Hello Semester 2

Well, I hope you all had a good break because - scary thought ... we are more than halfway through the year already!  Second semester is no longer hovering on the horizon - we've hit the deck running!  

The Library carpet was replaced with a vinyl flooring during the holidays, but somehow they managed to run out of vinyl BEFORE getting to my office.  Now the cupboards that were pulled out so the flooring could go down are sitting outside the door of my office, the drawers from the cupboards are in store rooms, or stacked in corners of my office waiting for the rest of it to be done ... and the stuff I carefully packed 'safely' away in said cupboards is who knows where!  And this includes my barcode reader!  (I should have thought that one through a bit better!!)

However ... you can't rush these things - and it will look pretty snazzy once it is all done, shelves moved, everything back in place - or a new place ... and maybe a compactus to store ALL sorts of stuff neatly away in the office.  

Term 3 always seems to be the busiest for the year and this one is no exception, it appears. Careers Expo, Sports Day, School Formal, Opera Australia .... and along with everything else happening, the Desert Harmony festival kicks off next week with a multitude of things happening throughout the town.  

Anyhow enjoy the start of Term 3 - and carry on being your usual awesome selves!

Hour of Code

The Hour of Code has come and gone this year with barely a notice - at least here anyway. But have a look at the link below.  It doesn't have to be run during the suggested time frame and maybe it is something that could be looked at for next year? 

http://slav.global2.vic.edu.au/2016/11/21/hour-of-code-coming-soon/#.WFHa29V94nQ

In the three years it has been running it has become a global movement reaching  tens of millions of students and spanning 180 countries.  As most of the jobs that will be available in the future are not even dreamed of now, just having the confidence to step into the arena will be a big part of gaining work. 

All of us are literally surrounded by gadgets, devices, gaming, social media and so the list continues. The Hour of Code is a creative activity that works to provide students with an opportunity to be more than an onlooker.  It takes some of the mystery out of digital tech and offers students a world of resources that they can revisit and explore at any time they like. 

What can you learn in just an hour?  You won't become an expert computer programmer in an hour - but you will have fun, learn to have a go - and realising that you CAN do this is a big part of it.