Naidoc Week

 Term 3 NAIDOC Week Celebrations 2026 & The Great Book Swap

In Term Three, we are celebrating NAIDOC Week. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. It celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s history, culture and achievements and is a great opportunity to learn about their rich culture. It is a time of celebration and connection between all peoples.

On Friday, 17 July, our students participated in the Indigenous Literacy Foundation's Great Book Swap. This wonderful event brought our school community together to celebrate the joy of reading while raising funds to provide books and literacy resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families living in remote Communities across Australia.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our families, students enjoyed browsing the fantastic collection of donated books and choosing a new book to take home. It was heartwarming to see so many smiling faces and excited readers taking part throughout the day.

We are thrilled to share that the St Simon's community raised an outstanding $393 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Every dollar raised will help provide culturally relevant books, educational resources and literacy programs, giving children in remote Communities greater opportunities to develop a lifelong love of reading and learning.

A special thank you to our SRC members for their wonderful support in organising and running the event. They also did a fantastic job helping their peers understand why the Great Book Swap is such an important initiative for our school community.

Finally, thank you to everyone who donated books, made a contribution and supported this fantastic fundraiser. Your generosity will have a lasting impact, and we are incredibly proud of what our school community achieved together.

We can't wait to celebrate the Great Book Swap again next year!

Tomorrow, Friday 24th July, there is Dance and Didgeridoo Performance at 2:20 pm in the hall. Students will enjoy Ganga and Barama for an immersive, high-energy performance where rhythm meets storytelling. Students will journey from an acknowledgement and didgeridoo performance to a full-blown musical dance-off, connecting with the world’s oldest living culture through movement and

music. 

Throughout Term 3, special buddy activities will be created which will  be displayed around the school and in the classrooms. 

The students will be exploring different aspects of Indigenous people’s history, culture and achievements as part of their learning for the week and beyond. Furthermore, students in their specialist classes will also have the opportunity to learn about the sport, music and art of Aboriginal people.

Monica Rayner  

Deputy Principal