Principals Message

Community, Ownership and Growth –Living our Values

The McClelland College school community is one that is slowly changing to become a more and more diverse and representative mix of races and cultures. With this increase in diversity comes a responsibility to ensure that our awareness of cultures, other than our own, also develops. We aim to build our cultural awareness so that our understanding can help us to grow and for others to feel welcome and safe. The Aboriginal culture is not one that is new to the area, with the Bunurong people calling this area of Victoria their home well before Europeans settled. They were the first people yet too often we know little about their culture. On November 18th all of our 101 staff members will spend a day learning more about Aboriginal culture so as to support our school to build connections with and learn from the local Aboriginal community moving forward.  Increasing the staff's cultural competency also helps to ensure that our Aboriginal students continue to feel safe, valued and included as part of the school community.

Over the years we have developed well established links with the Yarrabah Aboriginal community in Far North Queensland with many students and staff (including myself) lucky enough to be welcomed into their community for an experience that is no doubt treasured forever. It is a shame that such a small group of the McClelland College Community gets to learn and grow from this wonderful experience each year, which is why we are equally committed to find other ways to also learn from Aboriginal culture whether it be through our curriculum and texts that we study, through to acknowledgements to country at formal ceremonies.

When the Australian National Anthem is played at a ceremony –as it often is at Victorian Government Schools, it is not uncommon for some Aboriginal people to remain seated. The song which was written in 1879 is not inclusive of Aboriginal culture and talks about a nation that is “young and free” so understandably people of Aboriginal descent would not feel this represents their experience.  This is not a sign of disrespect but rather a different meaning that the words have to Aboriginal people.

Our school values are Community, Ownership and Growth and we try to live up to these important moral standards by ensuring that we respect other cultures beliefs and feelings. Whilst we try to understand other cultures so that we can grow and develop as individuals and as a community, what we do not tolerate is racism in any way shape or form. This is not acceptable in Australian society nor is it part of the McClelland College community.