Congratulations to Borden PS for being recognised for their work in Reconciliation.

Having no indigenous students at the school did not stop the school undertaking an
exciting project to investigate the town’s rich Nyoongar history.

Other Award winners which were announced at the Wardarnji Aboriginal Cultural Festival on November 14th
can be accessed at this link

Secondary Visual Arts teachers can read about this competition on the CMIS WACE Blog

• Indigenous Literacy Day and
• National Reading Day

Schools and libraries are important organisations that provide support for our students to participate in all of these events and achieve positive literacy outcomes.  If you still have some energy after Book Week, they are both worthy of the attention of your students.

And – if you have some time after all that – September 8 is:

• International Literacy Day

For resources to support any of your literacy projects, visit our CMIS website to subscribe to our Blogs and CMIS Resource Bank.

Geraldine Giraffe on a “Book Safari”

To help celebrate Children’s Book Week this year the team here at CMIS Evaluation- (really it was clever Jean),  decided to decorate a book trolley so we can enter a competition in the USA held through Unshelved, the Library Comic Strip website. We plan to take our trolley – “Geraldine Giraffe” on Safari through our building to promote Book Week.

Why don’t you “Dress up Your Book Trolley” and let us know about it – a great T&E exercise and book promotion at the same time. With the help of a post tube, some sponge packaging and some animal print material – Geraldine was created. We have thought about an elephant too – it may yet eventuate.

We’ve uploaded Geraldine onto the CMIS Eval Flickr page where there are other photos available to view and use.

On the CMIS Evaluation page there’s information about how you can really make an impact during Book Week.

	The John Marsden Prize for Young Australian Writers is a national competition open to young writers under 25 years of age.
What to do: Write an original poem or short story/first chapter of a novel under 3000 words long and submit it!

Entry is free for all applicants under 18.
For 18 -24 year olds, the $10 entry fee includes free Express Media Membership and a monthly newsletter on events, grants and competitions.

Entries close 5pm Friday 28th August, 2009. Entry forms are now available using the link below.

John Marsden Entry Form 2009.pdf

First place winners will be printed in the December issue of Voiceworks.
Second and third place winners, and those with honourable mention will be published on the Express Media website.

The CMIS Resource Bank contains reviews of many of John Marsden’s works.

Visit the CMIS Authors & Illustrators page for extensive links to both Australian and International authors and illustrators including John Marsden.

第40 回日本語弁論大会
The 40th Japanese Language Speech Contest

The Japan Foundation is again holding its Speech Contest for Australian students. This is the 40th year of the contest and is open to Year 11 and 12 students across the country.  There are several different divisions covering all stages of competence.

Prizes include return airfares and accomodation packages to Japan. State winners in each section are expected to proceed to the National Final.

Guidelines and other Contest information is available from the Japan Foundation Website

The WA Final is on July 30th and the Western Australian contact for the contest is:

Chris Graham
Japanese Language Teachers’ Association WA
PH: (08) 9495 7439/ FAX: (08) 9390 4082
Email: chris.graham@det.wa.edu.au
WA State Final: Thursday 30 July
Please visit JLTAWA website
http://www.jltawa.org.au

Other information for Teachers of Japanese is available on the CMIS WACE Pages Japanese : Second Language

Copyright © Landcare Australia

With summer approaching now is a good time to start growing your own delicious, juicy fruit.
With sponsorship from Yates Seeds, Junior Landcare is conducting the Junior Landcare Watermelon Challenge

Contestants are invited to register to receive a project kit and a packet of giant watermelon seeds ito begin growing the biggest, best and juiciest watermelon possible. Schools need to log details every month until March 6 2009 to be eligible to win some great prizes.

There are two categories.

• Schools or other youth groups
• Individuals (Anyone under the age of 16)

Registrations close on 7 November 2008.
Seeds will be posted during the week commencing 10 November 2008.

There are lots of extra activities available for use in the classroom including for interactive white boards.

It’s time again for the the National Trust of Western Australia’s  Photo and Story Competition. The competition is open to students in years 1-10 in three different age groups.  The competition closes on the last day of Term 3 and winners will be announced in Term 4.

Subjects for the students’ work do not have to be heritage listed but be of value to them and naturally the work must be original.

Entry forms and information for Teachers and parents can be found at the National Trust’s new Education and Learning website – Valuing Heritage.

This new site also explains Insurance, Excursion Management & Evacuation Procedures for their heritage sites.  There is also information about the trust’s ongoing free Professional Learning for teachers at heritage properties in WA.

Several CMIS Evaluation theme websites are related to this topic of Western Australian heritage places and can be utilised for study of this topic.

• Built Environment
• Western Australia
• Water

DET teachers can access for Time, Continuity and Change resources in the Society and Environment section of the K-10 Syllabus  through the DET Portal.

• Time Lines and Pathways to the Past
• Local History Study
• Northbridge History Project
  

Fremantle Press and ED! Magazine in The West Australian are giving primary
and secondary students the opportunity to win the complete set of Hal
Spacejock novels by Simon Haynes.

Students need to write a 150-word review of any book in the series and
send it to pat.tighe@wanews.com.au by 1 September2008.
The best entry will be published in ED!

Simon’s first book is available to students as a free online download.
For more information please use the link above to Fremantle Press
or read the next edition of ED! Magazine

The Ribbons of Blue Program is conducting a competition for Primary and Secondary School students in which students are asked to create a ‘fantasy’ creature to represent a macroinvertebrate aquatic mini-beast. These almost invisible creatures are found in all waterways.

The model must be accompanied by background information such as habitat, lifecycle, habits and pollution sensitivity. Students will need to research one of the tiny creatures to add the information.
A competition flyer is available from the website.

Entries are divided into three categories :  Junior Primary (K-3; Primary (Yr 4-7); High School (Yr 8 -12) and should be sent to regional Ribbons of Blue coordinators – see website – before 26 September 2008.

Teachers can incorporate the competition and Ribbons of Blue program into classroom science activities using the Life and living Outcome.

Related CMIS Theme: Water

For entries where there is no coordinator send entries to the Education Officer, Ribbons of Blue, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, 6983