4 June 2019

The task of every parent is to hang on to the reins through the early days and to gradually begin to allow for growing independence as maturity starts to be demonstrated. See below:

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is older, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

“Do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”(Ephesians 6:4)

Increasing children's independence too early produces folly and arrogance, but too late can cause resentment and rebellion. Knowing how to let out the rope requires discernment. I encourage RJ parents (and staff) with the enormous (joint) task of raising well-adjusted, kind and respectful young people; to do so supportively together and with God’s help and wisdom. We're fallible and sometimes we don't get it right. However, seeking wisdom is a great move and purposeful parenting will benefit every child. 

The splendid partnership of Primary teachers and P&F Assoc. parents resulted in a wonderful Primary Disco. The children had a fantastic occasion and we are very grateful to the staff for their enthusiastic participation and to many parents for the practical arrangements – a fun time for all!

The Secondary teachers facilitated excellent interaction with Stage 6students and their parents during recent Interviews. It’s always productive to have a clear understanding of each student’s attitude and application to learning, as well as the availability of specific suggestions for improving their subject-related skills and knowledge. Thank you staff for your incredible diligence and care.

Open Mornings make our Campuses accessible to enquiring families. The one at Marsden Park Campus last Saturday was extremely successful (and I’m sure the one planned for tomorrow at Oakhurst Campus will be the same) in showcasing our Christian learning culture. Please be aware that enrolment places in the School are in much demand, evidenced by Kindergarten 2020 and Year 7 2020 at Oakhurst Campus being fully subscribed already and now compiling waiting lists. The same situation will also soon happen for Kindergarten 2020 at Marsden Park Campus.

For everyone’s awareness and encouragement, we’ve included images of an incredible Primary facility to be constructed next year at Marsden Park Campus ready for 2021. It’s an enormous building: Level 1 has 6 large classrooms integrated with a central extensive technology project space, break-out room, and amenities; Ground Floor – similar design/number of classrooms, project space etc. to be fitted out in 2021 for 2022.

Also, the RJ Community can look forward to two significant refurbishment projects at the Oakhurst Campus to transform the current Primary Library into “The Hive” and the current Computer Lab into “The Studio” for STEM, Music and Dance activities. These projects during Term 4 this year and the December/January break will provide our Primary students with contemporary, inspiring and productive learning areas from the beginning of 2020. 

Mr Paul Cockrem
Principal

Primary

Secondary

When submitting for a Principal's Award, remember that only the relevant points are required in a plastic sleeve and not in a folder, please do not send any other awards. We appreciate your assistance.

The Carnival will conclude by 2:45pm. As the Carnival represents a normal school day, students are required to attend and will only be allowed to leave with their parents at the conclusion of the Carnival and not before. This helps the School maintain the spirit of the Carnival from the beginning to the end. All students should also wear their House shirts.

COLOUR RUN – FRIDAY 14 JUNE

We are very excited to be hosting our very first Colour Run here at RJ on Friday 14 June. Our Secondary Colour Run that is designed to raise funds for the Headspace group has been going well with funds in excess of $5,000 already raised. However, this amount has been generated by only 50 of our students with another 212 Secondary students who are signed up online ready to go for fundraising (but still to start) and at least 300 still to set up their account.

Imagine if every one of our Secondary students signed up online and started raising funds – we would blow their $15,000 target figure out of the water very quickly. The system is really easy and relies on a student creating their online account (according to the booklet they received to show them how). Then they invite people (friends, sporting teams mates, relatives etc) to sponsor them by donating directly online or they can donate cash as well. Schools across the country have raised phenomenal amounts of money through this simple venture. Please support your child and encourage them to start fundraising – and there’s prizes to be won as well!!!

The Colour Run is set to be an awesome day for the Secondary! A reminder that students can wear Mufti on the day and also bring their $5 Mufti donation. For those wanting to take part in the Colour Run, they should bring an old white t-shirt to wear for the run/walk so the colour takes great effect. Students who take part in the run/walk but do not want to be hit with a splash of non-toxic colour, can wear colourful clothing to indicate this or simply go through the ‘non colour’ channels on the day. Goggles or sunglasses should be worn when participating as well.

If you have any queries regarding the Colour Run, please refer to the parent letter that went home last fortnight.

ATHLETICS EVENTS

On Tuesday 11 June, students in Kindergarten to Year 2 at the Marsden Park Campus will participate in modified athletics events for their Mini-Athletics Carnival. The Years 3-12 Athletics Carnival for students in both Campuses will be held next Wednesday 12 June at Blacktown International Sportspark. On Thursday 13 June, students in Years K-2 at the Oakhurst Campus will participate in modified athletics events at their K-2 Mini-Athletics Carnival. Parents are welcome to attend all Athletics events as per the information outlined in each note. Please contact Reception if you have not received the relevant note for each event.

DA VINCI DECATHLON

Our team of Year 6 students had a great time participating in a range of challenges at the da Vinci Decathlon last week. The team worked cooperatively to solve a wide range of activities, demonstrating advanced problem-solving skills. Thank you to Mr Reed for preparing the team and accompanying the students on the day.

HEAD LICE

Head lice is common amongst Primary-aged students. They are spread by direct contact of the hair by infected people. Head lice may be treated either mechanically (nit comb and conditioner) or chemically (available from pharmacies). Parents are reminded to check their child’s hair regularly. If your child has head lice, treat their scalp and inform the School so that a letter can be sent home with students in your child’s class. This helps to stop the spread through the class and assists other families.

HOUSE MEETINGS

House Meetings will be held for all students K-6 across both Campuses this week, for students at the Marsden Park Campus on Wednesday 5 June and students at the Oakhurst Campus on Thursday 6 June. All students wear their Sports Uniform with their House Shirt on the relevant day.

PRIMARY DISCO

We had a fantastic night at the P&F Primary Disco in Week 4, with a huge number of Primary students from both Campuses in attendance. The students were impeccably behaved throughout the evening and had a wonderful night dancing with their friends and teachers. Thank you to the P&F for organising this event for our Primary students and to Primary staff who generously gave of their time to supervise and enjoy the evening with the students.

STUDENT REPORTS AND PARENT / TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Kindergarten to Year 6 Student Reports will be sent home on Thursday 27 June. Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held on the evenings of Monday 1 July (3:40-6:00pm) and Tuesday 2 July (from 3:40-8:00pm). Interviews are open to all parents. Parents are encouraged to bring the Student Report along to their Interview to discuss any matters of interest or concern. Pre-Kindergarten students will not receive a Semester 1 Report. Pre-Kindergarten parents will be able to make a Parent/Teacher Interview booking over the two evenings outlined above. Booking information will be emailed to parents during Week 8.

UNIFORM AND PRESENTATION POLICY

The Primary jacket (K-6) is the outer garment during Terms 2 and 3 and is required to be worn to and from School each day. The Sports Jacket is worn by Pre-Kindergarten students. The jumper may be worn underneath the jacket for additional warmth but not in place of it. Please ensure all garments are clearly labelled. No additional visible clothing items are to be worn under the School Uniform. This includes tights under shorts, long sleeve tops under shirts or polo shirts or t-shirts showing at the front of the shirt buttoning. Any such items will be asked to be removed by the student. The School beanie (available from Lowes) may be worn before and after school and during playtimes when the Winter Uniform is worn. The beanie is no longer restricted to be worn solely during the winter months. Earrings must be a plain gold or silver stud or sleeper. Any other earrings will be asked to be removed or will be removed by Office staff if the student is unable to remove them themselves. Girls hair ties must be navy blue only. Primary students not in the correct Uniform will be issued with a note home. If the infringement is not corrected by the date indicated on the note, the student will lose part of their break time until they are in the correct Uniform. Please assist your child and avoid the consequence by ensuring they are dressed fully for School each day in line with the Uniform Policy.

WINTER SLEEPOUT

Students in Year 6 have been invited to attend the Winter Sleepout on the evening of Friday 28June. Please refer to the note for details.

WSCS TRIALS AND GALA DAY REPRESENTATION

The WSCS Competition allows students to participate in competitive sport with other schools. We are excited to have a much larger School representation in this Competition from 2019 and participation in interschool sport in both Terms 2 and 3. To allow all students the opportunity to participate in the WSCS Competition, Mr Mitchell will keep records of trialed sports and team selection. This will allow him to ensure that over a Stage (e.g. Years 3-4 and Years 5-6) all students will have at least one opportunity to participate in the WSCS Competition, if the student has shown interest by participating in trial sessions. This means that selection into a WSCS team will be not be solely based on ability. Primary sport of this nature provides students with the opportunity to experience a variety of sports within a team setting and may lead to students pursuing participation in sports outside of School, which we always encourage for a range of health and well-being reasons. Students absent during WSCS trials will participate in School Sport. There will no longer be automatic selection into WSCS teams based on known ability. Gala Day team selection will be ability based. Students already participating in weekly WSCS for the sport are automatically trialing for inclusion in a representative team so will not participate in further trials. Only students who did not trial in the sport (excluding students who did not trial for any sport) for WSCS will have opportunity to trial for consideration of inclusion in the representative team. Mr Mitchell will arrange trial sessions for these students. Upcoming Gala Day events are in Netball and Soccer. Where the Gala Day sport is not a WSCS sport, full opportunities for all students to trial will still be available.

YEAR 7 INFORMATION EVENING FOR 2020

The Year 7 Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 19 June. Students in Year 6 have received information related to this event.

Mrs Narelle Taylor
Assistant Principal/Head of Primary

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Philosophy, Creative Producers, Cartography and General Knowledge. The Decathlon is designed to celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.

Our students set a wonderful standard of resilience and teamwork as they competed against hundreds of students from schools across Sydney. This is the fourth year where RJAS has entered a Year 6 team and it has been exciting to see our participation grow to entering Secondary teams and our first Primary team involving students from both the Oakhurst and Marsden Park Campuses. Here are some of the student’s reflections on the day.

"The da Vinci Decathlon was an interesting experience for me and I enjoyed the ways we worked together as a team. We learnt quickly about the benefits of working as a team and using each other’s strengths."  -Grace, Trishali and Ronan

"The da Vinci Decathlon was challenging, especially decrypting the messages in code breaking. It was great to see everyone trying their best and in the end we had a great day and I would definitely go again." -Heidi and Jonathan

"Art and Poetry was my favourite part of the da Vinci Decathlon. We had to create a 3D picture and write a poem about landscapes. We created an artwork and poem about a sunset.The day was very enjoyable! I would definitely go again" -Siana

Mr Michael Reed
Primary Coordinator 

Here are some photos of students joining in AFL skill drills at Hanna Reserve.

Miss Parata, Mrs Fiore & Miss De Rosa
Primary Teachers

We enjoy helping the younger students with craft and computers, as well as sitting with them during eating time at lunch.

Miss Alicia Parata 
Primary Teacher

They'll enjoy the experience of camp, with the chance to participate in exciting outdoor activities and explore a Christian worldview, whilst still going home to sleep in the comfort of their own bed. Another exciting aspect of CRU Blast is that the Primary students will have the opportunity to get to know some of our fantastic Secondary students who are helping as Assistant Leaders on the Camp.

The dates for CRU Blast are: Monday 22 July – Friday 26 July, 2019 ( the 3^rd week of the July School Holidays)

The registrations have commenced and students will receive a brochure this week. The link to register for the Camp is: https://crudaycamps.com.au/cru-blast#cru-blast-introduction

We’d love to see your child/ children at CRU Blast this year. If you have any questions, please contact Stewart Rowe by email – srowe@rjas.nsw.edu.au

Mr Stewart Rowe
Director of Ministry/ Service Learning (7-12)

I see similar changes in students from year to year, who think carefully about what they can change and then plan to do it, or weekly in sport when my netballers listen to advice and then “get it”. One of the great joys in teaching is seeing the “ah-ha” moment. It comes after hard work, sometimes frustration, and then there is the realisation of how something works or is done. As adults, we still experience that and are constantly teaching ourselves better ways to approach a task or achieve a goal. Students are on a lifelong learning pathway, and it is a privilege to share that journey with them.

Last Wednesday saw the first round of Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews this Semester with Years 11 and 12. It was a very busy evening with many productive conversations. Some of the main issues involve students not doing any revision work at home. The extra effort they apply at home will make a difference in their confidence when they come to School. This includes reading texts for study and texts for pleasure. All students in Years 7-11 also have access to Mathletics, Senior Students have been able to use Edrolo this Semester (a trial we will be continuing next Semester), and Years 7-8 use Wordflyers in English. Technology based learning is one way to engage students and provide challenging activities to keep the mind active, if there is no other reading, homework or assessment tasks to complete. There is always something that can be done, including going for a walk, helping out with family chores or reading to someone else. Boredom is a state of mind, not an excuse.

Heritage Festival preparations are well underway and we look to have another exciting Concert, with a range of cultural groups represented. It’s been great to see younger students getting on board with the Food Stalls, and the Sports Captains and Mr Millard have been busy with the Oz-Tag competition.

We have had a timetable change this week due to staffing changes. We wish Mrs Thompson all the best for her Maternity Leave and pray for the safe arrival of her little one – and we give thanks to God for the birth of Mrs Mulligan’s little girl, Halle Piper, last week. She is a little treasure!

Parents are reminded that the Year 7 and 8 Interviews will be held on Wednesday 3 July, from 3:45pm. At the moment, mark the date on the calendar, as booking information will only be distributed with the Reports themselves in Week 9.

Enjoy the refreshing rain!

Mrs Jenny Clay
Assistant Principal/Head of Secondary 

The cost of the evening is $10 per student, which will be donated to Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off the Streets Program. Cardboard boxes are the go for the evening, so start collecting your bed for the night! Permission notes are now available from Mr Rowe or Student Reception. If you have any questions, please email Mr Rowe - srowe@rjas.nsw.edu.au

Mr Stewart Rowe
Director of Ministry/ Service Learning (7-12)

• Stage 4- three minute speech length.
• Stage 5/6- four or five minute speech length.

Entry Forms are available from: Student Reception, Home Group Teachers, English Teachers.

Mrs Annette Sicard
Secondary Teacher

The World Vision Youth Conference was designed to inspire and empower current and emerging student leaders to become active global citizens and a voice for justice in the world.

There were three engaging and inspiring keynote speakers, two being former refugees who are at present studying at University. They were Asma Mirzae and Simon Shahin. The third speaker, Kevin Kardirgamar, is a young Northern Territorian who works in the field of Immigration Law. All three encouraged the students present to find issues to commit to, in order to bring about change for those who are much less privileged that ourselves.

There were also workshops for our students to develop their leadership skills and opportunities to network with like-minded student leaders.

Our student ambassadors emerged from the day with the knowledge and passion to put their skills into action by leading this year’s 40 Hour Famine Backpack Challenge, which will be held from August 17-19. 

Mr Stewart Rowe
Director of Christian Ministry/Service Learning

Each of the groups were able to experience the many activities and challenges that Camp Somerset have to offer: canoeing, high ropes, River run, team challenges and a hike through the beautiful bush that surrounds this area. At night, they competed in My Kampsite Rules or had snags around the fire pits. My Kampsite Rules seemed to be one of the more favourite activities where students were in groups of three and had to cook a range of different recipes and impress their judge, which was their Camp Somerset Leader and Group Teacher. All the groups came up with creative dishes that were delicious. For my part, it was hard to pick. One of the other activities that students enjoyed was just hanging around the fire at night to chat and play different games and activities.

By Friday it was all over and most students were keen to catch up and share their stories at the combined lunch. Overall, it was a great experience and one that quite a few students said pushed them outside their comfort zones and let them achieve things they hadn’t thought possible. Thanks to the Staff who attended and to the students who participated in an excellent manner.

Mr Chris Bemrose
Year 9 Camp Co-ordinator 

I found it so encouraging to see so many parents there helping out. The Disco ran very smoothly with your help marking off names, handing out glow sticks and issuing snacks to our happy children. I want to thank Mrs Gillian Skinner, who came along to her first P&F Meeting at the start of the year, agreed to assist with fundraising and became the Co-coordinator, and assisted with the running of a very successful night. Special thanks to P&F Committee Executives, Mrs Angela Brady and Ms Jaclyn Davey, who contributed many hours of organisation and assisted with the logistics of the Disco. Thanks are extended to the wonderful RJ Primary Staff who supervised the Disco, and danced just as enthusiastically as the students! Thanks are also extended to the Administration, Executive and Maintenance Staff who assisted in the lead up to the Disco.

The P&F is now looking ahead to the Fete and Open Day at Oakhurst Campus on Saturday 21 September, which is the next big fundraising event for the School.

Ride passes are already available via TryBooking, and I would urge everyone to buy their ride passes early: https://www.trybooking.com/BBFLQ

The more ride passes that are sold earlier in the year, the more rides we will be able to provide on the day. We have already locked in a variety of fantastic rides that will cater for multiple age groups.

We need many parents to assist the successful planning for the Fete and to assist on the day – your help is needed! There are many ways that you can assist with your talents. Help with the Cake Stall or the International Food Stall is needed. We are also looking for donations to sell at our Fundraising Auction. Please email pandf@rjas.nsw.edu.au if you would like to help in any way. Jaclyn Davey, the Fete Co-ordinator, would love to hear from as many parents as possible. Again, thank you for your continued support of the P&F Association. We look forward to a wonderful Fete!

Mrs Catherine Lucas
P&F Association 

Just like our Year 12 students, our future Year 11’s for 2020 received their UAC guides last week and can now begin to explore the wide range of careers. This UAC guide contains a wide range of information focused on subject selections, prerequisites, recommended subjects and admission criteria, as well as future careers paths and universities accessible to our RJ students in the future. Fortunately for our Year 10’s, UAC has also created a new website called Subject Compass which is an online interactive one-step guide towards providing students with a long list of Year 11 subjects which may be considered. 

For our Years 11 and 12 students, there will be exciting things to come in the next few weeks as our School hosts information sessions with some selected universities. Our first session will be with visitors from Macquarie University on Friday 7 June. In this session, our students will learn more about the different opportunities available to them and answers to: What is life like at university? What types of Degrees are available to me? What early entry opportunities are there? and What can I be once I finish my Degree? This session will hopefully give our RJ students the opportunity to understand more about university life and most importantly, what their futures could look like. If you are interested in attending this event it will begin at lunch and is located in the AV Room. I hope to see you there! They even have goody bags!

Finally, details for the remainder of these amazing information sessions will be released in the next few weeks. If you are interested in any of these opportunities and would like to see me in the Careers Office, please make an appointment on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

Miss Voula Simos
Careers Advisor

The officials who are running Long Jump, Discus and Shot Put will explain all the rules to students prior to the event taking place. If a student is disqualified it will be due to incorrect technique or not entering/leaving the throwing or jumping area correctly.

CIS FOOTBALL

Kiara Fragomeli’s performance at the NSWPSSA Football Championships have earned her a spot in the NSW team to play in the National Football Championships. Well done Kiara! 

CIS TRIALS

We have two boys trialling next week for the CIS Softball team. We wish these boys the best of luck.

CSSA GYMNASTICS

We wish two of our students all the best as they compete in the CSSA Gymnastics competition this week.

HIGH JUMP TRIALS

High Jump Trials will take place this Thursday in the Hall for Years 3-6 students who are interested in competing at the Athletics Carnival. Due to the length of time it takes to complete the event, the top eight students from the trials in each age group will participate in the High Jump finals at the Athletics Carnival. Participation House Points will be awarded to those students who are unsuccessful in making the finals.

Marsden Park students have the opportunity to trial for a spot in the High Jump final at the conclusion of the 800m race. Interested students will meet Mr Mitchell on the track at the conclusion of the 800m for a one jump trial. If the student is successful in making the height, they will qualify for the final. If they are unsuccessful, they will still receive a point for their respective House.

AFL PAUL KELLY CUP

The girls’ team did an amazing job at the AFL Paul Kelly Cup. They came away with one win from their three pool games. They narrowly lost the second pool game against the runners-up of the day. They also competed with intensity as they went down in their third game. They should be proud of themselves for the way they conducted themselves against some great opposition.

SPORTING TRIALS

Please refer to Mrs Taylor’s section of the RJ Review for updated procedures on trialling for various sports.

Metro Cup Trial – Friday

Netball - TBD

STATE CROSS COUNTRY

It was great to see all of our Primary students brave the cold and make it on time for the early morning bus ride. The students did really well at the Carnival and there were some great finishes in the top 30. Congratulations to all the students who attended. Thank you also to all the parents who were willing to assist in various capacities on the day.

WSCS

Students will compete this Wednesday in competition. Norwest is out this week due to their Athletics Carnival and TCC has an event on for Stage 3. Refer to the draw. Some of our teams may have a bye but they will still have an opportunity to compete against substitutes from RJ and substitutes from other schools.

• Any official appeal will be brought to the Carnival Referee only. They will supply a “Notice of Appeal” form that will be filled out with all the correct information.
• The Notice of Appeal form will need to be submitted within seven days of the event.
• An Appeals Committee will be setup to consider the matter and report back with a decision within seven days from when the Notice of Appeal was received.

The second change is with regards to the Secondary students and the level of competition. At the Athletics Carnival, we will be adopting a similar setup with those students who wish to progress to the CSSA Zone and State Carnivals will be required to nominate to go in certain track and field event. It will be as follows:

• Any student who wishes to progress further in track events will need to compete in the official “Heats”. These are the only races that will be timed for Secondary. Participation races will be conducted for those students wishing to just earn points for their Houses.
• Any student who wishes to progress further in the field events will need to nominate after their first attempt. This will then allow those students to have their 2^nd and 3^rd attempts in those events. All others will receive participation points.
• High Jump being a little more complex, each student will have a participation jump. Those who wish to progress will then attempt the minimum height for qualifying to go to CSSA State Athletics. If they pass the minimum CSSA State Athletics height, they may continue in the competition with their allocated number of jumps.
• Any student who wishes to be considered for Age Champion, must participate in five or more events. This can be made up in any number of track and field events (e.g. two track and three field events or four track and one field event).

CSSA State Cross Country was last Friday. We had approx. 40 Secondary students attend. We have not received official results from CSSA, but we had some great results overall. I will update the official results in the next edition.

SCHOOL AND REPRESENTATIVE SPORT

This week saw the change over with Years 7 & 8 now participating in the organised sports at Hanna Reserve. Students are reminded to wear their House shirt each week to gain bonus points for their House.

Representative sport is up to Round 5. With the weather not looking great, we may not be able to get this round in. We will see how it goes. Some of the girls in the Netball teams will be considered for the CSSA and TASC Netball Gala Days. More information will be presented to students in the coming days.

Mr David Hyde
Sports Co-ordinator

What is your favourite food?

Fruit

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Being with family in any activity.

When and why did you come to work at this School?

May 2019. For a change of pace and to be a smiling face for the children everyday on the bus.

What have you enjoyed about your role in the School?

Getting to know the School Community and students.

Describe a wonderful experience you’ve had which you’ll never forget.

Bungy Jumping.

Why did you become a Christian?

I was born into the church but I realised that it was not enough to be good because good is not good enough. I realised that Jesus died for me and I need to accept that was for me.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

Romans 8:28 “In all things God works for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose”.

What is something you want to achieve?

To be the best husband, father, grandfather and sibling. Show God’s love to all I meet.

What is your favourite food?

I have Polish Scottish heritage and enjoy my connection to my heritage and have favourite dishes in both. My Polish favourite is Pierogi. I also like all Asian cuisine.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Being a Visual Art teacher, I enjoy doing all my own art work. I also try to get to the Hawkesbury River and Northern Beaches as much as possible with my family.

When and why did you come to work at this School?

I started at RJ at the beginning of Term 2. I was thrilled with the opportunity to work at such an outstanding school.

What have you enjoyed about your role in the School?

Sharing my passion of Art with my students and working with such dedicated staff.

Describe a wonderful experience you’ve had which you’ll never forget.

Enjoying a traditional twelve course Polish Christmas Eve dinner with my family in Poland sitting by an open fire. It was snowing outside, and the view of the landscape was just beautiful.

Why did you become a Christian?

I was brought up with Christian values and as a child attended church with my parents and grandparents. A Christian faith has been important to me personally and strengthens my resolve in times of grief.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. I like this verse as it reminds me to live out in faith and continue to believe in God’s promises.

What is something you want to achieve?

I have had art exhibitions in the past and would like to do this again at some stage.

If you could meet any person in the world at the moment who would it be?

Sir David Attenborough for the awareness he has given us about protecting our environment.

Why is simulated gambling a concern?

• Evidence suggests that the earlier a child is exposed to gambling, the higher the likelihood of problem gambling.
• Simulated gambling games might provide a transition to real money gambling.
• The odds of winning are much higher in simulated gambling games which may cause players to have unrealistic expectations of their ability to win in real money gambling.

There are different ways that video games and apps can expose children and young people to gambling behaviours. The main types are:

SOCIAL CASINO GAMES

• Social Casino Games make gambling look like a fun, harmless pursuit.
• Social Casino Games are advertised on social media and can be played on social media websites. They can be promoted as “games” within app stores or can be a part of bigger video games (e.g. a character within a role-playing game might visit a casino). Social Casino Games are sometimes linked to ads.

VIRTUAL GOODS 

• Virtual goods are extra items that can be won or purchased within a video game.
• Virtual goods can then be used to bet on the outcome of e-sports matches (organised video game competitions). This is very similar to sports betting.
• Virtual goods can also be used to gamble on unregulated, casino style websites.
• Gambling with virtual goods is promoted within some video games, on forums and on streaming sites like YouTube and Twitch.

LOOT BOXES 

• Can be found within some video games; they enable small transactions, using real money, to unlock extra items for use within the game (examples of items are characters’ clothing, new characters and weapons). Some games even contain “pay to win” options that assist players to gain an advantage over other players.
• A concern about loot boxes is that the outcome of your purchase is randomised, making it very similar to gambling.
• Another concern is that when receiving virtual goods, the animation can make it look like you almost won the higher value goods. These visuals can be like the rolling bars on poker machines.

SKINS 

• Change the look of an item within a video game (e.g. they can change the look of a character or a weapon). Skins are purely cosmetic and don’t make you a better player. Skins can be earnt within the game or purchased.
• The skins won in some games can be traded for money. Some skins are quite rare and can be worth a lot of money.
• Players can trade their skins on other websites that are completely outside of the game. Certain websites allow players to deposit and withdraw real money which can be converted into skins. These websites have added gambling features and games like roulette, coin flip and other traditional gambling games.
• Skin betting is not governed by gambling law because skins are not considered to be “real money.”
• With the rise of e-sports (competitive video-gaming) these websites offer the opportunity for players to bet with skins on e-sports.

Source: https://www.videogames.org.au/

The Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) has app reviews to help parents make decisions about what they allow their children to load (they also have movie reviews).

ACCM MISSION STATEMENT:

“The Australian Council on Children and the Media supports families, industry and decision-makers in building and maintaining an enjoyable media environment that fosters the health, safety and wellbeing of Australian children. We are committed to promoting better choices and providing stronger voices in children's media.”

ACCM APP REVIEWS:

• Children and gambling watchlist https://childrenandmedia.org.au/app-reviews/watchlist
• Know before you load, ACCM latest app reviews https://childrenandmedia.org.au/app-reviews/
• For a list of resources used for the prevention of gambling harm: https://www.videogames.org.au/3097-2/
• For a bigger discussion on the convergence of gambling and video games, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z7uzTMlHG3UxSDy6jCsnUKSu5LdYKU5d/view

From Wednesday 1 May 2019 to Tuesday 25 June 2019 or while stock lasts, we are collecting Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers. Place the Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker onto a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and when it’s complete, the Sticker Sheet can be dropped into the Collection Box located at (Oakhurst) Primary Reception or Marsden Park Reception and there will be collection boxes at the Plumpton Woolworths and Greenway Woolworths.

At the end of the promotion, the School will receive some great new equipment. If you’d like to know more visit woolworths.com.au/earnandlearn.

Thank you