I am pleased to report that our Reconciliation Action Plan has now been submitted for review by Reconciliation Australia, and once approved will be published.
A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. Back in 2019 we established a Working Group consisting of Cycle 3 & 4 students, staff, parents and leadership. We developed our RAP using the Narragunnawali website. The Working Group undertook a Reflection Survey which determined the current state of reconciliation in our school. We also developed a vision statement communicating our school’s commitment to reconciliation.
There are 40 RAP Actions to select from on the Narragunnawali website, including 14 that are a minimum requirement and need to be included within our school’s RAP. Our Working Group also documented RAP action-aligned goals and deliverables.
Now that the RAP has been submitted it is important that it becomes a ‘living, dynamic document’ and we ‘walk the talk’ and work towards achieving the included actions. We have established a ‘Cultural Understanding committee’ which is made up of staff members to ensure we stay on track and are indeed working towards our vision and stated actions.
However, our RAP and the process of reconciliation does not just sit with one person or a committee, it is the responsibility of all of us to play our part to recognise and respect the First Peoples of this land, to acknowledge the past injustices, and the ongoing inequalities, experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since colonisation, and to commit to working towards a more equal and respectful future.
I would like to thank the Working Group for their input throughout the RAP process and particular thanks to Nat Costello (Cycle 3 teacher) and Tim Moore (Cycle 4 teacher) for their leadership. Also, a big thank you to Uncle Ivan Copely (Peramangk elder) who met with the Working Group and provided advice and input into our Vision and Acknowledgement of Country.
We are proud of our school’s Vision statement that the Working Group developed.
The Hills Montessori School's Reconciliation Vision
For The Hills Montessori School, reconciliation means listening, recognising, acknowledging, speaking and acting.
Reconciliation means listening to the stories of Aboriginal peoples, particularly Peramangk and Kaurna in the past, the present and the future, valuing Aboriginal voices and connecting with their experiences.
Reconciliation means recognising and acknowledging what has happened in the past and the ways that this shapes the present and the future for Aboriginal peoples and non Aboriginal people in Australia.
Reconciliation means speaking out what needs to be spoken to acknowledge the enduring history, culture, experience, knowledge, wisdom and sovereignty of Aboriginal peoples.
Reconciliation means acting on what we hear, what we recognise and what we say, to move forward with Aboriginal peoples toward healing and unity.
Cathy France
Principal
Luca is using his listening skills and enjoying hearing "Down by the Station" on the listening post with his mum.
In Week 4 we were lucky to have Rachael, Lillian’s mum, come in to our class to teach us about Chinese (Lunar) New Year. We found out that there are twelve zodiac animals and this year it is the ‘Year of the Ox’. Rachael also explained that during Chinese New Year many people celebrate by wearing red, display fans and lanterns and set off fireworks and crackers. Lillian then gave each of her classmates a small red packet with a token symbol of money inside. As she gave out each packet she said, “Gong Xi Fa Cai” which means “Congratulations and prosperity to you”. Thank you Rachael for sharing your knowledge with us.
The Cycle 1 students have been discovering the properties of water in science. Recently the children in Ixodia class created a device from a limited number of materials. They were each given a plastic bag, two paper straws and two paper cups. Their device had to be able to float and carry 5 x 10 cent coins. They were able to use as much packaging tape as they needed. The children were all excited to create a floating device. Some had to rework their designs and all of them successfully completed their device.
“My device floats!” Ren
“I put two cups together with sticky tape and one of my floating devices worked.” Noah
“My first one didn’t work, so I used 3 cups, 3 straws and sticky tape.” Charlie
“My first one was too tall so I made it a bit littler.” Reggie
“So I discovered that when it didn’t have these guys (straws) in it, it sank and when they were in, it floated.” Matilda
In Cycle 2 this term, participating in the 'Replace the Waste' art exhibition has ignited the passion of our students to make positive changes for our planet. We reviewed our classroom bins and recycling system and have worked hard to ensure as little waste as possible is going in our landfill bin. We toured the school yard and identified the different wheelie bins and where our different recyclables should go. We have had a specific focus on our yellow-lid bin and sorting our recycling correctly. The students have practised identifying different types of recyclables and have shown particular interest in identifying plastics based on their numbered recycling symbols. This led to some students independently completing a survey of classroom items to investigate how many items will be able to be recycled at the end of their lives. The students have also been very concerned about the type of cutlery they receive with lunch orders. We discussed that compostable cutlery is better than plastic, but the best option is reusable cutlery. Following this discussion, we have been busy sewing cutlery wraps so that each student can store a set of reusable cutlery in the classroom. This will also encourage individual responsibility and the practical life skills of washing, drying, and returning the cutlery to their wraps.
We have been very lucky to have had the help of our Cycle 3 Big Brothers and Sister, Eli, Isaac, Joash, and Lilah while sewing the cutlery wraps. The same Cycle 3 students have also helped Cycle 2 students with their morning work and baking in previous weeks. Our other Big Brother and Sister, Jet and Summer, have also been supporting the students with various work tasks and have even run a basketball fitness session for the class. This was met with significant enthusiasm, as many of our students are avid basketballers! Thank you to Jet, Summer, Eli, Isaac, Joash, and Lilah for being our Big Brothers and Sisters, we are very grateful for your support so far and look forward to having you assist in Cycle 2 for the rest of the year!
In week 5 the Cycle 3 classes had the opportunity to travel to Rundle Mall and see the “Plastic Bag Store” art installation as part of the Adelaide Festival. It is a thought provoking, interactive art installation which combines art, film, puppetry, sculpture and drama. The installation was a supermarket recreated with thousands of single use plastic items and plastic rubbish collected from the streets of New York by artist Robin Frohardt. It encouraged the students to consider the harmful effect of single use plastics and the way our planet may be impacted if we do not find more sustainable solutions. Our school was lucky enough to be the first school to ever see the performance and the group very much enjoyed the elements of humour and theatrical approach to the topic.
“I really enjoyed the museum where we got to see the plastic artefacts”. - Luca
“The plastic bag show was a good opportunity to learn about plastic and think on what it can do to the world and you". - Sophia
“It was really cool how they used puppets, and I liked how we went through the fridge to see another display". – Emily
Last Friday the Cycle 4 students enjoyed their first immersive 'Occupations Day' for 2021. The action-packed day allows us to go out on excursions, have experts visit us, or get stuck into some projects that emerge through our work.
The Working the Garden group travelled to Macclesfield where they visited landscape gardener Amanda Reynolds at her working garden, Green Platypus Gully. The students learnt so much about sustainable gardening, made worm farms and planted seeds for our veggie patch. The Feeding the Community crew bussed into the city. The Central Market was the focal point of the day, and students spent time discovering new ingredients and cooking possibilibities for their up and coming Tastes of the World Event. The Production and Exchange students visited Stirling to engage with the local community and inspire thinking about their own small business ideas. The main work of the day involved pitching their product and services idea to the 'community bank' to apply for a loan. Students developed a business plan and a budget too.
Research shows that when young children play with musical instruments, specifically percussion instruments, it can be very valuable to their development. Playing with instruments helps build fine and gross motor skills and supports sensory development.
Our preschool students have enjoyed playing percussion instruments this term as they practise keeping the beat with claves, guiros, djembes and egg shakers.
Did you Know?
The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival.
2021 is the Year of the Ox. In Chinese culture, the Ox is a valued animal. Because of its role in agriculture, positive character traits, such as being hardworking and honest, are attributed to it.
The Spring Festival goes for 16 days in total and this year commenced on February 12th.
There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.
The festival commences with a family feast on New Years Eve and concludes with a lantern festival.
Everyone deserves the right to a healthy future and the opportunities this affords. However, many of Australia’s First Peoples are denied the same access to healthcare that non-Indigenous Australians take for granted. Despite a decade of Government promises the gap in health and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians is widening.
Term 1: 27 January – 9 April
Term 2: 28 April – 2 July
Term 3: 27 July – 24 September
Term 4: 12 October – 8 December