The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia

The Duke of Edinburgh International Award is the premier internationally recognised award for young people. The scheme encourages self-reliance and challenge. Students gain an enormous sense of achievement as they progress through the Award. Globally the Award is flourishing during the health emergency and there are currently some dispensations in place to assist with flexibility in these challenging times. Barker has a very successful program of ‘Adventurous Journeys’ on offer each year. These are demanding journeys across memorable locations, experiences highly regarded by students as both physically challenging and personally rewarding. Participants register and record all Award activities using their International Online Record Book. Time of the Year

Expeditions are scheduled throughout the school year, some across weekends and during holidays. Other Award activities are scheduled by the participants. The timing of Award commencement is critical. Enrolment into our program closes at the end of Term 1 each calendar year.

What’s involved?

The School’s Grange Outdoor Education staff support and supervise the expedition component of the Award. The four sections of the Award are monitored through the International Online Record Book.

Progress is recorded in the areas of skills, physical recreation, volunteering and Adventurous Journey.

Who may participate?

Our Silver level pathway of expeditions commences in Year 10 and is a prerequisite for the highly regarded Gold level activities offered during Years 11 and 12. Students may transfer from another school where they have been participating in the Scheme. Commencing early in Year 10 is strongly encouraged.

Length of Commitment

Silver level programs are open to students at the commencement of Year 10 with enrolments closing in Term 1 each year. Participants commit to completing the Silver Award within a 12 month time frame. A Silver Award is a prerequisite for commencement in the Gold level program offered to participants across Years 11 and 12. Costs

The Award Participant registration fee is $150 for the Silver Award, $170 for the Gold. Expeditions range in cost and are usually around $85 a day. Specialist expedition equipment of a personal nature will need to be supplied by the participants.

Contact for Enquiries

Mr Graeme Dawes gdawes@barker.nsw.edu.au 8438 7920

Mr Mark Fitzgerald mfitzgerald@barker.nsw.edu.au 8438 7114

SciX@Barker (by invitation only)

The aim of the SciX@BarkerProgram is to instill a love of scientific investigation and curiosity in students. It provides students with an environment where they will work with like-minded peers and progress through the modified extension curriculum at a rapid rate. The program offers the opportunity to investigate many aspects of Science in an enjoyable, self-paced and self-directed learning environment. The program will also offer high-quality differentiated learning opportunities for gifted Science students, helping them make optimal use of their talents in Science. This enables them to develop their capacities to analyse, evaluate and synthesise scientific information and processes. The students will be encouraged towards individuality and independent thought which will empower them to make appropriate decisions in the context of current and future scientific research. Other Activities Included

• Field Trips – UTS Science Outreach

Program, Science & Engineering Challenge • Guest Speakers • Open-ended experiments • Experimental Design • Problem-solving strategies • The Big Science Competition Students are invited to attend SciX@Barker based on their academic performance. SciX@Barker runs after school once a fortnight.

Contact for Enquiries

Mrs Virginia Ellis vellis@barker.nsw.edu.au 8438 7675

In 2021 the Barker Redbacks were ranked 6th in the world on raw scores for the At-Home Challenges; won the Pacific Region Chairman’s Award and won the Southern Cross Event in Sydney. The Barker Robotics team, the ‘Barker Redbacks’, competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC www.firstinspires.org/ frc). FRC is highly competitive, global, and encourages students to excel in a robotics specialisation of their choice, while graciously co-operating and assisting other teams. Students are guided and assisted by our Robotics coaches and volunteer industry and parent mentors.

What’s involved?

No previous experience is required. This is a self-paced, personalised program in a structured and supportive team environment. Students are able to identify and develop their interests in Robotics and STEM. In order to build the robot during the short build season, the team designs and builds mechanical, electrical and software control systems and integrates them into a single remote-controlled machine. Students have the opportunity to learn engineering skills across several disciplines such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), aluminum fabrication using CNC Routers, electronics design and wiring, programming control systems in Java, designing innovative mechanisms and creating complex software to autonomously aim, drive and manipulate game objects. Team members also learn inter-disciplinary skills such as Web design, Marketing, Visual Communications, Video, Social Media promotion and teamwork.

Time of Year

Robotics is a year-round activity. Build Season commences on 10 January (summer holidays) for six weeks, followed by a competition season of up to three months which includes ongoing robot development. Off-Season starts early Term 2 when we begin training and planning for the next year’s season.