Visit from Mr Vuong

On the 27^th of November, Henry’s father, Mr. Vuong, came to our class to talk about his life, from youth onwards. Mr Vuong started from the beginning, when he was just a child, and, with intricate and precise detail, pulled his biography out of his memory. His story is a rough one, full of twists and turns, yet an inspiring one of bravery and perseverance. Mr Vuong’s tale sprouts from his childhood in communist South Vietnam, where life was ferociously tough, and where the government controlled the land with an iron fist. As time passed, Mr Vuong eventually fled from his homeland and, on a perilous journey across turbulent waters, with some foreign aid, he eventually arrived in Australia, and built a new life here.

I believe that Mr Vuong, with his intriguing story, has really made an impact on our class, and has given us a true insight into life under a vicious communist regime at the same time. We already knew that if you try, you can succeed, regardless of what obstacles or difficulties that may stand in the way. Now, we have a true example of that principle: Henry’s father, Mr Vuong – a truly inspirational man.

 -Amos

Mr Vuong sharing his lifetime experiences with Room 20

Cooking up a storm in Room 20

On Wednesday 4^th December it was Room 20’s first cooking session. We made a mouth-watering Sticky Date Pudding, with luscious sticky toffee sauce on top. With Mrs Stanley acting as our Master-Chef and a ‘busy’ Mr. Petch (who looked out of place in the kitchen), the pudding couldn’t have turned out better! Mrs Stanley is a splendid cook with talent like no other. I dislike dates, but in this luscious Pudding, they are like no other. It’s just like a cupcake, but much better, especially with the scrumptious toffee sauce!

 Sound delicious doesn’t it? Well make it yourself and try it out…

One Batch (makes 12)	Two Batches (makes 24)
250g Dates (1cup), Fresh or Dried 1 Cup Boiling Hot Water 1 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 125g Butter, Softened 1 Cup Brown Sugar 1 Tsp Vanilla 3 Free Range Eggs 1 ¾ Cups Self Raising Flour	500g Dates (2cup), Fresh or Dried 2 Cup Boiling Hot Water 2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 250g Butter, Softened 2 Cup Brown Sugar 2 Tsp Vanilla 6 Free Range Eggs 3 ½ Cups Self Raising Flour

 Steps-

1. Remove pips and chop dates and put in bowl. Add the boiling water to it and Bicarb of soda, mix with a spoon and set aside to cool slightly.
2. On another bowl mix butter with brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.
3. Add eggs one by one to the butter and sugar mixture then add the date mixture and SR flour. Keep mixing
4. Evenly put the mixture on the tray if one batch 12 and 2 batch 24 and put in oven. 180 degrees and for 30 minutes.
5. Then add the sticky toffee sauce on top, serve and enjoy!

Sticky Toffee Sauce Recipe:

One Batch	Two Batches
1 Cup Brown Sugar 300ml Thickened Cream ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence 60g Butter	2 Cups Brown Sugar 600ml Thickened Cream 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence 120g Butter

Steps: Put all ingredients in a good quality pot on the stove, stir and boil for 5 minutes

- Intisar

Cooking from Room20

SOLAR BOATS

For the past two terms the year 6’s and 7’s of Wattle Grove have been working hard on their Solar Boats, in the hope of racing them to victory in the small pool of water set up next to the year 3/4 playground, which shall be put to use towards the end of next week. Stay tuned to see the videos of boats such as Adam’s ‘mouse’, Intisar’s ‘Stylish Headphones’, Lachlan’s ‘Old’sCool’, my own boat ‘Ferocity’, Peng’s ‘Flame-ingo’ and Khaled’s ‘Kool’. Unfortunately it’s supposedly “illegal” to buy alligators of the black market.

Currently many students are at their final stages of preparation for their boat, with some looking very precise and accurate. Countless students wish to paint their boat, however, there is a very heavy risk of permanent damage or even destroying the boat, as the paint contains solvent, which eats away the boat and leaves holes in which water can seep through. Fortunately, if two or three layers of primer are coated onto the boat, then it should (hopefully) protect the boat from damage. In any case, many students have made the wise choice to steer clear of spray painting their boat. The vessels should be constructed by the end of the week, meaning we could race them the next week. Fingers crossed for some sunny days ahead.

- Rhian

Solar boats from Room20