News 194 5 2018 by ST Spyridon College

VOLUME XXXV No 5 13th April, 2018

HOMILY ON THE OCCASION OF EASTER – PASCHA 2018

DATES TO REMEMBER APRIL Anzac Day (office closed)

Anzac Day at St Spyridon Church – 9am

28th

Staff Development Day

30th

MAY Students return – Winter uniform Year 6 Interrelate National Schools Event - Melbourne School photographs JS Naplan Yrs 3, 5, 7 & 9

1 th

th,

4 , 11 18

9 – 11

14 th

15 – 17

th th

Half Yearly Exams Primary begins

School photographs - Senior School

Kindergarten 2019 Information Morning

ISA Cross Country Carnival SS

Bright week, also known as Renewal Week, begins on Easter Sunday and ends on the following Sunday, the Sunday of St. Thomas. According to Holy Tradition, the name originates from the fact that the newly baptized from Pascha on Holy Saturday are newly illumined and bright. For them, Bright Week was a period of spiritual rebirth and renewal. In the early Church, the newly baptized wore white for an entire week and hence the week is also called White Week. The seven days of Bright Week are seen as one day, a continuous celebration of Pascha, and Pascha is ultimately an expression of God’s great love for humanity accomplished through the Cross and resurrection of His only-begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This love is expressed by St. John the Evangelist in the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3: 16).

It is for this reason that the Church encourages us to rejoice during this important period by repeating psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, by reading sacred Scripture and by receiving Holy Communion more often, rejoicing and celebrating in Christ’s victory over death. This joy is reflected in the sacred hymnology of the Orthodox Church. St. John of Damascus for example, in his Paschal Canon or resurrection hymn teaches us: “Now all things have been filled with light, both heaven and earth and those beneath the earth; so let all creation sing Christ’s rising, by which it is established.” Bright Week is also an invitation for us all to bear spiritual fruit and to cultivate or to develop new virtues for our own personal illumination as well. Therefore, Bright Week is also a period of spiritual rebirth and renewal for each and every Orthodox Christian. The Church, as a living testimony and witness to the reality of Christ’s resurrection, invites us all, her children, to live this Paschal mystery - not annually, not once a year but daily. According to St. Gregory the Theologian, this can only be achieved by dedicating our lives to God and by becoming Christ-like: “Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us. Let us become God’s for His sake, since He became a human for our sake. He assumed the worse so that He might give us the better; He became poor that we through His poverty might be rich. He took the form of a servant so that we may receive our liberty. He came down from heaven so that we might be exalted and raised to heaven…He died that He might save us; He ascended that he might draw us to Himself…. Let us offer all to Him who gave Himself so that we may have eternal life.” Christ is Risen! Mr A. Picardi Orthodox and Legal Studies Teacher

25th MARCH CELEBRATIONS Congratulations are extended to all K-12 students for their exemplary behaviour at the 25th March commemorations.

Fereniki Ghelis (Year 11) reciting poem

Victoria Stathos (Year 6) reciting poem

GOOD FRIDAY AND ANASTASI

K – 12 NEWS EASTER HYMN

CONGRATULATIONS

Χριστός ανέστη εκ νεκρών, Θανάτω Θάνατον πατήσας και τοις εν τοις μνήμασι ζωήν χαρισάμενος.

Congratulations to our Head of College Mrs Stefanou on the birth of her second granddaughter Yoanna, sister to Efrosyni.

Christ is risen from the dead, by death trampling on death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life. ACER SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Years 11 and 12, 2019-2020 Congratulations to Paul Bessiris and Chloe Drougas, Year 10 who have each been granted a two year Scholarship for continued study in Years 11 and 12.

Yoanna is the second child of Emmanuel and Rena Hatzi (HSC 2001). Congratulations to Councillor and Mrs Andrews and Harrison (6P) on the birth of their daughter and sister Emily. May Christ bless both families with good health and long lives. WINTER UNIFORM Senior School

Congratulations to Alexandra Bizannes, Year 6 granted the 2018 four year scholarship to St Spyridon College.

All students are to wear their winter uniform from the 1st May. A reminder that blazers are compulsory and must be worn to and from School. On days students are allowed to come wearing their sports uniform e.g. Thursday ISA training, students must wear their full tracksuit. Junior School Blazer is to be worn to and from school every day in winter.

The scholarships are based on the results of ACER Scholarship exams held in February. There was a strong field of candidates from other primary schools, our Year 6 and Year 10 students.

Girls to wear regulation blue tights. Shirts need to have the standard collar. No Peter Pan collars. Tracksuit to be worn with polo top for sport. No shorts.

We commend all students who attempted this challenging exam. 8

P&F NEWS ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! Easter is a time of renewal and celebration and the 2018 P&F Committee are in full swing with our fundraising. Candles and Easter raffles came early this year before the end of term and Holy Week brought in one of our favorite events - Palm Sunday luncheon in the Church Hall. On Sunday 1st April, a team of about 20 volunteers planned, sourced, prepped, cooked and served around 250 guests. It felt like a true pop-up event and our team served everyone promptly and efficiently. The main menu was impeccable with plated up whole snapper, an assortment of side dishes and a buffet of Lenten desserts. This year almost everything was donated by parents and friends of our school which highlighted the amazing generosity of our community. Our Easter events have brought in $15,000 in profit. Thank you to everyone who participated, bought tickets or candles, volunteered and donated towards the success of these events. In term 2 we move into celebrations of our Mothers of all generations: Mother’s Day Stalls will be held at the Junior School on the 8th, 9th and 10th May 2018. Mother’s Night Out will be in town this year on 17th May 2018. Over the holidays, the team is gathering donations and purchasing gifts for both events. If you know anyone who would like to donate a prize for our lucky dips valued between $50-$100, please contact Angela (0407 061 940) or Erenie (0410 318 053). Mother’s Night Out is always a sell out and we only have limited spots left, so book your seat by contacting Joanna during the holidays (0419 992 027). This year we are doing things a little different – stay tuned for more details. Remember to check the St Spyridon portal (https://portal.stspyridon.nsw.edu.au/igloo/portal/) for flyers of upcoming events! Have a great break. Leslie Paparsenos P&F Secretary

JUNIOR SCHOOL REPORT ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ ! CHRIST IS RISEN! I was moved and humbled to see so many of our students and parents who came and assisted with the Holy Week preparations. You made palm crosses, chanted, prepared the flowers for the Epitaphio, carried the Epitaphio, served as altar boys and flower girls but more importantly, you were present for Christ. May His blessings be yours. We thank the Very Reverend Father Steven and Father Sotiri who with love and patience welcomed us each morning and each evening; anointed us with Holy Unction; prepared and shared Holy Communion with us; prayed for us and shared with us Christ’s joyous resurrection. Did you know that the Good Friday service was streamed live this year? Snippets are available through the Church’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/stspyridonparish/videos/v b.613569825393425/1698002660283464/?type=2&t heater On Holy Wednesday, we were able to share with our Very Reverend Father Steven, our Parish President Mr Livissianis and a hall packed with our extended family, our Easter Assembly. The traditional baking of koulourakia and flaounes along with the candles, palm crosses, red eggs and Engomia Chanting heightened the Holy Week experience for all. We thank the staff for preparing all the items with the children and passing on our traditions. We thank Mrs Kasmas and the wonderful P&F Committee for the lambathes and raffles. Thank you to those parents who donated the raffle prizes and to all of you for supporting the fundraising efforts of the P&F. Your generosity and love for our College is appreciated.

COCURRICULAR Cocurricular will recommence on Tuesday 8th May and conclude 29th June. Please note there will be no cocurricular during Half Yearly Exams. JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS PROGRAM Monday 26th March marked our Annual Combined Greek Orthodox Swimming Carnival with our sister Schools, St Euphemia and All Saints Grammar, in glorious sunshine at Botany Pools. St Spyridon College hosted the event. Throughout the day I saw students, parents and teachers cheering, encouraging, and socialising with big smiley faces. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful when we come together as an Orthodox family and celebrate our achievements.

Mrs Synesios with the School Captain and Vice Captains, Denny Poulos, Connor Kristallis and Catherine Coutts.

The carnival was filled with impressive individual and group performances and exemplary behaviour was demonstrated by all competitors. The St Spyridon team represented the school in a professional manner and also displayed great sportsmanship to all involved. Thank you to the staff and parents who assisted in the smooth running of the carnival. St Spyridon College won the competition with a significant lead in points. Congratulations to all involved!

CRICKET INTERSCHOOL GALA DAY On Tuesday 27th March we invited the ASISSA schools to Rowland Park for a Cricket Gala day. Mount Sinai, International Grammar School, International Football School, Redeemer College and Moriah College took part. The objective for organising this carnival was to expose our students to this sport which is quite popular in Australia, allowing them to gain confidence in the skills and rules of Cricket. We took all of Year 6 (3 Boys teams and 3 Girls teams) and 4 students from Year 4&5 who are in our representative School Cricket team. Cricket Australia organised the draws and umpired the games and after lunch we had a high catching competition which the students thoroughly enjoyed. Connor Kristallis won the boys competition and Gabriella Gouveros was runners up in the Girls competition. Spiros Zafiropoulos, Manny Giokas and Steven Stamoulis from the Senior School, who have experience in Cricket, came to assist on the day, coaching and encouraging our teams on the sidelines. Our students welcomed the Year 11 boys with delight and were loud in admiration of their leadership skills and experience. It was a fantastic day with plenty of healthy competition, enthusiasm and laughter.

Christian Jenkins John Lynch Christopher Matsoukas Peter Nikas Austin Papadopoulos Steven Stamoulis Peter Synesios Emmanuel Tzanakes Nicholas Vasilakis Chris Vlahos Spiros Zafiropoulos

UPCOMING EVENTS NEXT TERM: Futsal: On Thursday 3rd May, the Year 7 boys and girls Futsal teams will be attending our training session at All Sorts in Alexandria to play against our teams giving them some experience in preparation for our Regional tournament on the 22nd May. St Spyridon Cross Country Trials: Tuesday 8th May, Astrolabe Park. NSW Regional Futsal Comp: Sutherland Region: 22nd May, Menai Indoor Sports Centre. ASISSA Cross Country: 7th June, Queens Park CIS Cross Country: 14th June St Spyridon Athletics Carnival: 15th June, Hensley Oval Randwick Netball Association Regionals: 27th June

SYDNEY BIENNALE EXHIBITION Last week, 12VA went to visit the Sydney Biennale’s exhibits at Cockatoo Island. It was a perfect day for the ferry ride. We encountered a range of artworks in this amazing site and benefitted from the experience. The Biennale is running long term in various locations over Sydney. The exhibition has become highly regarded world-wide and is well worth visiting.

Mrs C. Diavatiotis Sport Coordinator

SENIOR SCHOOL REPORT ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ Christ is Risen GOOD FRIDAY Congratulations to the students of Year 10 who chanted the Engomia at St Spyridon Church on Good Friday evening. Thank you to Mr Picardi for preparing, Miss Flokis, Ms Kokinelis and Ms Laskas for supporting the students. Mrs Lucas for leading the Choir on the night.

Ms M. Pringle Visual Arts Teacher

Congratulations to the Year 11 Boys for carrying the Epitaphios:

EXCURSIONS Bill Avdalis George Bozikis Charlie Christofides John Dalakiaris Dimitrios Dimas Connor Giavis Manny Giokas Leonidas Gouskos Mark Grillakis

Please read information in this Newsletter on Flexischools which is now being used for all excursions and major events. Mrs A. Katsogiannis Principal Senior School Deputy Head of College

PREFECT PROFILE Name: Victoria Zois Number of years at St Spyridon College: 13 years Previous Leadership Roles: Year 10 Peer Support Leader Subjects I am currently studying: Advanced English, 2 Unit Maths, Personal Development and Health, Business Studies, Legal Studies. Hobbies: Sports, music, fashion. My future Aspirations: I hope to one day run my own business or become editor of a prestige magazine such as Vogue. My role models: my parents and teachers who inspire and motivate me; Audrey Hepburn for her devotion to kindness and compassion; Beyoncé for her driven and talented nature. Favourite quote: “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” – Audrey Hepburn. My proudest moment: My proudest moment is representing St Spyridon College and ISA girls football in the Inter-State Challenge of 2017 in Brisbane against other open girls football state teams across Australia. It was a great sporting opportunity for me, playing at such a prestige level of football and being able to successfully win 4 out of 5 games in the competition! One Student principle that is most meaningful to you and why: Student Principle 5: We consider our studies to be our main goal and undertake to be active participants in our own learning. We set goals for our lives and strive to achieve them with a positive state of mind always working towards justice, truth and beauty. This principle resonates with me as my objective is to continually grow in both knowledge and experience in order to truly appreciate life’s beauties. Through focus on studies, I have become responsible for my own learning as I strive towards my future endeavours. With reference to justice, I believe every person has the equal ability to stand out and really shine among the stars depending only on how determined one is. Self-improvement is what guides me towards my opportunities of success and with sport shaping a large percentage of who I am I have learnt that we are all capable of setting goals and reaching them. Of course, all of my achievements must be acknowledged through my strong faith in God and his guidance and protection. I feel ambition is what drives a leader to lead well and being a prefect allows me to share my motivation to do better as a role model, with others. Having a leadership role and positively influencing younger students, I hope to continually contribute towards a positive school spirit.

PREFECT PROFILE Name: Stephen Bletsas Number of years at St Spyridon College: I’ve been attending St Spyridon College for 13 years since Kindergarten in 2006. Previous leadership Roles: I have been Peer Support Leader and Junior School Prefect. Subjects I am currently studying: English Advanced, Mathematics Ext 1, Physics, Chemistry and Business studies. Hobbies: Some of my hobbies include playing football, listening to music and playing the guitar in my own time. My future aspirations: I aim to study at university. My Role models: My parents, teachers and Paul McCartney. Favourite Quote: “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” Kurt Cobain. My Proudest moment: Being elected Prefect of St Spyridon College. Student Principle that is most meaningful to me and why: Student Principle 3: We work together to achieve a school community whose distinguished characteristics are those of friendship, compassion and decency. The importance this specific principle of having a school community brings us closer together as each individual student knows and has an understanding of each other. A school community can only be achieved by working together, which is what our year group and school has done. Promoting friendship, compassion and decency is vital as it is a cornerstone in our everyday lives in society. It refers to the respect we show our teachers, each other and ourselves. Personally, the strong friendships created at St Spyridon College are irreplaceable. Since the first day of Kindergarten to now having started year 12, many friendships have been created through my peers, which many are still continuing today. Year 7 was a difficult year for many students due to the massive step from primary school to secondary, and many had arrived from other schools, not knowing anyone. A simple walk-up and “Hello” on the first day had created and moulded so many friendships. Today, seeing many of the younger students in my position, I feel obliged to help as I was in their shoes. Talking to students creates a boost in confidence for myself and them. Creating a bond for them to use in a time of need or just to simply talk helps tighten the school community.

MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT are given and due for submission, as well as checking all home study is being completed. Regular review of the student planner will assist with monitoring. WHAT HAPPENS WITH WORK THAT IS MISSED DUE TO ABSENCE? All students are expected to catch up on all work missed when absent so that they do not fall behind and are able to perform at their peak at all times. The process for this may include calling a peer to find out what was missed from each class, and consulting the teachers during break times on the first day of return to get any handouts and notes. If absence is prolonged, parents may ring the school and ask the Year Adviser to collect and forward missed work.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT HEAVY SCHOOL BAGS? Most text books can be downloaded onto the home computer. Students can use the electronic textbook to complete any homework that has been set. It also means that text books can be kept at school in lockers for use in class, thus eliminating the excess weight in school bags. The instructions for how to download can be found in the front of each text book.

GREAT LEADERS IN THE MAKING In the last newsletter we congratulated Peter Kotsis on his fundraising efforts and the award he received from the Governor General (photos below).

HOME STUDY... it is NOT just about the homework In order to assist students become more selfdirected and to work effectively in order to maximize learning, Middle School Pastoral Care lessons this term have been dedicated to setting goals for the year, creating a study timetable, setting up a good learning environment, and following a solid a 1 ½ - 2 ½ hour HOME STUDY routine each night.

Home Study is made up of: 1. HOMEWORK completion 2. Working on assessment tasks and or preparing for upcoming tests 3. Revision of the day’s lessons/topics, creating study notes (summaries) **if point 3 cannot be done because points 1 & 2 took up all the home study time, then perhaps set aside a slot over the weekend to do this. **Also before sleeping, students should READ for half an HOUR. Parents can assist their children by reinforcing the importance of these practices, having regular conversations about the school day and what is being learnt, being aware of when assignments

A big congratulations to all the Year 7 students who qualified for the NSW State Little Athletics Carnival: Leon Kalyvas (7P), Gabriella Guerrera (7M) and Larisa Arnautovic (7Z). On Sunday 25th March while everyone was at the 25th March celebrations, these newest members of our Senior School showed great competitive spirit. Gabriella placed 3rd in the State for Triple Jump and 14th for Long Jump in the Under 12's age group for her Athletics Club, Randwick Botany.

A big round of applause to all students for their outstanding efforts. We acknowledge that years of hard work, discipline and determination are needed to get to these high levels of competition. Furthermore, these achievements would not of course be possible without the support and dedication of parents! ST SPYRIDON CHESS MAKE THEIR MARK

CHAMPIONS

Bishop to e5, Checkmate! This was just one of the many winning moves recently made by St Spyridon College’s finest chess players. On the 10th of April, Year 7, 8 and 9 chess cocurricular students and Dr McPhee participated in a chess tournament where we all learnt a lot and had fun challenging new opponents. The tournament was held at St Catharine’s School in Waverly. St Spyridon College came first in the competition with a score of 22.5, allowing us to proceed to the semifinals in Term 3.

Larisa competed in the NSW Tennis Qualifying tournament, where she received direct entry into the U12 Girls Australian Grass Court Championships and the under 12’s State Tennis championships. Additionally, Larisa won a wildcard entry into the National Tennis Championships!

The first place trophy was given to Christo Keramitzis of Year 9 and second place was given to Jake Vassilis. Third place was given to

James Bletsas with fourth and fifth place being awarded to Gianni Keramitzis and Bosko Stosic. We are looking forward to getting ready for the semifinals by practicing our opening moves, defenses and other chess tactics next term during co-curricular. Overall, the day was enjoyable and we all learnt a lot about the pressures of playing under chess tournament conditions. We met many people and made new friends at this tournament, and we hope to do more competitions like this in the future.

Andre Jovanovic Year 9 Student LEADERS DAY AT NSW PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND GOVERNMENT HOUSE Yesterday two of our Year 12 students, Dayna Kostantakis and Sarantos Makris, represented our College at the Annual Senior Leaders Day. They listened to presentations on Leadership, met members of the Parliament, visited Government House and had opportunity to mix with other Seniors from a variety of Public and Independent Schools.

EASTER FOCUS ACTIVITIES Visit to Nursing Homes Once again Year 9 students had the pleasure of Visiting Nursing Homes: St Basilsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Randwick and St Simeon at Rooty Hill. They took Easter cards created by Year 7 and Koulourakia (Easter biscuits) made by the elective Year 9 Food Technology class. Mary Diamond and sang songs while Valentina Spyridopoulos accompanied her on a baby grand piano that was in the room of an elderly gentleman who was no longer able to play due to his Arthritis. Everyone from the School who attended, as well as the residents of both Nursing homes were very moved by their shared experience.

were amassed. Thank you to all students and staff for supporting this activity. $1000 will be donated to the Soup Kitchen at Newtown as a result.

YEAR 7 LAMBATHA CREATIONS Year 7 showed their creativity in the beautiful Lambathes they created last week. Students surprised themselves when they saw the finished product and were very proud of their efforts.

The prizes winners are: Michael Christofides (Year 8), Michael Xeras (Year 10), Fotoulla Hadjiparaskeva (Year 10), Kosta Ioannou (Year 9), Mary Diamond (Year 9), Sophia Karatasos (Year 7), Antonios Kourliaftis (Year 7), Marissa Diakoumis (Year 10), Sophia Katerinis (Year 11), Brendan Borodyansky (Year 11), Eleni Haralambides (Year 9), Anastasia Frilingos (Year 8), Stella Ktenas (Year 11) and Petros Lisgaris (Year 8). JELLY BEAN COMPETITION WINNER The SRCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ran a jelly bean competition recently to start their fundraising activities. Stefan Gemisis of Year 8 guess of 1225 was the closest to the jar contents of 1125 jelly beans. Congratulations. Enjoy!

EASTER RAFFLES Congratulations to Natasha Payoi, from Year 11, 1st prize winner of the Easter Raffle, which was a Family Pass plus 110 ride coupons for the Royal Easter Show drawn before Easter. At todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assembly, the winners of the Easter Raffle were drawn. Thanks to the efforts of Year 9 and their Year Adviser, Ms Kalithrakas, who donated all the chocolates, a total of 15 hampers

TECH TALK FRIDAYS Many influencers have been calling on technology companies to redesign their products to make them easier for parents to parent around. Industry insiders are finally publicly requesting that tech companies make changes to the addictive nature of their products. Another positive trend is that many celebrities are promoting breaks from social media. Parents, teachers and principals all over the world are desperately seeking solutions to the hourly battles with their youth about screen time. Below are the views of some people (who create technology, and some celebrities who

thrive off it) and how they are rethinking its effects. Here are some examples: Salesforce (company that creates software to manage sales) CEO Marc Benioff said, "I think that you manage it exactly the same way that you regulated the cigarette industry. Here's a product: Cigarettes. They're addictive, they're not good for you. I think that for sure, technology has addictive qualities that we have to address, and that product designers are working to make those products more addictive and we need to rein that back."

Tristan Harris, a former employee at Google, and Aza Raskin, who headed user experience at Mozilla, just founded the Center for Humane Technology. The centre’s mission is to pressure companies like Apple and Microsoft to “redesign their devices and core interfaces to protect our minds from constant distractions, minimize screen time, protect our time in relationships, and replace the App Store marketplace of apps competing for usage with a marketplace of tools competing to benefit our lives and society.”

In 2015, singer Ed Sheeran publicly said, "I’m going to travel the world and see everything I missed" after spending the last five years taking life in "through a screen." In 2017, he reemerged and said "I feel like life is all about balance, and my life wasn't balanced. Taking it all off the scale balanced it, oddly enough."

For this week's Tech Talk Friday, let’s think about tech’s responsibility in preventing excessive screen time and the role that celebrity voices can have in this dialogue. STUDENT OF THE WEEK George Bozikis of Year 11 was awarded “Student of the Week” for his tireless dedication in helping out staff at the ISA Swimming Competition at Homebush.

In 2016, Selena Gomez took a 3-month phone break. "I recently took 90 days off. During that time I did not have my cell phone," she also stated "It was the most refreshing, calming, rejuvenating feeling. Now I rarely pick up my phone, and only limited people have access to me." In 2017, Emily Watson, said “Social media takes so much of our attention. It’s so important to keep an eye on what your daily diet is. In the same way, we think about what we eat, we should think about what we read, what we’re seeing, what we’re engaging and what we’re interacting with every day.”

Evan Tsiokos of Year 9 was awarded “Student of the Week” for his efforts in assisting the Prefects at the Twilight Tours and his impeccable behaviour and attitude.

Barry Rosenstein, the managing partner of JANA, one of the biggest investors in Apple, signed an open letter to Apple asking them to add features that would make their phones less addictive, especially for children. Rosenstein wants Apple "to build software that would give parents more options to limit children's phone use, pointing out that the iPhone maker's reputation and stock could be hurt if this issue remains unchecked.” This week Apple released a landing page on their website that gives tips to parents on managing their children’s screen use, purchasing habits, and tracking. Apple has not created, nor publicly disclosed, that they will make software that will help parents gain control of time spent.

Ms G. Kokinelis Dean of Middle School

GREEK COLUMN

Ο ιερέας τους έδωσε να πιουν κρασί από το ίδιο ποτήρι που συμβολίζει ότι από εδώ και στο εξής θα πρέπει να μοιράζονται τα πάντα στη ζωή μαζί και τα καλά και τα άσχημα. Ήταν όμορφο που βλέπαμε το ζευγάρι να ανταλλάσσει συνέχεια τρυφερά βλέμματα γεμάτα αγάπη και ζεστασιά.

Αγαπητοί γονείς και φίλοι, Χριστός Ανέστη! Στην έκδοση αυτή θα σας κρατήσουμε συντροφιά με μία ακόμη εργασία μαθήτριας της Γ΄ Λυκείου, σχετικά με την ενότητα «΄Ηθη κι Έθιμα».

Ύστερα χόρεψαν τον χορό του Ησαϊα και αυτά ήταν τα πρώτα βήματά τους σαν παντρεμένοι, μπροστά στο ιερό, δηλαδή, στο δρόμο του Θεού. Όλοι τους ράναμε με άφθονο ρύζι, ροδοπέταλα, αλλά και κουφέτα για να ριζώσουν, να ευημερήσουν και να αποκτήσουν πολλούς απογόνους.

Καλή ανάγνωση κα Μ. Φαλέτα Ένας ελληνικός, Ορθόδοξος γάμος Αγαπημένο μου ημερολόγιο,

Όταν τελείωσε το Μυστήριο, όλοι βγήκαμε έξω από το εκκλησάκι για να χαιρετήσουμε το ζευγάρι. Δεν μπορώ να σου περιγράψω πόσο ωραία ήταν! Εκείνη την ώρα έδυε ο ήλιος και ο ουρανός είχε άπειρα, φωτεινά χρώματα. Όλη αυτήν την όμορφη εικόνα ερχόταν να συμπληρώσει ο παφλασμός των κυμάτων.

Είμαι πολύ ευτυχισμένη γιατί σήμερα παντρεύτηκε η καλύτερή μου φίλη η Σοφία με τον αγαπημένο της Κώστα κι εγώ φυσικά ήμουν κουμπάρα. Ο γάμος τους ήταν ονειρεμένος! Είναι ο γάμος που ονειρεύομαι κι εγώ. Έγινε σ’ένα μικρό, γραφικό εκκλησάκι στη Σαντορίνη με θέα το ηφαίστειο. Η νύφη έφτασε με καϊκάκι και την περιμέναμε, ο γαμπρός και όλοι μας με μια μικρή, παραδοσιακή ορχήστρα να παίζει τραγούδια του γάμου. Ο καιρός ήταν υπέροχος και φύσαγε ένα ελαφρύ, δροσερό αεράκι.

Μοιράσαμε στους καλεσμένους μαζί με τις μπουμπουνιέρες, γλυκά του κουταλιού για να γλυκαθούν και να ευχηθούν στους νεόνυμφους γλυκές ευχές για μια ανέφελη ζωή. Πριν φύγει το ζευγάρι, η Σοφία πέταξε την ανθοδέσμη της στις ανύπαντρες κοπέλες και μάντεψε ποια την έπιασε... Ναι, ήμουν εγώ!! Ημερολογιάκι μου, λες να γίνει σύντομα και ο δικός μου γάμος;

Η νύφη φορούσε ένα υπέροχο νυφικό και τα μαλλιά της ήταν στολισμένα με μικρά άσπρα και ροζ ανθάκια όπως και το νυφικό της. Όταν κατέβηκε από το καϊκι, δροσερή και πανέμορφη, μας θύμισε Άνοιξη!

Πήρα κουφέτα από το δίσκο για να τα βάλω κάτω από το μαξιλάρι μου για να δω το παληκάρι που θα με κατακτήσει και θα με παντρευτεί.

Το μικρό, κάτασπρο εκκλησάκι ήταν στολισμένο με υπέροχα μανουάλια, που έκαναν την ατμόσφαιρα ακόμη πιο ρομαντική. Ο ιερέας, ένας πολύ καλοσυνάτος άνθρωπος, υποδέχτηκε το ζευγάρι στην είσοδο της εκκλησίας. Ο γάμος ήταν πολύ κατανυκτικός και δεν ακουγότανε παρά μόνον ο ιερέας.

Μετά όλοι μαζί, με την συνοδεία των οργάνων πήγαμε σ’ένα κοντινό, παραθαλάσσιο ταβερνάκι και ακολούθησε γλέντι «τρικούβερτο» μέχρι το πρωί.

Εγώ τους στεφάνωσα με τα πολύ όμορφα στέφανα, που είχαμε διαλέξει και που συμβολίζουν την ένωση του ζευγαριού και τον σεβασμό, την δόξα και τιμή του ενός προς τον άλλο, αλλά και των δυο απέναντι στην Εκκλησία μας.

Φυσικά καταλαβαίνεις ότι δεν ήταν μόνο η νύφη πανέμορφη, αλλά κι εγώ, που έλαμπα μέσα στο ροζ, παραμυθένιο φόρεμά μου. Τα μαλλιά μου κυμάτιζαν ανάλαφρα στους ώμους μου και όλη την ώρα ήταν σαν να πετούσα στα σύννεφα!

Ξέχασα να σου πω ότι το πρώτο όνομα που σβήστηκε από τα παπούτσια της νύφης ήταν το δικό μου! Λες να φάμε σύντομα και από τα δικά μου κουφέτα;;;

I congratulate the boys for not only their excellent results but also for the respect that they showed their opposition and for their support of our Open Girls futsal team throughout the day. Congratulations to the boys and good luck in the state titles.

Αυτή ήταν μια μέρα που θα μείνει για πάντα χαραγμένη στην καρδιά και στο μυαλό μου κι εύχομαι και ο δικός μου ο γάμος να είναι τόσο γλυκός και ονειρεμένος. Μέσα από την ψυχή μου στέλνω άπειρες ευχές, να είναι καλά τα κουμπαράκια μου, πάντα ευτυχισμένα και ερωτευμένα σε όλη τους τη ζωή και σύντομα ν’αποκτήσω και βαφτιστήρια. Καληνύχτα γλυκό μου, θα σου πω αύριο αν και ποιον ονειρεύτηκα. Φερενίκη Fereniki Ghelis Year 11 (Modern Greek - Year 12)

Bill Turner Cup Round 1 v Randwick Boys High School

SPORTS COLUMN

Congratulations to the schools U15 Boys Football team for defeating Randwick Boys 2-1 in the first round of the Bill Turner Cup.

On Monday 26th March the Open boys Futsal team competed in the regional futsal titles at Windsor. The team have had a number of training sessions together preparing for the event. The expectation and goal for this team was to make the finals in order to qualify for the state titles to be held Friday 27th July 2018 at Penrith Sports Stadium.

Dean Tsalikis was outstanding and was rewarded for his efforts with 2 goals, helping the team manage what was a memorable victory considering they had to come back from a goal down.

I am pleased to report that this was accomplished. The team was undefeated at the tournament and went from strength to strength with each game. The boys were clinical throughout the day and were convincing winners in the final 8- 2 against St Pauls Grammar School. Charlie Christofides was outstanding in the final particularly in his defensive efforts; however Jonathon Lynch was easily the best player for the School. Jonathon showcased the strong leadership qualities he possesses throughout the day and this included his appreciation for being a team player first.

Saturday. This year St Spyridon has 3 girls football teams the most teams entered since the inclusion of girls football in the ISA competition. We have fielded Junior A and Junior B teams which consist of girls from Year 7 through to Year 9. Hence the importance of this trial match as it was the first opportunity to play together as a team. We also have an Open team consisting of girls from Year 10 through to Year 12. Whilst the results on the day were not important it was practice and assisting in finalising positions and developing team cohesion. The ISA Girls football competition commences on Saturday 5th May. Morning trainings will commence Tuesday mornings Week 2 once the students return form holidays.

Upcoming Sports Events Saturday 7th April football trials versus St Andrews Cathedral School at Chifley reserve. Tuesday 17th April and Wednesday 18th April St Andrews Invitational Football cup for the First XI @Valentines sports complex in Glenwood. U14 boys Futsal trials at the College on Wednesday 11th April from 7:00am – 8:15am in the School hall. Round 1 ISA Competition begins first week back for term 2 on Saturday 5th May; all boys football teams will be travelling away with most games to be played against St Patricks College of Strathfield.

Mr F. Kaldis – Boys Sport Ms K. O’Shea – Girls Sport

GIRLS SPORT TRIAL MATCHES The girls 2018 Open Netball team played in a trial match against Kambala last Tuesday to help prepare both schools for their upcoming competitions. Kambala belong to the Independent Girls Sporting Association so it gave our girls a good opportunity to verse another school not within the ISA competition. This is the second year we have played this trial and hopefully an annual event ad the game was thoroughly enjoyed by both schools.

ISA Girls Football girls played in their trial match against St Andrews Cathedral School last

Online Ordering Available St Spyridon Senior School has now introduced a great new online ordering system for our Excursions and Main Events called FlexiSchools. This system allows parents, students and staff to place orders from home, work or school at any time. The payment is processed online, so less paper bags, cash, cheques, and envelopes are sent via your student to school. As well as being convenient for parents, the online orders are much faster and easier for the school coordinator to process - so it makes everyone’s life a little easier. FlexiSchools is well established and tested, operating in hundreds of schools across Australia. Getting online is easy and only takes a few minutes to register. Simply go to www.flexischools.com.au and click “Register Now”. You will be sent an email with further instructions on how to complete the registration. Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately. If you have any questions, FlexiSchools provide a great help desk on 1300 361 769, or you can contact them via their website. There are a variety of payment options supported, including Visa, Mastercard (credit and debit) and Bank Transfer. The system operates via a pre-paid account, so you no longer have to worry about the manual process of sending payments into school. The system is now available, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could register your child so they don’t miss out on any upcoming events, as cash payments will no longer be available. Currently our Junior School is using Flexischools for Excursions, Main Events and the Canteen. Please keep in mind the services for the canteen are only available for the Junior School and not for the Senior School. We look forward to seeing your next order online! If you have any questions about the online service we are introducing, please ask for Chris Alexandratos at the Junior School office for more information.

Information Sheet New Cashless System Available St Spyridon Senior School is constantly on the lookout for new ways to make your interactions with school more convenient. That’s why we’ve engaged with Flexischools, Australia’s leading school payment system, to provide a new cashless way for you to pay for school services. Order and pay for a range of school services online with Flexischools online ordering… Flexischools is the fast, convenient and secure way to order and pay for your Excursions and Main Events with Flexischools from home or on your mobile. Flexischools makes our school services available to you 24/7.  Parents set up a Flexischools account online and pre-load the account with funds.  Parent can use the funds in their account to order and pay for a range of services online.  Parents can view their orders online.

Get Started with Flexischools Set up an account for online ordering… You can set up an account online – it only takes a minute. 1. Register for Flexischools by visiting www.flexischools.com.au. Add your student, their school and form class to get started. 2. Top-Up your account via Visa, Mastercard, PayPal or direct deposit. 3. Make an order by selecting from the range of options made available by your school and proceed to make payment for the order listed in your order pad. 4. Review Orders by logging back in to your Flexischools account. You can set recurring orders, view transaction history or cancel orders via your Flexischools login. What does it cost? Online Ordering Fees - $0.29 per order Account Top-Up Fees - Direct Deposit FREE Credit card (visa/mastercard) 15c + 1% PayPal 15c + 1%