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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
TheBulletinNumber14,Friday1September2017
InsideThisIssueHere'swhatyou'llfind:
• PD:DialogueintheDark,NDISOnlineResources,VictorReaderTutorial#7,AlbinismConferenceReport
• Technology:BrailleNoteQ&As,BrailleProficiencyTest,HandyShortcutsforSafari• SportandActivities:SwimmingCarnival2017,HowtoBraillePlayingCards,BrailleTrailand
SensoryGardenWebsitesaroundtheWorld,VictorianBlindCricketEvents• FromtheField:VAFurtherEducationBursaryNowOpen,MaryanneDiamond&Marrakesh
Treaty,AccessibleTourisminIndia• News:DiaryDates,SupportSkillsTryDay,StudentNews
CheckTheBulletinarchiveforbackissues!
DatesforYourDiaryHere'swhat'scomingup:
• DotPower:12September• SSPCricketDay:22September• SupportSkillsTryDay:17November• SVRCExpo:28November• SVRCChristmasMorningTea:6December
SeetheSVRCwebsiteformoreinformationandonlineregistration.
VisionAustraliaFurtherEducationBursaryProgramfor2018isOpenSource:http://www.visionaustralia.org/learn-more/learning-to-live-independently/further-education-support/vision-australia-further-education-bursary
Eachyear,VisionAustraliaawardsFurtherEducationBursariestoaselectnumberofstudentswhoareblindorhavelowvision.
Thebursariesprovideadaptivetechnologytohelpthestudentsfullyparticipateandsucceedintheirchosenstudies.Assistivetechnologycaneliminatebarrierstoeducationandenhanceaccesstoinformation.
Itenablesstudentstoreadcoursematerial,conductresearchandimprovetheirstudentlife.
Todate,thisprogramhasprovidedsupportforover330students.
Applicationsarenowopenwitheligibilitycriteriaandcontactdetailsforfurtherinformationavailableatthelinkabove.
DotPower:12September2017WhatwillthepostmanbringtoDotPower?Makesureweknowthatyouarecomingsothatyoucanjoininthefun!Phone98410242.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
DialogueintheDark:Changingattitudesoneshoppingcentreatatime!!FromMarionBlazé
ImetwithPeterCollins,OperationsManagerforDialogueintheDarkthismorningandwehadaveryinterestingdiscussionabouthowDiDiscausingattitudechangeswhereveritissetup.DiDopenedinMelbourne(Docklands)inJunethisyear,thefirstinAustralia,andalreadyshopkeepersinHarbourTownhavechangedthewaytheythinkabouthavingcustomerswhoareblind.DiDhasemployed14peoplewhoareblindasguides,someofwhomareex-studentsofVTs&SVRC,andtheyallfrequenttheshopsintheprecinctduringtheirbreaks.PeterwassayinghowthisisoneoftheaimsofDiDandthatoverseas,whereit’sbeensetupforyearsinsomecities,thechangehasspreadthroughoutthewholecity.Peoplearetalkingabout,askingquestionsabout,beingcuriousaboutandinterestedinvisionimpairment.HealsosaidthattheothercitiesarenowfindingitmoredifficulttoemployblindguidesforDiD,becauseblindpeoplearefindingiteasiertogetemploymentelsewhere,perhapsdueinparttothisattitudechange.SoPeter’saimistochangetheattitudeswithinHarbourTown,thentheCBD,thenthewholeofMelbourneandVictoria,byspreadingthewordandgettingasmanypeopletoexperienceDiDashecan.
DialogueintheDarkOpportunitiesforTeachersandStudentsTheDepartmentofEducationisoffering1000complimentaryticketstoteacherstoattendDiD.ThisofferisonlyopenuntilFebruary2018,soifyouhaven’tbeen,contactSVRCfordetails.IfyoualsodoashortonlinelearningpackagefromSVRC,wewillprovideyouwithacertificateasevidenceforyourVITregistrationSpecialNeedslearning.
HaveyouthoughtabouttakingawholeclassofstudentstoDiD?Oneofourstudentswhoisblindwentwithherwholeclass,whichopenedupdiscussionsabouthowshemanagesandhowtheyfoundtheexperience(seeissue13).
MaryanneDiamondandtheMarrakeshTreatySource:https://www.australianunity.com.au/assisted-living/whats-on/flourish/right-to-read(withthankstoLeonaHollowayandABAFacebook)
DorothyCookwrites:"TheestablishmentoftheMarrakeshTreaty,asitbecameknown,waslonganddifficult.Thebureaucraticprocessbeganin2009andforsevenyearsMaryannehadtosummoneveryatomoftenacity,intellectandpatiencetoconvince186countriestomodifyiron-cladcopyrightlawsandallowblindpeoplethesamerightassightedpeople–therighttoread.Correspondingly,togetaneducation,perhapsevenajob.
TheTreatywasadoptedinMarrakeshinMorocco,on27June,2013,butneeded20countriestoratifyitbeforeitbecomelawon30September,2016.Twenty-fivecountriesarenowmembersoftheMarrakeshTreatyAssembly.TheTreaty'createsamandatorysetofprinciplesthatallowvisuallyimpaired,blindandprint-disabledpeopletoaccesspublishedworks...ManyviewtheMarrakeshTreatyasthebiggestbreakthroughforblindpeoplesincebraillewasinventedearlyinthe19thcentury."
UEBProficiencyTestReminder Registrationforthe2017TransTasmanCertificateofProficiencyinUnifiedEnglishBraillecloseonFriday8September.Detailsareavailableat:http://brailleaustralia.org/unified-english-braille/trans-tasman-certificate-of-proficiency-in-unified-english-braille/.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
VictorReaderTutorial#7Tutorial7inourVictorReaderStreamseriesisnowlive–GarrydemonstrateshowtousewifiontheVictorReaderStream–NewGeneration.
You'llfinditonourYouTubeChannel:Tutorial7:UsingWifiontheVictorReaderStreamNewGeneration
NDIS:OnlineResourcesSource:BCA
TheRaisingChildrenNetworkandtheNationalDisabilityInsuranceAgency(NDIA)havepartneredtoproducefreeonlinevideosandarticlestohelpparentsbecome"NDISReady".
Thenewresourcescovermanycommonqueries,including:
• whatistheNDIS• howparentscanaccesstheNDIS• howtogoaboutchoosingservices• earlyintervention• transitioningfromBetterStartandHelpingChildrenWithAutismtotheNDIS
Visit:raisingchildren.net.au/ndis
Q&A:MovingfromOneFiletoAnotherontheBrailleNoteApexQuestion:MystudentisfindingmovingfromonefiletoanotherontheBNtimeconsuming.Sheisclosingdownonefiletogotoanother.Theexampleshegavewasduringatestwhereshecanusehernotes.Shesavesthenotesinonefilebutthenwhensheneedstorefertothemshehastoclosethetestfiletogettotheinformation
Answer:Yes,thereisaquickerway...ToflickbetweentwodocumentsontheBrailleNoteApex,followthesesteps1.Openthefirstdocument2.PressSpace+dots12563.Navigatetotheseconddocumentthatyou'dlikeopen4.PressingSpace+dots1256willtoggleyoubetweentheopendocuments.Quick!Effective!
Q&A:LinkingBrailleNoteApextoStaffComputersQuestion:WearehavingtroubleconnectingtheBrailleNotetocomputersatschooltoviewtheBrailleNoteoutputinprintwhilethestudentisworking.WehavedownloadedKeyViewbutitdoesn'tappeartobecompatiblewithWindows10.Whatcanwedo?
Answer:ThesimplestoptionistopluginaVGAmonitor.AlesssimplesolutionwouldbetoinstallVNCviewonaniPad(orother,includingtheteacher'slaptop)anduseWi-Fitosend.TheschoolfirewallsmightcausedifficultywiththeBrailleNotesending–thishappensinmanyschools–andthework-aroundwouldbetosetupahotspotfordata.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
HowtoBraillePlayingCardsSource:http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/strategies/how-braille-playing-cardsbyPennyRosenblum16Jul2017(withthankstoLeonaHollowayandABAFacebook)
Pennywrites,"Thisisagreatactivityforsomeonelearningtouseaslateandstylus!It’sfunctional,andthenyoucanplayagame!"
1. Getadeckofplayingcards2. Eachcardusestwocells.Therearenonumeric
orgrade1indicatorsused.3. Putthecardinyourslateandstylusorbrailler
andbraillethetopleftcorner.Takeitoutandflipitaroundandreinsertandbraillethetopleftcorner.Inbothcasesbrailleonthe“picture”sideofthecard.Thisway,nomatterwhichwaytheuserholdsthecard,thebraillewillbelegibleinthetopleftcorner.
4. Usetheselettersforthesuits: c=♣clubs h=♥hearts d=♦diamonds s=♠spades5. Usethesenumbers/lettersforeachcard: 1=ace x=10 j=jack q=queen k=king Thenumbers2through9representthenumberedcards.6. Inbraillingthecardsbelow,youwouldusethefollowing:
Aceofclubs:1c
7ofdiamonds:7d
Kingofspades:ks
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
2017SupportSkillsTryDayFromGarryStinchcombe,SupportSkillsProgramCoordinator
When:November17th2017,9:30amto1:15pm
Where:SVRCDonvale370SpringvaleRdDonvaleintheGroundoftheHeatherwoodSchool
Eligibility:StudentswhowillbebetweenGrade4andYear10in2018,enrolledinaVictorianschoolandhavebeentoEVAC.
Whattodo:GototheSVRCwebsiteandunderEducationProgramslocatetheSupportSkillsinformation.FillintheonlineformtoregisterfortheTryDay.
Closingdate:MondayNovember132017
Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontactGarryStinchcombe,SupportSkillsProgramCoordinatoron(03)98410242oremail:[email protected]
NewWebsiteListsBrailleTrailsandSensoryGardensAroundtheWorldThanksagaintoOzbrl.
Anewwebsitelistsbrailletrailsandsensorygardensaroundtheworld.Brailletrailsandsensorygardensaredefinedasfollows:
BrailleTrail:anaturetrailwithbrailleinformationalsignageandphysicalaidesthatallowpeoplewithvisionimpairmentstoexperiencethetrailunassisted.Brailletrailsusuallyincludeaguideropeorrailspeoplewithvisionimpairmentstoholdandfollowalongaguidedogfriendlypath,withBrailleinformationalsignageaboutthenaturalsurroundingsandstationstoexperiencephysicaltrailfeaturesplacedatkeypointsalongtheguiderope.Sometrailshavetactilewalkwaystoprovidedirection,othershaveaudiocomponentssuchasguidedaudiotoursorsmartphoneaccess,andmanyhavefeaturesmakingthemwheelchair-accessible.
SensoryGarden:designedtoprovidetactileexperiencesthroughtheusageofspecificplantsinaspeciallydesignedlayouttocreateopportunitiesandaccommodationsforpeoplewithvisionimpairmentsandotherswithdisabilitiestoenjoythetouch,soundsandscentsoftheoutdoors.Sensorygardensutilizearomaticandtexturalplants,andoftenhavebrailleinformationalsignage,guideropesorrails,audiofeatures,andtactilepathwaysforpeoplewithvisionimpairmentstowalkalongthepathsunassisted.Manysensorygardenshavewheelchair-accessiblewalkwaysandraisedgardenbeds.
TherearecurrentlyonlytwoentriesforAustralia:AbrailletrailinBrisbaneandasensorygardeninWodonga.Descriptionsandphotographsofadditionalgardensareinvited.
Visit:NatureforAllWebsitewww.naturefortheblind.comandFacebookpage:https://www.facebook.com/naturefortheblind/.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
21HandyShortcutsforSafariMatthewElliotsuggestsyoucanbecomea"SafariSvengali"anda"superiorSafarisurfer"byemployingsomeofthesekeyboardshortcutsonyourApplecomputer.
Tabandwindowmanagement
1.Openlinkinnewtab
Somelinksarecodedtoopeninthecurrenttabwhileothersopeninanewtab.Totakecontrolofthisbehavior,pressCommandwhenyouclickalinktostayonyourcurrentpagewhileopeningthelinkinanewtabinthebackground.Likewise,useCommand-Shift-clicktoopenlinkinnewtabandswitchtoit.
2.Jumptonextorprevioustab
UseCommand-Shift-rightarrowtojumponetabtotherightanduseCommand-Shift-leftarrowtojumponetabtotheleft.Alternatively,youcanuseControl-TabtomovetotherightandControl-Shift-Tabtomovetotheleft
3.Jumptospecifictab
Tojumptoaspecifictabofthemanyyouhaveopen,pressCommandandanynumberkeybetween1and9.Command-1jumpsyoutoyourfirst(left-most)tab.Command-5,forexample,jumpsyoutothefifthtabfromtheleft.
4.Bringbackclosedtab
YouprobablyuseCommand-Ttoopenanewtab,butdidyouknowthatCommand-Zopensyourpreviouslyclosedtab.Undothatlasttabclosure!UnlikeChromeandFirefoxthatrememberyourlast10closedtabs,Safaribringsbackonlyyourlastclosedtabwiththisshortcut.Forotherclosedtabs,you'llneedtofindtheminSafari'sHistory.
5.Dragtabs
Safariisquiteflexiblewhenitcomestomovingyourtabsaround.Youcanclickanddragatabtomoveittoanotherspotamongyourrowopentabsinthecurrentwindow.Youcanalsodragataboutofthecurrentwindowandstartanewwindowordragitfromonewindowtoanotherwindow.
6.Mforminimize
HitCommand-Mtominimizeyourcurrentwindow.
7.Closecurrenttaborwindow
ThisshortcutsavesyoufromneedingtoclickthelittleXtocloseatab.Instead,useCommand-Wtocloseyourcurrenttab.TocloseyourcurrentSafariwindow,useCommand-Shift-W.
8.Closealltabsbutcurrenttab
Afteranexplosionoftabs,youcanclosealltabsbutthecurrenttab(andanypinnedtabs)byhittingCommand-Option-W.
9.EnterReadingMode
HitCommand-Shift-RtoenableSafari'sreadingmodetogetaclean,clutter-freeversionofthepageyouareviewing.
10.AddtoReadingList
HitCommand-Shift-DtoaddthecurrentpagetoyourReadingListsoyoucanreturntoitlater.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
11.OpentheSidebar
HitCommand-Shift-LtoopenSafari'sSidebartoseeyourBookmarks,ReadingList,Sharedlinks.HitthekeyboardshortcutagaintoclosetheSidebar.
12.Gofullscreen
HitCommand-Control-Ftomoveinandoutoffullscreenmode.
13.Private,keepout
HitCommand-Shift-NtoopenaPrivateBrowsingwindow.
14.Mutenoisytab
LikeChrome,Safaridisplaysaspeakericononanytabthatisplayingaudio.UnlikewithChrome,withSafariyoucanclickonthespeakericontomutethetab.YoucanalsoclickthebluespeakericonintheURLbartomutealltabs.
Pagenavigation
15.Forwardandback
YoucangobackapageonyourcurrenttabbyhittingCommand-leftarrow.Tomoveforwardapage,useCommand-rightarrow.
16.Pageupanddown
Whenyouareviewingapage(andnotfillingoutaform,usingGoogleDocsorotherwiseengagingyourcursorinSafari),hitthespacebartopagedownonapageandShift-spacebartopageup.
17.Toporbottom
HitCommand-uparrowtoreturntothetopofthewebpageyouareviewingandCommand-downarrowtogototheverybottomofthepage.
18.Stopapagefromloading
Ifapageistakingtoolongtoload,hittheEscapekeytostopitfromloading.Toreloadthepage,hitCommand-R.
19.Zoomcontrols
Ifyouhavetroublereadingasmallfontonapage,hitCommand-Shift-[equalssign]tozoomin.Tozoomout,useCommand-Shift-[minussign]tozoomout.Toreturntothedefaultzoomlevel,hitCommand-Shift-0(zero).
20.URLbar
HitCommand-LtotakecontrolofURLbar.
21.Findbar
UseCommand-FtoopentheFindbartosearchfortextonthecurrentpage.WhensearchingfortextwiththeFindbar,hitReturntogotothenextinstanceofyoursearchtermonthepageanduseShift-Returntogotothepreviousinstance.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
AlbinismFellowshipofAustraliaConference–"CelebratingAlbinism"FromSandraGeorge,President,AlbinismFellowshipofAustralia
AverybigthankyoutothestaffofSVRCformakingamajorcontributiontotheAlbinismConference2weeksago.Twohundredandthirtyeightpeoplewereinvolvedatvariousstageswithanattendanceof69ontheFridayafternoonandover200oneachweekendday.Thisincludedthemanyvolunteerstorunthefourchildren'sprograms(RMITstudentteachersfromtheEarlyChildhoodProgram/EducationFacultyandVisionAustraliaOT's,O&M'sandvolunteers).
OurkeynotespeakerwasKarenWolffefromTexaswhowasinspirationalasshespokeaboutchallengingchildren,raisingexpectationsandpreparingthemforcareers.Sheworkedwithapanelofadultswithalbinismtoexplorewhatmadethemandtheircareersasuccessandspoketoadultsaboutdevelopingorchangingcareers.AndrewFullerspokeaboutpracticesthatbuildresilienceandmedicalspecialistsexploredthestructuresandfunctionsinalbinismandthesurgicalandotherinterventionscurrentlyused.TheSVRCteamofDebDavidson,AnnetteGodfrey-MageeandGlenMorrowpresentedsessionscoveringaccessandinclusion,classroomstrategies,makingtherighttechnologychoicesandthestepstoindependence(skillsetstoachieveatdifferentstagesofschooling).Adultswithalbinismjoinedpanelsoncareers,sportandtravel,whileothersrecountedpersonalstoriesofallthatcancelebratedaboutalbinism.
MarionBlazémannedtheSVRCstandwithsupportfromtheothers,providinginformationandadvicetobothparentsandteachers.Withtheadditionofstudentteachers,wehadatotalof46educatorsattendingwhonowhaveagreaterunderstandingofalbinismandhavemadeconnectionswithbothparentsandchildren.TheFridaywassetasideasanintroductiontoalbinismwithspecialpresentationsforeducatorsandnewparents.Itwasheartwarmingtohavetheeducatorsgiveuptheirtimetojoinus,especiallythosewhoalsoattendedontheweekend.Ithasalsoassistedparentstounderstandtheroleandperspectiveofteachers,whichcanonlyleadtomeaningfulpartnershipstosupportchildren.
Finallythecontributionbychildrenofallageswasamazing.Lucy,KonnaandSammiformedtheYouthPaneltotalkabouttheirjourneysofaranddreamsforthefuture,withallperformingduringtheconcertandevenjoiningthebandontheSaturdaynight.TheGoalBallAssociationhosted32childrenontheSaturdayafternoontoexpendabitofenergyand22oftheolderoneswent10pinbowling,accompaniedbyParalympianChadPerrisontheSunday.AnyonewhohastaughtanyoneofthesechildrenshouldbeproudastheyworkedtogetherintheCreche,LowerPrimary,JuniororYouthprograms,demonstratingtheir"cando"attitudeandthattheirlowvisionisnotgoingtoholdthemback.TheAlbinismFellowshipofAustraliagreatlyvaluestheinformalpartnershipthatwehavewiththeSVRCandmanyVisitingTeachers!Thankseveryone!
Photo(right)showssomeoftheattendees.
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
VictorianBlindCricketAssociationUpcomingOpportunitiesFromRodPritchard,President,VictorianBlindCricketAssociation
VisionImpairedCricketSchoolsProgramWhen:Friday22September
Where:RearofVisionAustralia,454GlenferrieRoadKooyong
Thereisstilltimetoregisterforthe2017VisionImpairedCricketSchoolsProgramme.Thisprogrammeprovidesanintroductiontovisionimpairedcricketandisopentoallprimaryandsecondaryagestudentsbothmaleandfemale.Itprovidesauniqueopportunityforstudentstolearnarangeofskillsincludingorientationandmobilityandworkingwithinateamenvironmentaswellasbeingabletosocializewiththeirvisionimpairedpeers.Italsoprovidesanimportantopportunityforparentsandcarerstonetworkandexchangeexperiencesinasupportedenvironment.
ForacopyoftheregistrationformpleasecontactRod:0401718926/[email protected]
RegistrationscloseFriday15thSeptember2017.
MiloIn2CricketWhen:Saturday14thOctober2017toSaturday16thDecember2017andSaturday27thJanuary2018toSaturday3rdMarch2018
Time:10:30amtoNoon
Where:VBCAGroundsKooyong
MiloIn2CricketprogramisforbothmaleandfemaleprimaryandsecondarystudentsandisthesameMiloprogram(withappropriatemodifications)thatiscurrentlyavailabletoallfullysightedyoungsters.
AllAgeMixedGenderCompetitionCricketWhen:Saturday7thOctober2017toSaturday16thDecember2017andSaturday27thJanuary2018toSunday11thMarch2018
Time:1:00pmto5:15pm
Where:VBCAGroundsKooyong
CricketontheMCGWhen:Dateandtimestobeconfirmed
Where:MelbourneCricketGround
UsuallyinNovemberduringthelunchbreakofashieldmatch–CricketontheMCGisforallmaleandfemaleprimaryandsecondarystudentswhoareblindorhavelowvision.
FormoreactivitiesofferedbyVBCAvisit:http://www.vbca.org.au
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StatewideVisionResourceCentrePOBox201Nunawading3131(03)[email protected]
AccessibleTourisminIndiaSource:TheIndianExpress(withthankstotheAccessibleGraphicsFacebookpage)
Braillesignageisbeinginstalledat50monumentsintheIndianstateofGujaratinanefforttomakethesesitesmoreaccessibletopeoplewithvisionimpairments.Thebraillesignagewillexplainthehistoricalandculturalsignificanceofthemonuments.Itishopedthatminiaturesofmonuments,tactilemapsandaudiodescriptionwillalsobemadeavailable.
Ed:lookingforwardtoVictoriaadoptingasimilarpolicy!
FeedbackfromtheSwimmingCarnivalOneofthe"helpers"atourrecentSwimmingCarnivalwhichwasheldattheGenazzanoPoolprovidedthefollowingfeedback:
"Itwasmyfirstswimmingcarnivalanditwasfabulousreallycompetitiveandmixedwithlotsoffun.ItwasalovelyatmosphereandIwasimpressedwiththestudents'efforts–theyjustswamtheirheartsout.
Inoticedoneyoungsterwhowasveryanxiousatthestartoftheday.Anolderstudentwasinvitedtomentorherforawhile.Thisworkedreallywellandsoontheyoungstudentwasfine!Shewasalsothrilledwiththeribbons.
Marion’sunderwaterdivingworkedreallywellandIthinkthedivebombingwasalotoffun.Welltimedandwellrunswimmingcompetitionandafabulousvenue."
Here'ssomemorefeedback,thistimefromaparent:
"Thankyoutoyouandeveryoneinvolvedintheswimmingcarnivalthisyear.Itwasahugeefforttoputthedaytogetheranditwasahugesuccess.Itwaslovelytoseethechildrencompetingandhavingsomuchfun.Yes,wewoulddefinitelysupporttheswimmingcarnivalnextyear!
ThankyouagaintoeveryoneattheSVRCforallthetimeandeffortittooktoorganisethecarnival.YoureallydosuchanamazingjobandthekidsaresoluckytohavetheSVRCsupportingthem."
StudentNewsTuong,whowasoneofourearlyDotPowerstudents,hasbeendoingwellsincereturningtoVietnamseveralyearsago.AccordingtotheprincipalofhisformerVictorianprimaryschool,whorecentlyvisitedhim,Tuonghasspentthelast18monthsbuildingfencesinhisruralvillagebutplanstoreturntoschoolnextyearwhenheis13.
FinallyAndthe2000threquestformaterialsinalternativeformatwasmadeby…DRUM-ROLLandmoreDRUM-ROLL…SharonSaunders!!!!THECROWDGOESMAD!!!!!Sharonwinsanaudiocopyof"BreathingUnderWater"bySophieHardcastle,kindlydonatedbyBolindaAudio.
ANDHAPPYSPRINGtoall!
DebLewis(Ed)