), George Contominas - 4th in 50m breastroke (39.95), 4th in 50m freestyle (30.38) Michael Constantopedos - 3rd 50m Breaststroke (40.11), 4th in 100m Freestyle (1.06.12), John Dalakiaris - 4th in 100m U14 Boys in a time of (1.19.39) TEAM EFFORT LEADS TO SUCCESS Often it is easy to say that success is a result of private swimming lessons and this is certainly

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true. However, team effort also relies greatly on exactly that, a collective effort by a number of students who most often are not squad swimmers. This was the highlight of the meet - the passion and desire of the boys’ team to succeed to win the title for the College and for each other. Their dedication and real zest for team success was inspiring for all of us. This is a trait that the boys have slowly developed in all sporting endeavours over the last three years and on this day the boys would celebrate unprecedented success for the College. The Junior Boys team won another overall ISA title making it 3 in a row, a first for the College and no doubt the highlight for this team was their awesome Medley Relay victory. The boys had some very memorable individual moments, namely the dominance of Marko Gacevic in the 12’s and wonderful individual performances from Spiros Zafiropoulos and Jordan Frazis. This night proved to be a night of personal bests in nearly all cases and personal triumph in the face of adversity with a number of our students losing goggles during races and yet carrying on to win races.

Team effort builds School Spirit.

If this was not enough, the Intermediate Boys would not be outdone, they too were searching for the schools first intermediate boys’ victory and with 4 boys, each was motivating the other, this was going to be a special night. In the 15s Nicholas Frazis steered the boys to outstanding personal victories and Harilaos Pappas supported him in both the 50m Freestyle and 50m Breaststroke to help secure crucial points. In the 16’s we had one of the most formidable pairings the school has seen since Angelina Flokis and Makrina Spilioti. Michael Constantopedos and George Contominas worked for each other and succeeded in maximising points. The Intermediate Boys were incredible and success was theirs to enjoy winning the schools first ever Intermediate Boys overall trophy. A double win, a special evening, a memorable one and most enjoyable for all the boys. My sincere thanks to Ms Flokis who coached all the students during the squad training sessions at All Sorts, but also thank you to both the Head of College Mrs Stefanou and the Principal Mrs Katsogiannis for their ongoing support of the sports programme taking time to commit the schools finances to squad training swimming sessions.

Congratulations to all boys including our Opens team who contributed to an overall successful boy’s performance during the evening. Now the boys must look forward to next year with the real opportunity to win back to back Intermediate trophies as well as a 4th Junior Boys trophy and hopefully in the next couple of years the boys may win the schools first ever overall trophy.

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BOYS FIRST XI FOOTBALL 2015 TRIAL On Saturday 14th of March the boys first XI football team took the first step to making the transition from Division 2 football to Division 1 by playing a trial match against Redlands College. It has been almost 4 years since the College last visited Macquarie University Fields and the day marked the beginning of what hopefully will be a rewarding season for our boys First XI who are training every Tuesday afternoon at the school from 3:05pm - 4: 30pm. The game was the first for the team and there were a number of new players in the team from last season. The game started well and the boys are looking at trying to play possession football while at the same time playing out from the back as a team. The focus for the game was to try and construct positive opportunities for the attack through the middle and the flanks something the boys partly achieved and managed in different parts of the game. While the boys won the game 1-0, they were unlucky not to score at least 2 or 3 more but were also fortunate not to concede two or three. There is a great deal to work on at training but the start to the football season was positive.

ISA SWIMMING - Girls Last Wednesday 11th March the ISA Swimming Squad attended the ISA Swimming Carnival held at Homebush Aquatic Centre. This event gave all students the opportunity to represent St Spyridon College and showcase

their swimming abilities at a much larger scale against many other Independent Schools. For the girls success in the pool comes in waves and much of this is due to an individual’s desire to train outside of the school environment. Although some of the girls do train regularly outside the school for many the school carnival is about participating, having fun and most importantly doing their best in each race, qualifying for the school swim team is most certainly a bonus. Fortunately for the students who qualified for the team they were provided with 5 training sessions at All Sorts Pool and also able to attend an Invitational Swim meet held at Drummoyne pool in order to prepare for the ISA Carnival. Ms Flokis held the sessions twice a week with the intention to create a team environment and rectify any technical issues which may enable the students to improve. This most certainly proved successful with majority of individual team members improving on their existing times achieved at the school carnival. Below are some highlights of the girl’s individual results Nicola Skouteris 3rd place in 50m Freestyle (39.69), 1st place in 50m Breaststroke( 51.06), 1st 100m Free( 1:34.62),4th 50m Backstroke (49.82), 2nd in 50m Fly (48.32) Lena Tsalikis 3rd place in 50m Freestyle (37.68), 2nd in Breaststroke (46.66) Desi Kapodistrias 3rd place in 50m Freestyle (36.30), 2nd in 50m Breastroke( 48.78), 2nd 100m Free( 1:21.91), 2nd 50m Backstroke ( 40.81), 1st 50m Fly ( 39.73) Natalia Amezquita 4th place in 50m Freestyle (34.18), 2nd 100m Free ( 1:15.18), 3rd 50m Backstroke ( 43.83), 4th in Fly (41.97) Keira Kipriotis 4th place in 50m Freestyle(36.01) Lia Albanakis 4th place in 50m Freestyle (38.94) Nicoletta Tsimboukis 1st in 50 Breastroke(51.36) Furthermore, School records set at our St Spyridon College Swimming Carnival were already broken; Eve Barton broke her own record 50m Breastroke 52.24

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Lia Albanakis broke her own record 100m Free 1:33.73, 50m Backstroke 46.55, 50m Butterfly 49.82 The Junior Girls in particular were outstanding both with the individual results and also the Junior Medley relay team finishing 3rd consisting of Christina Vlahos, Desi Kapodistrias, Vivienne Hatzigiakoumis and Lena Tsalikis. This allowed them to finish 3rd overall in their division; the highest result achieved by the girls in many years. The ISA swimming carnival is a daunting experience and can also be very exhausting, especially for the younger students. Credit must also extend to the Intermediate and Open girls who filled all their events and participated to the best of their ability perhaps not winning but achieving their own personal goals. Congratulations to all the boys on their well-deserved success, it was an enjoyable and proud moment watching your dominance in the pool proving to the ISA that despite being a small school we can match any competitors. Perhaps most pleasing was observing the high level of school spirit displayed by the students; they all cheered from the stands, praised each other upon return from their races and represented their school with pride and passion. Much thanks must extend to Ms Flokis for training the squad but also for increasing the passion and determination of all the students along with Mrs Grillakis for assisting with supervision and finally the school for their ongoing support to improve all facets of the sporting program. ISA BASKETBALL On Saturday March 7th the only girls’ team to qualify for the ISA Basketball Finals headed to Penrith to verse 1st placed Central Coast Grammar School. All girls were thrilled to

have qualified and anticipated a strong opposition who were yet to concede defeat all season. Despite a convincing defeat all the girls played with exceptional passion and did not give up for the whole duration of the match. All team members contributed to the success earned throughout the season and the girls should be commended to reach a grandfinal two years in a row. Rhea Tsimboukis has also been selected to play in the Opens Girls Basketball team who will compete at the National Schools event held in Term 2. Once again, thank you to Mr Contominas for your time and effort in coaching the girls to reach their potential.

ISA OPENS NETBALL On March 14th the Open girls Netball team competed against Redlands, a Division 1 school in the ISA Competition, for a trial match. St Spyridon hosted the match and despite losing the game it was used as an important opportunity to form team dynamics and structure, motivate the girls to train harder to achieve their goals and open their eyes to the exceptional talent which presents itself in the ISA Netball Competition. Round 1 commences on the Saturday 2nd May with training held Wednesday morning 7.15am and during the allocated ISA lesson. Furthermore all Opens Netball girls should have returned their registration forms. Ms K. O’Shea (Girls Sport) and Mr F. Kaldis (Boys Sport)

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The Parents and Friends Committee Annual Lambatha (Easter candle)

Easter Gift Stall & Raffle

A unique selection of handcrafted Lambathes andEaster gift items will be available for purchase. Allfunds raised will contribute to valuable resources forour children. The P&F wishes to thank you for yourongoing support!

WHEN: Mon 23 March until Thurs 2 April 2015 WHERE: Infants & Junior Playgrounds from 2.30pm including the Easter focus assembly

** P&F EASTER RAFFLE **

$1 per ticket EXCITING PRIZES TO BE WON!! Attached you will find some tickets. Please write your full name and mobile number on your tickets and hand into the JS Front Office with payment by Wednesday 1 April. Kαλό Πάσχα!