2010 - Northern Territory Schools

Morning PreschoolAfternoon PreschoolMorning Preschool Staff 2010Shannon AlexanderRosita GaykamanguGlenda BulwarrnguTara IdaiElaine Djimarrmarhis year in Morning Preschool the kids have been learning lots of different things:Thow to read and write their name, the letters of the alphabet, counting from 1to 10 and using English words. The kids sing Good Morning and say the days and themonths. They also join in PMP with Transition, Year 1 and Year 2 in the mornings.In Yol\u Matha they have been working hard to learn their b^purru, m^lk, the partsof their rumbal and about Yirritja and Dhuwa.The Morning Preschool kids are now ready for Transition next year and are verygood at working as a team, trying new things without shame and doing their workindependently.Every day the children in both Morning and Afternoon Preschool do BBC (noseblowing), wash their hands and clean their teeth.Afternoon Preschool Staff 2010Shannon AlexanderRosita GaykamanguGlenda BulwarrnguTara IdaiElaine DjimarrmarAfternoon Preschool kids have been learning about school and different activities.TThey have been working hard learning how to use scissors, glue, pencils, textas,crayons and paint. They have been playing with play dough, playing in the home cornerand with lots of other toys.Some of the themes the children have worked on include: mice, bubbles, shapes,pandas, bears, friendship, picnics, colours, numbers, zoo animals, body parts, the senses,opposites, monsters, camping and fishing, transport, frogs, art and the alphabet.To get ready for Morning Preschool next year, the kids have been learning to read andtrace their names. They have begun some independent work and are less shame to trynew things.

Year 4In Maths the students arepractising their times tablesup to 10 and working hardon chance and data andmaking tallies and graphs.Year 4 Djanda StaffCameron AdamsSophia YinakarrangarrDjanda class have had a fantastic year and have come a longway in all learning areas and with their social interaction.Year 4 is such a happy class as everyone maintains a greatsense of humour, creating an excellent learning environment.We learned some CookIsland dances and a songabout keeping the dogsout of the school grounds.We sing it in Yol\u Mathaand English. We also singabout attendance in Yol\u.Some really memorable things from this year have been the MovieNights for great school attendees, the Coloured Sports Competitionand the excursion to the power and water station. However, thebiggest events this year were Coralyn’s farewell and the Cockatoo visit.Djanda class have made some impressive improvements in Literacy andNumeracy. Everyone is showing more confidence with reading in frontof others and also trying out unfamiliar words. The Year 4 studentshave become ‘little spelling machines’.It will be sad to see these kids move on to Year 5.But I know their new teacher will have a fantastictime with them, as they are such wonderful kids!Cameron Adams

Year 5This year we have been learning about our bodiesand what we need to do to stay healthy andstrong. We were fascinated by the functions ofthe heart and lungs. We managed to get our handsbloody when we dissected the heart and lungs ofa buffalo. Our experiment also enabled us to blowup a section of the lungs to see how they worked.Year 5 Staff 2010Wendy HeironymusGilbert WalkuliWhat a fantastic year the Grade 5 class has had. In2010 we welcomed new and returning students to ourclass. The highlight of our year has been the visit fromYear 5 at Cockatoo Primary School in Melbourne inTerm 3 and then our return visit to Cockatoo in Term 4.We had some excellent sportspeople in Year 5this year with several of them being successful inthe Arnhem Sports Competition. Ryan, Rickisha,Anton and Dylan enjoyed themselves at theArnhem Sports and did our school proud by tryingtheir hardest.

Year 5/6ear 5/6 had a busy time inYSemester 2. Our friends fromCockatoo came to visit. Year5/6students welcomed them toRamingining School and tookthem camping, swimming atDhabala, and taught them how tomake spears and weave pandanusbaskets. It was great to see ourstudents being confident andteaching Cockatoo kids aboutYol\u culture. The students fromYear 5/6 who went to Victoria inTerm 4 to visit Cockatoo cameback tired but very happy.Year 5/6 Staff 2010Tim AcuttSylvia GukudaAlvin GaykamanguCas RawlinsIn2010 Year 5/6 were taught by Gukuda,Alvin, Cas and Tim. They are a bright classand if they continue to come to school andwork hard they will have great success in theSecondary school next year.I am proud of what manyof the students in Year 5/6achieved in their academicstudies this year. I believethat each student in the classhas the potential to succeedin any area they set theirmind to, whether it is studyor a job. Good luck in thefuture.Tim Acutt

Middle YearsYear 7,8,& 9WeMusicYear 7/8 Staff 2010Sinead HoganAlbert WaninymarrChristine Westerbeek Van Eertenhave had a very musical year with visits from the Jimmy Little Foundation and Peteand Kerry’s Stamp Music Australia. Middle Years were involved in the creation andproduction of a song about good food and long life. With Pete and Kerry 7/8 wrote andrecorded a song called ‘Everybody Come’. We eagerly await the release of 8/9’s Christmassong!!We also entered a competition to win $25,000. Middle Years had to learn the song ‘HandsAcross Australia’ and then add their own rap. With Bruce’s skills on the video camerawe also made a matching music video. We were one of five schools that were ‘HighlyCommended’ in the competition for our rap that was ‘right on the money’ and a videothat was innovative for its use of old and new footage to illustrate generations.DukeCamps, Hikes and Visitsof Edinburgh students did a hike early inthe dry season that involved a hike from schoolto Djimbi via a buffalo track and the old road toNgangalala. We camped at Djimbi that night. Thefollowing morning Bruce and the students did anotherhike to Nulunbidjapin. There we had a barbeque anda long afternoon in the water.St. Kevin’s Year Nine boys visited on a culturalexchange at the end of term 2. This was an actionpacked week with two camping trips that wereexhilarating. Although some of us were the worse forwear between insect bites, leeches and grass burns!!!!Assignatories of the Sustainability forSchools Challenge, Middle Years arecontinuing with their recycling campaign whichis becoming more and more of a success.Gerry the Germ was here with his microscope.We were able to see bacteria from our ownbodies, objects, and even those that lived inpuddles. There was also an informational DVDscreened in Yol\u Matha.The Rangers gave an informative session onhow to stay safe on the water, including theuse of life jackets, flares and other importantsafety equipment that should be on board.BothEnvironmentClass TimeYear 8/9 Staff 2010Bruce ThomsonTheMiddle Years as EntrepreneurSclasses have been heavily involvedin setting up their own business Wu\ili.This involves selling greeting cards and postcards designed, produced and marketed bythe students. We managed to produce andpackage our first twenty packets of six.These were market tested in Cockatoo, withmuch success as we sold all the packets andhave more orders in. The second round willbe coming soon. Send your orders in forthe Christmas Season!7/8 and 8/9 have been busy with A.L. 8/9 studied ‘Lockie Leonard: Human Torpedo’,‘Call it Courage’, ‘Bridge to Terabithia’, and ‘Kimberly Warrior: The Story of Jandamarra’.Everyone enjoyed reading the stories, especially the dialogue in Lockie Leonard. 7/8 studied‘The Deliverance of Dancing Bears’, ‘Unbearable’, ‘Storm Boy’, and ‘Barrumbi Kids’. ‘StormBoy’ caught everyone’s imagination.Maths classes have been lead by Bruffy and their sequence has ever since been logical!We hope now that two teachers teaching the one class will help improve student learning,a model which hopefully will continue next year.It has been a great year, with students and teachers working hard to achieve success insideand outside the classroom.

Year 10Year 10 students have worked in Raminginingand in Darwin as Rangers and Hairdressers, atCrocodylus Park and Coles, and at Mararra School.Year 10 students care for their country. They havelistened to the Rangers and visited places wherethe salt water and buffalo are causing problemsand made excellent Powerpoints and DVDs aboutthis. They have also written a song about ‘Caringfor Country’.Year 10 Staff 2010Trish ReaVeronica Gaykama\uYear 10 have had a wonderful year. Theyhave been excellent attenders and havecompleted a wide and interesting range ofwork and activities.Year 10 students have competed in the FunRun, the Coloured Sports, the Arnhem Sportsand represented the school in NT Sports.They have studied energy, mould and theplanets. They have interviewed staff membersand written their life stories. They have writtena children’s book and read it to the Primarystudents. They have gone shopping for Mathsand written stories in Yol\u Matha.Most of all, Year 10 careabout other people,about their work, about theircommunity and about theirculture. Year 10 students haveset an excellent example tothe younger students.We are very proud of them.

SeniorsA highlight of the year was when ArleneYear 11 & 12was asked to travel to both Nhulunbuyand Darwin to make a presentation abouther Anti-Smoking project. In Darwin, infront of a big crowd of doctors andnurses at a major conference of theChronic Disease Network, she stood talland spoke with dignity and strength. Allof Arnhem should be proud of her.The students have worked on many interesting projects, including:Year 11 & 12 Staff 2010Geoff Guymer – Home group, Health & ScienceEric Barrows – Creative ArtsChris Brough – MathsTrish Rea – ESLJenny Watson – Personal Learning PlanJoseph Smith - TutorWe have had a great year in Year 11 & 12.The senior students have really taken to theirleadership positions with great responsibilityand maturity. They are well respected by theirpeers, the younger students and the staff.Construction of and cooking on ‘Flour Drum Stoves’Making DVDsPhotographyRunning a community cooking competitionPlanning and running an overnight camp at Sandy PointLeadershipSetting up for Coloured SportsAnt trappingTraditional burningWeeds in RaminginingPractical mathematics – measurements, graphs and moneyBus timetables and public transportLetter writing“ “Rabbit proof fence”Tourist brochuresRadio talksSong writingRanger programsAnimationMaking computer gamesAll students have been studying Stage 1 subjectsto help them pass their NTCE. Arlene has beenstudying Stage 2 subjects as well as her Stage 1and will graduate at the end of this year.Well done to all of the senior students andespecially to Arlene for her very courageouseffort in finishing her year 12 studies. Welook forward to seeing all of the Year 11students back again next year to follow inthe footsteps of the graduates before them.

Adult EducationAcceleratedLiteracyRamingining is already famous for its painters, weavers, printmakers and actorsand now it is also known for the achievements of its Indigenous educators atRamingining School.Over the last two years Shirley Nulumburrpurr, Sophia Yinakarrangar, Rosita Gaykama\u,Jane Miyatatawuy and Linda Wulumana have been working with their lecturer FranMatthews and Allan, their tutor, to complete the Diploma in Education Support.These five ladies are now the first ever Assistant Teachers in the Northern Territoryto have ever completed their Diploma in Education Support.Congratulations to the five of you! The Minister for Education, Chris Burns willpresent the successful graduates with their Diplomas at a Graduation Ceremony inDecember.We are also proud of our Certificate (Cert) 3 and 4 students who are studyingthrough Batchelor College with Chris Nelson and Allan. Susan Gumbata is studyingher Cert 4 in Education Support, while Richard Durrurrnga, Veronica Buninymurruwuy,Joy Wanybarrnga and Sylvia Gukuda are completing units in Cert 3.Richard and Veronica have completed their Cert 3 and will be presented with Certificatesof Completion at the Graduation Ceremony. All students are working hardhelping the teachers to improve their students’ Literacy and Numeracy.Allan SkienAdult Education SuccessThroughout2010 students at Raminginingfrom Pre-school to Year 10 haveparticipated in Accelerated Literacy (AL)lessons. Students who attend schoolregularly are showing great improvementsin their reading.AL funding has provided the school with lotsof new resources for the students to useand for teachers to enrich their teachingactivities. The Smith Family continues togenerously donate beautiful picture bookswhich the students enjoy reading, and theteachers love to display in their classrooms.The Primary classes have studied bookssuch as, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, MyMob going to the Beach, Big Rain Coming,The Gingerbread Man, Alexanders Outingand Pig in the Pond. Students are makinggood progress with reading and are workinghard with writing.The Secondary classes have been studyingbooks such as, Storm Boy, Barrumbi Kids,Call it Courage and Kimberley Warrior.Some of these stories are Indigenoushistories based on fact that endeavour todevelop students’ understanding of theworld and its variety of life.The students who attend schoolregularly are showing greatimprovements in their reading.Louise Johns - Coordinator

ESL for ILSSI.C.T.Thisyear in ESL for ILSS we had over 30 childrenenrolled in the programme. Sometimes wecame to the ILSS room and sometimes the ILSSteacher would support us in the classroom.We practised speaking in English with theteacher in small groups. We talked about ourfamilies and our homes and what we like to doon the weekends. We learned to name morethings in English. We liked to talk about whatwe could see outside. “I can see a butterfly inthe tree,” we would say.We used the puppets to talk to each other andto ask each other how we felt about things. Wesang many songs. Our favourites were aboutwashing our hands, a pig that wouldn’t swimand a little hen who escapes from a fox. Welearnt to cook pancakes and we learnt to passthings around in a circle, including a message.“Big rain coming,” and “who told you?” were ourfavourite messages.Speaking English at ESL Level 1 was our overallgoal for the year and many of us achieved this.Veronica HempelThis semester in ICT the school was very fortunate to receive over 100 XO laptops,which were distributed to students across the Primary School. Students from Years1-6 have been using their XO laptops to write short stories, create artworks, takephotos, make short videos, do research on the Internet and play educational games.Students in years 4-6 have also been able to customise their laptops by changing thebackground image and desktop style.Although the students in Transition have not been allocated their own laptops, thesestudents have been learning how to use a computer by playing simple educationalgames and have also been using a digital camerato take photographs of objects they have madeout of blocks.The introduction of the XO laptops across thePrimary School has helped to improve students’ICT skills and has also provided students withgreater access to computers when studying otherparts of the curriculum.Ben LandersP.M.P.PMPteaches the Early Childhood and Year 2 students skills with movement,and with speaking and listening. Four exercise stations are set up and each skillhas an English sentence to go with it.This year in PMP we developed skills with throwing, catching, balancing, climbing,pulling, skipping, kicking, stepping and bouncing. The students practised theseskills on all sorts of equipment including a balance beam, a scooter board, a minitrampoline and a climbing frame.Every Friday the students did PMP on the playground equipment.Their favourite activities were sliding down the slide andswinging up high on the swing.The students talked about what they were doing with theteachers. They learnt to use the present tense, “I am,” and thefuture tense, “I will.”They also learnt group skills becauseevery day they helped each other topack up all the equipment.

SportTERM 3Touch RugbyMany students took part in the after school Touch Rugby competition with Cameronon Wednesdays. Methuselah, Phyllis, Uricka, Sibeon, Romero, Ricky and Travis allwent on to represent Arnhem at the NT Schools Championships. They played reallywell and 4 of them were invited to play for the NT at the Australian SchoolsChampionships. Cameron did a great job coaching the Arnhem team.TERM 1Fun RunWhat a fun day we had. We all watched, laughed and cheered as the little kids frompre-school and transition ran their hardest around the park. Ramingining has somevery talented runners but the best thing was seeing everyone trying their best andencouraging each other.Arnhem Sports24 students from Grades 5 to 12 went to Elcho Island for Arnhem Sports 2010. Thiswas a great event and we all enjoyed being welcomed by the Galiwin’ku community.Ramingining placed 4th overall but we saw some amazing efforts. Jordan dominatedthe Football. Ricky and Methuselah won everything at Track and Field. Florence ranlike the wind in the cross country, and Arno ripped up the dance floor. ThanksShirley, Joseph and Shannon for leading the team.NT Track and FieldRicky and Antonio went to Darwin to represent Arnhem with young athletes from9 schools making up a team of 30 students. Ricky won 6 Gold medals. Antonio won2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze. Arnhem came first in the NT Championships. Welldone Arnhem.Coloured SportsIt was a great day of sport and fun for Ramingining. The captains did a brilliantjob getting the teams ready and painting up all of the students. In the morning weran the running races. The whole community came to watch some amazing races.Everybody did their best and the competition was close. In the afternoon the olderstudents did field events while the younger ones did fun events. The water relay wasa favourite with everyone. This year the Yellow team won and everyone was veryproud of them.BasketballBasketball under lights came back to Ramo with manystudents involved every Friday night for the Schoolcompetition. The Grand Final was won by the Blueteam. Well done to the students and staff for makingthis happen.TERM 2TERM 4Ramingining Basketball ChampionshipsThe Year 10 students organised a community Basketball competition for Men andWomen that ran for 6 weeks. They organised uniforms, trophies and medals. Thecommunity was very proud of them for organising such a healthy activity for everyone.

CockatooCultural ExchangeAs always, the time spent with the Cockatoo kidsand families during our Cultural Exchange visits wasamazing!Our visit to Victoria and their visit to Raminginingwere both packed full of fun, adventures and lotsof new things to see and learn about.Darrelyn the Principal and Barb the AssistantPrincipal, both came back to Ramingining this year.They were very excited to catch up with familiesand friends and to see how much our kids hadgrown since their last visits!This year the Cockatoo delegation was invited totake part in one of our bu\guls. The Cockatoo kidsfelt very privileged to share this experience withour families. They said it showed how important theexchange is, not only to our school but to our widercommunity.These are the Ramingining kids who went toCockatoo: Malichi, Terista, Ryan, Neil, Dylan,Caprice, Roselyn, Rickisha, Naomi and Dwyna. Theyare great ambassadors for Ramingining and for allYolngu people.Sinead, Alvin and Jenny feel very proud of them.