Programs - Junior Learning 

Well done to all students, especially Year 7 students, for making such and excellent start to the year.  Our Secondary Transition Education Program (STEP); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); and Project Based Learning (PBL) classes are providing students with opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking skills in relevant ways.  

St John’s Regional College has a proud history of teaching students respect for all, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable groups in society. Mr Michael Perryman and student representatives marked the beginning of the FIRE Carriers program last week by explaining the importance of remembering the Australian parliament’s National Apology to Indigenous Australians on 13 February 2008.  FIRE is an acronym meaning ‘Friends igniting reconciliation through education’.  In the spirit of this theme, Year 8 STEP students have been researching and discussing different perspectives about the colonisation of Australia and how this connects with civil rights movements in Australia and abroad.  Students have shown a deep understanding of the importance of recognising all voices, not just the ones from privileged positions.  Their responses reveal an appreciation of the power of words and symbols.  Words and symbols can be weapons but can also heal.  Furthermore, students learned to appreciate often forgotten heroes such as Australian Peter Norman who, during the 1968 Olympic Games, stood by the side of African Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos who silently raised their fists in the air as a symbol calling for an end to racial discrimination.

Artwork symbolising the need for reconciliation by Year 8 students Muthuni Perera and Thenujee Samarathunga.

‘The open hand and peace sign reveals that Aboriginal people and the rest of society want to be honest with each other about the past. The broken Aboriginal and Australian flags symbolise that there is still a long way to go. The straight lines running up the hand signify that all Australians need to move forward in a unified path leading to reconciliation.’ - Muthuni Perera 

‘The bloodshot eye represents the need to look at the past, even if we do not like what we see. The blue and the earth colours represent the need to respect ancient wisdom that seeks harmony through connection with the earth and sea.’ - Thenujee Samarathunga