Defence Work Experience Program
Defence provides work experience program to secondary students who are interested in a career in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The program is nationally coordinated with placements offered at various Defence establishments throughout Australia.
The Band of the First Brigade is particularly looking for students interested in finding out about life as a musician in the Army, either full time or as a Reserve. Please see below for details of the work experience being offered and a QR code to apply.
Last year, Year 10 students Mahu and Amelia participated in this 8-week program, culminating in the Darwin Carols by Candlelight performance at the Darwin Convention Centre. Please speak to Mahu, Amelia or Mrs Martin for further details about this unique and valuable experience.
HRS Strings Program – A Pathway for Growing Young Musicians
Our Strings Program guides students from their first notes in Year 2 Safari Strings through to Animato Strings and finally Chamber Strings. Across each level, students build technique, teamwork, and confidence while discovering the joy of making music together. With new skills, new repertoire, and plenty of “I can do it!” moments, our young musicians are thriving this year.
Safari Strings – Off on an Adventure!
Our Year 2 Safari Strings students have jumped into their musical adventure with great enthusiasm. They’re learning how to hold and play their instruments with growing confidence and having lots of fun exploring pizzicato, plucking bright, happy sounds from their strings. They’ve also begun learning music reading and theory basics on their violin, viola or cello, proudly recognising notes and rhythms as they play. Each week brings new skills and plenty of excited “I can do it!” moments. It’s only the beginning, but their energy is contagious and we’re excited to see where their Safari Strings journey leads next.
Animato Strings – Growing Skills and Growing Confidence
Our Animato Intermediate Strings students have had a great start to the year. They’re learning some new pieces with some tricky counting, plus strengthening their bowing shapes, and ensemble ears. They’ve especially enjoyed working on a fun circus themed piece that brings lots of energy to rehearsals. The group is growing stronger each week, and it’s wonderful to see how much they’re enjoying making music together.
HRS Chamber Strings
Our HRS Chamber Strings group has had a fantastic start to the year, building skills and confidence while working on three exciting new pieces: Clumsy Sailor, Pizzicato Popcorn, and Momentous. Students have enjoyed a mix of fun rhythm games, sectionals, and full ensemble playing, all helping them listen, lead, and play together with growing confidence. It’s been wonderful to see their energy, teamwork, and musical spark shine through each week!
Ilona Martin
Head of Music
HRS Cushion Concerts
If you visited the library on a Thursday lunchtime, you may have noticed it filled with music and vibrant energy. This is due to our Cushion Concerts, where instrumental students are provided with the opportunity to showcase their talents in a relaxed and supportive environment. Audiences have enjoyed a diverse range of performances, including cello, violin, piano and vocal pieces, presented by soloists, duos and ensembles.
Learning an instrument offers so many benefits, from supporting brain development and improving memory to building confidence through live performance. Events like this give students the chance to grow not only as musicians, but as confident individuals.
We are incredibly proud of our young instrumental students for their bravery, effort and willingness to perform and share their music with the HRS community. The Cushion Concerts continue to be a fantastic space for students to take those first steps in performing, surrounded by the encouragement and support that makes our community so special.
Please keep an eye out for future Cushion Concert dates, we would love to see even more of our instrumental students involved next term.
Laura Mau
Music Teacher
Unit 3&4 VCE Biology Experiment – pGLO
The Unit 3&4 VCE Biology students recently completed the pGLO transformation practical, giving them the opportunity to see genetic modification in action. During the investigation, students introduced a small circular piece of DNA into bacteria that contained the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene from a jelly fish.
After completing the transformation and incubating their agar plates for 2 days, students examined the bacterial colonies under UV light. Colonies that had successfully taken up the jellyfish gene glowed bright green.
The investigation provided a clear and engaging demonstration of how DNA can be transferred from one species to another. It was a great opportunity for students to connect their understanding of DNA manipulation and biotechnology with real laboratory techniques. The glowing bacteria made the results particularly memorable.
Linda Hartskeel
Head of Senior School Teaching & Learning
Excursion to the EXIT Art Exhibition!
On March 5, students from Miss Polly’s Art Making and Exhibiting classes (Units 1-2 and 3-4), along with students from Mr Poulter’s Visual Communication Design Unit 3-4 class, attended an inspiring excursion to the EXIT Art Exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT).
The visit began with an engaging floor talk from curator Noam O’Reilly and exhibition designer Annika Toohey. Students were given valuable insight into the curatorial process, including how exhibitions are conceptualised, designed and presented within a gallery space. Hearing directly from industry professionals helped students deepen their understanding of how artworks are selected, arranged and interpreted for audiences.
Following the talk, students explored the exhibition, which showcases outstanding artworks created by Year 12 Visual Arts students from 2025. The diverse range of works demonstrated impressive creativity, technical skills and thoughtful ideas.
Students found the experience both inspiring and informative, gaining a greater appreciation for the possibilities within contemporary art practice and exhibition making. It was a wonderful opportunity to see high quality student artwork presented in a professional gallery environment.
Polly Johnstone
Head of Visual Art
Year 3 Learning to Stay Safe Online
During Week 8, our Year 3 students took part in a brand new, exciting and highly engaging web-based game released by the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner, Robo Raven and the Ancient Relics.
The interactive game includes a series of online safety challenges that help students learn how to stay safe, respectful and responsible online. Students loved the experience, sharing comments such as “We loved it!” and “It was so fun!”
While many students said they already knew how to stay safe online, the lesson reinforced that online safety is an important topic we need to continually revisit and remind our students as their digital experiences grow and change.
At the completion of the activity, students received certificates, which were placed in their Digital Journals as a sign of their understanding and commitment to safe online behaviour.
We are proud of the way our Year 3 students engaged so positively with this important learning.
Emily Connor
Digital Technologies Teacher
