FPS Newsletter

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week & Koorie Perspectives at FPS

This year, NAIDOC week is celebrated from 4 – 11 July and the theme is “Heal Country”. Last year we were very lucky to have Aunty Merle explain to us the significance of NAIDOC week. If you are new to the school or did not get a chance to watch the video last year, here is her wonderful explanation.

Celebrating NAIDOC week and embedding Koorie perspectives into our curriculum is important to FPS as we work towards creating a Reconciliation Action Plan. Here are some of the activities we have embarked on across the semester reflecting this goal.

 

Foundation

We embed Koorie perspectives throughout Exploration, writing experiences, and discussions. We have an upcoming incursion on Wurundjeri culture, language, and storytelling. Every morning we sing a Welcome to Country in order to pay our respects to the original custodians of the land. 

 

We asked Foundation students how we respect the original owners of the land within our classroom every day:

  • Miranda: “It is how we respect the land and the Earth.”
  • Jojo: “We try to not waste paper.”
  • Alice: “We put the Aboriginal flag up and use Aboriginal plants at our school and sing the Wurundjeri song every day.”
  • Heide: “Not picking plants in Kaan’s Winya or anywhere else if we don’t need them.”
  • Maddie: “Not putting rubbish on the ground.”
  • Jojo: “We say ‘Wominjeka’ when we say good morning.”
  • Toshi: “By caring for them and by thanking them for helping our land.”
  • Ted: “By putting rubbish in the bin.”
  • Finn H: “Recycle everything so that landfill doesn’t get bigger and bigger.”
  • Harper: “Take care of the plants. We water them and we give them sunshine.”
  • Etta: “Take care of our nature, don’t cut down the trees and don’t hurt birds.

    

We listened to a story called ‘Stories for Simon,’ by Lisa Miranda Sarzin and Lauren Briggs, which explained the meaning behind Sorry Day. Students then shared how they can show that they are sorry for how Aboriginal people were treated. 

 

Year 1

Students have been learning about the natural changes in our environment including how the seasons change. We explored the seven seasons of the Wurundjeri people and how they use changes in the environment, including observing plants and animals, to track the seasons. The students chose a Wurundjeri season to explore further and they drew what the natural environment might look like in that season.

Year 2

We often utilise text written by or with Koorie characters for reading groups. We also watch and discuss a lot of BTN (Behind the News) clips around Koorie culture or Koorie people/figures. We celebrate important events like Reconciliation Week, and discuss why it starts and ends within the dates it does. We also make sure that we do an acknowledgement to country in the mornings when we start classes. 

 

Year 3 & Year 4 

One way we incorporate Koorie perspectives is through our reading workshop by reading books written or illustrated by First Nation Peoples. They have opened up many great discussion points and allowed us use strategies such as inferring themes, asking questions, sharing our prior knowledge and gaining new understandings. Here are some of the fantastic books some classes have read that we recommend: 

Next term in Inquiry our focus will be on Geography and Australian Perspectives. We will be focusing on flora and fauna from Koorie perspective. 

 

Year 5 and 6

We watched and read ‘My Place’, comparing and contrasting the lives of Indigenous children pre and post colonisation. We discussed the differences in the lives of Indigenous and European children before and after 1788 and the commonalities we share with them. 

 

We completed a postmodern reflection on historical fiction focusing on the Victorian Gold Rush. 

 

NAIDOC Week 2021

This year NAIDOC week will be celebrated during the school holidays. We have attached a wonderful resource from SBS (kindly provided by parent Justine Moss - see below) which you could explore as a family. 

 

There are many events running around Victoria during NAIDOC week which can be found on their website. The most local would be a family friendly morning tea with activities for the children at Moon Rabbit in Preston on Friday 9 July, from 10.30 am to 12.30 am. Book tickets to this event here, https://www.socialplanet.com.au/activity/view?id=2682

 

If you are interested in sharing your knowledge and helping Fairfield Primary School to create a Reconciliation Action Plan, please get in touch with us and we would love to have you on board. 

 

NAIDOC Resources