Staff Star of the year - senior school!

The Staff Star of the year goes to the entire Senior School staff who have worked so hard and diligently this year to ensure a successful year for the students. In 2009 the Senior School recorded 2 QCE results along & many pleasing VET course completions. It gives us great pleasure to announce that in 2010 the Senior School staff have enabled the QCE results to dramatically improve to a new high of 5 in 2010 with another 4 to be completed by the end of year. The school can look forward to double figures in 2011 from the current year 11 ranks. Thanks to all the senior academic and VET staff who have made this possible over the course of the year; Aisea, Amy, Emma, Georgie, Mathew, Manjit, Richard, Vimal, Tekoa, Aunty Mary, Jade, Liz, Rhonda, Jenny, Brea, Sam, Mapa, Leanne, Linda, Cate, Estelle, Gracie, Harry, Joe, Joe Coco, Mike, Memory, Mbongeleni, Peggy, Reese, Rob McBride, Rob Hodge, Rod, Rosemary, Rudra, Tony Mogan, Tony Epseg, Virgil, Frankie, Monica & Mr Warren!

This has been a super successful year for the senior school that has seen a dramatic increase in stability and is highlighted by the fact that the senior school students recorded a total of almost 300 QCE points from English, Maths & Science alone. 2011 can only get better.

Goodbye Mama G

The bad news is Miss Georgie is going and will be missed by the staff and students alike. The good news is a school in the Tiwi Islands is going to benefit when Miss Georgie goes there next year. A very big thank you and ESSO from everyone at DC and here is some feedback from one of her students Elisa Mara:

There is one teacher who had believed in me right from the beginning, She helped me so much and I would like to thank her for all that she had done, and also because of her kindness, loving, and caring.

She is like are mum to me and I’ll treat her with a lot of respect.

I’ll all ways remember you Ms Georgie!!

YOU’RE THE BEST TEACHER I KNEW…

BY ELISA MARA

11B Leadership Class

Elisa Mara's brilliant animations


The 11B Leadership class has been working on a variety of projects with the latest being exploration into the latest and greatest in IT. Thanks to Mr Aaron who has set up the Cybrary and given students access to try out the best in digital technology. Here are some early trials and experimentation from the students...

James Gaiden

Arthur Dau

Rosie Stafford

Fredson Akiba - DC HILL


Francis Manas

Elisa Mara

Arthur

To be or not to be

Miss Emma & Mr Richard our two resident thespians arranged for the senior school to go to the Tanks Art Centre to see the Shakespearian play Measure to Measure on Thursday. While a group of students remained behind to complete assessment tasks the majority of senior school went to the play. Most of the students understood the play and knew what was happening despite ‘old fashioned language’ and were witness to indigenous actors in major roles along with DC staff.

It was interesting to note students like Chris Lei who had never been to a Shakespearian play, laughing, enjoying and understanding a unique cultural aspect that furthers their personal growth and development. At the end of the play a woman from the audience gave a heartfelt thank you to the students just for being there and the Director said it was the best audience they had encountered to date which was due to the level of interaction and response. Warren, the indigenous actor who played Angelo kept scaring Judith Carney and she almost leapt out of her seat on several occasions. The question on the day wasn’t to be or not to be - it simply was.

11 Girls’ Form Class

This week we watched a 13-year-old indigenous girl, Madeleine Madden, become the first person to deliver an address to the nation reaching six million Australians. Madeleine urged Australians to help create job opportunities and a better future for indigenous people in this generation. As a young girl, Madeleine inspired the Yr11 girls to work hard and be the best they can be.

Students also reflected on their own life journey. They learnt that to understand life we have to find a way of understanding who we are and who we want to be. They did this by answering some insightful questions.

‘If I could choose anything I would choose to live my life to the fullest taking one step at a time. My ‘ideal’ self is educated, a proud indigenous woman having vision for my future.’ Carmille

‘If I could choose anything I would choose having the best education and to graduate. My ‘ideal’ self is to be a good person and finish school and be a happy and a good sister.’ Effie

‘If I could have anything I would choose the best for my family. My ‘ideal’self is to be a happy, caring and respectful person.’ Elisa

‘If I were to travel, I would love to travel around Australia. The best person I have been is when I finish all my school work, listen to my family and hanging out with my friends.’ Kayleen

‘If I could have anything I would choose being successful at school so I am educated. My ‘ideal’self would be accepting who I am and not changing for anyone.’ Daniellea

Science Update

Wacada showing us that solar panels produce electricity from an artificial light source.
Miss Emma shows Vivian that English is not her only skill as she gets her hands dirty in the science room


Mr Richard

Science & Maths Update

The students have been working well in science and maths. Some of the classes have been building cranes out of spaghetti and working out all kinds of things like stress in a truss member ie forces providing compression and tension in a truss and how we use weak material (spaghetti) to make a strong crane.




Some of the boys from Back on track were asked to design a box and came up with a house! Quite incredible! Well done lads- Science rules!

11B Girls - Appreciation

In Form Class this week we are learning about gratitude and appreciation. We discussed our appreciation for the "little things" in life which bring us great happiness. Below are some thoughts written by students.

"I have to be grateful that I have a good family that supports me through my life and is always there for me. I am grateful I have sisters and brothers who I can look upon for support. Good things happened today. I woke up on this cool sunny morning, caught the bus to school with friends by my side. I also got respect from people when I got to school. To show appreciation I will ring my grandmother today and wish my grandfather a happy birthday. Then I will give my mother a call and tell her that I love her." Nykitta

"Today I am grateful my best friend finally came to school and we both walked into a well respected Form Class. I appreciate that we were greeted warmly and felt very welcomed and safe :) " Bibi

"I am grateful for my family who raised me and were there for me when I needed them. I am also grateful that I am healthy, living well and getting an education. I appreciate my teachers and want to say "thank you" for what they've done for me." Flora

"I am so proud to have a wonderful family and friends who support me. I can give back to those who have helped me by giving them my support and appreciation by thanking them." Dorika

"I am grateful to be alive, at school and that I have good freinds and family. I appreciate that even though I have missed a few days, I can start fresh again. I will show my appreciation to people who help me by showing respect to my family and at school." Vanessa

"This morning I woke up, got ready and came to school feeling bright and happy. I am grateful for my life, my little brother, my dad who takes me out shopping and my mum who cooks for me. To show my appreciation today I will thank my big sister for being there for me and my family and friends." Cassie

"I am grateful for the love and support from my family and friends. Today I will show my appreciation for Ms Peggy and thank her for helping me with my career and supporting me with my traineeship." Eima

"I am grateful for having a family who is loving and caring. I also have friends who are there for me and help me when I am struggling. I am also grateful for being educated at a friendly school and appreciate getting support from my teachers when I need it." Daniella

"The good thing that happened today was the bus ride to school. I was happy to see the young children being happy and having a smile on their faces." Effie

Senior School IT

Senior Students have been experimenting with Photoshop as part of their Certificate I in IT. Here are a few examples of students work. Check these out:
Mr Tony

A positive message about senior school

Yesterday my grade 7 class participated in a workshop with Shake & Stir the Shakespeare theatre company. Four of your year 11 boys participated from Ms Emma's class, Grayson Hart, Branxton Dick, Aaron Miller and Craig Waldon and they were absolutely brilliant and participated with enthusiasm and spirt. They were very positive role models for the class and I think they really need to be highly praised. It is great to see young lads with such a positive outlook giving such hope for the future.

Regards Mr Dean
Djarragun Primary Year 7

Year 11 and 12 Trade English Update

This term students have worked incredibly hard to complete all three assessment items. In Year 11 James and Willy Wosomo have stood out as the hardest workers. They are also polite and well mannered with a positive outlook towards school and school work. Year 12 English students have missed a great deal of lessons due to other events in the school however have worked really hard to ensure they will still complete the required assessment items. Congratulations to Louisa Joe, Brittany Stallwood and Natalie Morseu for their excellent work during their group project.

Ms Amy

Loreto School Visit

Dear Staff

A huge thank you to all staff who made today such a brilliant success – and it was! Visiting students and staff gave some excellent feedback about the day’s activities and how much they enjoyed it – it was the highlight of their trip and the first time the 147 students had been together.

Special thanks to Vimal for his help & support in setting up the program and running an excellent cultural display this afternoon, Gracie for organizing the sound track, Peggy for morning tea, Shaun for the food for our visitors, all the staff for being willing participants in activities and successfully guiding the visitors around, Ms Francesca and year 10 for making the day a great success for mixing with enough numbers, the 12B class for looking like and acting as professional chaperones throughout the day, Mr David & Teagan for chiming in and finally all the staff who ran activities.

I would also like to thank Ms Michelle in primary for stealing her sports program on the day and last but not least Ms Jean for allowing us to have so much fun.

It is pleasing to see senior school students behaving impeccably and enjoying themselves at the same time. What a high!

Many thanks
Mr Mathew

Taicee's NAIDOC speech & Traineeship

Taicee Pearson who is a leading art student in the school has been offered a traineeship with Djumbunji Press and is to be congratulated on her offer. Taicee will soon be going to this two days per week and learning about life as a full time artist. Taicee recently delivered an excellent speech at the gathering for NAIDOC week which is an example of her skills and talent.

APPRECIATING THE OPPORTUNITIES AT DJARRAGUN COLLEGE

Good morning invited guests, staff and students
My name is Taicee Pearson and I am in Yr 11. I am originally from Port Headland, but now living on Yam Island. I have been at Djarragun College for nearly 3 years. Today I am going to speak about what being a student at Djarragun College has done for me. In my past here at Djarragun College, I haven’t always been the best student. My time here has made me see that there are other opportunities and choices in life. I have seen a lot of drugs and alcohol abuse in the communities and islands. Me- as an indigenous person- I hope to inspire other indigenous people to take the opportunities that are out there in life.
I want to be an indigenous artist and my artwork reflects my pride in my culture. Being at this College I have had many teachers help me and make me feel proud of who I am. They give me support and the opportunity to do something with my life. They have helped me believe that I can do it. I hear stories about kids who have had a hard life and I want to say to them there are people out there who can help you and I also want to be one of those people in the future. Being here today I feel proud to be an indigenous student and artist. Each and every one of us can make a difference in our life and other people’s lives.

Now I will read you a poem I wrote in English about how my life has changed by being at Djarragun College.

Taicee - Free Verse

Life is so hard
but
I just push on
I push on
I won’t forget
the life that's
long gone
it’s gone

see I go home and
back
yet I’m still here
standing

I’ve worked so hard now look at me
laughing
I think to myself
WHO WAS THE PERSON THAT I WAS?
I won’t go back I know that for sure

and now I have hopes and dreams
that I know will take me far

with a little help and support
it will be no trouble at all

Leadership Course 2010

The Leadership course with Ms Annalise and Dave finished on Friday with the vast majority of students completing the course. Students completed a three day workshop, a series of online surveys and some one-on-one personalised interviews to establish their career path and projected occupation. Many students from year 10, 11 & 12 had a great time participating in the activities and can now go on to show what they learnt both in and out of school. We wish all students well and look forward to seeing their skills in action at Djarragun this year.

Leadership Graduates



Tim China receiving his award



Here is a message from Ms Annalise to all students:

Each of you has demonstrated commitment and you have worked through a challenging and mind-shifting process. You have worked with passion, fun and joy, to come up with your vision statement, which l hope becomes part of the ethos of your school. Your self determination, your visions.... hopes and dreams have exceeded my expectations.

To my mind, you are already winners. I’m proud of you! I feel privileged to have worked with you... and to have heard your conversations and your aspirations for a very different and exciting future. Your hearts and minds have inspired me and l will never forget your warmth and your generosity of spirit. Congratulations on your extraordinary efforts. I know that you will continue to make a difference to your school, your families and to your communities.

I hope l see you all again...

With warmest regards!
Annalise

Maths passes this semester

The following students passed Prevocational Maths this semester.

YR11
Fredson Akiba
Patrick Atu
Roselyn Billy
Arthur Dau
Ronjimon Mosby
Taicee Pearson
Louarna Kingi
Aaron Miller
Branxton Dick

YR12
Mark Akiba
Andrew Akiba
Delita Aruba
Stella Dau

Well done to all the students and Mr Aisea for his hard work.

QCE Points for English

It has been an excellent semester for 11B and 12 B English Communication classes. Congratulations to the following students for successfully completing the semester and gaining 1 QCE point.

11B
Ali Dau, Carmen Noah, Elisa Mara
Fredson Akiba, James Gaiden, Ronjamin Mosby
Roselyn Billy, Arthur Dau, Ellouse Murgha
Sibra Baragud, Branxton Dick, Jarva Sammons
Kayleen Yeatman, Patrick Atu, Taicee Pearson
Henley Woosup, Aaron Miller, Louarna Kingi

12B
Aileen Murgha, Delita Aruba, Edward Mau
Lena Wosomo, Michael Geas, Mark Akiba
Stella Dau, Zelma Kynuna, Pauletta Yeatman
Zipphora Smith, Andrew Sam

Well done to all the students and Ms Georgie for all the great work this semester!

Year 11 and 12 Trade English

Congratulations to all Year 11 and 12 Trade English students. The Trade English group have worked diligently all term and are now halfway through completing the Short Course in Literacy. Successful completion of the Short Course in Literacy contributes one point to gaining a QCE. The focus of the unit is biodiversity, and students have explored the importance of biodiversity in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Rainforest and threats to biodiversity. Students took particular interest in the plight of the Southern Cassowary and Lemuroid Ringtail Possum.

All Year 11 Trade English students have completed their end of term assessment piece. This is an excellent achievement, one that each and every student in Year 11 should be proud of. An extra big effort was made by James and Willy Wosomo who were the first students to complete their assessment. Darryl Dau also made a courageous effort, completing his assessment even though he had missed much of the unit. Most Year 12 Trade English students have completed their assessment, and the standard of work that is being submitted by the Year 12 Trade group is exemplary. Keep up the great work Year 11 and 12 Trade. Have a fantastic holiday and see you next term!

Ms. Amy

Patrick Atu’s Good Form

Patrick Atu has turned his behavior and attendance around in one term. Having a rocky first term, not sure where he was headed, he went home and thought about his schooling. Returning to his Furnishing class with a complete transformation in behavior, attitude and running a perfect attendance record for the second term. Patrick has completed 3 of his competencies and shows a keen interest in the workshop projects, often coming up with new ideas over night and coming to the workshop early the next morning to discuss and plan the assembly steps. Patrick has completed many projects this term, including a coffee table, a small draw unit, football boot storage box and large cupboards for the school. He has also made several gifts for his family, taking great pride in his work. Patrick is half way to completing his certificate I in Furnishing and asks constantly about his progress and what he has to do to complete this course. It has been good to see this change in Patrick and we look forward to seeing his progress in the future.

Biodiversity Year 11 & 12 Trade

Julie Dutoit, a Community Education Ranger from the Department of Environment and Resource Management, spoke to Year 11 and 12 Trade English about biodiversity. She sparked a lively discussion about the threats to biodiversity, specifically the threats to the Wet Tropics World Heritage areas. She used local examples such as the Southern Cassowary and the Lemuroid Ringtail Possum to demonstrate that the biodiversity of the Wet Tropics is under threat.

Year 11 and 12 Trade students have embarked on a campaign to protect the Southern Cassowary by becoming involved in a 'Save the Cassowary Campaign'. Students have voiced their concern by writing to Peter Garrett (Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts) to help protect Cassowary habitat. For more information, or to become involved, visit www.savethecassowary.org.au.

There are many stars in Year 11 and 12 Trade, however special mention must be given to Kenisha and Daniel who always demonstrate a great attitude and complete classwork and homework!

Ms. Amy

11B and 12B ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

12B are buzzing in anticipation of the Senior Conference. Since finding out the topic for this year’s conference is HOPE, the ideas have been flying around about what type of Multimedia presentation to do. To get in the mood and fully understand what the term HOPE means to each student, we wrote poems about what HOPE means to us as individuals. Below are some samples of 12B HOPE POETRY…..

By Delita 12B

If hope could be a colour
It would be blue
as beautiful as the sky
If hope could be a taste
It would taste just like sugar candy
If hope could be a smell
It would be Kup Mari Turtle – Traditional way
If hope could be a sound
It would be Cousin and Brothers singing Island songs
If hope could be a feeling
It would be happy all the time
If hope could be an animal
It would be a flying fox flying in the noontime heading North

This year I hope all year 12 students will graduate successfully from Djarragun College

For the future I hope that everything in my life will be good!


Michael Geas…. Hope

If Hope could be a colour it would be BLUE
As Cool as The Great big Ocean
If Hope could be a taste it would taste just like Crunchy Chips
If Hope could be a smell it would be
The smell of the salty sea
If Hope could be a sound it would be
AIM 4 More who plays Reggae songs
If Hope could be a feeling it would be
Watching my uncle playing the Guitar
If Hope would be an animal it would be
A Dove flying up in the big blue sky

This year I Hope to Graduate Yr 12.
For the Future I hope to get a good job at a five Star Restaurant.

What a week it has been! The 11B students completed work on Metaphors, Personification, Rhyme, Rhythm and Alliteration. The classes were packed with writing, reading and fun games. Below are some poems for your enjoyment.

THE FLOWER

It looks
As pretty as a rainbow
Alone
Just sitting in a beautiful vase
The flower sings a romantic song
At the dinner table

By Arron Miller

THE FOOTBALL

The football flies fast
Like a running river
Its smile floats across
The blue sky
It dances through the air
Like a bird
“You can catch it,
GO FOR IT!”

By Arthur Dau

THE RIVER

The river runs alone
It dies slowly
Wishing people around
Swimming in it to
Help make it happy
To bring back the memories
It had in the past
As it dies alone
Unhappy without memories for the future

By Ronjamin Mosby