Extension & enrichment

The da Vinci Decathlon and Write a Book in a Day are academic competitions in which students are invited to participate. These competitions not only challenge students in their learning but provide an opportunity to develop important life skills such as planning, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and problem solving.

The da Vinci Decathlon

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition where teams of eight students compete across ten disciplines: engineering, mathematics, code-breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and legacy. Korowa teams have participated in secondary competitions since 2018, and this year, we hosted Victoria’s inaugural Years 5 and 6 da Vinci Decathlon.

We are very proud of all our students who have participated over the years and their many achievements include:

• 2019: Year 7 Team placed 2nd in the State Finals

• 2021: Year 8 Team placed 1st in the State Finals and 2nd place in the National Competition

• 2022: Year 8 Team placed 3rd in the State Finals

• 2023: The Year 6 and Year 8 teams who both placed 3rd in the State Finals.

Natalia, Year 8, said, “the da Vinci Decathlon, [gave me] the chance to build connections with my team and utilise our individual strengths. It was an unforgettable and valuable experience”.

BY ALICIA MEIN, GIFTED AND TALENTED COORDINATOR

Write a Book in a Day

Korowa students worked together to create unique stories and illustrations for the Kid’s Cancer Project Write a Book in a Day Competition. In teams of up to ten, they have 12 hours to write and illustrate an original book using set parameters; including three characters, a setting, an issue and five random words. The finished stories are shared with Australian hospitals for children undergoing treatment.

City Lights, one of the books created in 2021 by Korowa students, won the Highly Commended award for the VIC/TAS/SA Middle Years division. In 2022, our Year 9 story, Poems for my Stingray was awarded both Highly Commended in the Best Book VIC/SA/TAS Middle School division and Best Illustrated Book in the VIC/ TAS/SA division. “Participating in [this is] an incredibly enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Our team's combined effort, creativity, and dedication, resulted in a final product that filled us with a great sense of pride,” said Chloe, Year 10. Use the QR code to read their fabulous book.

Scan the QR Code to read 'Poems for my Stingray'