Year 1

Reconciliation Week

Literacy

To recognise Reconciliation Week and National Sorry Day, the Year 1 students tuned in for a yarn and live reading with Kirli Saunders.

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman with ties to the Yuin, Gundungurra, Gadigal and Biripi people of Australia. She is an author, artist, poet and songwriter.

Kirli explained that Sorry Day was extremely important for her family, as her Mum was part of the Stolen Generation. This was the inspiration for her book, ‘The Land Recalls You’. The Year 1 students were shocked to hear that children were taken from their families, and realised the importance of apologising for this and trying to make Australia a better place for everyone.

We then listened to the story ‘Our Dreaming’ which explained the many ways that First Nation Australians share stories.

Wellbeing

This week, we linked other curriculum areas to Reconciliation Week. In our Wellbeing session, we learnt what the word reconcile means and the importance of giving a proper apology.

We practised and made posters using the following language:

I’m sorry for…
It is wrong because…
Next time I will…
Can I do anything to make it better?

This is the language that the Year 1 teachers will encourage the students to use when apologies are required at school.

Art Activity

In the classroom, we revisited the importance of acknowledging Bunurong country each day, and the difference between a welcome to country and acknowledgement. When listening to a talk by Aboriginal Elder Aunty Joy, we learnt that accepting a gum leaf is a way of showing that we are committed to caring for our land.

This week, we collected our own gum leaves and decorated them using Aboriginal story telling symbols and the colours of the Aboriginal flag. This is to show our promise to caring for the Bunurong land at Cheltenham Primary School.

Maths

In Mathematics, we have been exploring patterns. This week, we learnt that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used pattern thinking for a very long time to understand the world around them. They know that everything in nature and in life is connected.

David Mowaljarlai, an Elder from Derby in Western Australia says, “Pattern thinking is Aboriginal thinking. There is no big boss. Patterns are about belonging. Nothing is separate from anything else” (Stockton 1995).

We went on a pattern expedition around the school, looking for patterns we could find and creating our own.