Ramingining mag 2009c.pub - Northern Territory Schools

2009Contributions from staff and students of Ramingining SchoolProduced by Curran Brown

School Council Message2009 has been an exciting year for Ramingining School.e started off the year w ith more than 300 students and five new teachers, and madeW really great improvements in our reading and w riting throughout the year. This is theyear that w e started teaching written Yolngu Matha throughout the school, and this programhas been led by Daphne Banyaw arra, and ably assisted by Jane Miyatataw uy and RonnieBarramala and the assistant teachers in each room.During the year w e welcomed new teachers Geoff Guymer, Eric Barrows, Cas Raw lins,Sinead Hogan and Paul Gallagher into the secondary area; Ruth Barrows into Special Needs;Belinda (Beej) Gallagher, Wendy Heirony mus, Cameron Adams, Fran Kelcher into the primaryschool, and w e also w elcomed back Sandra Fuller and Polly Hemming from leave.We have had major renovations and a newbuilding completed this year. Our canteenis now tw ice as big as it w as, and haswonderful new equipment in it.We also w elcomed new canteen staff -Camille McLean (and baby Jessica)Athelita, Adriana, Estelline and Sylvia.The canteen staff cook wonderful meals,and these are provided to all the children. Itis disappointing that some parents still donot pay for their children's meals, eventhough w e have asked them many times.This means that school money that could buy important newresources, has to support the meals for students whoseparents do not pay. In real terms, this means that Year 1,2,and 3 could not get interactive w hiteboards this year due tolack of money.There w ere major renovations completed in the primary toiletsand the preschool, to replace the rotting floors. We built a newtoilet and a shade shelter over the playground equipment forthe playgroup. We converted the old staffroom into theIndigenous Study Centre, and set up laptops for the staff touse. The builders completed the new administration and staffbuildings.4

Adult education has been a big feature of ouryear. We have had more than 10 indigenousstaff undertaking their Certificate III inIndigenous Education Work, and 6 staffstudying their Diploma of Educational Supportwith Australian Adult Training Services.Ronnie, Jane, Linda, Sophia, Rosita andShirley have w orked hard w ith their tutorJessica Jones, their teacher Fran Matthews,and their coach Ganesh.Ramingining is a strong AL school. Theteachers and assistants have learnt how toteach English this w ay and it is making a hugedifference to the student’s results in readinglevels and now in the National Literacy andNumeracy tests.It is exciting to see the great progress that moststudents make w hen they come to schoolregularly. All classes have worked hard and readmany books this year and are w orking on booksthat are good for their year level. All students inRamingining are learning w hat students inDarw in are learning in English.All the students take home books from the ‘Books in the Home’ scheme. We reallyencourage all students to take books home and read to themselves or share w ith the family.The School Council, the staff and the Principal congratulate those students w ho attendedschool regularly and made significant progress during the year. It is only through consistentattendance and commitment to their learning that students make improvements. Wesincerely thank all parents w ho have assisted their children to achieve good progress in theirlearning this year.In 2010,w e look forw ard to improved attendance from families w hose children have beenabsent during this year, so that all children can reach their potential.5

Ramingining SchoolAdministration StaffCoralyn Arms trongPrincipalJenny WatsonAssistantPrincipalCurran BrownAdmi nistrationOfficerBarry DjarriyangHome LiaisonOfficerJane MiyatatawuySenior C ulturalAdvisorYear 1 TransitionPre--schoolShannon AlexanderTeacherPolly HemmingTeacherShirley NulumburrpurrAssistant Teac herSusan GumbataAssistant Teac herGlenda BulwarrngaIESIP AROTolbert GaykamanguIESIP AROAccelerated LiteracyBeej GallagherDrama T eacherKerry R eganA.L. C oordinatorSpecial NeedsI.L.S.S.Ronnie BarramalaTutorRuth BarrowsSpecial N eedsWendy HeironymusTeacherLinda WulamanaAssistant Teac herPeter N yanakTutorJaneTutorFran Kelc herI.L.S.S. T eac herYear 2Erin WellsTeacherRichard MilurrurrAssistant Teac herJoy WanybarrngaTutorDavid Van EertenTutorEvonne GalambarrISA

Staff 2 00 9Ancillary StaffYear 7 and 8Year 8 and 9Year 3Year 4Cameron AdamsTeacherSophiaYinakarrangarrTutorEunice BonsonISAKate O’DonnellTeacherMelissa PoulsonTutorYear 5 and 6JacobGalayarriTutorSandra FullerTeacherSyl via GukudaTutorJacob GalayarriTutorConanO’BrienI.T.Daphne BanyawarraTeacherSinead HoganTeacherAlbert WaninymarrTutorSchool Council ChairBruce ThomsonTeacherJocel yn LittlerTutorVeronic a GaykamanguTutorSenior YearsGeoff GuymerTeacherCas RawlinsTeacherPaul GallagherTeacherEric BarrowsTeacherFaye Matj arraTutorJessica JonesTutorGeorge GurrulanJanitorJasmane MalibirrSchool Bas edAppr enticeCharlton WarrawarraSchool Bas edApprenticeSusan YothungbiCleanerMary DhapalanyCleanerEvonne MunuyguCleaner

PlaygroupSHIRLEY NULUMBURRPURR & GLENDA BULWARRNGACOORDINATORShe Smith Family continued to support the Play Group inT 2009, and w e have had a w onderful group of children,fathers, mothers, aunties, uncles and grandmothers coming toenjoy the activities.This year in playgroup, Jocelyn, Noelene and Geraldine havebeen w orking w ith the children and their families. The SmithFamily took Noelene and Geraldine into Darw in to have a lookat w hat happens at the Tata Centre in Darw in, so that theycould do these activities out here at Ramingining w ith PlayGroup children.The children do activities like painting, play dough, singing,reading, art and craft activities, playing on the playgroundequipment and w ith the big trucks, bikes and tractors.At playgroup the aim is to prepare children for preschool, w hile improving their developmentand making sure that they are reaching their developmental milestones, as well as preparingthem to w ork in groups, and to co-operate w ith each other.Tow ards the end of the year, The Families as First Teachersprogram granted us funds to build a toilet for the Playgroup, toput a shade structure over the playground equipment and toimprove the grounds, and to buy some new resources.8

Playgroup 20099

PreschoolSHANNON ALEXANDER - TEACHERSHIRLEY NULUMBURRPURR - ATGLENDA BULWARRNGA - AROMorning PreschoolMorning Preschool students have been very busy thisyear, getting ready for Transition next year. Theystarted by working very hard on learning all of theletters and their sounds.During Accelerated Literacy time, the children havebeen learning about books and how the w ords andpictures tell a story. Also during Accelerated Literacy,the children have begun to read letters and w ords in thebooks w e have looked at. All of the children have begunto copy their names w ithout any help, some doing anaw esome job!In Maths they have been counting from 1 to 10 forwards andbackw ards. We have been playing games in maths that getthe children to practise reading the numerals 1 to 5.Preschool have also looked at shapes, day and night, theseasons, months, days, size, patterns and much more.During this last term Preschool have been doing a great joblearning their age and w hen it is their birthday !Kerry and Pete came to preschool again this year and wrote asong w ith the children about kangaroos, pigs, crabs andmagpie geese. Preschool looked like stars w hen theyrecorded their song with Kerry and Pete, w ho put it on a CD.They have really enjoyed learning some new songs andgames this year that help them practise their English.his year Shirley, Glenda and Shannon have beenT working together in Preschool as the teachers.Everyday at preschool the children do BBC, w ash theirhands and clean their teeth. They also eat a healthymorning tea from the canteen to help them stay healthy.A big thanks to the parents w ho have helped in preschoolover the year. It is great to see so many kids coming topreschool and learning. Thankyou to the parents forbringing your child.Afternoon PreschoolAfternoon Preschoolers have been very busy learning aboutanimals, colours, numbers, dinosaurs and lots more. Thechildren have also been practising their writing and colouring,cutting and pasting, sharing and taking turns. They are alsolearning about how to behave at school and have done agreat job listening to their teachers. Preschool have learnedsome new songs this year and are doing a fantastic joblearning to use English .10

Morning Preschool 2009Afternoon Preschool 200911

TransitionPOLLY HEMMING - TEACHERSUSAN GUMBATA, TOLBERT GAYKAMANGU & LUKE DHAMARRANDJIusan and I have been so lucky this year to teach a w onderfulS group of kids who have worked really hard to make the leapfrom preschool to Transition. We have all had a lot of fun togetherand learnt lots of new things.In Accelerated Literacy we learnt about zoos and farms, andrainforest and desert environments at the same time as learning tobe better readers. The books w e read were Dear Zoo, Rosie’sWalk, Little Bat and Big Rain Coming. We enjoyed reading thesetexts to visitors and showing them how to sound out simple w ords.In addition to AL, w e also used the sounds that w e have learnt towrite little stories every day. A lot of students have now learnt allthe sounds and names of the letters in the alphabet, and madesome beautiful artw ork based around the alphabet. David helped alot of students to learn and write their letters.In maths Transition sang songs, played games and did activities basedaround counting, shapes, location and measurement. Luke, Ralph andTolbert came at various times in the year and helped students w ith theirmaths and counting.In science and SOSE, Transition looked at peoplewho help us in our community, such as the policeand people at the clinic, and at differentenvironments, including our environment atRamingining. We grew little plants to look at lifecycles and made modelsof food chains w hen we were learning about ecosystems.Transition is a very exciting year for kids, butit is also a lot of work and there are lots ofnew things to learn. We have spent a lot oftime thinking about how to stay healthy andhow to be a good friend. I am very proud ofhow beautifully the transition kids behave atschool, and that they have learned howimportant it is that w e look afterourselves, as well as each other.12

Transition 200913

Year 1 IntensiveNATALIE ELLIOTT - TEACHERPETER NYANYUK - TUTORe have had a great year in Year 1 Intensive. WeW had 9 kids and some came to school nearly everyday. Peter Nyanyuk w orked w ith us all year. Doreen,Rebecca and Maxine also w orked w ith us during the year.We w orked hard and made great progress, but w e alsohad a lot of fun!In English, w e worked hard on learning our letters, soundsand some w ords. In AL, w e read Handa’s Surprise, LittleBat and Kiss, Kiss! We really liked these stories and w elearned to read and write parts of them. We made displaysabout the stories in our classroom and had lots of funpainting and decorating them.In Maths, w e learned to read and w riteour numbers, learn to count in numberpatterns and playing lots of Mathsgames. We also learnt about patterns, 2Dand 3D shapes, days of the week, monthsof the year and lots of maths language.In Semester 1, w e learnt about the Policeand w hat they do to help us. We madePolice hats and w e wore them w hen w ewent on an excursion to the Police Station.Paul and Jason show ed us around thestation. They let us use the radios and they put the lights andsirens on in the paddy w agon for us. We had a great time!In Semester 2, w e learned about Rangers, the environment andanimals. We learned a lot about African animals andenvironments. We found that some African environments aresimilar to the ones around Ramingining. We also w atched thePlanet Earth DVD and found outabout environments all over theworld.14

Year 1 Intensive 200915

Year 1WENDY HEIRONYMUS - TEACHERLINDA WULAMANA - ASSISTANT TEACHERhat a fantastic year of learning w e’ve had in Year 1.W We w elcomed our new teacher Wendy Heironymusfrom Alice Springs to Ramingining. We have experiencedlots of exciting new things through play, games and handson activities. This year w e have been incredibly busylearning about the people w ho help us in the Community,the jobs that the Rangers do and w hy it is important to beactive and healthy.Term 1 saw us learning all about the different people in thecommunity w ho help us such as the clinic staff, the police,the ALPA store, the resource centre and the people at the council. We had fun visiting thepolice station and spending the afternoon w ith Senior Constable Jason. He show ed us w hatthe police do and w here they live. We made a book all about our visit and a pow er pointpresentation to show at Assembly. We learnt all about taking responsibility for w hat w e sayand do through our AL text Henny Penny.Term 2 had us learning all about our need to eat healthy food andmake sure that w e get plenty of exercise and sleep so that w e canlearn and do our best in school. Our AL book The Bear’s Lunchhelped us to understand that plenty of fresh fruit and vegetableshelp us to grow . We enjoyed going on our ow n picnic and makingsure that there w eren’t any bears lurking in the park ready to stealour lunch.Term 3 w as a very busy term for us in Year 1. We had lots of visitors to our class including thedentist, the hearing doctor and the nurses from the clinic. We also had our health fun day atschool. We had heaps of fun activities and learnt all about keeping healthy. In Science w estarted looking at w hy things change when we addwater or heat to them. We invited the Year 10s andGeoff to come and help us make goop w ith cornflourand w ater. We made a big mess and had lots of fun.Well w e are now in Term 4 and getting ready for ourChristmas holidays. This term w e had the Year 1Intensive class join us to make a big Year 1 class.We have looked at w hy the Rangers burn lots of firesin the bush as we get ready for the wet. We usedthis as our theme w hen we entered the artcompetition that Bula Bula ran for the Festival.We w ere very proud of our collage called Firein the Bush. We even w on a prize of HighlyCommended in the art competition. Wereceived a great art pack that w e w ill have funmaking our Christmas decorations w ith.2009 has been a great year for us in Year 1and w e are all looking forw ard to going toschool next year and learning even more.16

Year 1 200917

Year 2ERIN WELLS - TEACHER RICHARD MILURRURR - ATJOY WANYBARRNGA - TUTOR DAVID VAN EERTEN - TUTORhe Year 2 students and I have w orked together for two yearsT now . It has been very exciting to see the tremendous grow th indevelopment that has occurred over this time. We have learnt towork together as a team in order to build strong foundations for thefuture. And what a great job everyone has done!In Accelerated Literacy, Year 2 has studied four texts: Belinda theCow, The Echidna and the Shade Tree, Tracker Tjugingji and Whythe Bear has a Stumpy Tail. There w as a strong focus on Indigenoustexts, and it w as great to see everyone so excited by literacy. ManyYear 2 students can now read short readers independently – even tothe w hole class – how fantastic!This year in Maths, Year 2 have continued to learn about numbersand number patterns, to identify and count money, and tell the time using analogue and digitalclocks. Students also learnt to add and subtract small numbers, and then use a calculator tocorrect their answers. We had lots of fun constructing 3D shapes from recycled materials.In Semester One, students learnt about the police and their role in the community. We madea book called ‘People Who Help Us’ and w e presented this to Jason and Paul, our localpolicemen. We discussed the clues that police use to solve crimes and took our thumb prints,and foot prints w hich we then compared.As part of the unit on “Rangers”, Year 2 focused on the theme ofInsects and Mini beasts. Students kept a science journal in w hichthey drew and discussed insects discovered in the schoolyard, andfor homew ork, they did this in their ow n backyard. We also collectedinsects and animals for the fish tank on our excursion toNguy milidjapin. This experience enabled students to discuss andcompare local natural environments in an engaging w ay – we allhad lots of fun. It w as a great day!18

Year 2 200919

Year 3CAMERON ADAMS - TEACHERSOPHIA YINAKARRANGARR - AT EVONNE GALAMBARR - TUTORn year 3 w e have had a really interesting yearI and there have been a lot of changes in ourclassroom. How ever we still come to school smilingand ready to learn and alw ays give our best. Wehave had a lot of improvements in our behaviourand w e are getting lots of rewards for making goodchoices.We are good attendees’ in year 3, and at the end ofTerm 3, eight of our class were rewarded with amovie night w here we had popcorn, lollies anddrinks. Our good attendance is proving to be verybeneficial as our test results are improving every week. We lovecoming to school to learn new things and we are often laughingand having fun along the w ay.We love singing and make sure that w e sing at least a couple ofsongs per day. As part of the cultural exchange, w e sing Yolgnusongs, Maori/ Cook Island songs and Balanda songs. In Term 3this year we worked on a Disco song w ith our visitors Pete andKerrie. We made our ow n words and enjoyed singing and dancingto it at the music assembly at the end of the term.In year 3 w e value and respect our land,our c ommunity , our people, andulti mately our right to a goodeducational experience. Just recently w e were fortunate enough toget a visit from 10 of the local rangers w ho gave us somemotivating information about their role in the community. We askedsome very interesting questions and soon w e w ill be w riting a reportabout this w onderful experience.If you ever get a chance, stop by and say ‘hello’. We are very w armand w elcoming and you w ill be greeted by little s miling faces thatcould light up the sky.20

Year 3 200921

Year 4KATE O’DONNELL - TEACHERMELISSA POULSON - TUTORear Four have had a fun and exciting year. We have all been busy, trying hard andY learning. Year Four can be very proud of their attendance and achievements at school.We have w orked really hard again in AL. Together, w e havestudied All Because of Jackson, The 27 th Annual AfricanHippopotamus Race, and Moving House and Spider! The w orkwe did w ith these stories has helped us improve our w riting,reading and English skills. We have concentrated on punctuationa lot this year, as well as using expression in our voice as w eread.MathsWe have been learning about the base 10 Number system,number patterns time, measurement and all about place value.Ice cupsDuring Semester One, w e sold ice cups again to help raise moneyfor classroom toys. This year our ice cup business raised enoughmoney to purchase a w onderful car mat, tw o packets of plasticcars, a DVD, and popcorn for our aw ard movie afternoon!ArtWe have had fantastic times learning about paper mache, makingpuppets, foil faces, mapping life cycles, creating spider webs andusing modelling clay.We w ere lucky enough to have Pete, Kerry, Jake and Jesse comeand do a song w orkshop again in Term 3. This year w e enjoyedwriting a song about a thunder storm.During Assembly, Year Four often performed funny acts anddances. Through drama, dance and performance w e have beenpractising and improving our confidence and being proud atschool. We w ore teacher masks and danced traditionally to Señorin the first semester. In the second semester w e w ore monstermasks and danced the Thriller dance at assembly.Year Four can all be very proud of their leadership skills. Oftenduring sport the class w ill divide into tw o teams w ith captains.Year Four have all had a turn at taking on responsibility roles andrunning the game.22

Year 4 200923

Year 5 & 6SANDRA FULLER - TEACHERSYLVIA GUKUDA - TUTORear 5/6 has been a happy, hardw orking class allY year! They achieved some great results in ALreading and loved the stories w e read by Roald Dahland Paul Jennings. Their favourite was George’sMarvellous Medicine. Some students also w orked insmall groups w ith Gukuda and their reading improvedlots and lots ! Students also became a lot moreconfident in Maths.In Writing, the class learnt to w rite different types oftexts. They particularly enjoyed writing a procedureabout “How to Make a Spear”, w hich they presented in apow erpoint presentation at Primary Assembly. Thanks toConan for his help!They loved their w eekly Computer sessions w ith Conanand doing Drama w ith Beej. They loved trying new things.During the year w e also didCooking and lots of Art, w hichwas proudly displayed in theclassroom. In particular, they did great collages of Yolngu andBalanda people, and paintings of different fish when we weretalking about the rangers.In Term 3, some Ramingining rangers visited our classroom. Weinterview ed them and learnt a lot about their jobs, including howthey protect the land and sea around here.The highlight of the year, once more, w as the visit toRamo by 9 students and 3 teachers from CockatooPrimary in Victoria. We wrote letters to them before theycame and w ere so excited to see them. The students’favourite activities were the bbq and dancing at Ring andsw imming at Djapididjapin. Ramo students have alsobeen learning how to send emails to their new Cockatoofriends.During the year w e also did important fun activities,like learning about germs and how to clean ourteeth properly. We also recorded a song we wroteabout ‘our country’ w ith Kerry and Pete. The class isvery proud of their song!Throughout the year w e have had some excellentattenders in Year 5/6, including several ‘term stars’who have come to school nearly every day.24

Year 5 & 6 200925

Year 7 & 8SINEAD HOGAN - TEACHERALBERT WANINYM ARR - TUTORIhave had this class since the beginning of Term Four. Theyhave been a fantastic group to w ork w ith. We have done a lot ofbeneficial w ork together in team building, art and learning.Hopefully w e w ill get some music in before the year comes to anend.We have read the ‘Island of the Blue Dolphin’ by Scott O’ Dell aspart of the Accelerated Literacy program. Each student reads asection of the new chapters as we go though the book. Thismeans that Year 7/8s can read unseen books easily. Each w eekwe share our stories on the strange and w onderful happenings inRamingining. I have learned a lot about the type of animals thatcan be caught and eaten in the bush. Year 7/8 then writeindividual stories. Their creative and independent w riting isfantastic.The highlight of the term w as the visit from Jimmy Little and his crew . We felt like rock stars fortw o days! With the result; a fantastic rap song about good food and healthy living aptly named‘Good Food’. One can see the 7/8s in action by simply clicking on the Jimmy Little link on theschool’s homepage. Maybe spy a few budding artists…Methuselah should get a special mention as she has been heavily involved in training forathletics, and Geoff has taken her aw ay tw ice this term. She is a credit to the school andtremendous role model for her peers.Middle YearsIt has been one big year for our middle school program. Everyone has been involved in somevery interesting programs designed to engage students in learning. Many visitors have arrivedwith a message to spread, a lesson to learn, and fun activities that the students really enjoyed.Sadly, w e said ‘Goodbye’ to Jenny as a Middle Years teacher as she moved to the AssistantPrincipal position. The position w as filled firstly, by Beej, and then closely follow ed by Sinead,who w ill be staying w ith our teaching program and the year 7/8 students next year.The students learnt about customs and the role AQUIS, the police, NORFORCE and theWanga Djakameir and Guraw illing Rangers have in maintaining boarder security to help stopexotic species coming into or being taken out of Australia.Eric from Planet Savers brought us some science equipment that can be used to measuretemperature and electricity usage. We used this to monitor how much electricity w as beingused in the classroom and how much light w as available w hen the lights w ere on.Matt show ed us how to use a digital voice recorder, import and record sounds, edit them, andupload them onto the pool w ebsite. There are now quite a collection of works available athttp://www.pool.org.auElizabeth Politt a visiting dentist gave Middle Years students a lesson on dental hygiene.Everyone learnt the correct brushing technique and timing.26

Middle YearsYear 7 & 8 200927

Year 8 & 9TBRUCE THOMSON - TEACHERJOCELYN LITTLER - TUTORhis year has been a very busy and w orkfilled year. In Bruce’s absence withNORFORCE, there w ere a few relief teachers,Michelle, Ellie & Gary, w ho continued w ith theMiddle Years program. A big thanks to the reliefteachers for their support and fellow teachingstaff who were able to keep the program going.In AL w e have studied The Lion, the Witch andthe Wardrobe; Holes; Z for Zachariah; and AWizard of Earthsea. Everyone enjoyed readingthe stories, especially the dialogue in Holes.Jocelyn has w orked hard with students to help themwith their running records and has been busy makingmany resources that w e use each day.All students have been involved in peer assessment insmall groups of their peers’ spelling, reading, w riting(and punctuation in some cases). This has provedchallenging for some students but most have found it avaluable learning tool.There have been many great stories written this year. Most studentsfind this a challenge as personal goals are set each time to help improveand expand the length of their written w ork.Maths classes for the Second semester of theyear w ere split according to student ability, w iththe inclusion of Paul as another math teacher.We hope that tw o teachers now teaching the oneclass w ill help improve student learning.At times the year has been routine and hard w ork,but conversely, it has been exciting, eventful,spontaneous, creative and fun. We hopeeveryone enjoyed their learning this yearand w e look forward to assisting thelearning of the 8/9 students next year.28

Middle YearsYear 8 & 9 200929

Year 10ANGE PARRISH & PAUL GALLAGHER - TEACHERSFAYE MATJARRA & VERONICA GAYKAMANGU - TUTORSApply First Aid certificateSeveral students obtained the Apply First Aid certificatethrough the St John Ambulance, w hich w as a majorachievement. They gained extremely valuable skills,know ledge and confidence to manage emergency situationsand provide care for ill or injured people in the communityuntil medical aid arrives.Highlights for 2009The Year 10 class have had many interesting learningopportunities throughout 2009, including w ork experience inDarw in, Apply First Aid certificate, Song Writing w ith Peteand Kerrie, Horticulture, Arnhem Sports, School Sports,Health, Multimedia, Science, Studies of Society andEnvironment, Personal Learning Plan, English andMathematics. The students have needed to learn how todeal w ith change through a variety of people andexperiences, which as challenging as it has been, hasincreased their resilience and flexibility.Work ExperienceThe tw o w ork experience opportunities in Darw in have beena highlight for the students this year, w hich includedexperience in hospitality, banking, radio, hair dressing andconstruction work.HorticultureIn Horticulture the students have been learning how to growplants from seeds and cuttings, how to manage a garden andworkshop, and how to use weedkillers and fertilisers. They havealso studied the different machinery that is used in the garden, andhow to look after it.MusicAnother highlight of the year was the song writing and recordingsessions with Pete and Kerrie of ‘Stamp Music Australia’, w hichlead to the Year 10 students creating a fantastic song aboutbasketball.Personal Learning PlanSignificantly, a new compulsory subject called PersonalLearning Plan has been added to the Northern TerritoryCertificate of Education and Training this year w hich helpsstudents to consider their strengths and interests for career,training and further study.MathematicsIn Mathematics, Year 10 have been w orking hard onaddition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills, aswell as fractions, decimals, number patterns, place value and angles. In addition, the studentshave been further developing their know ledge of time on both analogue and digital clocks.30

Year 10 200931

The Secondary Intensive ClassRUTH BARROWS - TEACHERhis w as the class to be in for 2009. Every week was packed full ofT exciting hands on activities. Students were enthusiastic and happyto w ork as part of a small team and very proud of themselves w hen theylearnt a new skill.Activities Included:• ALPA w ork experience every week• A Ramingining community w ork excursion• Truck and bus cleaning program• General cleaning program• Independent living skills program, including; basic mealpreparation, cooking and sharing meals and personalcare and hygiene• Individual reading and writing programs• Individual numeracy programs• Soap making business• Peer tutoring in primary classes• Sw iss ball therapy• Lots of painting and craft activities• Music therapy program• Gross and fine motor skills program32

Students also participate in Health, Science, Careers, Library, Sport and Yolgnu Matha w ith theirpeers in grade 7/8.The Intensive Class 200933

Year 11 & 12TEACHERS:GEOFF GUYMER - HOME GROUP, SCIENCE & HEALTH STUDIESERIC BARROWS - MULTIMEDIA & ARTDAVID MULHOLLAND - MATHSANGE PARRISH & CAS RAWLINS - ESLTUTORS: RONNIE BARRAMALA & JOSEPH SMITHhis year we started w ith a very strong group of 14 students in Senior Secondary. All ofT them w ere studying Stage 1 and 2 subjects to help them pass their NTCE. They have beenstudying English, Science, Health, Maths, Multi-media and Art. At the end of the year there w ereonly three students left. Alvin and Sharon have been great leaders for our School and w ill bothgraduate at the end of this year if they pass all of their subjects. Charlton has started a schoolbased apprenticeship and has been w orking hard on many building jobs.The students have w orked on many great projects this year including:• Running a community volleyball competition• Sand art• Painting• Making computer games• Scientific study of local creeks• Traditional burning practices• Anti smoking campaign w ith talking signs• Cooking show DVD• Yolngu seasons• First aid course• Ant trapping• Teaching and mentoring younger studentsOne highlight of our year w as seeing our cooking show on Ramo TV. This w as presented inYolngu Matha for the education of the whole community. We had a lot of help w ith this projectand w ould like to give a special thankyou to Xavier and Megan.We w ish our class of 2009 the best of luck for the future and hope to see some of them comeback next year to finish their certificate.34

Year 12 200935

SportVolleyball – Term 1The senior students organised a community volleyball competition that ran all of first term.Many kids enjoyed this activity w ith training after school and competitions on Fridays.Coloured Sports – Term 2This w as a great day for Ramingining. Each team did their best and w e saw some amazingindividual performances. The cheering w as so loud w e think they could hear us in Millingimbi.It w as a great effort by the staff, students and community to make our sports day such a greatevent. Green House w on on the day w ith a fine team effort.Basketball – Term 2 & 3After school basketball w as great fun for the kids w ith great help from the Sport and Rec teamof Megan, Redonicus, Sylvester and Justin. A visit by NBA players in Term 3 w as a highlightfor the communityJunior Football and Soccer – Term 2 & 3Many students from both primary and secondary joined together to play footy and soccer onSaturday mornings. Many staff helped out but special thanks go to Bruce, Megan (sport andrec), and Paul (police) for keeping this going.Arnhem Sports – Term 224 students from Grade 4 to Year 12 w ent to Millingimbi for Arnhem Sports 2009. Wetravelled by boat and were warmly w elcomed by the Millingimbi community w hen we arrived.It w as a great event and the students had a really good time competing and mixing w ith thekids from other communities. We got the trophy for w inning the Senior Volleyball and w eplaced second overall.Trips aw ay:NT Rugby – Darw in: 1 st PlaceRicky Wagilak, Dino Wanybarrgna, Adam Gaykamangu , Mel Gaykamangu, SibeonGaykamangu, Zachariah Malibirr, Chubasco GaykamanguNT Football – Darw in: 1 st PlaceLloyd Garraw urra, Chris-John Dhurrkay, Julius Durrurrnga, Antonio Lilipiyana, AlexWanybarrnga, Terence Gaykamangu, Alvin GaykamanguNT Track and Field – Darw in: Arnhem Team 2 ndOverall – 103 MedalsJersiah Wanybarrnga, Solomie Garraw artja, Methuselah Wanybarrnga, Ricky Wagilak,Julius Durrurrnga, Thelma Malibirr, Sharon GaykamanguNational Indigenous Athletics – CanberraRicky Wagilak and Methuselah Wanybarrnga36

Duke Of Edinburgh’s AwardSome of the things they may have been involved in:his year 8 students completed their Bronze Aw ard.T Well done and congratulations on finishing. It hastaken over a year for some to complete the aw ard.This has been a great start to the program.Now these students can choose if they wish, to sign upfor the Silver aw ard. Again, they w ill need to becommitted to w orking on the four areas of the aw ard:physical recreation, skill, service & the AdventurousJourney. Anyone who completes a Silver aw ard canobtain credit that can contribute to their NTCET• A mountain bike ride out to Mulgurrum last year w ith Justin from the DUKES mob in Darw in• A walk to the Crossing w ith the St Kevin’s visitors w ith Justin, Cameron, Linda & Peter.• Organising and running a junior basketball competition w ith Paz and Bruce.• Caring for family at home• Basketball• Football• Hunting• Fishing• Painting• IT/MediaUnfortunately some trips did not occur this year as Bruce became sick and w as unable tolead the trips. Best w ishes to all those new people w ho signed up for the Bronze Award thisyear. We look forw ard to seeing your progress throughout next year and hope you enjoy thefun and at times, exciting journey of self discovery.38

St Kevin’s Cultural Exchangeamingining hosted 16 boys and their teachers from St Kevin’s College Melbourne on aR cultural exchange in June. Everyone had a chance to go hunting and experience thetaste of local tucker, as w ell as taking part in many outdoor education activities.A few month’s later 9 Ramingining boys w ent down to St Kevin’s College – establishing thefirst year of another cultural exchange program (like the Cockatoo one) but for secondarystudents.One of the families in Melbourne w rote this w onderful letter:“We were absolutely delighted to host a boy from Ramingining over the weekend. Wewant to thank the school for facilitating it and encouraging our boys to be exposed to agroup of boys from such different backgrounds. It not only gave the St Kevin’s boys anopportunity to learn about cultural differences (and value them) but it required them totake to a mature approach to looking after another person. This is something that theydo not normally experience. Given the turnout at the airport on Sunday afternoon tosee the boys off, it is clear they discharged their duty with genuine sincerity. A realbond was established.The joy in the faces of the boys at different times over the weekend was beautiful towitness. Clearly the Ramingining boys got a lot from the visit. Without doubt though,our boys were overwhelmingly the beneficiary of the whole process.Perhaps like all great educations, it is likely that the boys did not realise thesignificance of the various lessons. Indeed, I am sure that the experience had manyother positive impacts for parents and other family members of the hosts.So, when it comes to solving the issues facing many Aboriginals in this country (andwithout getting too philosophical) I am convinced that this sort of exchange program isfar more meaningful than the various political actions or rhetoric we have seen inrecent years. Before we can start to solve the various problems we need a mutualappreciation of each other’s cultures.”39

Cockatoo Primary visits RamoAugust 22 nd – August 29 thhis year, nine Year 5 students from CockatooT Primary School in Victoria visited Ramingining –Jessica, Seona, Danika, Tyler, Callum, Curtis, Steven,Jacob and Jack – along with three of their teachers -Sarah, Wendy and Tim.This was the 15 th Cultural Exchange between the sisterschools!Once again Ramingining students and their familiesproudly shared their Yolgnu culture with their visitorswho had such a great time that they didn’t want to leave!According to our students, highlights of the trip includeda barbeque and traditional dancing at Ring Outstation,and the bush cooking and swimming at Djapididjapin.They also went looking for ragudha in the mangroves atGari Wabirrdji, and the Cockatoo Kids got to experiencecollecting wadawada and pandanus in the bush.Yolgnu staff and members of the community ran spearmaking and weaving workshops, Mia gave a YolgnuMatha lesson about fish and Daphne taught them topaint fish the traditional way.The Cockatoo Kids also visited most of the classroomsand made lots of new friends.Thanks to everyone who helped make this anothersuccessful visit!40