Happy 2009!

Where has 2008 gone? How could we be in the last hours of an entire year? The end of the old year is a good time for a small bit of reflection, so here goes.

Thank you to those teachers who have supported 5energies – meeting you over the past two years has been an honour and privilege for Alexandra, me and the whole team at 5energies. Sometimes it is a thankless task being a teacher – how we have enjoyed hearing your stories, helping you to be more knowledgeable teachers, and hearing about the changes you have made in your classrooms. You are inspiring, and we thank you for inspiring us to do even more.

Thank you to those principals, senior teachers and coordinators who have made our job so much easier. You have welcomed us into your schools, and we have enjoyed seeing how hard you are all working to improve outcomes for children, particularly those with learning delays.

And thank you to other staff within each of the schools. There is a school admin person in one school who always smiles, welcomes us back and smooths the way for us. 

So enjoy your bit of a break, have many coffees with friends, and look forward to another exciting year. Our first Basic Training takes place in mid-January, and 2009 is looking like being exciting and full of even more 5energies!!! Yippee!! Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas to all!

Just a very quick comment to wish everyone a very merry and festive Christmas, and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! This year has certainly flown past, and as with all things, if you are having a lot of fun along the way, the time just flies. That is certainly the case at 5energies, where it has given us such great delight to see children succeeding – and succeeding well!

Our end of year function was a Bocce Tournament, and Graeme, our IT guru and consultant won the overall trophy, but Zachary won the Junior Trophy in a convincing win. Best and Fairest went to Angie and Claire, who showed restraint and enthusiasm throughout the entire highly competitive tournament. Either way, it was a fun afternoon for all of us at 5energies, and our families.

So whatever you are doing on Christmas Day, our hope is that you enjoy your day as well, and reflect on the richness that our children have brought to our lives. Christmas sure would not be the same without them, would it? Again, all the very best in the festive season, and in 2009, from all of us at 5energies.

Onwards to 2009

Onwards to 2009!

How fantastic it is to be working in a school whose teachers are already looking towards 2009. We have been fortunate enough to be working intensively with a school who is determined to make a difference. They have sent five teachers for their basic training, and are sending another four in January. They have implemented a trial program which was highly successful, showing significant improvements for many children in 14 intensive target sessions. They are now looking forward to 2009, and have planned two days in week 9 of this term, to focus on strategic directions and programs for the next school year.

Parents are fortunate in having teachers of this calibre, and I congratulate these teachers for making the efforts that they are, at this stage of the school year. I would love to shout the name of the school from the roof top, but unfortunately there are guidelines which include a lot of red tape with senior hierarchy, before such a thing can happen on a blog. Suffice to say, they and we know who they are – and they are doing such a fantastic job. In this day and age, such dedication and commitment are not praised enough, so I just wanted to let them know that their efforts to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for children ARE appreciated.

The day 5energies created a storm!

What a week this one has been!

On Sunday, 5energies staff and family enjoyed the inaugural Bocce Tournament and Christmas party. Some 27 intrepid souls battled it out for supremacy in a game that many had never played before, but the eventual winners were Graeme Henry (Open Winner), Zachary McGuire (Junior Winner) and Angie Datseres and Claire Culley won ‘Best and Fairest’.

However, as the tournment was coming to an end, the fierce black storm clouds signalled that a storm was on its way, so most families departed to try to get home before the storm hit. Tales have since emerged of where each 5energies person was during the storm, with some driving in the thick of it, and watching trees with roots fly past the bonnet of the car, to others taking shelter in the middle of the house, away from glass and potential flying debris. Unfortunately, Alexandra, Graeme (IT Guru), Patrick (actor / reader of our DVD stories), Anne-Maree (film-maker and Technology Guru) and families saw the big tree in Alexandra’s front yard come crashing down (see photo), pulling the electricity connection right out of the house, taking out the power grid for the street, and keeping them inside the house, without power or telephone, for 48 hours. As baby James, now 9 weeks, was also with them, nappies became an issue. In a wonderful commentary on community spirit, the neighbourhood soon found supplies and fortunately there was sufficient left-over meat and salads from the Bocce Tournament to provide a street gathering and debrief after the storm, on the back verandah. Mel, our Occupational Therapist, ended up driving through the worst of the storm, but her parent’s house in the Gap, one of the worst hit areas of the storm, also received significant damage. Fortunately power has now returned to all residences, and things are returning to normal, albeit with a lot of cleaning up to do.

However, as with any natural disaster, these are just stories. We all survived the big storm (and the two other storms that decided to visit this week), and fortunately all families were fine. However, the inaugural 5energies Bocce Tournament and Christmas party will long be remembered as the day that 5energies created a storm!! May the immensity of the storm reflect where we are next year – huge, determined and getting wide-spread coverage!!

Parents have so much information

Each fortnight over the past year, a little boy has been coming to 5energies for Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology sessions, aimed at improving his literacy and numeracy. Initially he presented as a very troubled little boy, and with a great variety of learning issues.

His mother, a very articulate woman, had acknowledged his many issues and sought assistance from 5energies. I am so pleased to report his progress! In the last month, he has won his first ever merit certificate at school, but the change in this little boy is profound. Bubbly, excited about learning and keen to head off to school and each new day, he is obviously having so much fun now.

Thank you to parents who trust us with their most precious children – we take our responsibilities very seriously, and this story illustrates exactly why we started 5energies!

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