NAIDOC

“Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!”

We held our 2022 NAIDOC celebration on Friday 22 July. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest continuous living cultures on earth.

This year’s NAIDOC theme was “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!”. Students worked with their classes to explore how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have taken action to fight for justice, and thought about the way Australians can stand alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as advocates and allies and how the future might look when we all Get Up! Stand Up! and Show Up!

Students also participated in some on Country learning, observing and recording what they saw and heard. K-Year 3 students explored our local Country on our school grounds and Year 4-6 students walked to the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) and our local wetlands. In our on Country learning, our focus was on learning more about Whadjuk Country – the culture, local plants and animals – and strengthening our connection to Country.

This year, our students have started working on Acknowledgements of Country in their classes. Students from across the school shared some of their acknowledgements at our Wanjoo (Welcome) assembly. We have been fortunate to receive a PALS grant for our project “Hands Up, Hands Down, We are on Whadjuk Ground”. This year and next year, we will be learning more from traditional owners of this Country and developing respectful and meaningful Acknowledgements of Country for our school, including artwork around our school grounds.

Thanks to the great team of staff who helped organise this year’s NAIDOC celebration – Nicolle Lockyer, our Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer; Nerina Patroni, Kristy Hamilton and Liz Olsen for organising the early childhood activities; Lucia Schuster and Darelle Seal for organising the Year 1-3 activities and Karen Winterburn for organising the Year 4-6 activities.

Margaret Wilson

Year 5 Teacher / Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework Coordinator