Scotts Head Public School Newsletter

Hello, Giinagay, Hai

In this week’s newsletter there are a number of different speeches, reflections and feedback about the Consulate’s visit to Scotts Head.

‘Indonesia goes to School’ Consulate Visit Feedback

SPEECH MADE BY CONSUL GENERAL HERU SUBOLO - INDONESIA GOES TO SCHOOL SCOTTS HEAD PUBLIC SCHOOL- 2 NOVEMBER 2020

Madam Mayor Rhonda Hoban, Mayor of Nambucca Valley

Ibu Gillian Stuart, Principal of Scotts Head Public School

All students of Scotts Head Public School Selamat Pagi, Good Morning.

Hey, everyone! Oh, my goodness. You guys look good and awesome!

I have been waiting to visit you guys for a long, long time since I came here one year ago! -- ever since I experienced the wonderful recorded choir performance of some of you sent by one of your teachers.  And I said to myself; I have got to go again to this school. I have got to see what is going on at this school. And today, my dream has come true. I am here with all of you, and it is so exciting. Thank you so much for having me and my team; Pak Imran Hanafi, Pak Ghofar, Pak Tubagus Farih.

I want to start by thanking Mayor Rhonda Hoban for coming and your supports, Principal Ms. Gillian Stuart, for her outstanding leadership here at this school.

I mean, you can tell that there is not just a great education going on here, but there is a whole lot of love. And that is true not just for the principal, but for every single one of the adults - our teachers, our administrators, and your parents. You can tell; you can walk into a building and know that there is love in the air. And so we are grateful to all of you for the sacrifices that you make, for the commitment that you make to use the bilingual method of study and for the outstanding work that you all do. We are so proud of you all. Thank you.

You all are so blessed to have this school, but we want you to keep working and prepare yourselves for greatness. Because the truth is -- no one is born quite smart to do the math/every lesson in class, or no one is born knowing how to speak in other languages-- all of that comes with a lot of hard work. And you did it. Thanks for your passion to learn Bahasa Indonesia.

And, of course, I just want to thank all the students here. I got to see some great art and some sculpture. But what is good to see is that every day here at Scott Heads Public School, you all see the connection that the arts and that academics subjects have with one another. English and Bahasa Indonesia have been instrumental in this connection. English is an international language, one of the United Nations languages. Bahasa Indonesia is not only spoken by 270 million Indonesia, your friendly and democratic neighbour, but also some countries in Southeast Asia too!

It is not about what you know; it is about the effort you put in and the amount of work you are willing to do to get where you are going. And everyone has to work hard -- everyone does.

But just know that you have a lot of people who love you -- including me. I am so impressed by all of you. I am impressed by your school. I am impressed by the improvements that you have made. I am impressed by your teachers and the life and the love that is in this school. I want you all to hold onto that every single day. Hold onto that love that you feel because a lot of people love you, including the Consul General of Indonesia. We care about you guys so much, okay?

Let me also touch a bit about our great bilateral relations between Australia and Indonesia. We now have the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was signed in 2018, and the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has been entered into force since last July 2020, the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Australia have never been better.

There will be not only growing trade relations between the two countries but also growing people-to-people connections, including cultural exchanges, tourism, and many others. It will open more and more jobs in which require the ability to speak Bahasa Indonesia.

I hope you will enjoy today’s program, including an Indonesian documentary screening, angklung, and gamelan Bali workshop, cooking demo, and trivia.

Let me conclude by a Kofi Annan’s quote, “Students, they are leaders of tomorrow.” I know that you will become, not only future leader of your City or Your Country, but also champions of bilateral relations of both countries, Indonesia and Australia!

So keep making us proud. Thank you for having me here. Love you guys.

Terima Kasih.

Parent feedback

I am so proud to have my children attend Scotts Head Public School. They are so fortunate to have the wonderful opportunity of attending the only Indonesian Bilingual School in the state of NSW. The opportunities they receive through language, exposure to culture, food and Indonesian dance is so unique. These fantastic experiences help to shape who they are and opens their eyes to what their future could be and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you for offering this valuable wholesome experience for my children and to the staff for wholeheartedly supporting this exceptional program.

Macksville High School Students feedback

On Monday 2 November, Bapak Heru Hartanto, the Indonesian Consulate General and Bapak Imran Hanafi, the Education Attache, along with their team, came to Scotts Head Public School to honour Youth Pledge Day and discuss Indonesian opportunities with local officials. Luckily I was invited to come along, with two other Macksville High students, Zach Pacey and Samantha Hamer, by Scotts Head Public to be a part of this day. The day was introduced by performances held by the students, all wonderful to watch. A meeting was held around the topic of tourism, and afterwards another meeting focused on the future of Indonesian education in the Nambucca Valley. Fortunately, we were able to sit and listen to both of the meetings. This put into perspective how much work goes on behind the scenes, which others might not be aware of. Students like myself are lucky enough to start their Indonesian journey at SHPS and continue the program into high school. Overall the day was a great success and we are hopeful this will be able to happen in future years. Terima kasih. Koby Hanham.

I was invited to come along to the Indonesian Day at Scotts Head PS last Monday along with Sam and Koby. We are Year 9 students from Macksville High School studying Bahasa Indonesia.

It was great to be involved with the official meetings to listen to what is happening in our community. The students performing the traditional Indonesian dances were great. The food was enak sekali (very delicious)!! I look forward to participating in future events and seeing what’s possible in our community.     Zach Pacey.

The day was very educational and interesting as I learnt about how Australia can do more trading between countries, especially Indonesia and how we can cooperate as a team to benefit everyone. The food was also good.    Samantha Hamer.

Below is an article that appears in an Indonesian media outlet about our school.

This is the link:

https://indonesiatoday.co/indonesia-goes-to-school-getting-closer-to-know-indonesia-through-language-and-culture

Indonesia Goes to School – Getting Closer to Know Indonesia through Language and Culture

 Scotts Head, Australia – Language is the main gateway to understanding a nation. Through language, someone can communicate and get to know more closely the character and culture of the people of a nation, including the Indonesian nation.

Indonesian is an important factor in getting to know Indonesia. In this regard, by taking advantage of the momentum of commemorating Youth Pledge Day, the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra held promotional activities for Indonesian language and culture through the Indonesia Goes to School program at Scotts Head, New South Wales (02/11/2020).

The ‘Indonesia Goes to School’ program this time feels even more special because it is attended by the Mayor of Nambucca Valley NSW, Rhonda Hoban, and the Director of Educational Leadership at the New South Wales Department of Education, Sue Brown, and held at Scotts Head Public School, the only school in Australia which applies a billingual system (two languages), English and Indonesian.

The Indonesian Consul General in Sydney, Heru Subolo, the Education and Cultural Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, and entourage, received a warm welcome from the students since arriving at the school gate with the words “Selamat Datang” in Indonesian and the flying of the red and white flag in the school field. At that time, kindergarten students demonstrated a parade of costumes from various regions of the archipelago.

The students also performed the singing of the song Tanah Airku and a number of Indonesian popular songs that aroused enthusiasm and longing for Indonesia. The opening remarks closed with a performance of Ratoh Duek Dance from Aceh by 6th grade students. Scotts Head Public School was founded in 1950 and has implemented the Indonesian language billingual system since 2009.

In his opening remarks, Consul General Heru Subolo expressed his pride for the hard work of the teachers and students in implementing the Indonesian language billingual program.

Consul General Heru Subolo also underlined the importance of having the ability to speak Indonesian, given the increasing opportunities for both trade, investment and cultural relations between Indonesia and Australia. This is a positive impact from the strengthening of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia, especially after the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement in 2018 and the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which has been in effect since July 2020.

The ‘Indonesia Goes to School’ Program was attended by 115 students enthusiastically. The students had the opportunity to get to know the natural beauty of Indonesia through the screening of the documentary film “Taman Laut di Ujung Timur” which introduced the tourist charm of the Raja Ampat islands.

The students also tried how to play traditional Indonesian musical instruments, namely angklung and Balinese gamelan. The students also really enjoyed the “Fried Noodle” menu which was served in a cooking demonstration and the ingredients are already available in supermarkets in Australia. The Consulate General in Sydney also conducted a Podcast interview with one of the students and Mr. Murtala, a school teacher who was one of the figures behind the successful promotion of Indonesian at Scotts Head Public School.

The implementation of Indonesia Goes to School this time is in close coordination with New South Wales Education and implements health protocols in schools in accordance with applicable recommendations and regulations. For information, the Indonesia Goes to School Program is the flagship program of the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney which has been held since 2017.

By Anang Fadhilah 

Thanks, yaarri yaraang, terima kasih.

Bu Gillian

Gillian Stuart - Principal

Currently there are warnings in the Nambucca Valley about a white car that has a woman and a man in it, travelling around and attempting to entice students into their car. They are approaching children and offering them money to get into the car. Adages such as, ‘Never accept sweets from a stranger’ form a central part of the concept of Stranger Danger.

Crucially children need to understand that a person they do not know can be dangerous / tricky even if they are female or look ‘nice’.

Please can all adults be on high alert regarding students walking around town by themselves. Please discuss this with your children.

Every student will have the opportunity to go to the library each Thursday. Please make sure your child has a library bag and brings it to school each Thursday. 

Please make sure students return any overdue books .