Dunhelen
Ms Jacquelyne Armstrong
Did you know that Term 1 of 2022 is the first full term of High School our Dunhelen students have ever had? That’s right, our Year 8 students and Year 9 students have only ever known broken terms with lockdowns and missed experiences but thankfully Term 1 has been action packed (and assessment packed). No wonder they are all tired and looking forward to the holidays.
After such a long first term it is great to see so many fitting into school life so well. You would have noticed over the past few weeks, that there was an increase in homework, a lot more assessments to complete and tests to study for. The workload may have been a big jump for some or may have been a little overwhelming, but it is important to note that now they have experienced this, next term will feel a lot easier.
Studying and preparing for assessments at home is an important part of schooling and it is your child’s middle school years that will set them up for success in their senior years and beyond. Learning to study and developing good study habits is an essential skill not only for their time at high school but it will make an enormous difference to their ability to meet deadlines. It will also build confidence, competence and self-esteem which also can result in reduced anxiety when faced with multiple priorities.
However, with all the homework and study over the past few weeks there has also been time for a lot of fun!
Year 8 Drama - Clowning Around
The Year 8 Drama class were wowed by the talents of the physical theatre and clowning extraordinaire Maddy. Learning to balance as human pyramids, spinning plates and flick diablos were then used in their clowning performances.
‘Being able to participate in a drama incursion with Maddy from Circus Crew was an amazing experience. I learnt so many new clowning tricks such as spinning plates, different ways to hula hoop and juggling. We also were taught how to make cool balancing tricks on top of one another which was a really fun activity to do with our peers. I also found by watching how much confidence Maddie was performing all these clowning pieces has made me more excited about my performance and prepared for this assignment.’ - Tamsyn H
‘The Circus Crew session the Year 8 drama class got to participate in was outstanding! It was a marvellous way to start off the day and bond with our peers. Circus Crew, Maddy’s ecstatic energy bounced all around the room as she identified ways that would benefit our performances to the preps and year ones. In our recent classes, we have been focusing on our dramatic elements and studying slapstick throughout mini acts. I found learning the correct way to hula hoop and entertaining tricks was most enjoyable, many years 8’s likely to agree.’ - Olivia H
House Sports
This term the Dunhelen Captains have been busy brainstorming activities for everyone to join in and earn House Points. Soccer was first on the list of events and about 70 students got on the field over two days and kicked goals for their House. It was great to see so many students wanting to participate in a fun lunch time event.
These activities are a great way for our students to have fun, meet new people with similar interests and develop important social skills off the screen. Next term there will be even more, including a Downball Competition, Basketball and paper plane throwing so remind your young person to get the most out of their school day and get involved.
yLead Incursion
Last week Year 8 students were lucky enough to participate in an all day incursion called yLead. This event is run every year at Aitken for our Year 8 students and it is always a fun and creative way of learning about leadership. The students are fortunate enough to complete a series of mini workshops aimed at building confidence, learning to back their abilities, accepting themselves and others for who they are and building resilience. As a school we really work hard on helping our young people develop these skills and we encourage them to continue to build on them by taking responsibility for themselves, taking on leadership roles within the school and supporting each other through kind words and helpful actions.
'On Wednesday 30 March the Year 8 students attended an incursion all about leadership and how to be a great leader. Throughout the day we completed different games and activities associated with being a leader. We completed activities teaching you to always be resilient and that there is always another way. We had also learnt to respect everyone’s opinions as well as to voice your own. With all the activities we had also learnt about teamwork and that you need to all work together and put in your best efforts, to get the best results possible. Multiple stories were told and many encouraging words were also said in regards to taking any opportunities you can.' - Alexia N
'I enjoyed the Leadership Incursion. It was nice to be able to socialise with people from other classes and I got to meet some new people! I liked how all of the activities we did had a meaning and a lesson behind them while still being fun. We did a range of activity’s such as an opinion game, a teamwork game and an activity were we had to find a pathway on a mat. The one I enjoyed the most was the pathways game. We also discussed lots of real life stories of people who used leadership in different ways.' - Cassidy R
Medieval Day
Again, our Year 8 students were delighted by the performers and historians who came to the College to immerse the 8 students into the medieval times. Our students explored medieval life by participating in a variety of activities and games including dressing in traditional fashions of the time, learning about traditional games, sports and music plus wielding a sword and other weapons used in feudal times.
'Medieval Day was a great experience for us Year 8 students and we learnt a tonne about Medieval songs, dances, games, armour, and even what the medieval people dressed up as! I loved all the sessions that I participated in, but if I was to choose a favourite one, I would say that the one about 'armour and weapons' was the best subject. We were able to fight with fake swords in a safe 'best of 3' fight. We also got to try the armour the knights wore in war. The people at History Up Close were very nice and taught us a lot of things, like what the knights did. Some people there were very talented, like Robert, who could play a lot of the musical instruments they played in medieval times. The whole day overall was a fun and an amazing experience.' - Hano K
'We enjoyed all the activities on Medieval Day, but our favourite activity was the music and dance lesson. We liked this lesson the most because we got to see the different instruments they played in the Middle Ages, such as the gem-horn, which was our personal favourite. We got to dance as a class together and had a great presenter, Rob, who was nice and talented in using all the Medieval instruments. Not only did we get to hear about the medieval outfits, but we also got to dress up in them, which led us to learn new things and have a laugh!' - Olivia L, Chloe O, Charlie D
'Medieval Day was a great day, which all the Humanities teachers planned for us, where we learn about the medieval times. It was overall a great time with talented and funny people, such as Robert the musician, who showed us the experience of medieval citizens. I got to dress up as a bishop, and in the 'weaponry' session, we got to hold shields, while the other team threw tennis balls at us. My favourite session was where we got to learn about knight’s armour, and we got to try them on. As a bonus, we were able to play a sword fight game, which I won! Thank you to all the teachers who organised this for us and all the medieval experts who offered to help. We had an amazing day, thank you again.' - Toby S
Year 9 Service Learning Project
This term the Year 9 students have been learning a lot about themselves, team work and events management in their service projects. All the students have come up with a service-based project to improve the College including building a peace garden, running craft classes and serving up breaky for students. These projects will take off in Term 2.
Also in Term 2 will be the Funhelen event. This was initiated last year, and this year is looking to be even bigger and better. The students, on top of their project, have also come up with a fun carnival style activity for the Primary and Dunhelen students to participate in, win prizes and have fun.
Benevolent Bunny Raffle
End of Term FUN with the Benevolent Bunny – the response so far has been overwhelming which was not surprising. Last year this was run with the Year 8 cohort, and we had so many chocolates I split the prize into four. I have a feeling I will do the same this year. Check out the Aitken Instagram and Facebook page for the winners on Thursday.
Funhelen
Our Year 9 students take part in a new subject called the 'Service Project'. In Semester One they have been involved in service projects within the College community. In Semester Two their projects will venture into the wider community. To celebrate what they have done, and to raise funds that might be needed to support the community next Semester, they are running a student festival called “Funhelen” in Periods 3, 4 and 5 on Tuesday 5 May. Students from Prep to Year 8 will come and take part in activities like sport, craft and robotics, and will have the opportunity to purchase food and drinks. Most activities will cost less than $1. We encourage children to bring coins to school on that day.
End of Term 1
We will be welcoming back Mrs Scuderi as Head of Dunhelen in Term 2 but farewelling Mr Eleftheriou for a term of Long Service Leave. We wish him a restful and enjoyable break. I will still be in contact with many of you as I am continuing in the Year 8 AHOS role but will also be looking after the Year 7 AHOS role while Mr Eleftheriou takes his much deserving break.
Finally, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday and a Happy Easter break and thank you for the ongoing support you show the College, The Dunhelen staff and of course your children. I hope you and your family are able to enjoy some time together and celebrate the end of Term 1.