Staff Meeting

The focus of last week’s staff meeting was Aboriginal Perspectives. Martine shared with us some food for thought about the treatment of First Nations people who have served their country in the lead up to Anzac Day. We heard from veterans who reported on the disparity between their inclusivity on the battle field and their exclusion and segregation upon their return. It was very disturbing to hear that Aboriginal soldiers were not even served in the same bar as their white platoon members.

Daniel then spoke to us about ‘dadirri’, a form of meditative deep listening practised by Aboriginal people, allowing them to connect with the present and be in the moment. We all sat around the yarning circle and engaged in a period of silent reflection which was very calming. It really forced us to be still for a short time and concentrate on letting the busyness of the day go. The culmination of the meeting saw us experience a very moving, spiritual, smoking and healing ceremony delivered by elder, Uncle Barney. While we sat in the circle, eyes closed in quiet reflection, Uncle Barney played his digeridoo, moving around the circle. He followed this with drumming, again moving around the circle. Finally, Uncle Barney moved around the circle with the smouldering native plant, sharing his blessing as the fragrant smoke moved around us. It was such a special, moving experience that we felt very blessed to be a part of.

Closing the Gap

Last Thursday evening we welcomed our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families to our Namawi Pulgi room for "Ya:yun and Yanun." This was an opportunity for our community to come and have something to eat and share ideas about education for our students. We shared information about the excellent rates of attendance of our First Nations students in comparison with the state average. Families also shared their thoughts and ideas on things we can do to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and continue to strive for high standards in education. We would like to thank all of the families who attended and shared their ideas. We look forward to more opportunities to open our school in the future.

Special thanks must also go to Woolworths for their generous donation of refreshments. This was greatly appreciated.

Danielle Weeks
Assistant Principal
Director of Inclusion