Covie NewsIssue 9

Business Manager, Andrew Lowry, shares a brief update on the progress of the new Learning Hub.

Congratulations to Isabella who recently competed at the CSSA State Women's Gymnastics competition. Isabella placed 2nd on bars and 5th on beam in Level 6 Division 1. Amazing work Isabella!! #covieproud

Last Thursday Year 4 went on an excursion to Taronga Zoo. Hear from Chloe, Josie S, Esther Y and Josie A.

Everyone was excited because we knew we would have lots of fun looking at the unique animals. We would have a session with a zookeeper where we learned about Sumatra and its endangered animals, why we need to save them and protect their habitat. We also enjoyed time wandering around the zoo and observing the other animals.

It was a great experience going to the zoo. I loved seeing the monkeys and how they used their tail to balance on the thin vines. They are funny in how they leap and how they are pretty scared of humans. They are such smart little animals and I’m really grateful that God made them.

- Chloe

My favourite part of the day was definitely the seal show. It was amazing how the rangers had trained them to do cool tricks for us. They are fantastic swimmers and the way they use their flippers to glide in the water is super clever. It was a great experience watching them swim and play in the water especially the time when we got to see the baby seal splashing around. Seals are very clever creatures and I’m glad we got to see them.

-Josie S

The excursion was super cool. We got to see amazing animals like the giraffe, meerkats and lions. I especially loved the Fennec Foxes. They were so tiny and cute. My absolute favourite part of the day was the workhouse where we learned cool facts about animals that lived in the rainforest. We even got to hold a tortoise, ring-tailed possum and a snake. It was one of the best experiences ever.

- Esther Y

I had a lot of fun on our excursion; I really loved seeing tigers and lions and how they’re so big and powerful. I also loved seeing two seals; a mother and a pup. It was so cute how it showed off to us by jumping up out of the water and doing other tricks. The last animal I’d like to mention is the Fishing cat. It’s amazing how most cats don’t like the water but this cat dives in to catch fish.

- Josie A

A huge congratulations to our Year 7 to 9 Dance Eisteddfod Troupe, who recently competed in the Extreme Eisteddfod at Abbotsleigh. Their polished performance was awarded a Highly Commended and is a reflection of their hours of rehearsal and dedication. #covieproud

On Tuesday Raif was selected to represent CSSA in the Primary Boys Football team at the Combined Independent School (CIS) Primary Boys Football Selection Championships. Raif's incredible tournament report is below:

It was an amazing opportunity to play football in an incredible team. Right from the first warm up I could tell that we were going to be a really strong team. All the players had serious skills and a brilliant first touch. We started off really well, winning our first 2 games 2-0, with us keeping the ball really well. We won our 3rd game 1-0 to put us joint top of our pool with ASISSA (All Suburbs Independent School Sports Association). The final game of our pool was the top of table clash against of ASISSA with the winner moving onto the final. It was a really tough game as they were a great team. They went 1-0 up early on with a penalty kick and led 1-0 at half time. We had to dig deep in the second half and managed to equalise early on. It was a really close game but we managed to score the winner just before the end and won 2-1 to progress to the final.

In the final we would be playing IPSHA (Independent Primary Schools Heads Association of Australia) who had won the other pool and we knew it would be another tough game. We started really well and managed to go 1-0 up before half time and it was a really close first half. In the second half it was a back-and-forth game with IPSHA attacking hard to equalise. We managed to hit them on the break and I made a run from deep midfield and got picked out with a perfect through ball to send me 1 on 1 with the keeper. I curled it round him as he came out and we went 2-0 up. We managed to score a 3rd goal just before the end to secure a 3-0 win to lift the NSW CIS Championship.

Overall, it was a great experience and I'm grateful to be part of such a good team, and to make some new friends as all of the other boys were really nice and welcoming and our coaches were very friendly as well.

- Raif B, Year 6

Congratulations Raif - we're #covieproud!

Today was the annual visit from Gideons to our Year 7s. Ex-parent and current grandparent, Garnet Harris from Gideons, spoke about their valuable service in hotels, with armed forces, hospitals, schools and even at Vivid.

Each child was given a red Gideons Bible and shown how to use these for searching up verses when feeling sad, lonely, anxious, etc. Garnet also shared how you can support Gideons by praying, volunteering or buying Bibles to give friends and colleagues.

This was a day full of learning opportunities for our senior students, starting with how to navigate public transport from Roseville to the University of Sydney. Our students in Years 10 & 11 ranged from beginner to experienced debaters and they warily awaited the limited introduction and instruction from USU before both teams jumped straight into three rounds of debates against schools such as Monte Sant’ Angelo, Waverley College and Smith’s Hill High School. Our debaters argued across a variety of topics including ‘That we should not abolish trial by jury’, ‘That assuming it exists, police departments should not use the Robocop’, ‘That Australia should adopt a unicameral legislature’, ‘That Wikileaks is good for democracy’ and ‘That we should stream classes in high school’. Our debating students were stretched and pulled outside their comfort zone, quick to embrace the challenges and improve through each debating round. They gratefully received feedback from adjudicators as they strived to maximise their learning opportunity, and respectfully acknowledged the success and skill of their opposition. Debating is a fantastic program which develops students’ skill in critical thinking, persuasive arguments, public speaking, respectful rebuttals, time management and teamwork. For more information about our debating program, contact Fiona Newcombe.

Congratulations to the following students who stepped up for this challenge: Rene DP, Bosco F, Caleb G, Yeri L, Michelle L, Hugo T and Sinny Y.

The gala day held at Cromer Park was a lot of fun for the boys. Both teams dug deep and played with intensity and good sportsmanship. The Seniors and Juniors both achieved a 4th spot position in the quarterfinals but were not able to continue beyond that game. Every boy did their best leaving nothing behind on the field. A big thanks to all the parents for their sideline support, and to coaches, Mr Groves and Mr Hii.

We enjoyed films by our Year 10 Dance Elective students, as well as performances from our Eisteddfod troupes and elective students. A big thank you to all the parents and friends who came to support our dancers, as well as our Dance teachers, Mrs Dolman and Mrs Conolly.

Help us help them!

Here are some tragic statistics:

• 23% of homeless people are aged between 12 and 14 years old.
• In Sydney, there are 346 people sleeping "rough" and 380 people in occupied hostel beds.

Our Secondary students are participating in a Wellbeing Drive to bring in pantry items to deliver to LocalKind, Manly. This NGO serves the vulnerable and at-risk people, including the homeless community, on the Northern Beaches. Until the end of term, students are being asked to bring in particular items to their Home Class and there will be a pizza party for the Home Class which brings in the most items. The items are:

• Cup/Instant noodles
• Canned goods (e.g. tuna, spaghetti, baked beans)
• Long life milk
• Cereal
• Biscuits
• Other non-perishable items