newsletter 03 a pr 09

the day on Holy Thursday 9th April and will open again for Term 2 on Tuesday 28th April.

Mar Narsai Plans

As you would be aware from our earlier communication with you we will move Mar Narsai College to the Assyrian Australian Social Centre, however as we discussed earlier we will leave years 5 and 6 on the St Hurmizd campus site for this year. We are still waiting for the Council to approve our final plans and the median (isle) design in Smithfield Road outside the Social Centre.

Mar Narsai College Horsley Park

We have completed all the requests of the Council regarding fencing and landscaping, and we are hoping to hear from them soon. His Beatitude is looking for building quotes from companies for this project.

Thanks to the parents who attended the Mar Narsai Information Night last Tuesday where we discussed our plans and policies. It is important that ALL Parents attend these meetings because we need to com‐municate face to face often during the aca‐demic year, where you can ask your ques‐tions and meet all teachers of your chil‐dren.

Please read the Newsletter and the fliers (letters) that we send you so that you know what is happening in your schools.

Next Wednesday 8th April we have our whole School Mass that will be conducted by His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia in St Hur‐mizd Cathedral. All parents are welcome to attend.

Finally I wish you a happy and safe Easter Holiday.

John Haskal

Dear Parents

Holy Holy Holy Lord God of power and might,

Heaven and Earth are full of your Glory... Hosanna in the Highest

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the Highest

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, Jesus is riding a donkey into Jerusalem in preparation for the final week before the Feast of Passover when He will be taken by the chief priests and the eld‐ers of the people (Matthew 26:47) and put to death by crucifying Him on the Cross. This fulfils the prophesy that the Son of Man will die for us so that our sins will be forgiven if we believe in Him our Lord and Saviour.

Then Next Sunday (Easter), Jesus will rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven and will be seated at the right hand of His Father. This proves to us that we too can have life everlasting if we follow our Lord Jesus’ way.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:55‐56

From the Assyrian schools staff and stu‐dents we wish His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia a very Happy Easter to‐gether with all our Parents and friends in this great Assyrian community.

This is the last newsletter for Term one as next week is the last week of this Term. Schools will close at the end of

Principal

SCHOOL NOTICE BOARD

Last day of Term 1

Thursday 9th April

First day of Term 2

Tuesday 28th April

3rd April 2009

Term 1, Issue 60

The Assyrian Schools NE

W

S L E

T T

E

R

The Harp of The SpiritThe Harp of The SpiritThe Harp of The Spirit

Deputy Principal 2

Winter Uniform 3

Assyrian New Year 4

Work Experience 5

Cross Country Carnival 6

Harp Strings Holy Week

7

Health Talk 8

Inside this issue:

Dear Parents and Friends of our Schools

As this first school term for 2009 draws to a close I would like to thank you, the parents and friends of our schools for your coopera‐tion, support and understanding in helping us achieve our objectives at the Assyrian Schools. Your partnership in the educative process of our children is much valued and appreciated and we are always looking for opportunities to involve and engage parents as partners in all aspects of schooling because we know that you have a great deal to offer.

Primary Matters

With their first schooling experience, our Kin‐dergarten children are settling in well as they become more familiar with their new learning environment and classroom routines. Part of our literacy program for the K classes is to establish the foundations for language learn‐ing. This involves learning sounds (phonics) and symbols (letters) before moving into combinations of sounds (blends) that eventu‐ally lead to the formation of simple words and later on simple sentences. As part of the preparation to learn the skills of reading, our children are engaged in an online reading program that will eventually teach them the fundamental code for learning to read. Dur‐ing term 2, the children basic reading skills will further be developed through reading groups within their classes. To this end we are asking for volunteer parents who are suitably skilled and proficient readers to as‐sist with guided reading in small groups. In‐terested parents should contact the school office and ask to speak with the deputy prin‐cipal.

Secondary Matters

In the course of the school year, parents of our College students are invited to attend information evenings for the purpose of pass‐ing on important information relating to

school policies and curriculum issues. On such occasions parents are very much encouraged to attend for two reasons; 1. To demonstrate to your children that you are genuinely interested in their education and in attending these meet‐ings ‐ you are passing on the message to your child that their education and their future is important to you – children general respond well when their parents are there to support them on these occasions.

2. To raise awareness and receive important information about the Board of Studies proce‐dures and updates that will have long term im‐plications about your children’s future.

We hope to see more parents attending these meetings and asking more questions about their children’s education.

Well Wishes

On the first of April we celebrated the Assyrian New Year 6759, as Assyrians we celebrated our proud heritage, long history and unique culture, as Australians we celebrated the freedom, the peace, the social justice, and the blending of our two cultures of our adopted country. Happy Assyrian New Year.

This coming Sunday, Palm Sunday, will mark the start of Holy Week which include; Passover Thursday, Good Friday, the Saturday of Light and culminating with the Resurrection Feast of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. During this holy week, it is time to sanctify both body and spirit as we celebrate our great hope of Resur‐rection and join the millions of Christians around the world in shouting, The Lord Is Risen!

God Bless

Sargis Makko

The Assyrian Schools

Excellence

Christian Values

Commitment

Deputy Principal

Students of both schools will return to school on Tuesday 28th April and must be wearing their full winter uniform, which includes their school blazers.

ǵȉȁ ǧȁܐܬܘܪ ǨȨȏȥܕ ǧȥܕܪ ǧǹȁܙܘ ǵȉȁ ǳ ȅ ȐȒȂȏǪ ǳ Ǹܕ ǧȋǶȂǪ ǨܬǶȂ Ǹܘ ǧȏȒȂȎ ȨȂǪܕ ǧǸȤ ȁ

ǧȏȂȅܕ Ǩܬǳ Ǹ . ǧȡ ǩȤ ʧǫ ȑ ȊǪǵȁ ǧȅ ǨȨȏȥܕ ǧȥܪ

ǩܕǳǹȈ ܘܢǵȏǪȤ ȡܘ ǧȁȳܐܬܘǵȉȦǭȤܘܢ ȨȁǦǪܘܬȁـǵܝ ȋܘȤܕܘܬȁـǵܝ ȋܝ ܘǵـȁȨȂȘȥ . ܘܬ

ȃǹȁ ܗܘܘ Ƿȋ ǧȅ ǧȂȋǳȡ ǧȁȳܐܬܘ Ȥ Ȓȗܕܬܪ ǧǸȨȋ ǧȡ ǨȨȏȥܕ ǧȥȤȈ

ǧȏȋǶȁ . ǧȎǵȅܕ ǩܪǶǭܘ ǧȆȉ ȋ ǨܗǦǪ ܗܘܘ ȃȚܬǶȥ ǧȅ ǧȌȌ ȗܘ

ǧȏȉȂ Ǹ ǩȳǶȑܝ ܗܘܘ ܐǷǹ ȋܘ ǧǹȁܙܘǨǵȈ ȍ ܐ ȗ .

ǧȅ ǧȁȳܐܬܘ Ȑ ȏǸ ܠ ܐܕǶȁܡ ܐ ܗ

ǨȨȁܐܬܘܪ ǨȨȏȥܕ ǧȥȤȈ Ǻ ǹȁ Ƿȋܚ Ƕȁ ǩȤȌȘǪܕ ǧȆȁ Ǩ : ܐ Ȩȏȁǳȋ Ƕǭ

، Ǩ ȨȂȈ Ǩ ܘǦȋܙ ܬ Ǧȗǳܕǩ ܘȨȦȋܘ ȗ ȃțǼȡ ǧȅ ǧȦȎܐ Ǩ ܘȨȋ Ƕǭܘܬ

ǧȌȦǪ ܘܢǵȈܐǷǹ ȋܘ ǧȦȁȴȚ ǩܕȳ ܘȐȒȂȎܕ ǧȏȡܕܕ .

Ǩܬǳ Ǹ ǨȨȁܐܬܘܪ ǨȨȏȥ ǨȨȆȁȤǪ

. ǶȅǶȉȗܢ

ȓȂǭȤ ȑ ǧȘȁ ܡ ܘܙ ǨȨȂȎǶȑ ǳ ܐܕ ȂǪ ǳȑ10ܪǩ ܕ

Excellence

Christian Values

Commitment

Term 1, Issue 60

Winter Uniform ܒܐ ܒ ܐ ܒ

ܐܬܘܪ ܐ ܕ 6759ܪ

Congratulations to the follow‐

ing students for receiving a

Principals Award:

Marian Menashi 4W

Mary Oraham 3C

Noah Sada 3C

Andre Ibrahim 3C

Ashoorina Anoya 4I


Faith

Heritage

Education

Assyrian New Year 6759 On the 1st April our schools Mar Narsai As‐syrian College and St Hurmizd Assyrian Pri‐mary School celebrated the Assyrian New Year, marking the significance of the Assyr‐ian history and culture, which dates back to centuries before Christ.

Our students participated in various cul‐tural activities which highlighted the im‐portance of the day. The day was organ‐ized by our Assyrian language coordinator Mr. Anwar Atto who conducted an assem‐bly that was administered by our school captains.

The assembly began with a prayer fol‐lowed by the Australian and Assyrian Na‐tional Anthems, sung by our school choir. Mr. Haskal then addressed the assembly and spoke about the importance of pre‐serving our heritage and blending it in with the Australian culture.

Soon after that, students were presented with a power point presentation about Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, which was conducted by three year 9 students ‐ Adorena Shahen, Jasmin Yalda and Ramen Awraham. Just after that the school choir sang more famous cultural songs and it was followed by a year 10 power point presentation by Reti Bityou and Sandi Daoud about the 12 days of celebration.

The highlight of the ceremony was a speech by sister Jincy, an Indian nun from the Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East in the state of Kerala, India. Sister Jincy is currently completing her PhD the‐sis on Maryology whilst learning Aramaic. Her message to the students was to love one another and live a life without sin. She also thanked the school for their kind donations to the orphanage in India and wished everyone a pleasant Assyrian New Year. Once the assembly was over, the students had a brief recess and then sepa‐rated into their classes to participate in activities such as dance art, cooking his‐tory, music and a viewing of a cultural

documentary. The majority of students wore Assyrian traditional clothes and were quite pleased with the activities which they enjoyed thoroughly. Overall, a great day was had by all, filled with happiness and joy which enabled the students to ac‐knowledge their culture and learn about the distinct traditions which ranged back to the origins of Assyria.

By Ramen, Adorena and Jasmin.

School Mass On Wednesday 8th April, 2009 to mark the end of the school term the school will at‐tend a mass conducted by his Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia Metropolitan of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East which parents are welcome to attend.

Mass will begin at 9:15am.

This year students of both year 10 classes are per‐mitted to do work experience. Work experience al‐lows us students to experience a taste of the world of work. Miss Shimshon and I met up regularly dis‐cussing the profession I want to do in the future. I have considered teaching as my occupation for some time now and I thought I should choose a school. Miss Shimshon thought it was a great idea and she began to organise it for me. I considered going to Governor Phillip King Public School as it is where I studied in the early stages of my school life. Governor had accepted my application and that’s when all the paper work began. My career advisor gave me many sheets and booklets I had to look over, read and sign. I found that really exciting be‐cause I felt as though I was actually beginning to work. My dates had been finalised by the relieving deputy Principal Ms. Usher who agreed that I could be on work placement from the 16th to the 20th of March. Once all the paper work was done, I began to think what would be appropriate at this work‐place as safety is a priority. I had to make sure that I was fit for the job.

Just like everybody who begins work on the first day I was anxious and the thought of it had my adrena‐lin going. Governor still looked the same but it seemed so much smaller, I guess when you grow up everything seems much different. Ms Usher intro‐duced me to the signing in and out book which be‐came my best friend. She showed me around the staffroom and told me to feel comfortable as the teachers are excited about my visit. Just before the school bell rang she gave me my timetable and a school map which would direct me around the cam‐pus. My first class was year one with Mrs. Kumar who remembered me when I stepped into the class‐room. I had some children read to me and later on we went out for fitness. The kids were working on a dance for a competition against other public schools; personally I think it was so fabulous they’d win it hands down. Later on I took 4MO which had visitors from the Paramatta Eels (John under 20’s and Jodie) and KDG who made me extremely tired. One thing this experience had allowed me to con‐sider: I am not teaching kindy!

Once the day was over, I had to sign out and return my visitors pass. I also had to give Ms Usher my di‐ary to write in a comment and sign (this had to be done daily). She wrote that the students and teach‐

ers enjoyed my visit. On Tuesday the 17th I en‐joyed 6HS with Mrs Stamateas as they were working on HSIE, my favourite! The kids had an assessment task regarding AusAid and I had to help them pick a topic. After lunch I participated in the Assyrian class, yes AS‐SYRIAN! That was such an amazing experience; kids of many backgrounds were learning our language and Miss. Odisho was just a pleasure to watch. The kids there welcomed me in Assyrian saying ‘shlamalakh’ which I found delightful. I began to feel more comfort‐able around teachers as many of them remembered me and they treated me with respect. Sitting in the staff room with the teachers was also fascinating as they were... very entertaining.

During work experience I began to consider what years are suitable for me, although I would like to teach high school years five and six crossed my mind. On Thursday when I took 5SR whose teacher was replaced with a casual and 5NS with Mr Samuel I realised that year five is a pretty good idea. The kids in 5SR were bright and they have so much potential. I came across a very bright and gifted student. She had kept me entertained with her work and her attitude, she is a little chatter‐box but it only reminded me of the different kids I will come across. 5NS with Mr Samuel was an interesting class, as he is half Assyrian he spoke to some of his kids in Assyrian and Chinese students even understood him! His class was definitely a great environment and I’d love to have a relationship like he does with his kids. It is without question the sense of humour he brought into his classroom contributed to a great learning envi‐ronment.

The librarian Ms. Halabe informed me that in 2004 the school buried a capsule in the garden and it will be taken out in 2014, she told me to come along as it will be a big occasion for Governor Phillip King. Hopefully I will be there and reunite with the kids and teachers. It is something many ex‐students including myself are looking forward to.

Finally, I do believe that teaching is the right occupa‐tion for me as I loved it at Governor Phillip King and I know that I will miss the students. I am privileged to be able to do work experience at a place I enjoy and I would like to thank Miss Shimshon for making my work placement a memorable one! Hope all the other year ten students enjoy their work experience as much as I have.

A good teacher is like a candle ‐ it consumes itself to light the way for others.

Reema K 10.1

Faith

Heritage

Education

Term 1, Issue 60

Work Experience


Faith

Heritage

Education

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

With the possibility of further rate cuts in April and the progress of the Australian economy, now is the best time to take advantage of buyer activity in the market place.

To celebrate the 6759th Assyrian New Year, if you decide to list your property for sale with me in the month of April, I will offer you a FREE advertising campaign, providing you with maximum ex‐posure to thousands of buyers!

Call me today for an obligation free Market Appraisal and to dis‐cuss your options for a successful sale. I am available 7 days a week.

Secure your sale before the end of June!

Real Estate Today (Advertisement) Sponsored by: Sargon Khoshaba Sales & Marketing Consultant Ray White Wetherill Park 0404983236 [email protected]

The 2009 Assyrian Schools Cross Country Carnival will be held at Powhatan Park on Tuesday 7th April for all students in Years 2‐10. Students will be walking to and from the Park under the supervision of their class/home room teachers. The Cross Country Carnival will run from 9:00am‐ 1:40pm with a normal school day to resume after that therefore students must bring their equipment for lessons for that time (SHAPS 2:15‐3:00 and MNAC Periods 7 and 8). All students must attend school in their full sports uniform (don’t forget the hats!) and must bring their re‐cess and a bottle of water with them. Students will return back to School to have their lunch.

In case of wet weather, a normal school day will run and the Carnival will be held at a later date. If you are unsure about whether the Carnival will run, you can use our SMS Bounce Back service. On the morning of the Carnival, SMS the word MNAC to 19922767 (at a cost of 55c plus GST per SMS) and you will receive an instant reply notifying you about whether the Carnival is on or not.

Any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Mirza.

Cross Country Carnival Tuesday 7th April

Bible readings for Holy Week

Palm Sunday (Khosheeba d Oshaneh)

Matthew 21:1‐11,

Luke 19:28‐44

Passover Thursday (Eeda d Piskha)

Matthew 26:17‐30

Luke 22:7‐38

Good Friday (Roota d khasha)

Matthew 26:31‐74, 27:1‐66,

Luke 22:47‐71, 23:1‐56

Sunday of the Resurrection ( Eeda d Qyamta)

Matthew 28

Mark 16

Luke 24

John 20—21

As we enter the Easter season we en‐courage all families to attend the follow‐ing Eucharistic services offered by our Church.

Good Friday 10th April

St Hurmizd Cathedral

2.00pm

St Mary’s Church

2.00pm

Ss. Peter & Paul Parish

(English Evening Service)

St Mary’s Church

7.30pm

Saturday 11th April (Midnight Mass)


10.00pm

St Mary’s Church

10.00pm

Ss. Peter & Paul Parish

English Mass

St Johns Park H.S. Hall

(Opposite St Hurmizd Cathedral)

10.00pm

Sunday of the Resurrection 12th April


8.00am

St Mary’s Church

8.00am

Easter Monday 13th April (Gaya’sa)

St Hurmizd & St Mary’s Church

8.00am

Faith

Heritage

Education

Term 1, Issue 60

Harp Strings

What does it mean to be healthy?

If I asked you “Are you healthy?” What

questions would you ask yourself to

determine whether you are healthy or

not? From previous experience, most

people would think of their diet and

physical activity level when trying to

determine whether they are healthy or

not. If you do that, then you are only

looking at one dimension of health.

You see “being healthy” does not only

mean how fit you are and how healthy

your diet is, but it means a few other

things as well. Complete health is ac‐

complished by having a balance of

physical, mental, social, emotional, and

spiritual well‐being. Therefore, in order

to determine how healthy you are, you

should analyse not only your physical

wellbeing, but also your mental, social,

emotional and spiritual wellbeing. So

that when analysing your health status,

you will be able to determine how

healthy you really are.

In this issue, I will address Physical

Health. Physical health refers to how

well the body is performing its’ func‐

tions, such as:

• Using the nutrients in food

• Working muscles during physical

activity

• Transporting oxygen in the blood

you should analyse not only your physical wellbeing, but also your mental, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing

Fighting disease and infection

We can look after our physical health

by ensuring we are eating the right

foods (I’ve addressed this in a previous

issue of Health Talk), engaging in

physical activity (30 minutes per day of

moderate intensity exercise) and pre‐

venting illness and/or disease (by not

smoking, protecting yourself while in

the sun etc)

Mr. Mirza

School Diary

7th April

Cross Country

Years 2 to 10

8th April

School Mass

9th April

Food Technology

Easter Show Excursion

End of Term 1

10th April

Good Friday

Term 2 2009

28th April

First day of Term 2

Keep Australia and our school beautiful. Please recycle

If you would like to subscribe to the Newsletter emailing list please send an email with the subject “Subscribe

to Newsletter” to [email protected]

Health Talk

2008 Graduation

Ceremony DVD’s are

on sale now in the

SHAPS office. $20

each.

Don’t miss out on

purchasing this memo-

rable and historical

event that features

our special guests,

His Holiness Mar

Dinkha IV and all the

Church prelates.

newsletter 03 a pr 09

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