AUSLAN

As 2025 draws to an end, so does our first year of the Auslan program here at Roxburgh Park Primary School. When we first started out there were a few confused faces in the classroom. Learning a new language can be difficult at the best of times, add to it the complexity of multiple languages being spoken at home and for some, English as a second language already being taught at school, it seemed like an enormous mountain to scale. But to the credit of some hard working teachers and an amazing effort from students, we made it. Not only did we make it, we've taken huge steps in conquering the challenge.

In a little under 12 months, students have gone from not knowing what Auslan was, to signing alphabets, numbers, greetings, everyday objects and even descriptive phrases. They have developed an impressive starting vocabulary and have worked hard to improve the accuracy of their hands shapes and articulation. It is truly amazing to see students starting to greet teachers at the beginning of a class using Auslan signs without being prompted. Even though we have made a great start, we still know that it is a long road ahead. As we move forward in our Auslan journey there will be many more triumphs and hurdles, so keep signing every day and even try teaching others what you have learnt so far. Congratulations on your effort in 2025 and we look forward to see what 2026 brings.