Contact Newsletter Volume 14 Edition 3 Term 3 September 2014
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Principal’s Update As you may be aware a consultative process was undertaken in Term 2 and Term 3 of this year with the Darwin High School Council passing a motion for Darwin High School to apply to become an Independent Public School from the 2015 school year. What is an Independent Public School and what are the benefits?
Schools that become an IPS will remain within the NT government system of schools and operate within the Education Act.
A written application was submitted and last week, a presentation was made to a panel of four from within the Department and COGSO. Becoming an IPS allows for greater autonomy or independence on We hope to find out in early Term 4 if we are how the school makes decisions. This allows for tailored, school spesuccessful so that planning can commence for cific strategic plans and operations directly in line with school and the 2015 school year. student needs.
It provides greater flexibility in areas such as staff recruitment, school development, operations, management and programs at the school. The principles of merit based employment selection and workplace agreements remain intact.
School Council will operate as a Board, allowing for membership from both within the school community and external to the school. This enables the school to have access to a broad range of expertise. The Board must still consist of a majority of parents.
The school’s accountability structure will be linked closely to the Chief Executive of the Department of Education, rather than the current multilayered regional structure.
School Council have also been heavily involved in the planning of the new Northern Territory Open Education Centre (NTOEC) building on our campus. This will provide Darwin High School with a new “front of school’ as well as additional classroom space. Below is an artist’s impression of what this building may look like. I would like to thank all the staff and School Council members for their work during Term 3. With Year 12s counting down the weeks to exams and completion of all assessment, Year 11s starting to understand the commitment ahead of them and Year 10s completing the groundwork for the final senior years, we all look forward to a busy and productive Term 4. Trevor Read Principal
Study Lines – Are they worth it? This year Darwin High School introduced a seven line timetable. This was in response to the staff cuts and the need to increase face to face teaching time of our teachers. Many saw the benefits of a seven line timetable. Year 10 students for example had more electives to choose from and Year 11 student were given a ‘study line’ to allow them to complete homework tasks and revision. Year 12 students who only needed to complete 4 sub2
jects to qualify for an ATAR had even more time for study.
Year 12 News It is hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 3. Our Year 12 students have essentially completed their courses and will now be preparing for their trial exams, final exams and final assessment tasks for the non-examinable subjects. Students need to ensure they recharge their batteries during the week’s break as many are starting to show signs that the long hours of study and completion of assessment tasks are taking their toll. Then we need to prepare for the final phase. We wish all our Year 12s all the best for the upcoming examinations.
Unfortunately there were also some unintended consequences of the seven line timetable. Many Year 10 students complained about the extra workload that seven subjects requires, particularly homework and assignments. Year 12s were also affected, but for different reasons. With the freedom of the additional study lines, some Year 12 students found that they had extra time on their hands. Instead of using this time effectively, they wasted it. You may recall the adage about idle hands. This has resulted in a number of Year 12s not achieving to their full potential.
Year 12 Arrangements for Term 4 Trial Exams Week, 6 - 10 October: Students who have examinable subjects will have their trial exams during this week. During this time classes may run as tutorials. However, students will need to prioritise their time by studying for and attending the trial exams.
So back to my question, study lines, are they worth it? The answer is yes and no. For students who are motivated, well organised and set short term and long term goals, the study line has been worth it. Analysis of data comparing 2013 Semester 1 Stage 1 results with 2014 Semester 1 Stage 1 results shows that there has been some improvement in academic achievement. (see below) However, this could also be attributed to the cohort. Nevertheless, the introduction of the supervised study must have had some positive impact.
Normal Classes, 13 - 23 October: Classes for Year 12, both examinable and non-examinable subjects, will continue as normal. The expectation is that all Year 12 students will attend classes for vital revision work for the examinable subjects, and the finishing of assessment tasks in the nonexaminable subjects.
In 2015, Darwin High School will revert back to a six line timetable. We will be increasing the frequency that teachers meet with students to four times a week. (Currently students have two single lessons and one double lesson.) Study lines for Year 11 students will only be given to those students who have sufficient NTCET credits. Year 12 students in 2015 who require an ATAR must take five subjects. Most students will have just one study line and this time will also be required for some summative assessment tasks. Study time at school will once again be at a premium and there will be no place for idle hands at school. Kevin Northcote Assistant Principal Year 11
Final Day & Final Assembly, Friday 24 October: This is the final day for Year 12 students. The final assembly will be a display of Year 12 talents and a farewell to Darwin High School. The Year 12 cohort will be dismissed from the School at approximately 9.30am and will be asked to go home and not return to the school for the rest of the day. Study Week, 27 October – 31 October: This is a study week for all students and also an opportunity for students to seek assistance from their teachers to prepare for the examinations. Final Exams, 3 - 19 November: Students will only be required to attend the school to sit their final exams where applicable. Year 12 Graduation & Year 12 Formal, Monday 24 November: The Year 12 Graduation Ceremony will be held at the Convention Centre and all are invited. The Year 12 Formal is open only to Year 12 Students. One ticket will be put aside for each student in the current cohort. Students will need to pay $120.00 at the Finance Office. Once students have paid and returned all of their library books, locker keys and laptop they will be issued their formal ticket. Patricia Cryer Assistant Principal Year 12 3
Ministerial Visitors On 16 September, Darwin High School was honoured by a visit from the Australian Government’s Minister for Education, the Honourable Christopher Pyne MP. Minister Pyne was accompanied by the NT Minister for Education, the Honourable Peter Chandler MLA, and an entourage of minders, media, security personnel and Commonwealth and NT Education Department officials. The Ministerial Party was met by Mr Read and student leaders. They visited classrooms and the Science Faculty staff room where they took a few minutes from their busy schedule to admire the view from the balcony. At the conclusion of his visit, Minister Pyne announced that the NT Education Department would receive $1.61 million in funding from the Australian Government to implement the Independent Public Schools’ Initiative. Darwin High School is one of five NT schools being considered by the NT Education Department to begin operating as an independent public school in 2015. Trevor Read Principal Vietnam Veterans Day (also known as The Battle of Long Tan Day) Jordyn Nolan, Tina Cheng, Luke Jettner, Taylah Peters, Micki Teng, Eric Beale, Russ Kundu and Meg Smith joined about 200 members of the public at the Commemorative Service at the Cenotaph to mark Vietnam Veterans Day. Their presence was appreciated by the Veterans, many of whom personally thanked the students for their attendance. Commodore Brenton Smyth RAN delivered the address in which he outlined the history created by ADF members who served in Vietnam. Vietnam was the first conflict to employ modern battle tactics, which are still in use today. During the Vietnam Conflict, members of the three arms of the Defence Force fought as an integrated unit. Commodore Smyth contrasted this style of combat with what happened at Gallipoli. He also compared the variance in the public acceptance of the Vietnam Veterans with those who returned from the First World War. It was a sobering reflection. Many of the books laid by dignitaries at the Cenotaph will be directed to Darwin High School. Judy Boland Business Faculty
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Year 10 Ski Trip This year the Darwin High School ski trip went to Perisher Ski Fields in NSW, the largest ski field in the southern hemisphere. This year we had 29 excited Year 10 and Year 11 students and three staff on our trip. Upon our late arrival, it was bitterly cold and there was evidence of recent snow showers. We woke up early to the news that on the mountain they had had continuous dumps of snow and the conditions this season were some of the best they have had in nearly a decade. And so, thankfully our fears of doing bushwalking rather than skiing were pushed aside. Our excitement grew as we picked up our ski and boarding gear and headed to Snowy Gums Chalet at Perisher where snow covered cars in the car park heightened our enthusiasm. This eagerness was still not diminished even after we slid and slipped over as we unpacked the bus. After a quick but serious chat about being prepared for the cold conditions, we were off. Those with experience hit the slopes, keen to make the most of the powder from the dump the night before. The beginners had their first lesson. The first session is always the hardest but excellent dry conditions and sunshine made the process easier. We came in cold, tired and sore but excited about the skiing ahead. Over the following days the weather remained perfect and meant that the students were able to learn quickly. By the end of the second full day a number of students were good enough to start exploring the resort. Perisher has three mountains to explore and a series of terrain parks to keep the boarders happy. Pretty soon the top boarders were out-carving, out-jumping and out-classing even experienced Aaron Dalgleish. Oh to be young and fearless! By the end of the week everyone had developed enough skills to ski independently and, aside from me injuring my knee on Day 2 and putting an end to my skiing career, there were no other major injuries. The trip was a huge success. We had great snow conditions with ideal weather and the Snowy Gums Chalet provided fantastic accommodation and food. The students were also fantastic, showing great maturity and independence. I was very proud of each and every one. Rohan Ford Year 10 Coordinator 6
NTCET Information Attendance and Special Provisions Attendance is crucial to student learning and achievement. Teachers plan their teaching, learning and assessment to take the entirety of the time allocated to the course. On occasion, unforeseen circumstances and incidents impact on a student’s capacity to attend and demonstrate their learning during the time allocated. Special provisions processes can be used to modify assessment in this circumstance to still allow demonstration of all learning requirements. However, special provisions are not applicable to absences of the student’s own choosing, including absences for family holidays. We encourage you to plan family holidays during the designated school holiday period due to their impact on student learning. Darwin High School’s Assessment Policy details our processes in assessment and special provisions and is available on our website under curriculum/ policies. Accessing Results Online Students can check their final results for their NTCET by logging into Students Online. It is a good idea to check your log in details for this now to ensure that you can access the site. Students Online can be accessed via the SACE Board website at the address shown here https://apps.sace.sa.edu.au/students-online/login.do. To access the site, students will need to use their SACE Registration Number. This is available on all Darwin High School reports. The default pin number is the first four digits of the student’s date of birth. For instance the pin number for someone born on 4 April is 0404. After logging on for the first time, students will be prompted to choose a new pin number. This pin number should be recorded for the future use as password resets are unlikely on the day of results release. Contact Details Students should also check their contact details on Students Online. A hard copy of results and the NTCET will be sent to the address recorded here. If this address is incorrect, please notify the school as soon as possible so that this can be changed. Exams All students have received their Trial Exam timetable. The timetable for the external SACE Board exams is available at the following address:http:// www.sace.sa.edu.au/the-sace/students-families/exams.
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This page also contains other useful information on study and managing stress at exams. It is important to note that both trial and external exams start promptly at 8 am if they are in the morning and, at 12.30 pm if they are in the afternoon. Students are not permitted to enter the exam room more than half an hour after the start of an exam except in the event of extenuating circumstances that are beyond the student’s control. The School should be contacted in this event. Should a student be ill on the day of an exam, the School should also be contacted. In the event that the student cannot sit an exam due to illness, medical evidence, must be provided via the School, to the SACE Board. Dress Code A reminder that rules regarding dress code apply during examinations. Students are to ensure they are wearing covered foot wear and respectable clothing. NTCET Coordinator
NATIONAL MATHEMATICS SUMMER SCHOOL (NMSS) This is a selective camp that caters for students from all over Australia who are in Year 11 in 2014 and who not only enjoy Mathematics but also are very mathematically able. It is a two-week program held at the Australian National University in Canberra in January 2015. Darwin High School is proud to have Harry Booth represent the Northern Territory for the 2015 National Mathematics Summer School. The fact that Harry is only a Year 10 student but selected for this “Year 11 Maths program” speaks volumes about Harry’s mathematical capability and we congratulate Harry on his selection for NMSS. Esther Tan Mathematics Teacher
China Bound Year 11 student, Joyce Yeum was placed first in the Chinese Bridge Competition in Adelaide. As the winner, Joyce will travel to Kunming, China to join other students to make up the Australian team in the international competition. The competition, which is nationally televised across China, involves individual and team events which require students to use Chinese language in a range of situations. Good luck Joyce.
Liam May 2014 Master Builder Association School Based Apprentice of the Year
Civics Awards Presentation Lunch in recognition of the significant contribution made by these students to the School
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Public Speaking and Debating UNYA NT The Evatt Trophy A number of Darwin High School students believe along with the ex-Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humphrey, that “Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate.” In teams of two, they have spent Saturday, 13 September or Saturday, 20 September at CDU in a mock UN Security Council session, advocating for a country they have been allocated by the organisers of the Trophy. Teams represented countries on all the continents apart from Australia, and spent time before the event researching information and developing strategies for debating the motions that were before the Council.
Josephine Ugwu and Stephanie Von Kanel Courtney Buckley and Saurav Kundu Furdosa Ababor and Kaavya Weearsundera Meika Liveris and Charlotte Nheu Marcus Low and Andrew Harding Toby Williamsom and Robbie Lever Chetan Ganesh and Sarah Banks Aurora Jan and Matilda Dorman Yada Katonchaleekul and Alex Perrett Prathika Undi and Beth Hubble Kokona Tomazos and Johannah Pastor Christopher Teng and Max Stretton Lauren Northcote and Shantelle Mazai Ka Wai Teng and Krshna Capaque
Congratulations go to Chris Teng in Year 12 who singlehandedly promoted the Trophy and urged students to form teams. His reward was one of the highest number of teams to register in recent years. Plain English Speaking Award Shannon Hunt, the winner of the Plain English Speaking state finals, represented the Northern Territory at the National Finals in Adelaide in August. The state finalists were treated to a weekend of activities, including a tour of Haigh’s Chocolate Factory, and given time for last minute rehearsal before performing on the Monday. The NT Coordinator, Ms Helena Monaghan, expressed her pride in Shannon’s performance, particularly her Impromptu Speech, and although she did not win this very challenging competition, by all reports she represented the NT with distinction. Susan Cameron Coordinator, Debating and Public Speaking Activities
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Administrator’s Farewell Lunch The 18th Administrator of the Northern Territory, the Honourable Sally Thomas AC, was farewelled by students of Darwin High School in September, as Her Honour’s term as Administrator of the Northern Territory draws to a close. Her Honour’s interest in education is well documented and she has also been a great supporter of Darwin High School. On arrival at Darwin High School, Her Honour was met by student leaders Russ Kundu and Shannon Hunt who introduced Her Honour to Regional Director Mrs Guppy and Principal Mr Read. Shannon Hunt speaking on behalf of the DHS student body thanked Her Honour for the many opportunities she had extended to students of Darwin High School, and Mr Read thanked Her Honour for the rare privilege of formal dining in the gracious surroundings of Government House which she had provided for two groups of Darwin High students. An appetising two course luncheon was served by Ayak James, Forkpah Baliah, Olga Kondonis, Cheyenne Crowley, Ashleigh Rankin and Demi Pikos of the Integrated Learning - Catering class, led by Ms McIntyre. Special thanks to all the Home Economics staff and students who facilitated this event. Judy Boland Coordinator
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Year 11 Health Checks On Tuesday 19 August , the Stage 1 Nutrition class went to Charles Darwin University to take part in a hands-on LifeLab Workshop run by Menzies School of Health Research. The Workshop was being held as part of Science Week 2014 and Darwin High students were the first and only school group to take part in this free workshop. Students collected their own personal data in workbooks provided by Menzies staff and this data was used as part of their first nutrition assessment task. Menzies staff were in attendance all day, along with a qualified dietician who provided guidance in completing the different health stations and to assist in explaining results. The students found the workshop very interesting and the information relevant to not only Nutrition but to their general health and wellbeing. The LifeLab Workshop included the following measurements and all students completed each station in small groups: · Pulse oximetery (measure of haemoglobin and oxygen in blood) · Blood pressure · Ear otoscopy (examination of the ear drum and ear canal) · Grip strength Josh O’Brien testing his metabolic · Smokerlyzer (measure of exposure to smoke) age on the Bioimpedance Scales · Bioimpedance (scales that measure body-mass index, fat content, metabolic age) · Spirometry (measure of lung function) · Effectiveness of hand washing. This was a worthwhile activity and Menzies’ staff praised our students for their enthusiastic attitude and maturity. Erin Crook Nutrition Teacher
Rachael Tynan completing the Pulse Oximetery test
Shayne Eunice Alarcon having her blood pressure tested
Alice Davies completing the Smokelyzer test
Christian Discussion Group There has been an active group of students at Darwin High that love to generate robust discussion, hear what the Bible says and sponsor a child in a developing nation. Rosie Reimers and Rev Bruce Chapman oversee the group one lunch time per week. A young girl in India, Vanshika, has been sponsored by the group. One successful sausage sizzle raised most of the money required for her support ($44 per month) up until the start of November. I wish to commend the students whose enthusiasm and hard work made this fund raiser possible. We believe people who are poor matter and love to see students engaging with a vision to support someone in need. We will soon say goodbyes to several Year 12 students as their examinations begin. Their leadership and enthusiasm will be missed but we know they will go on to be successful in life. The group is open to students of any year level and participation is a voluntary opt-in, bring lunch and join in for as many meetings as takes ones interest. Rosie Reimers 13
Bilingual Book Launch Since late 2013, students of Chinese have been collaborating with the City of Darwin to develop a bilingual book titled ‘Life as a teenager in Darwin’ to exchange with Darwin’s sister city, Haikou, where students also developed their own book. The official launch of the book was held on 8 August at Casuarina Library. Year 12 student, Jacinta Mu led the launch as English Master of Ceremonies, while Year 11 student, Joyce Yeum took on the role of Chinese interpreter. Year 11 student, Johannah Pastor also read an extract from the book in both English and Chinese. Marnie Foster Chinese Language Teacher
Update Your Contact Details If you have moved, changed work, email or home telephone numbers, please contact the Front Office on 8999 1222. It is important that the School has up-to-date information in case of emergencies.
Email Lists—Just Not Getting It? Year level Assistant Principals send regular emails to parents to keep them informed of important events and opportunities. If you’re not getting them, contact dhs.emaillist@ntschools.net
Beat the Build Up Heat After hours Homework Centre in the Library Open until 6pm—Monday to Thursday
Work in air-conditioned comfort Tutor Support Phone 8999 1213 14
CDU Maths Enrichment Activity
rectangle only requires two vertices from two separate rows of a chessboard; hence, we simply had to determine the different methods of selecting two vertices from two separate rows. Dr Peter Shaw also lectured at the workshop and gave us activities to determine the shortest possible route that would connect all houses in a city, and even allowed us to play several versions of Battleships. These games laid the groundwork for his presentations, which first involved the graph theory where we discovered that complete graphs (graphs where all vertices are connected in all possible means) have a set amount of edges, as determined by a specific formula. Dr Peter also included sorting games. In the first game, students were lined up in no particular order on one side of a large map. The students followed the map, and when any two students arrived at the same point, the taller would move to the right and the shorter to the left. As if by magic, this simple sorting mechanism resulted in the students being arranged in order of height by the time they reached the end of the map. Through a German folk dance
What does the game Battleships, the rectangles on a cheeseboard and the patterns of German folk dances have in common? These were all part of the challenging learning activities used at the Maths Enrichment Activity at CDU. From 14—18 July students from Darwin High School and several other schools attended the Maths Enrichment Activity at CDU. The workshop began with Dr Uwe Luck leading us through an exploration of proofing techniques—direct, contradiction and induction. On reflection, this appears simple. However, on Monday morning, most of us bleary-eyed students found the concepts perplexing and it was rewarding to ultimately understand these concepts and watch the presenters arrive at solutions in a seemingly effortless fashion. Dr Uwe also discussed combinatorics (permutations and com-
we looked at how algorithms and computer programs function, with the individual numbers being divided into smaller sections, then sorted within groups, and finally, sorted to form an overall sequence. Despite the challenges we encountered, the workshop was engaging and provided insight into the diverse field of mathematics. It was a well-spent five days, thanks to Dr Ian Roberts, Dr Judy Egan, Olivera Bisevac, Dr Khalid Khan, Dr Peter Shaw, Dr Uwe Leck, and of course, Mrs Tan, for giving us the opportunity to be involved. Kaavya Weerasundera Year 12
binations), which investigates counting discrete units. Permutations are selections from a set where order is important; for instance, if three balls were selected from a bag containing ten balls of different colours, a selection of green, red and yellow would be different to a selection of green, yellow and red. Combinations are selections where the order is irrelevant; the two previous selections would be considered the same. Dr Khalid Khan provided us with several intriguing puzzles. The first kept us occupied for a while, as he asked us to determine how many rectangles and squares were present on a chessboard. The solution was based on combinatorics, for a 15
Fannie Bay to Castle Bay, Karatsu I have just returned from Castle Bay, Karatsu where I competed in the Laser Youth 4.7 Worlds Regatta with four other young Australian sailors. We sailed in a fleet of 105 from 32 countries. There is a lot to be said about Japanese hospitality. In Karatsu, another Australian sailor and I, were met at the station by the very obliging Taeko from the sailing club who quickly took us off to dinner at a local restaurant. I had some kind of noodles on ice, which was my second weirdest meal. (This was topped by eating live squid.) We stayed at inns and I never have experienced a hotel where the owners were so obliging and willing to help. As a sailor it’s a rare treat when the hotel owners beat you to hanging out your wet gear each day. As for the sailing, Castle Bay is an interesting place. Our days of training ranged from struggling to make any ground against a five-knot tide, to battling a three metre plus swell. However, at the end of the four training days the whole team certainly felt well prepared. Practice race day was interrupted by a typhoon passing about 400 kilometres to the south east that resulted in the frantic tying down of boats. Thankfully, this was gone by the next day so we could start the Regatta properly. The first day was just like the entire following qualifying series, light winds, big swells and big shifts. That kind of stuff isn’t my favorite weather and I spent a lot of time coming off the line well only to find that I was sailed over by a whole cacophony of smaller Europeans and Japanese. The following four days followed the same formula of crazy shifts and big swells. It wasn’t uncommon to see someone attempt a tack only to be flung straight over by a crest. Luckily, by the time we got into the finals—where I was the second last boat in Gold Fleet, the wind picked up, but was
strangely blowing into the swell. This again made for some odd sailing. The stronger winds brought about some better results for me with the final race, an eighth place, being my best of the week. This led into the last day of the Regatta where one stadium race for the top 30 was scheduled. Again I just scraped into this by one place. But for a lack of wind this was cancelled—probably having a bit to do with the 180 degree wind-shifts too, and the Regatta finished a race short. At the end of the Regatta I finished up in twenty ninth position. This was a further back than I had wanted to be but with the winds, it was probably a reflection of my size. Although I didn’t finish where I wanted, the Worlds was certainly a huge learning experience. From being screamed at by raging Turks, doing a 720 and being passed by 15 boats, to having on-water chats with various other international competitors, it is an experience that I will never forget and I am a better sailor for it. It has been great to get back on the water this week training in the Minnows, instructing with the Tackers program and sharing my knowledge and experience. My participation would not have been possible without being proudly sponsored by the Northern Territory Government and assisted by the Australian Sports Commission, Darwin Sailing Club and Yachting Northern Territory—which provided sailing and training opportunities that allows NT sailors to compete both nationally and internationally. My thanks also goes to Darwin High School for being flexible with my catch-up study program. And finally, without the support of Mum, Dad and my brothers and sister I would never have got there. My biggest thank you goes out to them. Ma tar ney (See you later) Hamish Wiltshire Year 11
Hamish Wiltshire, representing Australia in Japan. 16
Defence Transition Mentor News National Scholarships 2015. The Australian Veterans’ Children Assistance Trust (AVCAT) provide a range of scholarships and bursaries to children and grandchildren of ADF veterans to assist with their future tertiary studies. Applications close on 31 October 2014. For more information and details of each of the scholarships see. http:// www.avcat.org.au/Students/Applicants.aspx. The Top Ender, August/September issue. This issue has a travel theme with five great stories focusing on very different types of travel and very different locations. To receive the Top Ender magazine, email thetopender@aapt.net.au.
Darwin High School Stage Band performing at the Darwin Show.
ADF GapYear. The Australian Defence Force Gap Year 2015 is open for applications. The program was launched by Assistant Minister for Defence, Stuart Robert, who said it provided an opportunity for young Australians, who have finished Year 12 or equivalent, to experience 12 months in the military without the obligation to make a longer commitment. Successful applicants may be able to earn more than $45,000 per year while on the program. Contact www.defencejobs.gov.au , phone 131901 or visit Defence Recruitment Centre in Mitchell Street. New REDLO. Annick Beyderwellen has commenced at the DCO in the role of Regional Education Defence Liaison Officer. Annick graduated as an Early Childhood teacher and has taught in Darwin primary schools for 16 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position and is keen to support our Defence families and students. Please feel free to contact the DTM at any time. Paul McConnell Defence Transition Mentor
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Seniors’ Week Morning Tea and Concert To celebrate Seniors’ Month, Darwin High School students contributed their diverse talents to present ‘A Morning of Entertainment’ for the senior citizens of the City. The Darwin High concert is now a well established event on the seniors’ calendar. This year it was organised and led by the Year 12 Leadership Group and ably assisted by students from the Secondary Intensive English Unit (SIEU). It provided the SIEU students in the Integrated Learning-Work Course with an opportunity to undertake some practical aspects of the course. They assisted where needed and became involved in a very special school-community event. It provided them with the opportunity to work with mainstream students and to meet and interact with community members. Student comperes were Chetan Ganesh and Samantha Ramsey. Musical items were provided by Omja Das, Ms Bryett, Sarah Banks, Eric Beale, Mr Northcote, Mr Atfield, Harrison Wyvill, Donald Sanger, Kristina Lee, Eugene Duffy, Bijou Daniels, Arran Barker, Teja Binti Solah, David Quested Joshua Yick, Michelle Kerrin, Colleen Lo, Shiane Hawke and the Year 11 and Year 12 Dance groups. A scrumptious morning tea was provided by the Integrated Learning - Catering students led by Ms McIntyre. Thank you to all the musicians, dancers, caterers, student leaders, the SIEU cohort and all involved in the Seniors’ Week Morning of Entertainment. It was a wonderful success. Judy Boland 18
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Dance The Performing Arts Dance Department exploded in 2014 and staff Sarah Calver and Julia Quinn offered different senior dance programs with varying degrees of depth and intensity. We kick-started the year with our annual fundraiser event Dance 14. This pivotal dance celebration gives voice to the diverse range of dance offered at DHS and in the broader community. In May, we entered several works into the WA and NT Dance Eisteddfod and won first prize in the Group Ensemble and Lyrical categories and second place in Solo. Following this, the talented Creative Arts Stage 2 Dance class, joined by 24 other fellow DHS dance students and graduate students, presented BRAVE - a bold dance theatre work that tackled the many issues of bullying by award winning choreographer Joanna Noonan. This significant work was presented by our major sponsor SRA Information Technology in partnership with DHS, SLIDE Youth Dance and EPRINT. The impact of this emotionally charged dance theatre work was very real and it had a strong effect on all audiences. The next day we flew to WA for a ten day dance intensive with 24 senior dance students. This excursion program is specifically designed to provide an opportunity for dance students to attend performances and rehearsals, participate in workshop intensives, choreographic sessions and forums, meet artists working in the field and attend a leading Performing Arts tertiary institution, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowen University. In September, the 2014 Stage 2 Dance classes presented a powerful and thought-provoking production called BLANK CANVAS as their external group performance moderation. The exceptional talents of the 35 core dancers entertained capacity audiences with their highly proficient performance skills. Evidence of the success of their dynamic performance is in the outstanding comments made by audience members. For many students it was their first introduction to the magic of working in a fully staged dance performance with myself and production team Tom Lydiard, Chris Osborne, Tahnee Cvirn, Julia Quinn and Steph Cvirn. Well done to all involved. What’s On in Term 4 In Term 4 we have our Year 10 Another exciting event was a series of dance workshops by professional choreographers: and Stage 1 Dance Showcase on 7 November at DHS Tank Imanuel Dado, graduate DHS and WAAPA student currently working with Sean Par@ 6.30pm, followed by the year ker Company 10 Dance and Drama Produc Kelly Beneforti from Tracks show You Dance Funny tion at the Darwin Entertain Julia Grey from Sunameke Pacific Island Dance Company ment Centre Studio Theatre. Joanna Noonan local nationally acclaimed choreographer and Then on 25 October DHS hosts Jess Devroux Dance Animateur with Tracks dance Company the WAAPA audition for the Kathryn Lawrence currently second year student at WAAPA Bachelor of Dance program Jordan Bretherton and Mitchell Aldridge current first year WAAPA students 2015 with Nanette Hassell the Rochelle Cabry from The Space Dance Centre, Victoria. director of the WAAPA Dance Department. 20
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Athletics – Top End Region The Middle and Senior Schools Track and Field Championships for schools in the Top End Region was yet another opportunity for students at Darwin High School to showcase their talents. The Darwin High team of Joseph White, Jackson Auston Croft, Todd Richardson and Luwana Waianga swept all before them, whilst Gemma Gray rendered sterling service as an official for all the field events. In their respective age groups, Joseph won the 400, 800 and 1500 metre events, was a member of the winning relay team and won the triple jump with a leap of 10.10 metres; Jackson won the 100 and 200 metre events and was also a member of the winning relay team; Todd was part of the winning relay team too and also won the high jump with a leap of 1.60 metres, whilst Luwana was placed in the 100 and 200 metres events, won the long jump with a leap of 4.57metres and the triple jump with a leap of 9.87 metres. She also helped the relay team to victory. Competing schools in the Senior Schools section were Essington, Marrara, St John’s, Kormilda, Darwin High, McKillop, O’Loughlin, Good Shepherd, SEDA, Taminmin, Jabiru and Tiwi. Essington Senior took out the trophy for the most successful school with a total of 106 points. Darwin High finished fifth with 41 points. Well done to all Darwin High representatives. Judy Boland Manager
NT Surf Life Saving Championships Several Darwin High School students were involved in the NT Surf Life Saving Championships on 20—21 September.
Table Tennis Champions Darwin High School entered three teams in this year’s Cluster Day Table Tennis Tournament at Marrara.
Team ‘A’ were overall winners. Well done to all players. Kevin Northcote Manager
Squash Champions Four students from Darwin High School competed in the Squash Cluster Day at Marrara Squash Centre on 10 September. There were two divisions — individual and team. Ranked third in Australia in the Under 17s and tenth in the Under 19s, Joseph White (Year 11) won the individual competition over fellow peer Chad Blenkinship (Year 10) in a fast and very skillful final. Darwin High School also won the team division 2-1 over Essington. Nathan Smith Manager
Chad Blenkinship won the U17 Age Champion and also won the Open Men's Swim and Open Men's Sprint and the 2014 Open Men's Iron Man . Mitch Hardy won Open Flags, U17 Flags and U17 Ski. Congratulations to both boys and to the others who took part.
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Sports News In April this year, Ryan Mu, Marcus Valastro and Patrick Taban were selected to represent the NT in the inaugural 2014 Australia Post U15s AFL All Nations Cup held in Coffs Harbour. The Australia Post All Nations Cup is a feature event of the year for the Australia Post AFL Multicultural program and all teams competing included players from multicultural backgrounds. The junior stars from this event had the opportunity to be selected by AFL talent managers to play in the World Team at the NAB U16 AFL Championships which was held in the Gold Coast in July. The boys all played well. Ryan Mu won the ‘Most Valuable Player for NT’ award and all three players were selected to play in the World Team. The World Team squad of 25 players consists of the best upcoming AFL multicultural players from across the nation, as well as several talented international youngsters from South Africa. Carlton Champion and Hall of Fame legend, Anthony Koutoufides, was Head Coach of the World Team and David Rodan Assistant Coach. The players received elite training under the guidance of these two coaches and also had the opportunity to train with the Gold Coast Suns players. In July, Ryan Mu, Marcus Valastro, Thomas Brown and Matthew Blake were selected to represent the NT in the U15 School Sports Australia AFL Championships which was held in Sydney. The boys had a lot of fun, made many new friendships and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They attended the GWS and Geelong game at Spotless Stadium and were invited to make a guard of honour with the U12s AFL Schoolboys for GWS. At every U15 Championship an All Australian Team is selected to identify the gifted and talented players. Congratulations to Ryan for being selected in the U15 AFL All Australian Team.
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