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PREPARATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

April 2007
- Click here for March PFHS e-newsletter
- Click here for February PFHS e-newsletter

Welcome to the THIRD monthly Maewill English College Preparation for High School e-newsletter!

April was the month for us to farewell students entering Term 2 at high school. To celebrate we had a Chinese banquet luncheon followed by a graduation ceremony. It’s always sad to see them go but great when they come back to visit us so we can see their English and Aussie progress, not to mention their smart school uniforms! (see pictures of Eric, Ray and Alice) 

We also farewelled one of our most famous teachers – Fiona – who transferred to Maewill Gold Coast as the Director of Studies. Even though the students here will miss her, the students on the Gold Coast will be graced by her presence. 

Now the current Preparation for High School students are working hard to enter high school later in the year whilst at the same time culturally acclimatising to life in Australia. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences in our third Preparation for High School newsletter. 

Mae and William

ACTIVITIES

Palm Beach Lighthouse
By Sherry

On 13th April we went to Palm Beach and the lighthouse by bus. We arrived at the beach first. Then we started climbing the mountain. Though there were steps for us to climb, it was still very hard for us to reach the top. But after the tough journey, when we reached the top, standing beside lighthouse, looking over the beach, the sea, the whole city through bird eyes, we felt so comfortable and proud of ourselves. It was the pleasure of victory after striving so hard. 

Taronga Zoo
By Michael

There were many animals in Taronga Zoo. At first we traveled to the entrance by sky safari. When we were on the sky safari, we saw the elephants on the ground. When we arrived at the top, we saw a big koala. You cannot guess that koala was a toy. Then we walked to see the kangaroos, but they were sleeping. We saw a baby in a kangaroo's pouch. 

Then we saw many birds in a room. We went to the Kodiak Bear Keeper Talk. They smelt so bad. At that time, Eric told us to see the lions. Then I opened the map, we looked for the lions, oh, it's a long way. After lunch we went to the Sydney Water Seal Show which was so exciting and cool. The sea lion could throw rubbish in a bin. After that, we were tired so we went back home.

Chinese Banquet and Graduation
By Qiang

Today is a sunny day. Everyone is very happy, because we have a Chinese banquet. We can eat some Chinese food and party together. The food tasted delicious and we talked with each other. After the banquet, some students finished MEC to go to high school. We came back to MEC and had a graduation party. The teachers and Mae gave them a graduation certificate and took photos together.

Barbecue at Little Manly Cove 
By Lucian

The day before yesterday, we went to the BBQ at Little Manly. The food was delicious and the scenery was beautiful .I lost myself in the scenery. The sky and the sea were both blue and clear. It made me feel relaxed. After the BBQ, the boys went to play football on the grass, we played happily. We left Little Manly at about 13:00. I enjoyed myself that day. 

Easter 
By Joe

First I will talk about the story of Easter. Easter is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries, Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday.
Second I will talk about Easter games. Eggs play an important part in Easter sports. The Romans celebrated Easter season by running races on an oval track and giving eggs as prizes. Two traditional Easter games are the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Roll. On Easter morning the children of the house join in a search to locate the eggs that the Easter Bunny had hidden while they were asleep. The search might continue throughout the house. Sometime prizes of candy are awaiting the child finding the most eggs.
In Maewill we played many Easter games and got lots of prizes – chocolates eggs of different shapes and sizes. 

Anzac Day
By Katy

This week was a very special week for Australians because on Wednesday we had a public holiday for ANZAC Day. In high school class we learnt why it is important to remember ANZAC Day & be thankful to all the soldiers who fought & died for Australia & New Zealand, especially in World War 1. After our history lesson we also got to know the Australian traditional game of 2-Up. We had great fun betting our (plastic!) money. The winner of the grand prize of a chocolate bunny was Tony.

Art Class
by Katy

Preparation for High School students' journal writing topic this week was all about Aboriginal Australia. What better way to get in the mood for writing than to immerse yourself in some Aboriginal inspired artwork and artistic techniques? Taka's rainbow (above right) certainly looked the part - he must have been practising his Dreamtime. Michael's dragon, whilst not so authentic, highlighted the Asian influence on Australia.

CURRICULUM

The Month in Review
By Rebecca – Teacher

The last four weeks have been a busy and emotional time for our high school students.
We have farewelled students who are now attending some of the local high schools and we welcomed some new students - Lucian, Kitty and Michael. 
We have been learning about Australian history: - ANZAC Day, Aborigines and British Colonisation. The teachers received some excellent journal writing from the point of views of convicts or Aborigines. We also studied Ancient Rome and Greek history. Most students have found the Business Studies subject interesting and have decided to pursue this subject when they attend high school. The Business Studies assignments were well presented and very thorough.
The class has been reading Dracula by Bram Stokes. The students are finding the movie scary yet gripping.
The students enjoyed last week’s social activity of a barbecue at Little Manly Beach. The boys were involved in a lively game of soccer while the girls gossiped on the sideline. The students are looking forward to playing ten-pin bowling this Friday.

Reader: Dracula
By Amir

Now we are reading an amazing book about vampires. The book is called "Dracula" and it is very interesting. Last week we saw one part of the movie "Dracula". And we will watch the second part later this week. The movie is a little bit difficult to understand. I think everyone who reads this book will like it.

Assignment Extract: ECOSYSTEMS
By Frost

The Amazon River in South America is the world's largest river basin area.
The upper reaches of the Amazon River are about 2,500 km, divided into upper and lower. The first is 1,000 km long with high mountains and deep gorges, steep slopes and rushing currents which form a series of rapids and waterfalls. The next two great tributaries of the Amazon River flow into the mouth of the two rivers, and give access to the Amazon plain. The velocity is slow, rivers meandering. 
Many trees along the Amazon are over 60 meters high, blotting out the sun. The forest floors are full of life - orchids, pineapple plants and so on which form the habitat of monkeys, tree sloths, humming birds, the golden parrot, huge butterflies and countless bats. 
Forest logging is a huge problem in the Amazon and has far-reaching consequences.

Journal Writing Extract: Some people think capital punishment is an important deterrent for serious crimes. Discuss. 
By Tony

If a government doesn't have punishment, I think the community will be chaotic. It makes people think twice about committing a crime. But everybody makes a mistake and I don’t think capital punishment is the solution. An eye for an eye doesn't bring the victim back. You will cause more sadness – the family of the criminal who is killed will also be sad.

Assignment Extract: BUSINESS STUDIES
By Kitty

Name
McDonald’s Corporation
Type of Company
McDonald’s is a public company.
Industry
McDonald’s is a fast-food restaurant chain.
Head office
The USA headquarter is just outside Chicago, in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Location
There’re 30,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries around the globe.
Products and services
It’s a quick service restaurant. It offers world famous French fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin.
History
Dick and Mac McDonald opened the McDonald’s hamburger stand in California, and then the businessman Raymond Albert Kroc helped them to open the first McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines in 1955. 
In 1965 McDonald's went public on the stock exchange.
Marketing
McDonald's is not only a company. It's a large system, contains quality, service, cleanliness, value. 
Staff
McDonald's has 465,000 full time employees. They use Hamburger University to train its staff. Since 1961, more than 80,000 restaurant managers, mid-managers and owners or operators have graduated from this facility.
Others
McDonald's made US$887 million in 2004.

Journal Writing Extract: You are an Aboriginal standing on North Head. You see white men and their ships for the first time. Describe what you see and feel.
By Ellen

I am an Aborigine. In the beginning, we lived on an island. We used spears to hunt kangaroos, we don't know how to write letters, we just draw pictures. We didn't have a house, we just lived in the forest. But we lived very happily and quietly. But now, everything has changed.
One day, we were hunting for food on the beach. Suddenly, we saw a lot of strange people, their skin was white. They were on a ship, then they disembarked onto land. They also took some animals I had never seen. They began to build on this land. And they changed our life. They asked us to wear strange clothes - we've never worn clothes before, we don't know if the clothes are dirty or what do with them, and how to take off the clothes. They didn't allow me to live in a cave. We have to live in what they built on the island. We don't like this. So we fought them. We used spears, they used guns. If the gun shoots us, we'll die. We did not want to obey them. They killed us. They killed a lot of Aboriginal people. Some Aboriginal people died from diseases. The population of Aboriginals became less and less.
What should I do? We don't want to fight and die. We like peace. We want to live with the white people peacefully. And who can help us? Please…. 

PERSONAL

Starting High School 
By Alice

Last week, I went to Stella Maris to study. Australian schools are quite different from Chinese school. In China, we don’t need to go around the school to find the classrooms, because every subject has different class. I got a little bit confused. There are four Chinese in year 10. The teachers are really kind-hearted to help me. I feel good. I meet Cathya, Sherry, Sila and Amber in lunch time. Now I have a friend who is from Vietnam. She is very helpful and always helps me to find my classrooms. In conclusion, I enjoy school. You know what? I came second at running in my sports class. So don’t worry about me! I will miss you teachers. When I have time, I will visit you. *_* ^_^ +_+

My Homestay Family
By Ellen

My homestay parents are both architects. There are a lot of pictures in the
house are drawn by my homestay father. He always draws some kangaroos, cats
and dogs. From his picture, I can tell he loves life, loves nature and is a
happy man. My homestay mother always cook some cakes which are very yummy. And
my house has a white dog and a black dog. They are very cute. They always
enjoy life and enjoy nature.

Starting High School 
By Daphne

Last month I left MEC and started a new life in St Luke's Grammar School. Leaving is always gives us sorrow. So was this time. The kind teachers and friendly classmates from different countries are unforgettable. I realized it was my only period of studying in an English college. And certainly it helped me a lot. So the memories here become much more precious. 
And my dear high school, instead of MEC, will become my new home. It's absolutely another study and life. We have subjects study, and get lots of homework. And I can tell the difference between here and in my own country easily. But I'm pretty happy to accept the new challenge. Our school is quite good, I love studying here, and I'm still doing homework while hating it ~ Haha.
Last but not least, PRAY FOR ME!!!
Yours Sincerely
Daphne Ye ^o^
Lucky


 

The Maewill Trust trading as Maewill English College
Telephone: 61 2 9939 4311 Fax: 61 2 9939 4960
Address: Level 2, 14 William Street, Brookvale, NSW 2100, Australia
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