During Reconciliation Week this year, Cassandra Gibbs spent time walking with our College. Whilst on the Primary campus, Cassandra told stories and engaged our Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two students in learning about cultural singing and dancing. Years 3 and 4 learnt about the importance of language and sang We are Australian in English and Gamilaraay. With Veritas as our motto, each day we endeavour to seek the truth and Year Five students were led by Cassandra in an experience that searched for the truth in a story that is not often told from an Aboriginal person’s viewpoint.
Whilst the College stopped, listened to another’s story and walked in another’s shoes, the Warami space on the Primary Campus began to come alive with Dharug stories. Cassandra has guided the children and worked alongside them to paint the Dharug stories. Ivy commented that ‘When I am painting, I am valuing this Dharug story. The story will stay here, even when I am not and it will remind everyone who plays and learns here that this is Dharug land”.
The students in Year Four reflected on their learning and carefully thought about how their understanding has grown and changed because they have added new learning to build their understanding.
I used to think that Reconciliation Week is about saying sorry. Now I think that it is not just saying sorry. It is about learning more about Aboriginal culture and understanding the Aboriginal culture. Tori
I used to think that Reconciliation Week was about just saying sorry. Now I think that Reconciliation Week is not only about saying sorry but also about connecting together and respectfully learning from each other. Natalie
I used to think that all Aboriginal people speak the same language. Now I think that each Aboriginal country has its own language and each language is not necessarily understood by all Aboriginal people. Samuel
I used to think that Reconciliation Week was just about saying sorry. Now I think it’s not only about saying sorry. It’s learning about Aboriginal culture, walking with Aboriginal people so we can learn to apologise, to laugh and talk together in harmony. Amy
We gathered together for an assembly. During this, our Social Justice leaders added to our painted canvasses that were begun in February to acknowledge the Apology. Year 5 students led us in singing From Little Things Big Things Grow as students from each colour house planted native seeds that we will water, care for and love into much bigger plants.
These seeds symbolise how walking together and listening to someone’s story grows friendship, respect and love. We are privileged to learn so much about Australia’s ancient Aboriginal culture through the generous spirits of Cassandra, Wade and their family.
