Alawa Primary School’s graduating year 6 class says they’re ready for ‘more opportunities’

Alawa Primary School’s year 6 students are preparing for middle school’s challenges, with some joking it’s time to ‘start paying bills soon’.

Alawa Primary School’s graduating class has an appetite for adventure as they prepare to move from the little pond to the big pond.

Year 6 student Hien Thuc Ta said the advice she would have given herself at the start of the year would be to live her childhood and make new friends.

“We’re growing up too fast, we have to start paying bills soon,” she said.

Dimi Papantoniou, Jesse Davey and Hien Thuc Ta finish up primary school at Allawa Primary School. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Fellow graduate Dimi Papantoniou said he expected the shift to middle school to be a “big move up”.

“It’s going to be a lot more opportunities for things, and also, there’ll be yummy food at the canteen,” he said.

Student Jesse Davey said it would be important to “put your hand up for everything, it always will work out in the end”.

The trio said they hoped to be professional soccer players when they grow up.

Jesse Davey runs through a tunnel made by year 5 students on his way out of primary school. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Alawa Primary School principal Sandy Cartwright said she was very proud of the graduating year 6 class.

“They’re going to go from being big fish in a little pond, to little fish in a big pond,” she said.

“But I believe they’ve got the skills, the attitudes, and the strategies and resources to thrive wherever they go.

“We’ve very much worked with them here on being 21st century learners, so that they can apply what they’ve learned and what they’ve developed to whatever environment they’re in and know that they’re valued, they’re cared for, and that they have a lot to contribute.”

Alawa Primary School principal Sandy Cartwright reflects on 2022 as her students finish up for the year. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Ms Cartwright said one of the cohort’s biggest achievements for the year was pitching a data literacy program to the NT Learning Commission.

“They had a line of inquiry, how do the Alawa students engage with their data, are they able to use it, set goals, and set improvement targets for themselves as 21st century learners?” she said.

“Since then, they’ve actually made a poster that they want in every class next year about how to set goals.

“They’ve made instructional videos for teachers and their peers to learn how to do the things that they think they know, but not everyone knows.

“They’re leaving their legacy.”

Ms Cartwright said the young cohort had a graduation ceremony with their families at the school last week, where several students’ achievements were recognised.

“They did a dance, and we shared some photos,” she said.

“Then, they had a fantastic, fun day out last Friday where they had a water slide at the Jingili Water Gardens and to Kingpin and laser tag and a lunch.”

The students also have “graduation bears” for friends and teachers to sign.

Ms Cartwright said many of the students have been enrolled at Alawa Primary School for their entire learning careers to date.

“I’ve been with them since preschool, so seeing them grow from four-year-olds through to those ones that are graduating is fantastic,” she said.

“We put some photos up the other night at their graduation of them in preschool, and then them now, and seeing how they’ve grown and changed through the years has been terrific.”

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