Around the School
DAILY ABSENTEEISM
Phone 9510 7420 or email absent@smstkildaeast.catholic.edu.au
(Please notify the school by 9:30am)
STUDENT FREE DAYS
Friday 18th August
Friday 13th October
Monday 6th November
(Staff Professional Learning)
STUDENT & FAMILY INFORMATION UPDATE - IMPORTANT
If any of your personal details change (address, mobile number etc.), please let the school office know as soon as possible by email to admin@smstkildaeast.catholic.edu.au.
NCCD INFORMATION TO PARENTS
NAIDOC WEEK AROUND THE SCHOOL
PREP
Prep jarjums (meaning children) focused on developing indigenous vocabulary during NAIDOC week. Prep watched award winning animation Little J and Big Cuz episodes. Each episode focused on the everyday learning and adventures of children. Our favourite episode was, Wombat Rex, when Big Cuz tricks Little J into believing that the Giant Wombat is not extinct. We went further and learnt about wombat dreaming. We wrote about and drew Wombat Rex.
YEAR 1
In Year One, we read the story ‘Respect’ by Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson. We made a poster and made a poster about what we love about our country.
YEAR 2
Year Two explored NAIDOC Week being an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people and culture. We discussed the theme of this year's NAIDOC Week “For Our Elders” with a focus on who Elders are and why they are important. We learnt about Aunty Fay Stewart Muir, a Boonwurrung elder who shares her culture and story through picture books. We read one of her picture books ‘Family” and through this story reflected on how important elders, aunts and uncles are in teaching younger members about culture and heritage. Students made connections to their family and significant older people in their lives. They also learnt an Aboriginal song for children about Family’ Ngaya Naba’
YEAR 3
Year 3 - Dialogue around the 2023 National NAIDOC Week Poster - “For Our Elders”. What do you see? What are you thinking? What are you wondering?
Focus on this question - Why is it important for First Nations peoples to
listen to their Elders? Students were invited to bring pictures of their grandparents to school for a display.
Watch the Dadirri video and invite students to respond to it with their drawings and writing. “Dadirri is the deep inner listening and quiet awareness of the land and our connection to it”.Elder Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann from Nauiya (Daly River).
Read a Class Novel - “Black Cockatoo” by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler.
YEAR 4
We explored the 2023 NADOC theme For our Elders and how Elders play a crucial role in guiding present generations by sharing their knowledges and drawing from the past. The wisdom of Elders is a source of strength for First Nations peoples, and it is vital to listen deeply to be able to apply that wisdom in everyday life.
We learnt about the practise of Dadirri, a deep listening and quiet still awareness. We listened to the words of Elder Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann from Nauiya (Daly River) as she shared her knowledges of dadirri.
YEAR 5
In Year 5, we commenced NAIDOC Week by researching and discovering what the acronym NAIDOC stands for (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) and when it occurs (annually in July).
We also learnt why we celebrate NAIDOC Week and explored the 2023 theme “For Our Elders”.
We read the book Bidhi Galing (Big Rain) by award-winning author and Wiradyuri woman, Anita Heiss. The story is about the Great Flood of Gundagai in 1852, told through the eyes of a young Wiradyuri girl Wagadhaany, who shares the knowledge and strength of her Elders and connection to family and Country. It celebrates the two Wiradyuri heroes Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who paddled bark canoes through raging floodwaters, risking their lives to save countless others.
We then discussed the different lessons and values of the Wiradyuri:
listening to people who have lived experiences; listening to ngurambang (Country); yindyamarra (respect); murrumbang (love); ngumbadal (unity); ‘ngumambinya’ (trust for help); and winhangagigilanha (caring for each other). We watched the video of the 170-year celebrations of the Wiradyuri heroes Yarri and Uncle Jacky Jacky and explored how they have been celebrated for their bravery and honour for the people of Gundagai.
After viewing the brass chest plates they received to reward their bravery, we carefully thought about what we would have written on their chest plates and created our own.
YEAR 6
In Year 6 we began NAIDOC Week by exploring the theme of the week, “For Our Elders” discussing what an “elder” could be defined as, and the role elders have within indigenous communities. We looked closely at the Torres Strait Islanders, feeling that they were an indigenous Australian group that we knew little about. We found where these islands were on maps, digital and in an atlas, and explored the Torres Strait Island flag and the meaning of its colours and symbols.
Through watching a short documentary, The Torres Strait: Swallowed by the Sea about Yessie Mosby, a Torres Strait Community Leader and his young son Genia Mosby on how climate change is affecting their home (published in 2022), we were then able to discuss the following key questions:
- What is advocacy and activism?
- Why is listening to lived experiences important?
- Why do elders advocate for the next generation?
We also learnt the song, “My Island Home”, by Christine Anu noting the connection of islanders to their home country.
Finally, we researched the artist , Bobby Lockyer, associated with the design of the official NAIDOC Week poster entitled, “For Our Elders”, watching a short video about her life and artwork and later exploring her website to be inspired by her contributions to fashion, design and art. In response to this research, we then created our own posters taking into consideration colour, form and medium.
OUR ST VINCENT DE PAUL MEETING
On Monday the 19th of June, we met with Margaret and Sister Barbara from the St Kilda St Vincent De Paul Conference. Together we chatted about how we could donate to the 2023 Winter Appeal. Some of our ideas included a gold coin donation with an event or the longest line of 5 cents. Sister Barbara shared her past and how the St Kilda St Vincent De Paul Conference began. There was a school they didn’t need anymore, so another religious group bought it for a lot of money. They were wondering what they could do with this money, and decided to buy a holiday house in the country. In this way, others could come and have a holiday there. As the St Vincent de Paul people thought that families connect better with having a holiday.
We have lots of ideas and can’t wait to share them with you, to help us raise money to support this worthy cause. Watch this space and we will let you know when our first fundraiser is.
From your Social Justice Leaders
Amelia, Poppy, Hayden & Haruka