12 November 2009 1 Principal’s Perspective It has been a busy two weeks for staff and students at the College since last I wrote. Examinations are well underway, final assessment pieces are being submitted, and the details for the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner and the Senior and Middle School Awards Ceremonies are being finalised. You should have all received invites to these culminating events for the school year, and I look forward to seeing you on these occasions. It is hard to believe that we have less than half a term of the school year left, perhaps seeming more so for me as I have only been at Kormilda since late August. I have focussed much energy on trying to learn about the College as quickly as possible and have spent a lot of time getting to know staff and students. I have been very conscious that mid-year is not an ideal time to introduce too much change, but at the same time it has been necessary to start planning for next year and beyond. It is inevitable that the student body are nervous about changes – I can confirm for those Year 10’s I have been speaking with that the uniform will not be changing and my personal preference for wearing a tie is not on any agenda. One area that I have been keen to advance is with regard to student leadership. I am pleased to announce that the following students have been selected as College Prefects: Chantelle Dobunaba and Louis Durand (Captains), Natasha Bonney, Caitlin Buralli, Jack Hangan, Jack Kruger, Mitchell Mullen, Harriet Palmer, Joel Paterson, Harrison Shedden, Jaimi-Lee Tinning and Chadai Watts. The Prefect body has been meeting regularly throughout this term and have already established close links with the SRC – a charity fundraising day planned for later this term will be a first joint effort between these two leadership teams. The Prefects have a number of initiatives planned for the coming year and I will keep you closely informed as to their progress. An area of concern identified by the academic staff has been student adherence to homework and assignment deadlines. I am very grateful for the support of parents in ensuring that homework is being regularly done by students - every student should have some homework to do every night and it is essential to their academic development that this time is used to augment learning. In order to encourage students to plan their work appropriately it is important that they use the student diaries they have been provided with to record their work. Next year, each school day will commence with a short homeroom period during which tutors will be checking to ensure that students are using their diaries to plan appropriately – parents too will be encouraged to help their children in this regard. Ms Elsabe Bott, Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning, will write to all parents before the start of next year outlining our expectations for students with regard to their academic work. Other developments at Kormilda continue apace. Work will soon begin on new language laboratories and on the Centre for Indigenous Culture and Spirituality. The later of these is to be named Mudowa – a generic Indigenous word meaning fish. The fish has significant cultural and spiritual connotations for both Indigenous and Christian peoples. The new VET buildings are due for completion by the end of the year and will provide unparalleled opportunities for Kormilda students choosing vocational industry pathways and NTCE candidates who may choose VET courses as part of their qualifications. David Shinkfield Principal Doodle for Google Congratulations to Darcy McBean on being selected as the National Age Group winner for students in Years 7 & 8 in the recent Doodle for Google competition, and Phoebe Robinson who was selected as a finalist for the Years 9 & 10 Age Group. Pictured right are top Darcy’s and bottom Phoebe’s entries. November Wed 18 to Tue 24 Year 11 NTCE Exams Fri 20 - 7pm to 10pm Year 9 Social - Theme: City Nights Cyprus Community Centre, Batton Road, Marrara Thu 26 - 7pm to 9pm Senior School Awards Night Darwin Entertainment Centre Fri 27 Year 7 Orientation Day Sat 28 Valedictory Dinner Darwin Convention Centre Mon 30 to Thu 3 Year 11 IB Exams 2010 College Captains