Specialist Classes

Reconciliation Week in the Visual Arts Room

During this past week in the Visual Art room, students have been exploring National Reconciliation Week through this year’s theme, ‘All In’. From Foundation through to Year 6, we have learned about the significance of May 27 and June 3 and shared our thoughts about what reconciliation means to us.

We have also looked closely at artworks by local Indigenous artists, and noted their use of lines, patterns, geometric shapes, colour, symbols and native animals to communicate community, connection and culture. Students have taken inspiration from these artists and designed and coloured a feather to contribute to a whole school collaborative art piece based on Bunjil the Eagle, creator and protector of Country. Some of our Year 5 students also coloured in ‘Waa’ the Crow. Be sure to pop by the foyer to check out Bunjil and Waa in our Reconciliation Week display.

Zoe: 3/4

I decided to make thin lines on my feather. I thought of a way like a pattern and added a river that connects to everything. I added a little reflection of stars.

Amay: 3/4 

Reconciliation is about everyone working together and living in harmony.

I decorated my feather and it made me feel happy because it made me feel a part of the earth. 

Michael 3/4

Reconciliation is about letting everyone feel like they belong. We should be kind to everyone even if they are different to us. 

The patterns on my feather made me feel connected to everyone. 

Reconciliation Week German integration

In German this week, Foundation students have been looking at the three Australian flags and discussing their significance in the context of Reconciliation Week while also learning to name the relevant colours in German. Students learnt about the people and cultures the different flags represent to help build their understanding of Australia's shared national identity. We explored the colours and elements of each of the flags and their cultural significance. Students learnt the German names for the relevant colours and applied these to colour in and label the three different flags. 

Reconciliation Week Science integration

For reconciliation week our Year 3's & 4's have been looking at indigenous construction techniques and the advancement of technologies with custodianship and concepts of country. We looked at what kind of resources would have been used and how the people of this land would live in concert with the environment, never taking more than needed and making sure that the land was able to continue to thrive.

Afterwards students attempted to recreate some of the techniques used in shelter building using resources that had been collected from the natural environment in the immediate are of the school.

Reconciliation Week PE

Year 5-6 

Our Year 5-6 students explored 2 traditional indigenous games during Physical Education this week

Kai - A volleyball style game designed to improve teamwork and cooperation. This game involves students hitting a ball up into the air and working as a team to keep the ball up for as long as they can. 

Kokan - An indigenous hockey game played by those native to the Torres Strait Island. This modified hockey game is traditionally played on the sand and players use a club to hit a ball to a teammate or into a goal.

Players cannot dribble the ball or steal the ball off their opponent, they must instead intercept a pass 

Year 1-2 

Our Year 2-3 students enjoyed incorporating our throwing skills from earlier in the term into reconciliation week with 2 fun target throwing games 

Gorri - A game inspired by learning to hunt on the land 

Played in pairs, students take turn throwing a tennis ball at a larger ball

As students progress in confidence, the larger ball is rolled to imitate an animal moving along the land 

Students score points for each time their tennis ball hits the target

Jumpinpin - A game inspired by learning how to spearfish 

Played inside a small space, 2 students are the fisherman and the rest of the class are the fish. The 2 fisherman throw a dodgeball at a fish, if they hit the fish they score a point. If a fish is hit by a ball they complete 5 star jumps and then re join