Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education News
2025 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council Assembly
Warraymaylaya Maal Dhuwi Retreat Year 8 & 9
Year 8 and 9 students travelled to Port Stephens in beautiful Worimi country for their Warraymaylaya Maal Dhuwi (Stand together with one spirit) Retreat. Students focussed and shared their understanding of the theme “Hope” and “Identity” their insights includes the importance of key areas of trust, self worth, love and self identity.
STUDENTS OWN WORDS
- I’m thankful for Maal Dhuwi for bringing me closer to culture and forming my identity.
- I’m made with purpose and in beauty.
- We are perfect because God created us.
- I’m loved, worthy and courageous.
- Our lives are precious because God has created us to make a difference.
- Trust ain’t cheap, it earned and not sold just like love and respect.
- Warraymaylaya is the place to be, there are many new things to see and I can be me.
Thankyou to the wonderful staff who joined our students on this journey of hope and identity, your presence speaks loud and proud in helping our young people to set far horizons to a hope filled future.
Wii Gaay Learning Hub Term 4
In 2025, Wii Gaay Learning Hubs are centred on one major project: creating a documentary that aligned with this year’s NAIDOC theme, 'The Next Generation: Strength Vision and Legacy'. The project aims to value the voices of older generations while encouraging students to reflect on themselves as the next generation. Our students are doing this by capturing the story of an Elder or Aboriginal community member in their local area.
During Term 3, our Wii Gaay students, with the invaluable support of their Aboriginal Educational Assistants and school community around them, were busy recording their key interview footage.
Now, the highly anticipated second Learning Hub is just around the corner in Week 4 of this term. Wii Gaay staff are looking forward to bringing together our students’ skills from the first Learning Hub, and their powerful video footage to create a published documentary celebrating 'The Next Generation'.
WIPCE 2025 AOTEAROA
Week 6, Jolene Faint from ACS along with teachers Jack Jeffery (Holy Trinity School Inverell) , Peter Prince (St Joseph's Primary School, Mungindi) and Bree Constable (St Nicholas Primary School, Tamworth) will attend the World Indigenous People’s Conference on Education in Auckland , New Zealand.
WIPCE has a longstanding legacy of celebrating Indigenous excellence in education. It has grown to become a major international event in the Indigenous calendar, providing the space for intrinsic Indigenous knowledge to be shared.
WIPCE gathers Indigenous knowledge keepers from around the globe to share strategies for culturally grounded education, connect with other Indigenous peoples and hear from those world renowned in Indigenous education.
We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to return to ACS and contribute a rich array of insights and inspiration to the cultural education space across our school communities.
St Pius College Chatswood Cultural Immersion
During Week 7, 20 Year 10 St Pius students will be embarking on a cultural immersion through the Armidale Diocese. The immersion aims to provide the students with a deeper engagement with Reconciliation through on Country learning experiences with Elders and Local Aboriginal Land Councils as well as through class buddy programs and volunteering.
The immersion will commence in Tamworth and students will spend time in each of our Tamworth Schools learning more about our Wii Gaay, Warraymalyaya and ACS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Programs. On Country experiences will include a visit to Boundary Rock with Uncle Lenny Waters, Amanda Gwalter and the Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council Opportunity Hub and Junior Ranger Program. Following this, St Pius will travel to the Myall Creek Memorial site.