Top End Group School, NT Australia

PULARUMPI SCHOOL...

Welcome to our School!

History

The community is known by three names; Pularumpi, Pirlangimpi, and Garden Point. The local people are predominantly, Tiwi, although there are many with Stolen Generation origins, some of whom came here to a Roman Catholic settlement – the original Garden Point. The school population is almost completely indigenous and speak Tiwi, Aboriginal English and/or Standard Australian English (SAE).

Location

Pularumpi is located on Melville Island, about 100kms north of Darwin (66nm). The community lies along the western coastline of Melville Island, in the Apsley Strait, between Bathurst and Melville Islands. Bathurst Island is easily seen from Garden Point.
Click on the map below to see exactly where we are in the NT!

Community Information

Within the community, there are a number of important people whose names and positions you should be aware of. For telephone numbers, refer to the School Telephone Book.

Council Chairman Manny Rioli
Community Services Officer
CDEP Coordinator Joseph Bourke (ASSPA Chairman)
Police Sergent Owen Blackwell
Pirlangimpi Progress Association (PPA) Manager
Kerry Benton
Head Nurse Virigina McCrane

The population of Garden Point is around 500 people. This is about one fifth of the total population of the Tiwi Islands.

The community does have a small transient population, which does affect the schools attendance figures.

Pularumpi is one of the most westernised Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, and this is reflected in the high literacy and numeracy levels of many of the local people (compared to other indigenous communities).

The community is very stable, being lead by leaders that are well respected and who are held in high esteem.

Like many Top End communities, Pularumpi does suffer from substance abuse, however it is not to the same extent as other Tiwi Islands communities. In fact, Pularumpi is the exception to many rules about life and living in remote Indigenous communities.

Transport

Getting to Pularumpi can be achieved by one of two modes of transport: plane or boat. A ferry service operates between Nguiu and Darwin three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). The cost is $120 return. From there, you can board a bus service from the barge landing at Nguiu to Pularumpi and/or Snake Bay (Milikapiti). It is a lengthy trip and half a day should be put aside for this travel.

Consequently, you can travel with any aeroplane charter company or viaTiwi Travel (RPT), which flies to Pularumpi twice a day (in the morning at 8:10 and in the afternoon at 4:50), for a cost of $240 return.

Grocery Shopping

At Pularumpi, there is the ALPA shop. This shop sells basic food items and groceries, but, for specific items and brands, you will need to order these items from Darwin. An account with a major grocery chain will be needed. Woolworth's or Coles have special departments called, ‘Bush Orders/Country Orders,' that deal specifically with customers in remote locations.

For more information, refer to the TEGS Handbook (Section 6.2).

Tiwi Barge (Freight)

Any food order or freight will come via Tiwi Barge (an account is required) or on Air Ngukurr (again, an account of COD is required). The barge comes every Thursday.

Staffing

The current teaching staff consists of;

1 x ET2 Teaching-Principal
3 x Band 1 Teachers
The school also has a number of other school positions;
4 x Assistant-Teachers
4 x ATAS Tutors
2 x Cleaners
1 x CDEP Janitor
1 x Ph2 (Devolved Auxiliary)

Specific School Information

Pularumpi School is one of three schools in the Tiwi Islands. Milikapiti (Government) and Nguiu (Catholic Education) are the other communities with schools.

The school is surrounded by workplaces such as the Pirlangimpi Progress Association (PPA), Council Offices, Convent, Council Housing Workshop, Community Basketball Court and private houses, placing it in the centre of the ‘work' area of the community.

This school is broken up into four areas. These are;

• Preschool

• Lower Primary (T/1/2)

• Middle Primary (2/3/4/5)

• Upper Primary (5/6/7)

There is a qualified teacher in each of the four areas listed above.

The Teaching-Principal is provided with 7 hours of release time per week (2 hours non-contact and 5 hours release), for school administration, and other work associated with the position. Each teacher is allocated 2 hours of non-contact per week. The designated Preschool Teacher takes this release time for all teachers.

There is no Post-Primary, and students who enter into this age bracket, usually leave the community for a boarding school. There are times when parents wish their children to continue schooling interstate. The Teaching-Principal will in these instances, assist parents in making sure that relevant information and application forms are filled out, and that their needs and requirements are adequately meet.

The main facilities in Darwin that cater for secondary-aged, boarding students are; St John's College (Catholic), Kormilda College (Uniting), Mararra Christian School and Xavier CEC (Bathurst Island).

Current school enrolments figures are (as at 19 th Oct 2004);

Preschool 18

Lower primary 23

Middle Primary 25

Upper Primary 15

The daily attendance in all areas is very good. The daily average attendance is around 80%+ in each class. These attendance figures are in-line with student's literacy and numeracy levels, which are also generally very good.

All students are listed on the schools SAMS database, which is kept up-to-date by the Teaching-Principal. Each Friday, an electronic attendance page is handed back to the Teaching-Principal, who adds the information onto the database. A new attendance sheet is then printed out and distributed to the teachers for the following week.

School Hours

The school hours reflect NTDEET requirements (25hours 40minutes per week).

The school times are:

Session #1: 8:20 to 10:30 (2hrs 10mins)

Session #2: 10:50 to 12:30 (1hr 40mins)

Session #3: 1:15 to 2:45 (1hr 30mins)

Recess is from 10:30 to 10:50 and lunch is from 12:30 to 1:15.

Every Friday at 10:50, is a whole school assembly. This session is used for individual classes to show and tell student work that has been completed in the classroom, handout individual, class or school awards, and pass on any relevant information to students that they need to be aware of for the following week, or over the past week. Something poignant from the Teaching-Principal may also be included, as well as introducing any visitors that may be present.

School Buildings

The school buildings were built in the early 1980's, with the official opening of the main school building on 15 th June, 1981, by the first Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, the Honourable P.A.E. Everingham.

The school consists of 6 buildings spread throughout the school grounds, all of which are air-conditioned. There is a Preschool, Administration Block (Principal's office, staffroom, storeroom, TRC, Tuckshop and Middle Primary), Toilet Block, Lower Primary & Library, Sports-room, and Upper Primary building.

Other

For more information about the school, refer to; the TEGS Handbook, the Pularumpi Handover Book, and the Pularumpi Teachers Handbook (currently under review), where you will gain a much broader outlook of life and working conditions here. Furthermore, by contacting the TEGS Front Office on 89993210 (Principal's Office), you will be able to gain more information and have questions answered.