ADVERTISING FEATURE
Businesses
reward
good
attenders
REWARDING students for good
attendance is one part of the Every Child
Every Day strategy for getting and keeping
young people at school.
The Department of Education and Training
(DET) has introduced a “loyalty” concept
across schools in the Territory. It’s called the
Frequent Attender Program.
GOOD
ATTENDANCE IS A
WHEELY
GOOD TIME
ABOVE: Ramingining School Principal Darryl Bullen with student Jeff Malibirr who was awarded with a bike for achieving almost 100 per cent attendance in Semester 1.
MAJOR businesses have joined together to
offer bicycles to four Growth Town schools to
reward students with good attendance.
Ramingining School Principal Darryl Bullen
said the school was looking forward to the
arrival of the new bikes.
Students who have good attendance will be
treated to a bike ride before school and on
Friday afternoons.
The National Australia Bank, the Traditional
Credit Union, LinFox and the Arnhemland
Progress Association (ALPA) have formed a
partnership to offer schools the reconditioned
bicycles.
“At the moment we have a small number
of bikes which seem to be helping with the
maintenance of attendance patterns,” Mr
Bullen said.
“If kids are engaged, kids come to school,” Mr
Bullen said.
Schools in the communities of Galiwinku,
Milingimbi, Ramingining and Gapuwiyak will
receive the bicycles to be used as part of the
schools’ Frequent Attender Programs.
The schools will receive 200 reconditioned
bicycles (Ramingining will receive 50 due to
the school’s program) at the start of Term 3.
The school, which has 280 enrolments,
has more than 90 of its students achieving
attendance rates of 80 per cent or above.
The introduction of a bike program for good
attenders will complement the school’s
existing reward activities including excursions,
discos, raffles and canteen vouchers.
“The bikes will also be beneficial from an
educational perspective because students
will learn about the maintenance and repair of
bikes and about road safety.”
Freight company LinFox, has donated
transportation of the four container loads of
bikes to Darwin and the local Shires have
organised delivery to the communities. ALPA
will distribute the bikes to schools.
Targeted at students attending school in
the 20 Territory Growth Towns, the program
offers incentives to students to increase
their attendance.
To help make these rewards interesting,
Territory businesses have been brought in
to contribute to the program.
Program coordinator Tim Nicol said DET
had engaged major corporate sponsors and
local businesses to support the program
and there were plans for further expansion.
“Rewards may include music and movie
downloads, food cards, swags, sporting
activities, health and wellbeing programs
and excursions,” Mr Nicol said.
Schools decide the shape of the program
but there can be three reward levels of the
program including monthly rewards for
80-90 per cent attendance; 90 per cent and
above; and for 100 per cent attendance.
Schools and communities recognise and
celebrate the achievement of students at
monthly ceremonies.
DET has also extended the “reward” idea
to include participation at special events.
Many events are now tied to attendance at
school.
“Recently we had national leading specialist
golf and softball trainers from Victoria
training students at Barkly Middle School,
Ali Curung School and Centralian Middle
School,” Mr Nicol said.
Students could not attend unless they
had met the attendance criteria set by the
principal.
“In the case of Ali Curung, school teachers
said it had definitely contributed to the
number of students coming to the school at
that time.”
HOLIDAY CAMP WITH A DIFFERENCE
Twenty-one students from Nightcliff Primary
and Middle schools spent three days at
the Holiday Tech Camp at the Nightcliff
Education Precinct.
The camp, happening for the first time as
a pilot project, allowed students to explore
various devices and applications including
programs on iPods, iPads, and MacBooks.
Students created at least one digital media
product to take home.
Camp coordinator Karin Nyhuis, from DET’s
ICT for Learning team, said the aim of the
program was to create excitement among
students by exposing them to ICT devices
and engaging them in digital media creation.
“This is one of the most highly engaged and
motivated groups of kids I have seen,” Ms
Nyhuis said. “They really want to learn.”
The children, who were chosen from an
online application, were treated to a range
of workshops using Garage Band, filming
and taking still photos, using clay to create
stop-motion animations and capturing
www.ntnews.com.au
footage to make iMovies on an excursion to
Crocosaurus Cove.
A number of enthusiastic teachers were
on deck to support the children including
Charles Darwin University pre-service
teachers Sung Min Kim and Sarah Whyte.
They’re studying the Graduate Diploma in
Teaching and Learning.
Ms Kim, who teaches art and technology,
said digital storytelling was so important and
she tried to implement this while out in the
field.
“The government uses so much money
putting out technology in the classrooms but
a lot of the teachers are unfamiliar with the
technology,” Ms Kim said.
“This is a really, really great idea because the
program teaches teachers and students how
to use the technology and what we learn is
transferrable to the classroom.”
PUB:
WHILE most boys and girls were enjoying
their usual school holiday activities, a group
of eager young students were discovering
technology and learning new skills.
R:
LOWSNENT
25
GE:
17-J
TE:
K
MDA
Y
C
The project was funded and supported by
ICT for Learning, XCite Logic, and Apple.
There are plans to roll out the program in
other areas.
RIGHT: Ethan Doidge (left) and Syed
Mahmood preparing footage for their iMovie
Tuesday, July 17, 2012. NT NEWS SPECIAL FEATURE.
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