Sathya Sai Primary School

The School Year, 2008

Operation Art awards

Every year thousands of students from kindergarten to high school participate in Operation Art, in which they enter their paintings or drawings. The best of these are selected to be displayed in children's hospitals in Australia and also Japan. This year we have been especially honored by having two of our students' works selected. They are Avara Nance-Kivell and Tamati Sims from grade 4. Framed prints of their works will be returned to the school for display here. Congratulations Avara and Tamati for the great effort.

The School Band

School Band has commenced!

Late in May, on a Thursday at lunchtime the school band had its first session. Twelve keen musicians showed the value of concentration by giving their full attention to Martha, our band conductor and teacher. Martha was very pleased with the group describing them as alert and excited as well as listening responsively. We look forward to a presentation by the band by the end of term. We still need help with instruments and bandstands. There is room for students who wish to play the recorder in the band.

World Harmony Run

The World Harmony Run is a global relay that seeks to promote international friendship and understanding. As a symbol of harmony, runners carry a flaming torch, passing it from hand to hand travelling through over 100 nations around the globe. The World Harmony Run does not seek to raise money or highlight any political cause, but simply strives to create goodwill among peoples of all nations.

In Australia, the first school stop of the run around the continent was the Sathya Sai Primary School in Murwillumbah. This is a school with a difference - when we arrived the children were meditating. The experience was both inspiring and profound as we felt we had come to a school that had a message and an understanding that were perfectly synchronous with our own Harmony Run and its founder Sri Chinmoy.

The children sang a sweet and soulful song welcoming us all with so much enthusiasm and warmth that we felt completely at home. Next we passed the torch to each student around the schoolyard and they all stopped and offered a fervent and deep wish for world harmony!

"Our school very much is into integrating human values into the school curriculum... This is a very great way to start this term by participating in a run for values and harmony throughout the world. We wish you every success and we will follow your progress around Australia. We will get our map on the wall to follow your progress over the next hundred days. Thank you very much for the effort that you put into this and every success along the way and we are looking forward to a better world." - Bob Malloy, Principal of the Sathya Sai Primary School.

Thanks so much to all of the staff and students for such a wonderful and uplifting experience.

National Walk for Values

Once again the Sathya Sai Primary School participated in the National Walk for Values, an event which is held in every Capital City around Australia. The School joined the Brisbane National Walk for Values. You can read more about the Brisbane Walk on this website. Pictures from the Brisbane Walk can be seen here.

Community Group Visit - Police and Citizens Youth Club

Visitors from the PCYC at Sathya Sai Primary School

Tweed PCYC rep Shaye Heron and Jo Wyatt Life Education rep, spoke candidly about the reality of the outside world tempting our children into the world of alcohol and drugs. Shaye spoke about the importance of parents establishing boundaries around behaviours at a young age, so that children understand their own conscience. Police are very keen to support parents and are delighted that parents ring and report persons assisting child access to drugs and alcohol. Police youth workers have to act as a child's conscience, as this is lacking in society today. The 18 adults present on the night were stunned at the reality check we were all given!

Student Representative Council, 2008

Wollumbin High School Deputy Principal Mr B Upton presented badges and listen to the oath of office for our new school elected leaders for semester 1, 2008. Two representatives from each of grades 3-5 and four from grade 6 have been elected by the whole school following speeches. Parents and community are warmly invited to this special assembly.

Mr Upton from Wollumbin High School
with Mr Steve Wedell of the School Mgt Committee

School Captains

Jaya Rotstein and Rueben Russ

Representatives

Owen Arnold and Bala Brown - grade 6
Sam Cook and Ayla Young - grade 5
Josef Solomon and Jadess Wormleaton - grade 4
Tiani Freeman and Niamh Langan-Keyte - grade 3

Gold Medal Winners requests for 2008

Students who were awarded EHV gold medals for 2007 were entertained at a Principal's lunch in the main hall in December and amongst luncheon feasts, shared with the Principal what they really enjoyed most, and what they would like to see for Sathya Sai Primary School in 2008.

'Friendships', 'EHV as it helps you be friendly', 'friendly teachers', 'the people who know what we need', 'my friends who play with me and don't leave me out', 'most people are kind', 'people send love to me', 'listening', ' my principal, teachers, parents and friends', 'friends', 'I just like the school, everyone's really kind'; these are what they enjoy.

Their requests for 2008 included: more books, musical instruments, school to grow bigger, more practice of values, a band and more musical instruments, a cricket team, a talent quest, more books in the library especially about myths and legends.

Nursing Home Visit

Once every month, every class undertakes some form of community service. Here, we see students at a Nursing Home Visit.

Parents and Friends welcome Monday 4 February

Parent and community members met with teachers last week to present some practical ideas for the year. Ganeshka has taken on grounds responsibility and sees a sanctuary, oasis, beauty and wholeness on the grounds with areas for children to nurture and treasure. Native species, development of the peace garden with a small fence, lots of recycling, scents and entry in the garden competition are ahead. Cath Brown shared her vision for music with expansion of the 2007 Flame Award ideas, more percussion and performing instruments and piano, creating and listening even better. Aurelia Toomey-Singleton sees health as important with behaviour and organ health linked. Yoga, eating, diet, cultural health, body percussion, maybe a cookbook, child programs for self-mastery of tasks and deep medicine bringing out commitment were some of her wonderful suggestions. Narelle Blessington spoke about sport and is keen for parents to help, sport buddies, a cricket kit, keeping the sports room tidy, holistic sport catering for different ages and abilities.

Carmen Myler sees highlighting the differences and why this school is so attractive to our parents and community as the key to media communication. Why do we focus on the garden, why food, why harmony day? She would like to see more awareness of values education nationally and internationally. Delece Flight looked at both structure and psychology of reading help and wants to see a shorter time structure placed around reading help and for teachers to talk with the parent when they come. She asked for a worksheet and a video to guide parent readers, whose contributions are significant. Nick Hall has a vision of excellence in all printed material coming out of the school and feels that much is substandard. He would like the school to run a proof-reading and desktop publishing workshop. Nick is the P & F representative on the School Management Committee. Thank you to all of these committed parents; we value your contribution to the whole school's health very much. Some other practical ideas that came from discussions were: parent roster for Knox Park duty, yoga, no chips, hierarchy of values, SRC balls duty, clubs on Thursday, grandparents as reading helpers, roster for lost property; boundaries, structure and consistency in parent-assisted reading with a worksheet and video as guidance.

School Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8.30 am-4:15 pm Address: 9 Nullum St Murwillumbah NSW 2484 Postal Address: P.O. Box 705 Murwillumbah NSW 2484 Phone: 02 6670 8800 Fax: 02 6672 6016 Email addresses Leelah Broughton :principal@sathyasai.nsw.edu.au Suresh Sampathkumar: businessmanager@sathyasai.nsw.edu.au	Fully accredited by NSW Board of Studies
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