Reconciliation Week
Last week we marked National Reconciliation Week including Sorry Day, a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to reflect on how each of us can contribute to reconciliation in our communities.
This year's theme, "All In," is a call for all Australians to commit wholeheartedly to reconciliation every day and reminds us that reconciliation is not a spectator sport we all have a role to play in building respectful relationships and creating positive change.
At St Mary’s, we recognised the week through learning experiences that deepened students’ understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and perspectives.
Reconciliation Week provides an important opportunity for our students to grow in Respect, Integrity, Compassion and Justice, as we continue to build a community where every person is valued and where we actively work towards understanding, inclusion and reconciliation.
Some highlights of the week included:
Year 1
Throughout the week, Year 1 explored the importance of recognising National Sorry Day and celebrating Reconciliation Week. We focused on how this is a time to come together to learn about Australia's history, learn from the past and make positive choices for the future. We discussed how reconciliation means treating everyone with fairness, respect and kindness.
We reflected on this Year's theme, "All In" and decided that it means everyone belongs and everyone matters. It means working together, being fair and making sure no one is left out.
We explored what being "All In" means for us:
- Including others
- Treating everyone with kindness and respect
- Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
Helping to care for Country
Throughout the week, we prayed the Aboriginal Our Father during prayer time and used the picture storybooks Our Sorry Day and Mad Magpie to deepen our understanding of Aboriginal culture and perspectives.
We finished the week by presenting our learning at the Friday Assembly and creating posters to demonstrate our understanding of the theme "All In."
Year 2
After reading and discussing the rich text Sorry Day by Coral Vass, the Year 2's wrote a respectful acknowledgement sentence to be added to class morning prayer throughout the week.
As a reflection throughout the week students added a leaf to our “Tree of Kindness and Inclusion”. Students added leaves throughout the week whenever they noticed acts of inclusion, kindness or reconciliation in the classroom.
Year 3
Finding Our Heart (by Thomas Mayor)
Finding Our Heart is a narrative nonfiction book that explains the Uluru Statement from the Heart for young Australians. It helps children understand Australia’s history and how we can work towards a shared future.
The story describes how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples cared for Country long before Australia was established. It then explains the arrival of Captain Cook and the changes that followed for First Nations peoples.
The book tells how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders came together at Uluru and invited all Australians to recognise and value their voices and cultures. It concludes by explaining the key ideas of the Uluru Statement from the Heart: Voice, Treaty and Truth. As a class we identified the ways we help to find the heart of Australia.
Year 4
The Year 4 students engaged with the picture story book by Trina Saffioti ‘Stolen Girl’. Prior to reading we watched and discussed a BTN report explaining the who, what, when, where and why of the Stolen Generation. With this understanding in mind, the Year 4’s listened to the story of a young girl taken from her family under the White Australia policy, told through her own eyes. The students then created their own version of the story, writing from the Mother’s perspective, demonstrating their understanding of the trauma caused by such a policy.
The students also tuned in to a story on the ‘Little Yarns’ app to learn more about Aboriginal Culture, People and Country. They even learned how to say some words in Aboriginal language.