Mr John Clarke

Dear Parents and Students,

As you know, we here at the school are keen to establish leading-edge standards in dealing with environmental issues. We are not just expressing concern; that’s not good enough. We are setting targets, detailing benchmarks and striving to be carbon neutral as an institution by 2014.

While there is broad agreement in the school community about remodeling our activities in such a way as to reduce the impact we have on the planet, there is nevertheless some reluctance or incapacity to act individually. Last week three different elective groups were asked to report on what they had done PERSONALLY by way of bringing about change. The following evidence speaks for itself. It is a sad comment on our commitment to the serious problems we face, that some of us are still avoiding the issue. If we cannot address the question of personal responsibility for change, what hope can we offer our young?
It is perhaps time some of us had a good, long, hard look at ourselves.
I hope to see many of you at the Choral Recital on the 15th.

Yrs,

Dougal Entendre,
Green Learning Centre
St Expensives

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We had a fantastic response to our last quiz and we thank everyone who entered. The winner was Mal Lacoota, of Mallacoota. And great work Mal. Well done. For the record, the answers were as follows:

1. False. Andrew Wilkie was not the yellow Wiggle.

2. True. Credit ratings agencies have downgraded the credit ratings of European economies which lost money listening to the advice of credit ratings agencies.

3. The pictures show an Italian luxury cruise ship. The Italian economy is a three funnel job and is somewhat lower in the water.

4. False. It is not possible to vote for Ken Grenda to run Australia.

5. True. Julia Gillard and Andrew Wilkie have changed the status of their relationship. She has unfriended him and he has unfollowed her. They don’t unlike each other but are currently offline.

6. True. Newt Gingrich is technically sane. The reason he wants to go to the moon and mine minerals is that he has part of Wednesday free and is swimming to Mars on Friday.

7. False. The presentations during TV coverage of the Australian Open tennis of betting odds on upcoming matches were not advertising. They were Public Service Announcements.

8. False. The betting agency is not called FunLoss. Its name is Sportsbet.

9. False. Television is not new. It was developed during the 1920s and one of its greatest writers was Charles Dickens, who would have been 200 last week.

10. True. ‘Live coverage’ means actual coverage of anevent which was genuinely happening when it was recorded.

11. True. When he played Novak Djokovic, LleytonHewitt had one leg, one hand, a hip injury, calf and groin injuries, three broken arms and a bullet wound to the thigh. The match was held under lights at Tobruk.

12. True. The final between Djokovic and Nadal was the greatest event in world history.

13. False. The male players did not grunt. The grunt-like sounds they emitted while hitting the ball were simply manly expostulations made for your viewing pleasure.

14. False. It was not a Gingrich who stole Christmas. It was a Grinch.

15. False. The athlete who recently withdrew from a pole vault event was Steve Hooker. Joe Hockey is tapering nicely for London.

16. The picture shows batsman David Warner switch-hitting. Peter Slipper is the Speaker in the federal parliament.

17. True. Charges against Lance Armstrong have been found to contain traces of an illegal substance and have been withdrawn.

18. False. Anna Bligh does not smoke a cigar, make a V sign or threaten to fight anyone on beaches. She does, however, go very well in a crisis.

19. False. Tony Abbott was never a rhythm guitarist in abelow-average British band. It’s just the suit and the way he walks.

20. False. Kevin Rudd is not a climate change denier. Climate change is one of three things Kevin doesn’t deny. The other two are the time and the date.

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Great News!

With the Intercollegiate Athletics Championships only ten days away this could not be happening at a better time.
Earlier this week Rainer Soros (4M) lapped the field in the 5,000 metres and put in a PB which would have ensured a podium finish at the nationals. Rainer’s form this year has been outstanding and he has looked the goods against all-comers in recent outings. His current form (three PBs in successive events) is a great tribute to the work he has done over summer, to the dedication of his coach Abe Luddydope and to the improvement in school facilities undertaken last year by the board. If Rainer can maintain this form, he will acquit himself extremely well and the Intercollegiate record could be in serious danger. He certainly carries with him the hopes and very best wishes of us all.
Go Rainer!

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Dear Parent or Guardian,

I regret that some slight concerns have emerged in relation to aspects of Book Club. Many of you will be aware of this important initiative, begun in response to declining levels of literacy and very well supported by the English staff. A reading programme has been worked out, featuring works designed to stimulate young minds and to encourage an interest in ideas. Despite the best efforts of organisers, however, Book Club is often regarded as just an excuse to fool around, a problem which the following image demonstrates very clearly.

Many of these students have obviously not read the book. There is inattention. There is chatter. There is complete disregard for the nature and purpose of the exercise. No benefit can accrue from this programme unless students seize the opportunity presented to them. This is not a time for immaturity, for lack of interest or for wasting everyone’s time.

These students are not just letting the programme and the school down; they’re letting their teachers down, their parents down and their friends down. But more importantly, they are letting themselves down.

I expect some improvement over time but so far this year, this is a disappointing response.

Starling, second from the left, bottom row, come and see me afterwards.

Iva Krapp-Daley
Co-Ordinator
Book Club

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