GECPA Term 2

It’s been a roller-coaster ride this term.

Schools in metropolitan Melbourne returned to face-to-face learning from Friday 11 June 2021 - after a two-week, COVID-19 circuit breaker lockdown.

I found this period of home learning challenging – balancing work, family and personal commitments while navigating changing restrictions seemed more difficult this time. I had a look around for mental health and wellbeing resources and support. Headspace has a one-pager for students and a one-pager for parents and carers, providing advice, guidance and ideas to support mental health and wellbeing that I found useful. I also found a more detailed article (see the Parent Wellbeing Activities article) specifically for secondary school students that I thought was also beneficial.

What the lockdown did for me was emphasise the important work of our GEC teachers and school staff. They transitioned smoothly (or so it seemed) from on-site to online learning. Their commitment and determination in keeping students engaged and learning was much admired and appreciated.

I was looking forward to providing an update on the GEC vision and values focus groups conducted last month but the Friday group was cancelled (COVID-19 restrictions). I will hold off on my reflections until we know if that group will be rescheduled.

One of our functions in supporting GEC is fundraising. We are hoping to organise a ‘Winter Warmer’ Movie Night showing Ocean’s 8 (the most popular option based on the student poll) on Saturday 24th July @ 7pm in the GEC Performing Arts Centre Theatre. Tickets are: Single $5.00, Family $20.00 (four seats). Book your ticket NOW (ticket refunds are available – just in case). Support us support GEC:

If you want to remain in ‘the know’, join our email list and don’t miss out on any of the 2021 events we have planned to support GEC and our school community: click here to subscribe

For more information about the Glen Eira College Parents Association or to contact us:

gecpa@gec.vic.edu.au

Nicole Bishop

Convenor, Glen Eira College Parents’ Association

Secondhand Uniform Sale

Thursday 15th July (3.15pm - 4.00pm)

Outside GEC Library (level 1).

Parents and Carers Wellbeing Activities for Secondary school students

I thoroughly recommend this resource parents-wellbeing-activities-secondary.pdf (education.vic.gov.au)

It is clear and easy to understand. It takes you through a range of activities that will help build and maintain your child’s wellbeing.

The activities cover six key elements (see below) and learning materials. Feel free to contact us on gecpa@gec.vic.edu.au to share your resources.

Working Bee - Parents and Students - Sunday 18th July 3-5pm

Please join us! We are weeding and mulching the garden beds. We need a big crew of helpers this time to carry and spread mulch. BYO barrows, buckets, forks, shovels and rakes. Or alternatively you can pick up any litter from around the school.

Optional coffee or tipple after at The Servery in Royal Ave Glen Huntly (opposite Glen Huntly Station). Working Bees are the 3rd Sunday of the month 3-5pm. Come one, come all!

Protection of School Communities Bill: PV Statement

Parents Victoria’ set out a statement of concern regarding the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021, when it was introduced into the Victorian Parliament on 4 May. This proposed legislation would give Principals who deem parents to be regarded as “harmful, abusive or threatening” the power to ban them from the school.

We all understand concerns about the safety of all school staff and threats of violence from parents or anyone is unacceptable.

The questions and concerns that have been raised about this proposed legislation, from Parent Voice for example are:

“How is it determined what is “harmful, threatening or abusive” and what is not?”
“How will the relationships be set right once the order has expired?”

For more on this subject from Parent Voice please - Download the full statement here

2021 Glen Eira Youth Survey

The annual Glen Eira Youth Survey is now open for 2021. Council would like to hear from all young people aged 10 to 25 with a connection to the City of Glen Eira.

Youth Services provides support to young people who may be struggling with a range of issues, including mental health, stress, loneliness, relationships and employment. This is your chance to tell us what issues are important to you and what services are needed by young people in Glen Eira. By participating in the Survey, you will go into the running to win one of five $50 Westfield gift cards. The Survey takes less than five minutes and can be completed from your phone’s browser by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021ys

School Holiday Events

Do it with DATA: Tackling climate change - Year 12 maths and sustainability workshop Monash

29 June 2021 from 9am – 3pm Monash University

If you're looking to combine your interest in maths with a passion for sustainability, Do it with DATA: Tackling climate change is the place to start. A great school holiday activity for Year 12s with many workshops and hands-on exercises, this event will:

delve into how data can be harnessed to reverse climate change and create a healthier world
show you what it's like to study data science at Monash
satisfy your curiosity about a future in the discipline by revealing the diverse industries that data specialists can thrive in
connect you with a data science expert who'll give you greater insights into the specialisation.

There will also be a quiz at the end of the event, with prizes up for grabs! Register now!

Contact Michaela Gabbe 99054505

Email michaela.gabbe@monash.edu

Website https://www.monash.edu/it

Price $10

Glen Eira Council teen School Holiday Program June 29-July 8 bookings close 5pm Mon 21 June

Teen School Holiday Program | Glen Eira City Council

Activities are open to young people aged 12 to 18 years, who live, work or study in Glen Eira. Activities include, incursions and excursions such as visiting GESAC, channelling our Press Start program at a gaming activity, making some super cool, sustainable craft, and heading to Southland for a movie! - a great way to meet new people, try new activities and shake-up your school holidays. All activities are free for Health Card holders.

Bookings trybooking.

For further information please contact Glen Eira Youth Services on (03) 9524 3676 or email youthservices@gleneira.vic.gov.au

Community events

Glen Eira Storytelling Festival

The Glen Eira Storytelling Festival celebrates the sharing of stories in many forms – online. Highlights include Jon Faine, Arnold Zable, Melanie Cheng, Tony Birch, Katie Noonan, Mike McLeish, Kee’ahn and Danny Katz. This year’s Festival promises to be topical, empathetic, compassionate and we hope our audiences will be moved and delighted with captivating storytelling as it unfolds from the comfort of your living rooms.

Storytelling Festival - Glen Eira City Council | Glen Eira City Council

Queerstories Wednesday 23 June 2021 7- 9 PM free online

Presented by Glen Eira City Council's Youth Services and Storytelling Festival. Join us for an evening of unexpected tales, stories of pride, prejudice, resilience and resistance, delivered with warmth and humor by some of Melbourne's finest storytellers.

A national storytelling project directed by Maeve Marsden, Queerstories has sold out at festivals and independent venues around the country for the past five years, with a book published in 2018 and an award-winning podcast boasting more than 250 stories.

Bookings: Essential Auslan interpreted This event is for people aged 15+ years

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=753627&

Homecoming Elfie Shiosaki - library author talk Wednesday 21 July 7- 8PM Free ONLINE EVENT

Join Noongar and Yawuru writer Elfie Shiosaki as she discusses her latest work Homecoming.

A novel that pieces together fragments of stories about four generations of Noongar women and explores how they navigated the changing landscapes of colonisation, protectionism, and assimilation to hold their families together.

Featuring poetry, prose and historical colonial archives, Homecoming tells First Nations truths of unending love for children—those that were present, those taken, those hidden and those that ultimately stood in the light.

libraryevents@gleneira.vic.gov.au

Japanese manga, comic art and translation competitions

From Annie Yang, Information and Culture Section Consulate-General of Japan 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne E-mail: annie.yang@mb.mofa.go.jp

Web: Consulate-General of Japan, Melbourne (emb-japan.go.jp)

15th Japan International Manga Competition til 7 July 2021

The competition organised annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, encourages the promotion of manga culture worldwide as well as international cultural exchanges. The competition is open to non-Japanese nationals. The application form can be downloaded from the link below. We look forward to receiving your applications!

Events | Consulate-General of Japan, Melbourne (emb-japan.go.jp)

10th Annual Manga Kingdom Tottori International Comic Art Contest – til 31 Aug 2021

Tottori Prefecture is located in the southern part of the Honshu Island in Japan and many well-known manga artists come from the region! The submission categories of this manga contest are: 1 frame manga (1 page), 4 frame manga (1-8 pages), and 4 to 24 page manga, and the theme for this year’s competition is sound. If you’re unsure about the presentation style of each types of manga, click here to see the works from last year’s winners. Whether you have been drawing manga for a long time or just getting started, this is a great opportunity to showcase your skills. Manga Kingdom Tottori International Comic Art ContestCall for Submissions/とりネット/鳥取県公式サイト

Japan Literature Publishing Project JLPP International Translation Competition til 31 Jul 2021

The Japan Literature Publishing Project International Translation Competition is back! In 2021, the target languages are English and Spanish. The source texts are available for download from the website below. There will be three prize winners for each language pair, and with a monetary prize as well as opportunities to participate in professional development events in translation. If you’re looking to test your skills in Japanese literature translation, here's your chance! https://www.jlpp.go.jp/en/competition6/competition6en.html

Catherine McNaughton: Editor, GECPA Newsletter

Rose Robinson: Sub-editor, GECPA Newsletter

Contributors: Nicole Bishop

Tessa Spanneberg

Languages Corner

Languages Corner