Networks 

Secondary Life

Communicate Public Speaking Program

Sue Finlay - English Teacher

 

The following students recently had the courage to step out and build their skills in the Communicate Public Speaking Program for Year 7-10 students. 

 

This program, facilitated at the school by Toastmasters, was a six-week enrichment program which enabled learning skills around impromptu speaking and prepared speeches. The students were also given opportunities to engage in the evaluation process as well as providing constructive feedback to their peers.

 

The program has assisted in building the students’ communication skills and boosting their confidence when speaking to people. It also helped them work on body language and using their voices to ensure a stronger connection with their audience to make them better communicators.

 

It was truly inspiring to see each of them challenge themselves and witness their progress over the course of the program.

 

We hope to run this program again next year, so keep an eye out for it in the future!

Year 7: Leroy Spottiswood, Kayode Ayonrinde and Joel Ferguson

 

Year 8: Adriel Chen, Ezra Chan, Leila Griffiths and Zachary Chung

 

Year 9: Jaydon Pang and Ben Fan

German Poetry Competition

Nahed Samuel - German Teacher/German Exchange Coordinator

 

Poetry is an artistic form of expression in German-speaking communities.  

 

By using a common text (a poem) for an authentic purpose, students are provided with intentional opportunities to develop and demonstrate skills in German, which is also part of formative or summative assessment at the school. Learning to read a poem aloud develops skills in pronunciation, intonation and understanding of the text. Learning to recite a poem by heart for an audience develops memory and performance skills.  

 

It requires students to consider how to interpret and deliver the poem in the context of a recitation for an audience. In addition, there are personal and social benefits to participating, such as the opportunity to develop a sense of achievement in remembering a poem and the confidence to perform for an audience. At the end of a public performance, people usually applaud, a great encouragement and boost to self-esteem.  

 

Our DCC students performed admirably in the regional German Poetry Competition. 

Here are the following results: 

Year 7:  

Seth Ratcliff (Gold Medal) 

Rebecca Gad (Silver Medal) 

 

Year 8: 

Noah Vines (Silver Medal) 

Anna Michael (Bronze Medal) 

 

Year 9: 

Ryan Koo (Gold Medal) 

Rose Geluk (Silver Medal) 

 

5 students will compete in the state final at the Austrian Club on Saturday 26 August – we wish them all the best! 

Year 7 Podcast Incursion

Leanne Benson - Year 7 Coordinator

 

Over two days in July, the Year 7s had the opportunity to interview one another and create a podcast exploring their transition from Year 6 to Year 7. The purpose of this experience is for these podcasts to be sent to the 2024 Year 6 cohort, to welcome them into our DCC Secondary community.  

 

This incursion, run by Tripod Enterprise Education, builds on the various capabilities we strive to instil in our students. Critical and creative thinking, collaboration, digital literacy, personal and social growth are examples of these capabilities. Students were given the opportunity to work collaboratively with a team of peers, to develop ideas and construct a plan to meet deadlines. 

 

The creation of a podcast involved devising a script, using interviewing skills and formulating various questioning techniques. Multiple skills and digital technologies were used to engage an audience, with the ability to combine media elements. 

 

A lot of fun within an inspiring and engaging learning environment was had by all, and soon the podcasts will be available for the students to share with their families.

 

 

 

PE Week

Kylie Thorpe - PE Coordinator

 

During Week 4 of Term 3 we enjoyed PE Week. Secondary students participated in a variety of fun, challenging and engaging physical activity and health experiences. 

 

Below is a snapshot of the awesome fun students had last week:

 

Monday 

  • Year 11 v Year 10 Netball: Our Year 11 students arrived with lots of players and lots of energy and ultimately came away victors in this competition.

Tuesday

  • House Cross Country: 599 students completed the cross-country course. As a school community, we travelled 1916.8 kms - all kms and gold coin donations contributing to our fundraiser 'Kms to Kathmandu' – a fantastic cause to help end trafficking in Nepal. 

Wednesday

  • Year 9 Visit: Our Sports Captains Max Sacristani and Lily Cameron took the fun and activity to Hall Road as they led the Year 9s for a plank competition- a test of muscular endurance and perseverance. 

Thursday

  • Year 7 v Year 8 Soccer: Both these year levels love to play soccer at lunchtime, so we decided to see who rules the pitch. We were impressed to see so many students participate in this game and cheer on their friends. The Year 8s proved to find more ways to score, ending up winners on the day. 

 

Friday

  • Staff v Year 12 Basketball Match: This classic event capped off an excellent week. The game drew a large crowd, and staff took the win by a narrow margin!
     
  • Homeroom Physical Activity Challenge: Our students enjoyed a range of physical activity challenges in Homeroom on Friday; one of these challenges being a plank competition. 

    Congratulations to the following students for winning the competition!

    Ryan Perry and Charisse Chan (Year 7)

    Alfie Onley and Abigail Cheang (Year 8) 

    Lily Addison (Year 9) 

    Sam Arsenis ...closely followed by Mr Carter (Year 10-12)

A big congratulations to all who participated in PE Week and challenged themselves to give something new a go - being active is loads of fun and important for everyone's overall health and wellbeing! 

 

Finally, a big thank you to our Sports Captains, Max Sacristani and Lily Cameron, for putting together the homeroom Health Kahoot challenge, and for all their hard work and enthusiasm in creating a fun week. 

 

Thanks also to the other student leaders and teachers who gave their time and energy to make PE Week 2023 one to remember.