Wellbeing & Inclusion 

at Willy

Harmony Week

Harmony Day is an initiative that was developed by the Australian Government in 1999 promoting the message that everyone belongs. Harmony Day is a day of celebrating Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. These are all values that we teach at Willy Primary through our Willy Kids and Respectful Relationships programs, and they are values that we like to uphold every day. 

There are some amazing statistics about Australia's diversity that can be good conversation-starters:

• More than half (51.5 per cent) of Australian residents were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.
• Since 1945, more than 7.6 million people have migrated to Australia.
• Nearly every single country from around the world was represented in Australia's population in 2020.
• More than 150 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages are spoken in Australia
• Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Punjabi.
• We identify with over 300 ancestries.

This week, the students have explored the themes of cultural diversity through classroom activities, and it would be wonderful to continue these conversations at home. There are some fabulous picture books available that celebrate cultural diversity and teach children about other people, cultures and backgrounds.  Below are some great texts that you could read with your children. Some of these have been explored in class too.

My Two Blankets by Irena Kobold and Freya Blackwell

I am Lupe by Sela Ahosivi-Atiola and Yani Agustina

Colour Me by Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Wide Big World by Maxine Beneba Clarke

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Irena Kobald & Freya Blackwood

My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder

Below is some work from our Year 3/4 Willy Kids about what the word ‘harmony’ means to them.

Kind regards,

Lisa Leydin                                                                 Anna Swan

Assistant Principal                                                   Learning Specialist

Disability, Inclusion & Wellbeing                        Disability and Inclusion & Mental Health and                                                                                       Wellbeing (Mon-Thur)