Marrung

Marrung (pronounced: MA-roong)  is the Wemba Wemba word for the Murray Cypress pine tree, representing branches of education and knowledge.

Welcome to all our new families joining us at Wonga Park Primary School. Each newsletter has a dedicated Marrung page which will share school updates and information, RAP progress reports, resources and learning materials, all with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. 

WHAT IS MARRUNG?

Marrung is the name given to the current Aboriginal Education Plan created by the Victorian Government. The plan acknowledges that learning outcomes for all Koorie students are greatly improved with strong partnerships and connections to, and with, their families and communities. Success can also be linked to culturally supportive and responsive learning environments. 

As part of this plan, schools in the Inner East have a designated staff member who is the Marrung leader, providing a point of contact between the school and the region team in relation to implementing the plan and supporting Koorie students at our school. 

At its heart, the Marrung leader role has two focus areas:

1. Helping with the whole of school embedding of Aboriginal perspectives and cultures
2. Supporting individual Aboriginal students, families and communities within WPPS

To assist the school in these areas, we collaborate with the Inner East Koorie workforce, particularly;

Kira Peters - Koorie Engagement Support Officer

Uncle Arbup Peters - Koorie Education Coordinator

RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN (RAP) UPDATE

Our school is in the final stages of our RAP after receiving positive feedback. We will be launching our RAP on Tuesday March 12 at a special assembly, including a flag presentation by State and Federal MPs. If there are any families who wish to support our RAP by joining our working group, please don't hesitate to contact me for more information. 

FIRST NATIONS RESOURCES

Language:

Woiwurrung is a language spoken by members of four Koorie clans that lived in adjoining areas in the Port Phillip region.

Source: https://www.vacl.org.au/languages/

Learn Woiwurrung Words:

Our Grade 1/2 Students have been learning heads, shoulders, knees and toes in Woiwurrung language. Here are the words for the first part of the song so you can learn too!

Listen:

DREAMY

https://www.dreamysleep.com.au/

Dreamy is a collection of sleep stories created by First Nations storytellers. ​These contemporary stories bring an 80,000-year-old oral tradition into the digital space, helping people of all walks of life to quiet their minds, drift into dream, and disconnect from their devices by connecting to Country.

The stars you sleep under are the same stars that First Nations people have told stories beneath for millennia. Close your eyes and journey with us through lands of awe and wonder – lands that, for First Nations storytellers, are never far away.

Tim Phillips

Marrung Leader