NEWSLETTER: Dandenong campus (March 2005)

Welcome and welcome back to the SAIL Program for 2005! There is already plenty going on and about to happen so please, read on, indulge, relax, grab a cuppa, and maybe a Tim Tam and descend into the comfortable world of SAILmania!

SAILors tend to be movers and shakers. Shakers should keep the details to themselves. Movers need to let us know every detail so we can keep them in the loop. If your contact details have changed over summer, even a single digit of them, please let us know by emailing Jackie on saildandenong@africanoz.com.

We understand that that many of you who are involved with collecting families are occasionally (and sometimes consistently) late as a result of the family not being ready to leave when they arrive. If this is the case for you, please come and chat with Jackie and Matthew about it on a Saturday at lunch time. We would be more than happy to work out ways in which to avoid lateness on account of collecting a car full of SAILors! If you do pick up a family, we have devised a simple method to avoid being late.

Be consistent: If you have the same pick-up every week, be sure to arrive at the same time every week. We suggest that all drivers aim to be at their pick-up’s house at 10:30am (or earlier if need be). Explain to those you pick up that you will arriving at their house every Saturday at 10:00am to take them to SAIL. If you arrive at the family’s house every week at the same time, they will be expecting you and will therefore be more likely to be ready and waiting to head off to SAIL!

Be firm: If you find that despite consistently arriving at 10:30am, your family are still not quite ready to go and you and the family are late to SAIL as a result, be firm. Let the family know that you will be arriving at 10:30am every Saturday, and that they have to be ready by 10:30am to leave. It is sometimes the case that a SAILor has arrived to find those they pick-up still waking up and getting out of bed! This might be the case on a first time pick-up, but if you consistently arrive at 10:30am, there is no excuse! Simply explain that you cannot wait for them to be ready as you will be late to SAIL. Let the family know that if they are not ready by 10:30am, they will not have a lift to SAIL.

Call ahead: If you are able to, call the family the night before or early Saturday morning to let them know you are picking them up at 10:30am and remind them that they need to be ready otherwise they will miss out on a lift to SAIL. Please come and chat with Jackie or Matthew about this option if you feel that it would be helpful!

Get help: If none of these ideas work and you are still coming late to SAIL as a result of pick-up problems, get help. Come and chat with Jackie or Matthew about any problems you may be having with your pick-up if you are coming late to SAIL as a result!

The SAIL Star is back for 2005! The SAIL Star is written by Sudanese SAILors for all SAILors. This year, for the first time, the SAIL Star has its own editor, Lauren, editor in chief! The SAIL Star will be coming out every five weeks but for this to happen, we need your help!

The SAIL Star relies on contributions from the Sudanese SAILors. It features stories, pictures and completed SAIL Star worksheets. These worksheets are especially designed for the SAIL Star as they convert readily from worksheet into article. Please find them on the Tutor Resources section of the website.

The purpose of the SAIL Star is two-fold. Firstly, it offers reward and recognition for good work. Secondly, it provides some simple reading and activity material for all SAILors on Saturdays.

After its immense success in its first year, 2003, we call on all SAILors to keep the SAIL Star in mind and to submit pieces for publication to the SAIL Star submission folder! Your help will be appreciated to make the SAIL stars shine in the SAIL Star!

The first 5 week cycle is set to commence beginning Saturday 19th March, with our very first and exciting theme for 2005. Following up from the Aquarium excursion at the end of last year, this will be…’The Beach and the Ocean’. Think dolphins, sharks, stingrays, starfish, jellyfish, ahells, sand, waves and ‘Finding Nemo’. If you find or make any great worksheets please give Jackie a copy and we’ll provide photcopies for everyone!

The next theme will be ‘Sudan’ if you have any preferences or suggestions for future themes they would be more than welcome, so please email Jackie with your ideas.

Remember, the themes are a guide only, and if you find your student is not engaging so well, feel free to choose a more suitable topic or idea to plan your lessons around.

Commencing this year we will be introducing regular Week 5 Tutor Talks, whereby guest speakers will come along to SAIL following the usual SAIL session, to provide tutors with information and training to assist with teaching English and working better with our student SAILors. The week 5 dates for 2005 are set. The first Tutor Talk session will be on 16th April at 1:00pm. Please mark it in your diary as we have a strong line up of guest speakers to grill with SAIL questions.

The Week 5 dates for the rest of the year and the topics for each session are in a table (D is for Dandenong and F is for Footscray…) that comes with the paper version of this newsletter. We encourage all SAILors to attend as many as possible. They are the ideal way for us to help you help your student/s!

It is with open and grateful arms that we welcome Bronwyn Millen into her new SAIL role as Transport Coordinator for the Dandenong Program. Bronwyn will be handling the hugely important and ongoing task of organising the car collections roster for 2005. All of our wonderful SAIL drivers can contact Bronwyn at the new transport email address: sailtransport@afrcanoz.com. If you’re not a driver and able to help with either a regular pick-up or as a floating driver, please let Bron know your availability.

Question
I have been tutoring my student for 2 weeks. He is an 8 year old boy who has recently come to Australia. At the moment he is attending English language school. Some concerns came up in my second lesson with him. Specifically, he was having trouble distinguishing between letters ie. p, b and d m(he kept saying they were all the same) and seemed to get numbers around the wrong way: ie. he thought 75 was 57 He made these mistakes repeatedly and became quite upset - especially when surrounded by other kids who seemed to know more than he did. I am wondering whether this is a sign of dyslexia, or whether these difficulties are normal. I'm not sure what he is learning at English Language school and am a bit unsure where to start as communication is difficult and he doesn't yet have the foundations of the alphabet or basic numbers. I want to make sure I target things at a level that is reasonable for him so that he doesn't end up feeling upset or discouraged. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Answer
Thanks for message. The two problems you describe are common ones. First, the b vs d confusion. Some children do find it hard to store representations of alphanumeric symbols (letters and numbers ) in their memory. It is not a visual or sight problem, as is often believed. Rather, it seems to be linked with difficulty encoding these symbols. One way of dealing with this is to teach the child the actions that go with each symbol, for example, decide a characteristic finger movement for b (begin at top of 'stick', go down it and then around the ball) and a different one for d. You can have the child make the finger action for b and for d in the air. You can write b making the ball stand out and try to draw a dog or a drop around d. These pictiorial prompts can gradually be withdrawn. It is fine for the child to say "dog - d" as an imtermediate step.

You can also cut out a b and d from cardboard or sandpaper, put them under a cloth and the child has to feel each one to select the one you name. You can also have the child work on writing each one (often chalk or with a stick in sand can be distinctive. You can also make or get about 20 blank cards and write either a b or d on each and play games like snap, bingo or other card matching activities. You can show him one card and then a second card and he has to decide whether it was the same as the first, etc, Getting numbers around the wrong way: ie. he thought 75 was 57 can be something else; he may not be looking at the symbols in a detail - analytic way but more in a global way. In this case you may need to teach him to say each part of the compound symbol separately, that is "seventy five". Again, you can write 2-digit numbers on cards and play the games or show him one card and then a second card and he has to decide whether it was the same as the first, etc, The fact that he became quite upset may suggest that he doesn't know what to do to answer correctly - hence I would stress using the actions to help him make disticntions and I would work on one pair of distinctions at one point and get these in place first. I would also watch his self efficacy as a learner of reading - if he is worried about the other kids who he thought knew more than he did, this can suppress his preparedness to take risks, etc. The distinction between normal development and dyslexia often depends on how long the difficulty lasts and how resistant it is to change. The types of behaviour that are indicative of dyslexia are often shown briefly during development but the children outgrow them. If the child does have a sequential analytic learning difficulty, then this is often associated with one type of dyslexia (phonological dys). I hope these suggestions help. Please feel free to let me know how things proceed and raise any issues you feel appropriate. Best wishes and keep up the great work.

WholeSAIL news

SAIL About is shaping up to big things already for 2005. Below are a list of events free for SAILors. If you are interested in taking your SAIL buddies to any event, please email us to reserve a place. Please note that all SAIL About excursion travel costs are paid by SAIL and more than one SAIL volunteer must attend each event.

1. Ballet at the Bowl, Friday 11 March 2005, 8pm @ Myer Music Bowl
Ever wanted to be a ballerina? That’s nice. What about watch one? Well you can! This Friday there is a free ballet bonanza at the Myer Music Bowl. If you are wanting to take some SAILors, please let us know ASAP so the necessary paperwork can be completed.

2. AFL's Harmony Day Wizard Cup, 12 March 2005 @ Telstra Dome.
For kids aged 8-9 and any SAILor supervisors, we have an offer for free tickets to the football this Saturday! The game will be played at Tesltra Dome and during half time the SAILors will be taken onto the ground for half time activities. If you are interested in taking part, please let us know and then contact Trevor Robertson at Football Victoria, 8663 3015, 0418 321 967, trevorr@footballvic.com.au . This is a great opportunity for kids to experience the atmosphere of footy in Melbourne.

3. Black Harmony Gathering, 20 March 2005 2pm - 6pm @ The Fairfield Amphitheatre, Heidelberg Rd Fairfield.
Multicultural Arts Victoria present a showcase of Australian Indigenous musicians alongside their brothers and sisters from newly arrived African communities of Congo, West Africa, North and South Sudan. Performers include our very own Dambai dancers alongside Koori Youth Will Shake Spears, Monica Weightman, Nadia Elbana, Sudan Azza, Ajak Kwai and Koori Band. If you intend to join the SAIL group, please let us know by email to sail@africanoz.com. For more details about the day please visit www.multiculturalarts.com.au.

4. Variety Functions
The Variety Children’s Charity have kindly made their excursions open to all SAILors for 2005. The following events are coming up and require bookings. If you would like to take a SAILor, please let us know so we can reserve a place.

How about sailing the old way? SAILors can sail away on Wednesday, 23 March 2005 with the Sandringham Yacht Club.

Circus Oz are hosting a show free for SAILors on 24 June 2005 at Birrarung Marr. If you are able to collect a carload of youngsters, we will gladly reserve you a ticket.

Eagles fly and so do bulldogs. SAILors can head to the footy to see the Weagles and the Western Bulldogs on 6 August 2005. If you would like to join the mottly crew for this one, let us know.

5. Ajak Kwai, Saturday, 23 April, 2005 from 8.15 pm @ Boite World Music Cafe, 1 Mark Street, North Fitzroy
Ajak Kwai from the Dinka people of Southern Sudan is currently on a national Australian tour. Her singing shares songs of freedom, peace, love, marriage and cows (the source of Dinka life!) that will “, according to the promo materials, “uplift and inspire”.

It is with a great pleasure that we announce the pending launch of SAIL’s third home, Altona! Under the steady guidance of SAIL Footscray tutors, Wayn Wong and Catherine Foreman, Altona will be kicking off on 28 May 2005. In time, it is hoped that Altona SAIL will take some of the pressure on space from Footscray. If any present SAILor is interested in joining the pioneering group, please let Wayn and Catherine know on sailaltona@africanoz.com.

Want to learn Juba Arabic, the Arabic spoken in Sudan? A small group of SAILors are organising and mid-week beginners Arabic class for SAILors only. The classes will run every week for 6 months at the University of Melbourne Law School on Thursdays after work hours. Each class will cost $10 with the money going solely to the Sudanese tutor. If you are interested, please email Matthew at sail@africanoz.com.

Sudan Mirror is the only independent source of news produced in Sudan. Access to it in Australia provides a vital link for the Diaspora members at SAIL with the folks back home. SAIL’s affiliate, the Sudanese Online Research Association, is now glad to welcome the Sudan Mirror to Australia.

The Sudan Mirror will be available from SAIL campuses each fortnight. Purchase is by subscription only. For collection at SAIL, the grand cost for six months is $18! Please find the order form attached to the paper version of this newsletter.

Following Matthew’s sabbatical to Kenya and Sudan in 2004, SAIL is now linked in with an international network of organisations working for a peaceful future for Sudan.

Among them is the link with the New York-based organisation, FilmAid International. FilmAid operates in refugee camps across the world providing mental relief through the medium of film from the banal lifestyle of the camps.

Among its projects, FilmAid is co-ordinating a global exchange of video letters – pen pals for the 21st Century! During 2005, a group of SAILors will be exchanging video-taped messages with Sudanese refugee children at the Kakuma refugee camp in the north Kenyan desert. We will keep you posted as it develops and let you know when the latest delivery of a message comes through.

The SAIL Star is also now partnered with the Peace Education Program of the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR. In all editions of the SAIL Star for 2005, you will see submissions on the subject of peace in Sudan from refugees across East African who participates in the Peace Education Program. By the same token, writing on peace by SAILors will be regularly featured in the UN’s publication, Peacemaker magazine.

It is hoped that these links will bring home to Sudanese SAILors that they are part of a global community committed to the idea of sustainable peace in Africa’s largest nation.

For the record and for those confused (or distraught) that Matthew is sometimes there and sometimes not, Matthew will be the overseeing co-ordinator for wholeSAIL operations for 2005. This means he will be at Footscray every week 2 and 5 and Dandenong for the other weeks. From June, Matthew will have one week per cycle at Altona and two at the other two campuses. For those missing him desperately in the meantime, there are two options; email him at sail@africanoz.com or seek counselling.

Want to study SAIL? You now can! In fact, students of the University of Melbourne who undertake the Liberal Arts course called “Migrant Nations” have no choice. The week 4 tutorial (21 March) is exclusively about the SAIL Program and comes complete with a mandatory reading list! An essay critically analysing the SAIL Program is an option for all students in the course. We were thinking of enrolling until we considered the prospect of failing in the subject which would be a bit too embarrassing?!?!

Thank you all for your generosity of time, energy and spirit. It was the life-blood of SAIL ’04 and will be the life-blood of SAIL ’05!

Matthew and Jackie