Always was, Always will be
Continuing the Learning: NAIDOC Week and Year 1 STEM
NAIDOC Week took place during the school holidays, from Sunday 5 July to Sunday 12 July 2026. While the official week has finished, our learning, celebrating, and listening does not end there. As shared in our last newsletter, we continue sharing wonderful learning, stories, and actions from across our school community throughout the year.
This fortnight, we are celebrating the learning happening in Year 1 STEM, where students have been exploring Warinj / Wombat Season in the Wurundjeri Seasons. Warinj Season continues until the end of July, and students were invited to think about the provocation question: “What have you noticed recently?”
Students learned that in the Wurundjeri seasonal calendar, there is no “autumn” in the same way we usually think of it, because many native Australian trees are evergreen, meaning they keep their leaves all year. In contrast, deciduous trees lose their leaves in cooler months. Because many introduced deciduous trees are now bare, this can be a great time to spot bird nests.
Year 1 students also revisited Waa, the Woiwurrung word for the native Australian Raven. This connected beautifully to the bird artworks they created last year in Prep, where students learned the Woiwurrung names of local birds. Students listened carefully to the call of Waa and discovered that the name comes from the sound it makes.
For their STEM challenge, students worked in teams to build a nest for Waa. They asked questions such as: What materials would be useful? How big might the nest need to be? How could we build respectfully using found materials? Students then foraged responsibly and used natural materials to test different building methods, including weaving, stacking and balancing.
After building, students reflected on which materials worked well, which ones were tricky to use, and how their designs could be improved. Through this learning, students connected science, engineering, language, observation, and care for Country in a meaningful and hands-on way.
First Nations Events + Resources
(Our school is not affiliated with any of these)
- 22 July: Melbourne Conversations: Designing With Country
- 31 July: Keep the Fires Burning - Murnong's Sleepout
Have suggestions for this page? Contact Ms Chong: michelle.chong@education.vic.gov.au
