Always was, Always will be

The Always Was, Always Will Be student action team initiated a whole-school assembly to create a space where our community could come together, just as Wominjeka means – to be present, purposeful and connected.

Our assembly opened with a powerful Acknowledgement of Country by Year 5 students:

Wominjeka. Welcome.

Today we come with purpose to share this year’s Reconciliation Week together.

We thank the First Peoples for caring for this land, waters and the sky for over 65,000 years.

We acknowledge Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of this land and the custodians of this land for many generations.

We would like to thank the First Peoples for sharing their belief, culture and traditions.

We promise to care and respect the spaces that we share today including the trees for shade, the vast wildlife and all that we have today for the future generations.

We pay respects to the Elders past and present.

Ngoon-godjin. Thank you.

We were honoured to welcome Uncle Glenn Loughrey, renowned artist and Wiradjuri Elder, whose artwork Learning on Country is proudly displayed in our front office. Uncle Glenn shared meaningful reflections about Country and language that inspired all of us – especially our Prep students, who responded through class reflection titled Now we… Next we…, expressing their eagerness to learn more about the layers of Country. Year 2s, too, bring rich understanding into their ‘Where we are in place and time’ unit of inquiry in Semester 2, where they explore connections to Country and Place.

During our Reconciliation Assembly, year levels across the school shared what they had been learning:

• Preps explored the Wurundjeri Seven Seasons, shared a Woiwurrung word: warinj (wombat), and fun facts about wombats.
• Year 1s taught us Wurundjeri animals in Auslan, including warinj the wombat, ngarrert the frog, gurrborra the koala and bunjil the eagle.
• Year 3s connected their unit ‘How we express ourselves’ to Indigenous perspectives in art, exploring the works of Albert Namatjira and discussing how artists share stories and connection to Country.
• Year 4s shared updates about the revitalisation of ASPS indigenous SAKG project with Amari, and students planted edible, medicinal, and cultural plants as part of their learning.
• Year 6s taught us some Woiwurrung words like ngoon godjin (thank you) and burndap yalingbu (good day).
• School choir, led by Mr Jones, performed Where the Earth Meets the Sky, and Ms Stanton for supporting Year 3 and 4s’ participation in singing.

Several classes also participated in our Reconciliation Week Kahoot Quiz. Stay tuned for an upcoming newsletter where we’ll celebrate the full list of winners.

As we continue to reflect on this year’s theme, Bridging Now to Next, we invite families to ask:

What have we learnt?

What’s next in our journey of reconciliation?

First Nations Events + Resources

(Our school is not affiliated with any of these)

• NAIDOC Week Family Day – Sunday 6 July, 10 – 3pm, Melbourne Museum
• Uncle Shane Charles yarn, hosted by Whitehorse Reconciliation Group, Mitcham – Sunday 6 July
• NAIDOC Week screening of Returning our Ancestors – Tuesday 8 July, 5.30 – 6.30pm, Coburg Library
• NAIDOC Week: 'Our Warrior' film screening and Q&A – Tuesday 8 July, 6 – 7.30pm
• Indigenous Space Futures – Tuesday 8 July
• ‘Biik Ngarrga’ Wurundjeri Dance Workshop led by Djirri Djirri – Wednesday 9 July
• AHV's NAIDOC Family Day 2025 – Thursday 10 July, 10.30 – 2.30pm
• NAIDOC in the city – Friday 11 July, 1-6pm
• Ashburton Artisans Market - Saturday 12 July, 10-2pm, St Oswald’s Hall. The gallery will be open.
• ‘Keep the Fire Burning’ Sleepout @ Murnong FPGP – 26 July 7pm – 27 July 6am

Have suggestions for this page? Contact Ms Chong, michelle.chong@education.vic.gov.au