Build your own video game from scratch!

Creative Bytes is offering a free 10-week online coding course for families with children aged 8-12 in Clifton Hill, North Fitzroy, and surrounding suburbs. The program is proudly supported by Community Bank Clifton Hill–North Fitzroy and is designed to give children an accessible introduction to coding in a fun and engaging way.

Through this self-paced course, children learn to create their own video game using Scratch, a beginner-friendly, block-based programming platform used widely in schools. No prior coding experience is required, and the course is suitable for complete beginners.

Creative Bytes is a registered Australian charity that delivers coding and STEM programs through schools, libraries, and community organisations. Their programs focus on building digital skills, confidence, and creativity in children, while supporting educators and communities to deliver technology learning locally.

The course is completed entirely online at home and can be started at any time after registration. Families can work through the lessons at their own pace, and participation in the program is completely free.

Hi everyone,

It was great to see even more of our ACC community last week all back for another year. Book clubs starting, AAA Arts back on Friday afternoons and our Men’s Breakfast had at least 10 people booked in which is super! Thanks John for organising this.

This week the first sessions of Garden to Plate, AAA Bowls, and Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls will also be running. Feels like we are well and truly back in business…….

AND … it is also time to start getting ready for the Alphington Show! HOORAY!!!!! You should start thinking about what you’re planning to enter right now, because this year there’s going to be some tough competition!? In addition to the usual cooking categories (bread, jams, presrves, cakes etc.) we have a new one this year - covering everyone who makes kombucha and kimchi and the like …. (upon request). How fun! Also, don’t forget the Dog Show …. time to start training up those fur babies!

There’s a lot coming up and a lot of posts in our news this week - see all the links below. And in the meantime here is our very official program listed for the week:

• 2nd Monday of the Month Book Club, tonight!

• 2nd Tuesday of the Month Book Club (we’re still recruiting for this new Book Club - so please get in touch - we hope to start it up next month!).

• Toy Library open Tuesday, 1-3pm.

• AAA Bowls at Alphington Bowls Club (email us at info@alphington.org.au to join), Line Dancing at Alphington Scout Hall, and Alphington Playgroup here at the centre (book in online here) all on Wednesday morning from 10am-12pm.

• U3A Armchair Theatre, Wednesday 1-3pm.

• Our new Alphington Playgroup on Thursday morning 10am-12pm.

• Garden to Plate, Thursday 11.30am-1pm (more info and book in online here).

• Sound Healing with Crystal Bowls, Thursday 7-8pm (contact Keiko at her website here).

• Community Morning on Friday from 10am, and stick around for Community Lunch at 12-1pm.

• AAA Arts, Friday 1-2pm (email us at info@alphington.org.au).

Cheers,

Leanne

Next week on Tuesday the 17th of February we’ll be back with our first Preserves Group of the year! We’ll be making seasonal jams and tomato relishes… mmm delicious … hopefully we will be able to restock our supply in time for the Alphington Show next month. It’s free to come along, please book in online here to let us know you’ll be joining. See you Tuesday from 1pm.

Local arty folk … join us!

On the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7.30pm we run Alphington Arts, where anyone with an interest in exploring art can come along to try something new.

Lino printing, watercolour, life drawing, landscape painting - each month is different. We tap into the skills that locals bring along .. or we find something that we are interested in learning more about collectively ... and give it a creative crack.

And it is all very casual - we have a drink and some snacks and get arty … and a laugh!

It is creative and friendly and lots of fun.

If you’d like to join in this year you can book in on our website.

The first session is running on Thursday 19 February, from 7.30-9.30pm and in this session we will be creating pieces for a shared community clay sculpture that we plan to install in our front garden.

Hope to see you there!

As previously mentioned, we were super pleased to have Project Stationery here once again over summer. They do an amazing job redistributing school supplies so that they don’t end up in landfill - and at the same time remind schools about the waste that can be generated so easily if families are asked to purchase materials that just aren’t really needed.

So, what do they do with all the stuff they collect?

Things that are basically brand new/never been used go to school packs for organisations like St Kilda Mums to save families $$$ where needed, whilst organisations like kindergartens and neighbourhood houses are VERY happy (well just speaking on ACCs behalf really) to receive a charming mix of metallic markers (for example) that can be used for our art classes … and a variety of stickers that can be used for name badges or for our art sales when we have events etc. … and various colours of sharpies that can be used for our signs …. oh the list goes on! Paper, cardboard, white folders for our office, plastic dividers for the folders …pens, pencils, watercolour crayons !?! … $$ saved on these basic office and admin supplies and fun arty materials means more $$ for other things -improving our programming for you, our community!

If you are interested in finding out more about the outcomes of Project Stationery for this summer, you can read their report here.

We’re so lucky to have dynamos like Brigitte and Amelia in our community getting everyone organised and stuff done. Thanks … and thanks also to all the volunteers who helped out!

If you want to find out more about Project Stationery or find out about their next stationery drive, you can contact them directly via Facebook or Instagram!