Issue 3 ~ Apr 2017
Chinese Class
Mon 1 May 3:15pm
Class Room IEC 10
Tour Payment Schedule
1st Aug
1st Jul
$3300
$2950
$2950
1st Jun
$2550
1st May
$2150
1st Apr
$1750
INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Chinese Language Class /Tour Payment Schedule
1

Movie Fundraising Event on 12 May
1

Tour Committee Contacts
2

Fundraising updates
2

A big push needed—Thermomix Raffle
3

Tour Captains / Blog Volunteers
4

Communication in China
4

“Reflections on the Greenwood College Ambassadors to China
Study Tour 2015 “
by Thao Nguyen
5

Panda facts and information
6
Message from Irene Starr
1st Mar
$1350
1st Feb
$950
(Kristina’s mum):Each participant should have received
6 tickets from Mr Dunn. Please fill out
the paper that came with the tickets
for recording the names you sold to
& ticket nos. Please return the list
with money collected {@15x6 =$90}
to Mr Dunn or myself ASAP (not later
than Friday 28th April). If anyone
needs more tickets or has any donations that will go towards the raffle,
please text me 0432 377 543.
Deposit $550
Thank you for your support!
Next instalment $400 is due
by 1st May.
Each participant account
should have reached $2150
by 1st May.
Page 1
1
China Study Tour 2017
Newsletter
Issue 3~ Apr 2017
Tour Committee Contacts
Convenor: - Terry Dunn
[email protected]
Gumtree/eBay Shop is going great so far.
Tour coordinator & Newsletter: - Rebecca Gawthorpe
[email protected]
Message from Margaret
O’Donovan (Gary’s mum): -
Gifts & Performance consultant: - Pam Armstrong
[email protected]
We have raised a staggering $630
in a couple months and most of
the donated items have been sold.
Gumtree & eBay shop: - Margaret O'Donovan (Gary’s mum)
[email protected]
Raffle: - Ebony Duffy (Skyelar’s mum)
[email protected]
It has also been heart-warming when customers call, some items advertised for $2, people
have said keep the change when handing over
$5! The general response has been overwhelmingly positive when they hear it's a
school fundraiser.
Sausage sizzle: - Andy Neal (Amanda’s mum) &
[email protected]
Hazel O’Toole (Anthony’s mum)
[email protected]
Movie event: - Irene Starr (Kristina’s mum) &
irenestarr63@gmail
Conty Koulianos (Despina & Katerina’s mum) &
[email protected]
Julie (Jarrod’s mum)
[email protected]
$7000
$6000
$5000
Items that sell well are:
- anything in boxes or with tags still attached.
$4000
- Household appliances in good working order
- anything from IKEA
Flower Bulb: - Irene Starr (Kristina’s mum) &
[email protected]
Conty Koulianos (Despina & Katerina’s mum)
[email protected]
$3000
- technology in working order
- gaming consoles and accessories
Website/Blog: - Gary O’Donovan (year 10) &
[email protected]
Cameron Doyle (year 10)
[email protected]
- Tradie tools, working power tools
Tour student captain: - Anabel Bullen-Randall (year 11)
[email protected]
- bikes in good working order
$2000
- Kids books series (full sets where possible)
- branded shoes, VANS Converse etc.
$1000
Check out the latest items listed on gumtree.
Tour student vice captain:- Anne Mansell (year 9)
[email protected]
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-seller/
Magz/1015681821
If your family and friends would
like to donate their unwanted stuff
when they have their “garage clean
up”, please drop the donations to:
Bulbs Direct Fundraiser was amazing!
We collected $1478.50 in orders less $827.25 invoiced leaves
us with $651.25 profit for the trip. (some of the items ordered
eg bulbs in vases did not attract a 50% profit margin and postage is $35. )
A big thanks to Irene (Kristina’s mum) and Conty (Despina &
Katerina’s mum) for organising it.
67 Belvedere Road, Hamersley
(You can leave stuff in Margret’s garage but
please text her 0426 208 994 when you are calling
so she knows who left it. )
Page 2
2
China Study Tour 2017
Newsletter
Issue 3~ Apr 2017
Message from Ebony (Skyelar’s mum):We have only sold a total of 187 tickets, sales
have stalled in the last week. We need to do a
big push in the next 2 weeks to ensure we sell
as many as we can before 5th May!
Page 3
3
China Study Tour 2017
Newsletter
Issue 3~ Apr 2017
Congratulations to Anabel Bullen-Randall and Anne Mansell who are selected to be
the 2017 Greenwood College China Study Tour Captains. As Anabel is unable to be
contacted during the school holidays, we will publish her message in the next issue.
My name is Anne Mansell and I am the China Trip vice captain. A few
things about me and things I enjoy are; I am 13 years old (year 9)
and I am the eldest daughter in my family followed by my sister Claire who is 11. I
enjoy anything to do with animals and sport and in the future I hope to become a
zoologist. In my spare time, I enjoy playing music which I have been doing since I
was 2 and hanging out with my friends and family. I am very excited to go on the
China Trip as it will be my first time leaving the country. I will get to see a panda and
this trip provides many opportunities that I could not possibly miss.
i
n
C H I N A
Chinese internet censorship is extremely advanced. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Gmail, Instagram,
Snapchat, Google Maps, Google Docs (basically anything with the word Google), Netflix, even Pokemon are not
allowed. Some major news sites are also blocked by the Great Firewall of China. The New York Times is usually
blocked, and sometimes BBC is too.
There are a lot of theories out there as to why the government blocks these sites, ranging from political control
to a monopoly over the tech market. The important thing for us to know is that the Chinese have their own
versions of everything. They have
WeChat instead of Facebook/Instagram;
Weibo replaces Twitter;
163 is for email;
Baidu is the Chinese version of Google
The list goes on and on.
Many foreigners get around this blocking problem by purchasing a VPN before traveling to China. A VPN stands
for “virtual private network”. It’s a program you can download on your computer that masks your IP address
and shields your actual location. Basically, it makes your internet think you’re somewhere that you’re not.
Out
for 2017 China Study Tour Blog !
Thanks to Gary O’Donovan (Year 10) and Cameron Doyle (Year 10) who have volunteered to create our travel blog. They will be updating our journey through
Open air gondola…
China. All our families and friends will be keenly looking forward to hearing our
experiences and unforgettable images!
Page 4
4
China Study Tour 2017
Newsletter
Issue 3~ Apr 2017
Reflections on the Greenwood College Ambassadors
to China Study Tour 2015
by Thao Nguyen (EALD and HASS teacher)
The most memorable experience of the 2015 Greenwood College
Ambassadors to China Study Tour was the time spent in Changxing and more specifically, time spent at our sister school. Although China has embraced the outside world for many years
now, many Chinese people have never left their country and fewer still have seen a foreigner. This is why I was pleasantly surprised by our sister school’s warm reception and the equally enthusiastic response and hospitality of its staff and students.
As a teacher on tour, I was responsible for a number of different
things like making sure our students kept to a tight schedule,
translating where I can but more importantly, encourage our students to take full advantage of this rare opportunity to immerse in another culture so different to their own. While
at our sister school, I delivered a simple introductory English lesson. This was a way to introduce our country, state
and College to the Chinese students. I was astounded by the level of English of the Chinese students which is a testament to their hard work. The school day does not end at 3:05pm for them because many live on campus and
attend extra tutorials that can run up until 9:00pm! That is a lot of dedication!
Having traditional local dishes at an ancient
market style decorated restaurant in Nanjing
I would consider myself a veteran of China travel but every time I return, I learn something new both about myself
and Chinese culture and people. I learnt that to really get the most out of my experience, I had to observe closely
cultural norms and nuances. What is acceptable at home may not be acceptable abroad and vice versa. For instance, if your guests prepared a scrumptious meal, it is impolite not to try. The more you eat, the more appreciated your hosts will feel. In fact, the culinary culture and the delicious array of different foods we got to try from Peking duck to insatiable fish and vegetable dishes was a highlight of the tour. Remember to eat at mealtimes because there is no guarantee that there will be a Macdonalds or Starbucks around the corner!
Another lesson learnt was to participate in activities when given the opportunity. It not only puts our guests at ease
and reaffirms the close relationship between our two schools, but you actually learn something new and valuable
in the process. For instance, there were many talented Greenwood College students on tour like the two students
who performed in front of a paper-cutting class on our behalf. I also learnt that you have to participate and step up
at the spur of the moment like when we had to form a volleyball team of students and adults to take on a much
more well-trained Chinese side. Our hosts had fun and we learnt to
not take ourselves too seriously.
All in all, the Greenwood College Ambassadors to China Study Tour
allowed us to sample different aspects of Chinese culture while
also immerse more deeply in some cultural practices. Each person
will take away different lessons and have different memorable experiences. However, one thing is for sure, you will be a different
person for having seen another part of the world and China is a big
part of our world. As a result, you will come to appreciate cultural
differences but also appreciate how alike we are in many respects.
Open air gondola…
Warmly welcomed during home visit
Page 5
5
China Study Tour 2017
Newsletter
Issue 3~ Apr 2017
In Chengdu our tour group will visit The Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation &
Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP). It was built in 2011 with financial support
from the Hong Kong SAR government following the May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake
and officially opened in March 2013.
The centre covers a total area of 506,667 square meters and a construction area of
12,542sm. It is located in Shiqiao village, Qingcheng Mountain township of Dujiangyan
city. The panda base is modelled on a typical western Sichuan folk house style filled with
bamboo and grass. The area also has an excellent ecological environment, plenty of edible bamboo for pandas and a pollution-free water source.
Some Interesting Panda Facts and Information

Pandas are often referred to as Giant Panda. The scientific name for a Panda is ‘Ailuropoda Melanoleuca’.(Eyeluhr-oh-poh-da Mel-ah-no-loo-kah). The Chinese name for panda is:熊猫xióngmāo(sshyong-maoww)‘bear-cat’.
traditional
local dishes
at an
ancient
 Having
Pandas
are mammals
and
belong
to the bear family.
market
style
decorated
restaurant
in
Nanjing

In the wild, giant pandas are only found in the remote, mountainous regions of central China, in Sichuan and







Shaanxi provinces.
The life span of giant pandas in the wild is approximately 20 years.
Giant pandas are on the brink of extinction, with just over 1000 left in the world. Pandas have been on the endangered species list since 1990. The most significant threats to pandas are habitat loss and poaching.
Pandas have carnivorous teeth (42), but they eat bamboo (99%) and fruit. A 45 kg adult (pandas can reach 150
kg) spends 12 -16 hours a day eating between 10-18 kilos of bamboo. In fact, pandas absorb only 20%-30 % of
bamboo nutrients. Other plant eaters such as deer absorb around 80%. This means the pandas must eat most
of the time they are awake to get enough nutrients to survive. They do not hibernate because their bamboo
diet will not allow them to build up enough fat reserves for the winter.
Pandas have a unique adaptation on its fore paws that help it grasp bamboo. In
addition to its 5 fingers, it has a 6th “thumb” which is an enlarged wrist
bone. There is also a heel (carpal bone) on the opposite side of the
wrists from the extra thumb.
Females mainly produce two offspring, but only the stronger one survives in the wild. They are usually born in August, because
the panda’s mating months are March to May and gestation is 3 to 5 months. Giant
panda cubs are born blind and has pink skin with a thin coat of white fur. The average
weight is only around 100g, only 1/900 of the mother’s weight (compared to around
1/20 for humans). Its eyes open around 4-6 weeks. A baby panda is almost 2 months old before it is the size of
an average human newborn baby. A baby is almost 2 years old when it leaves its mother.
panda poop
Pandas can poop as much as 28 kilos a day, up to 40 times a day. Panda’s poop points
in their direction of travel, so they can be easily tracked in the wild. Their poop does
not stink and smells like bamboo & dirt. In the past the undigested bamboo pieces in
the poop were made into picture frames, bookmarks and paper.
Pandas are native to China, where they are considered a national treasure. Many Chinese philosophers believe that the universe is made from two opposing forces, the Yin
Open
air gondola…
and Yang. The panda is one symbol of this philosophy with its contrasting
black-andwhite fur. The Chinese believe that the gentle nature of the panda demonstrates how
the Yin and Yang bring peace and harmony when they are balanced.
6
Page 6