The 'let us know' list
1.   If any of your contact details have changed, please let us know.
2.    If you are planning to have contact with your student outside of SAIL hours you must let us know first and complete the contact request form.
3.    If you intend to bring a friend to SAIL please direct them to the
website first and direct them to apply online or just let us know
beforehand.
4.    Let us know if you are going to miss a Saturday via the online "Can't Come Sheet".
5.    Please check and read your emails each week - if possible, Friday is best!
6.    Please let us know before you speak publicly or publish an article about SAIL.

Final SAIL Tutor Talk
The final SAIL Tutor Talk for 2008 is coming up this Wednesday 5th of November between 6:30-8:00pm. SAIL Tutor Talks provide a brilliant opportunity to hear the insight of a range of professionals with experience at SAIL and provides on-going training for SAIL tutors.

Tutor Talks give you the chance to discuss how you interact with your student and compare the experiences of other tutors. The presentations will be useful to experienced SAIL volunteers as well as those just starting out. Dinner and drinks will be provided at the talk.

Who's Presenting: Liz Round. Liz is tutor extraordinaire and Volunteer coordinator at Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES), Australia's largest organization providing language, employment and re-settlement training to adults recently settled in Australia.  Liz has a wealth of experience teaching and training tutors at AMES.  She offers strategies for tutors working with students of all ages and who come from all levels of experience.

The Details:
Wednesday 5th November between 6:30-8:00pm.
Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
193 Hotham Street (cnr Clarendon St),
East Melbourne
Enter via Hotham Street
Parking free city side of Clarendon St only
Tram numbers 75 and 48
Jolimont Train station

Dinner and snacks will be provided during the presentations.
Please RSVP to sail@africanoz.com or rounde@ames.net.au by Monday, 3 November.

SAIL Summit
On October 4, SAIL Braybrook hosted the first 'SAIL Summit'. The SAIL Summit was a forum in which SAIL could consult with members of the Sudanese Community to discuss important aspects of the program and areas in which SAIL could improve. Each of the six Melbourne campuses was represented by one secondary student and one SAIL Senior student. A huge thank you to Nyibol and Monica represented the Braybrook campus.

Tutor Drinks
On October 11, tutors from all of Melbourne's six SAIL campuses met for a Tutor Drinks night at Panama Lounge in Fitzroy. Tutor Drinks provided an opportunity for tutors, new and old to discuss and compare their experiences with other tutors. The night was a huge success with an impressive Braybrook turnout. Thank you to those tutors who made it on the night.

Punctuality at SAIL
You may have noticed that SAIL starting time at Braybrook seems to be dragging out to 11am as opposed to 10:30am. In order to maximise tutoring time, please do everything you can to arrive at SAIL by 10:20am to start tutoring at 10:30am.

If you are having difficulties with getting yourself and the SAILors you
pick up there on time, please come and speak with us. If you've noticed that your student is often late, feel free to bring that up with us also!

Cleaning

A huge thank you to all the tutors who have for stayed back to assist with cleaning SAIL on Saturday. We sincerely appreciate you adding the extra time to your day at SAIL as it allows us to leave campus hours earlier in the comfort of knowing that the venue is in as good shape (and often better) as it was at the start of the day!

SAILors take Xtend 'out for six!'

During the month of October, many SAILors have been making great use of the sunshine and participating in Cricket. There have been many fine bowlers and batsmen showing off their skills. The 'SAIL Eleven' has included Abiol, Jackson, Johnston, Jacquie, Agok and Suzanne.

Meanwhile, those wanting to stay cool have been involved in Guitar Lessons. Some SAILors appear destined for careers as musicians, picking up skills at a phenomenal rate. A huge thank you to Zac and Akemi for their tireless assistance.

Xtend runs at Braybrook from 12:30-1:30pm on a Saturday. A small group of Braybrook SAILors are joined by a small group of Maidstone SAILors for a range of activities. We would like to extend an Xtend invitation to all tutors who are keen to participate. It is a fantastic and fun way of brushing up on your skills and having a ball with SAIL students.

Spring Carnival Traffic
In coming weeks, Flemington Racecourse will  be home to a number of racemeets. In particular on November 1 and 8, there will be a lot of traffic congestion around Flemington. Please allow extra time if you take this route to SAIL.

Library News

Braybrook warmly welcomes Betsy as Librarian of the SAIL Library. Betsy has been doing an amazing job at ordering and tidying the library. Please feel free to introduce yourself to Betsy, or ask Betsy to point you in the direction of any resource you cannot find.

New to the Library is the 'SAIL Wish List', which is located next to the whiteboard each week. If you notice that we are missing or do not have a particular resource, please make a note on the wish list and we will do our best to accommodate.

In recent weeks, SAILors and tutors have been encouraged to wear name badges during tutoring time. This is to encourage greater interaction between SAILors. If you need a badge, please see a coordinator or Betsy. We ask that the badges are returned at the end of tutoring time.

If you ever feel like you are running low on ideas or activities, please let a librarian or coordinator know, and we can point you in the direction of our huge collection of ideas and resources. Further, there is a CD jam-packed with SAIL worksheets and ideas, available for loan to tutors. If you are interested, please see a coordinator.

WholeSAIL News

Christmas Presents
We are calling for donations of Christmas presents for Sudanese SAILors for the impending Festive Season.  Please chat to a coordinator on Saturday if you think you can help.

SAIL Tutor Survey
In recent weeks, the yearly SAIL tutor survey will have made its way into your inbox. Thank you to those who have already responded with their valuable thoughts, ideas, feedback on all things SAIL. We ask that you take the time to complete it to ensure the good ship SAIL stays on the right course.

AMES Volunteer Training
Wednesdays, 15 October-19 November, 6-8.30pm, AMES Flagstaff, Level 1, 255
William Street OR Office Hours 23 October-27 November, 10am- 12.30pm, AMES
Head Office, Level 4, 1 Little Collins Street

Want to improve your tutoring skills? AMES is running training courses for volunteer tutors who work with migrant and refugee school children, with sessions taking place on a variety of dates and times in the next two months.

Places are still available and sessions are held at AMES Flagstaff, 255 William Street, with lunch provided.

Please contact Liz Round on 9926 4633 or at rounde@ames.net.au if you'd like to register.

Total Trivia

Did you know? The Sudanese flag is a red, white and black tricolour with a green triangle next to the hoist. Red represents the struggle of martyrs who gave their lives for their country, white stands for peace, optimism and love, black symbolises Sudan and the Mahdiya revolution, while green is for Islam, prosperity and agriculture.
Thank you all for the time and energy you donate each week.

Thank you for SAILing the 7 seas.
Smooth SAILing,
Gemma, Sam, Ashanti, Nik and Cara