Language & Culture Program

Kii, Deadly TPS community, biladu-njan wat/how are you all? And in the words of my Yawuru language...Ngaji gurrjin/Hello everyone! 

Wominjeka/welcome to a new year, to all of our students and families, especially those of you who are just starting your journey at TPS!

All classes started with a focus on our school values: learning about respect for one another, working together, perseverance, integrity and trust. We are reading and unpacking some Dreaming stories and their relevant lessons, to assist us with deepening our understanding of our TPS values and expected Deadly behaviours within the school. The strategy of ‘Stop, Walk, Talk’ is being reinforced for grades P-2 to assist them in the playground. 

We are spending time in developing our relationships with one another through ‘getting to know you’ activities - students in Grade 1-6 are writing about themselves, using Woiwurrung in their work e.g (depending on year level): Narrinik = My name is…; Marrambik = I am…; Manji kirripik. Narrinu… = This is my friend. His/Her name is…; Manji bubup narrgwurrun = This is my family; Bangganjik narrinu… = My brothers name is…

We also began the year with a focus on deepening our awareness, knowledge and understanding of ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ and ‘Welcome to Country’. For the junior class, we have used texts like ‘Welcome to Country’ by Aunty Joy Murphy, and ‘Come Together’ by Isaiah Firebrace. For students in grades 3-6, we have paid particular attention to deepening our knowledge and understanding of the five language groups that make up the ‘Kulin Nation’. Through this focus we have been learning about the use of totems in First Nation communities and how totems connect people to each other and to their land/Country. 

The students in Foundation have begun learning some basic classroom commands, answering yes/no to simple questions, basic greeting and farewell, and our greeting song. They are also learning some of the Woiwurrung animal names we use for class totems. Foundation students will develop their awareness of the sounds in the Woiwurrung language through focused listening of the language being modelled. 

Students in year one to six are continuing to learn and practice greetings and introductions, basic conversation phrases and classroom commands. 

They will continue to grow and consolidate their vocabulary knowledge of family/people nouns, class totem animal names, and relevant topic words. Students will also continue to develop their knowledge of the different sounds in the Woiwurrung language, and depending on their grade level, the associated letter patterns used to write these sounds: Year 1/2 will focus on short vowels and single letter consonants; Year 3-6 will focus on short and long vowels, single and double letter consonants. Students will continue to develop their knowledge and understanding of basic Woiwurrung grammar, with a particular focus on the use of suffixes to determine the owner of a noun e.g., maman-ik = my father.

It has been burndap-dhak/so good working with students in the Koorie Room again, and I look forward to a Deadly year of learning with them!

Twaganin!