It has been a busy second week, the students have begun to settle into the routines and rhythms of the Clunes Program and are starting to really appreciate and understand that this environment provides so many opportunities for them individually and collectively. The students are busy researching for their Clunes Projects and it's great to see such a diverse range of topics being considered.

Thank you to all parents that attended the Group 39 Film Night, Elissa Jones really appreciated the opportunity to speak with so many of you last night. If you were unable to attend the Film Night, a copy of the DVD is available for you to borrow at each campus’ reception.

Over the next eight weeks, students will spend Tuesdays and Thursdays participating in sessions on one of the following themes: Environmental Sustainability, Place and Time and Self. On Tuesday, students participated in the first focus day on Environmental Sustainability. The day involved class work and discussions on environmental topics. Each student was given a native tree to re-plant and look after as well as seeds to plant in their House’s vegetable boxes.

On Thursday, students focussed on the theme Place and Time and spent the day out and about in the Clunes District. Students participated in Community Service throughout the week, which included walking with the Senior Citizens, helping out at the local Primary School, assisting with the Auskick program, participating in the Music Program, feeding animals at Tinakoori Animal Farm, reading at the Health Centre and helping out in the local shops. It's great to see the students embracing this important and valuable part of our program.

As we look around the campus we can see students walking back from their cooking class laden with food, students who are part of the running program preparing for this afternoon’s run while others are getting ready for their fitness program. Tonight, students have the choice of Community Basketball with Clunes locals, or quiet time in the Jubilee Hall. We suspect we may have a few who choose quiet time and will enjoy sitting playing a game of cards, board games, reading a book or just having a chat. We have seen a few students getting tired this week but overall the students are doing well. We are encouraging early nights and lots of fruit and vegetables.

A reminder that if you anticipate any changes to your chosen Visiting Weekend please contact the Clunes office (5345 9334) to ensure our records are correct.

All the very best
Suzanne Camm - Head of Wesley @ Clunes
Colin Dobson – Director of Primary and Middle Years Programs

On Thursday we went to Birch Creek to learn about Modern Age History and Gold History. When we arrived there one of our teachers started a fire to keep us warm. Then the rest of the teachers gave us bread rolls for us to have for morning tea. After we learned about the Modern Age History and Golden History we left to go back to the campus. After lunch we went to Mt Hollowback to learn about Indigenous History and Pre-history. It was particularly cold up there and everyone was wearing their rain coats (except for one student who was wearing nothing but at T-shirt and some shorts). Once we had learned about Indigenous History and Pre-history we all ran back to the buses and went home.

Last Friday me and a few other people went to the aged care centre for community time. Before we went there we all made a meal to feed two people for the elderly. Once we arrived at the Age Care Centre we sat down with the elders and had morning tea with them. They told us about their lives and what Clunes was like when they were our age. Once they had morning tea we helped them with their profiles by adding pictures of them and pictures of flowers. Once we had finished helping them with their profiles we said our goodbyes and headed back to campus.

Cluster Sports have got off to a fantastic start for The Green Machine. We won the pre-season cup with a solid performance and on Thursday we put in another strong performance against the Yellows. Cluster Sports is a great time for the Wesley College community to come together and participate in group activities and converse with each other in a competitive environment.
Last night we played two games of two-person soccer which is like soccer only you have a partner and you need to be connected to them at all times. Green won both games 2-0 and 1-0. In the first game one student scored both of the goals from fantastic feeds. In the second game another player converted a penalty.

Movie night happens every Sunday night at 7:00 o’clock in the Jubilee Hall and is a great time for all the kids and staff to relax and enjoy a film. This week the movie was chosen by the House 12 students because they accumulated the most points during the week. The can be scored in the following ways:

- First house into the Jubilee Hall for morning meeting
- Every member of your house there
- Every one sitting quietly and ready to listen

Also the winning house gets to sit on beanbags for the whole movie, but on a Monday every house has their point tally pushed down back to zero.

The running program has got off to a great start. With plenty of positive talk and good encouragement, all the runners have had a boost in confidence and strength. For the first two weeks, we have been running 3km on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The run begins from the lamppost all the way to the street sign and back. As runners pass each other we shout encouragement and give each other hi-fives. It gives us all a good feeling and the adrenaline to run faster.

One of the great traditions of the running program is when you make the end and then turn around and run to the last person. We all jog together as a group and all finish together. This is a great symbol of teamwork within our team. Right at the end we have an acknowledgement session and we thank and acknowledge people who have made the run enjoyable and have given support.

Shopping is one of the most important jobs at Clunes. There is a lot of responsibility on students to shop well for their houses or else they will be expecting some angry and hungry housemates. The most valuable commodity in our house (House 6) is milk. We go through more than 1 bottle a day.

Here are some tips House 6 recommend you to do when going shopping:
- Stock up on milk and bread.
- Buy enough ingredients for dinners so you can have leftovers the next day.
- Buy mixed frozen vegetables for meals, because it is cheaper
- Take a calculator and add up as you go along so you have a rough idea of how much you’ve spent.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO SPEND WISELY!

Saturday Night Fever has taken off with a superb start. It was amazing to see that all the groups had prepared amazing acts for all to see. It was also fun to watch with every house not failing to produce a great performance. Our house had to perform Billy Jean, which is by Michael Jackson. Unfortunately we did not win but we came close. After the performances were shown and the winner was chosen the competition was not over. After that one member from each house had to partner up with another house member and they had a pillow fight. Our house came into the semi-finals and then we were taken out. For the first Saturday Night Fever it was really enjoyable.

Community Basketball is great for people who would like to spend time to get to know the community better. It happens on a Friday night and anyone can play. Members of the community mix with Wesley students and we play a series of short matches and it is a fun experience to try out. We separate into 4 teams and boys and girls are mixed. It is an experience for everyone to try.

It was the first game of the real season and all of Red Cluster and Blue Cluster went to the Clunes Community Centre. They started to battle for the first points of the real season and Red Cluster won dodgeball but then Blue won the chant. Red eventually ran away with the lead and won easily, but we had to wait for the Green and Yellow clusters to verse each other so we could know who is leading the race for the premiership title.

The bakery that I normally go to in Clunes is at the end of Fraser St. It’s a very warm and inviting one. I enjoy the atmosphere in it. Many people go for a quick snack or a small lunch because the food is of such a nice quality. The other day I bought four loaves of bread there for $2.80 for each loaf. The bread smelt so nice. Normally when people have lunch there they’ll buy a meat pie, sausage roll or something sweet. I go there almost every day. I usually buy one or two savoury rolls with olives. They taste really good and are filling at the same time. That’s good especially at only a $1.20 for each roll.

Last week, the students walked up Mt Beckworth. We were taken to the base of the mountain in buses just after lunch. The walk commenced soon after along the beaten track that weaved around the side of the mountain. We reached an opening and stopped there for a break, which was well needed for some. We set off again up the much steeper, rocky track, which was hard on the legs. At last, we reached the large opening at the top, and had a clear view of ‘The Lollipop Tree’. This is a 91 year old Pine tree, which is the only non-indigenous tree on Mt Beckworth. The boys at the front decided to sprint up the final hill to the tree. When the rest of the group scrambled up the hill, we were given some information about the history of the mountain. The view of the countryside was spectacular, because it was the highest peak in the area. We walked down the mountain, taking a few wrong turns on the way, but it was easier than the way up. The group reached the bottom, and we were taken back to the campus.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the fitness and running program takes place in the afternoon. The fitness program is aimed at overall muscle development, as opposed to the running program where the aim is to develop cardiovascular strength. On Monday last week, we did a circuit that was designed to work on our abdominals, calves, quadriceps, and upper body strength. We separated into 3 groups, which rotated around a circuit twice. On Wednesday, we played a game of basketball, which was a well earned break from the fitness circuit two nights ago. Every Friday, we have a yoga session, which is a good exercise for stretching and relaxation after a busy week.