What should we bring?

• pens, pencils, rulers and calculators
• scissors
• glue sticks
• art supplies – wax crayons, coloured pencils, textas (at students’ discretion)
• roll of sticky tape
• Water bottle
• All other necessary items will be provided.

Where do we go?  The map below indicates the location of The Memorial Hall, which is the venue for the Decathlon. Pedestrian and car access is via Douglas Street. Venue: The Memorial Hall – Download pdf of Map HERE  

What if I need to contact my students? Contact phone numbers on the day In the first instance, please contact your school representative on their mobile phone. If The Armidale School can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact our Reception Office on (02) 6776 5800. Reception will be able to connect you with the relevant staff member. Mobile phones – Can I use my mobile phone during the competition? Students are not to have access to a mobile phone during the competition. (accompanying teacher/s are to look after phones for the day). What will we eat? – Catering facilities on the day Our school’s catering facilities will be co-ordinating the day’s food and beverages for all contestants and staff. Should you have any special dietary requirements for your students or staff, please ensure that you have notified us. When should I Arrive? – Arrival Time Please do all that you can to register your team/s between 8:15am – 8:30am, in the foyer of the Memorial Hall. Once teams have registered they will either be invited to find their team table within the hall or may choose to wait on the Adamsfield Lawn (opposite Memorial Hall) with their teacher/s until 8.25am. Once the team enters the Memorial Hall they are not permitted to have any contact with their accompanying staff member until the session breaks. We are operating on an extremely tight schedule and the event must begin at 8:30am. How will it all work? The day will be divided into three sessions. Within each session there will be a number of tasks running concurrently. Teams will receive all of the tasks for the session at the beginning of each session and they will then have to establish how they will allocate the tasks. For example, in the first session there are four tasks and a natural subdivision of tasks may well be to have two people working on each. We would suggest that, at various times throughout each session, the entire team discusses issues associated with the various tasks. Each team will only submit one response to each task. Please refer to the attached program for the specific structure of the day. What should I wear? Students are to wear school uniforms. How will each team be seated? Each team will be allocated a table. Throughout the competition, teams will be working on various events concurrently. It is suggested that students relocate around their table to best suit a particular task.With the exception of going to the toilet, competitors should be at their table during session times. Competitors are asked to limit toilet visits to session breaks. Students may bring their own water bottle. Do teams need to be accompanied by a teacher? All Schools must provide an accompanying teacher for the day. This teacher is not permitted to assist the team in any way during session times. The teachers are not allowed to be at their School’s allocated tables. Accompanying staff are required to assist with marking and supervision of their team during breaks. Can parents attend to watch? During the actual day there will be relatively little to see – except teams enthusiastically working at their tables. The da Vinci Decathlon has not been designed as a spectator sport. At this stage, due to COVID restrictions, it is unlikely that parents will be able to attend the Presentation of Prizes. Are there any Prizes?

• The team finishing in first place in each division will receive a perpetual trophy, which they will be entitled to keep until the next competition, and a certificate.
• A certificate will be awarded to the team that finishes first in each discipline.
• Certificates of participation will be awarded to all competitors.

What if there is an emergency? Emergency procedures and accountability The Armidale School has a current set of emergency procedures and action plans. These are enacted in accordance with the policies and procedures for that specific emergency. All participants will be briefed of theses procedures and action plans during the welcome. These procedures include but are not limited to incident and accident procedures. Should an incident occur during a Decathlon the individual School’s representatives will be directly responsible, in the first instance, for the welfare of their own students. The Armidale School will provide all assistance as necessary to ensure the individual contestants and staff are adequately cared for. All visiting School representatives will need to ensure they carry with them, their students’ contact details for communication with parents should an incident occur. What if I need to access First- Aid? – First-aid coordination In the event of a student or staff member requiring first aid assistance, we have trained staff on site, including the School Medical Centre. If it is necessary to speak with the sisters in the Medical Centre please contact our Reception Office on (02) 6776 5800. Discipline All disciplinary matters will be handled, in the first instance, by the individual School representative who is responsible for the welfare of their own students with the assistance of the Decathlon management. General Information for staff and parents During the actual day there will be relatively little to see – except teams enthusiastically working at their tables. Accompanying staff or parents are not permitted in the event area. Parking There is parking available onsite, but also street parking is available on Douglas Street or Grafton Road. Media at the da Vinci Decathlon All schools and participants are advised that local media will be invited to the Northern NSW da Vinci Decathlon. Could you please advise your students and parents/guardians that participants may be photographed as part of the event. Sample Questions Please contact Ms Donella Tutt to obtain some sample questions or use the resources page located on these web pages. Knox Grammar School’s “Decathlon with a Difference – da Vinci Decathlon” is an academic interschool gala day operated in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon, with a variety of events of an academic nature. The Northern NSW da Vinci Decathlon is the same competition as held at Knox Grammar School but the challenges have been altered for regional venues. Please visit https://www.knox.nsw.edu.au/da-vinci-decathlon