Always was, Always will be
Acknowledgement of Country
Families and Friends, we acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we learn, play and grow. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and continue to learn from the stories, language and knowledge of First Nations peoples.
This fortnight, our student action team reflected on two important Woiwurrung words that connect strongly to National Reconciliation Week:
- Booboop narrkwarren / Family (pronounced boo-boop nark-wor-en), and
- Kirrip / Friend.
These words were introduced in 2022 when we were gifted the Woiwurrung Words resources by Arbup Ash Peters and Kira Peters (Wurundjeri/Taungurong). The student action team felt they were especially meaningful during Reconciliation Week, reminding us that reconciliation is about relationships, respect and walking together.
Year 2s exploring the question: What does reconciliation mean?
In Year 2, students discussed why reconciliation is important and thought about how people can come together after hurt, unfairness or misunderstanding. Students then created puzzle pieces to show their own understanding of reconciliation - with ideas such as kindness, respect, truth, friendship, learning from mistakes, listening and learning together.
Just like a puzzle, reconciliation takes many pieces. Each person has a role to play, and when we bring our pieces together, we help build a stronger and more respectful community.
From the Always Was, Always Will Be book: NAIDOC Week
While Reconciliation Week focuses on learning the truth of our shared history and taking action together, NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, achievements and voices. This year’s NAIDOC theme is ‘50 Years of Deadly’.
As a school, we continue to be All In, not just for the 8 days of Reconciliation Week and another 8 days of NAIDOC, but throughout the whole year. Stay tuned for our next newsletter, where we’ll continue sharing more wonderful learning, stories and actions from across our school!
First Nations Events + Resources
(Our school is not affiliated with any of these)
- 2 - 4 July: Biik Bunjil - MPAC - Monash University Performing Arts Centre (Free events)
- 16 July: Stan Grant - When Words Fail Us
Have suggestions for this page? Contact Ms Chong: michelle.chong@education.vic.gov.au
