This year, Glen William Public School commemorated NAIDOC Week with different activities each day. Given the NAIDOC theme ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’ students learnt about Aboriginal Peoples who got up, stood up and showed up and were brave to make change. After researching significant Aboriginal Peoples throughout history, the students’ information was collated and made into posters. Eddie Mabo, Cathy Freeman, Adam Goodes, Neville Bonner and Bronwyn Bancroft were studied in relation to what they had done to make change. Students then each thought of one way they themselves could be brave and make change (e.g. learn what Country they are on, care for Country by putting rubbish in the bin, read a new Dreaming story each week, acknowledge Country when they travel somewhere new, etc.) and wrote it on a piece of cardboard in the shape of a leaf. The leaves were then added to the ‘Be Brave, Make Change’ tree which is now situated in the school foyer. Students learnt about the theme and coloured in NAIDOC posters, made Aboriginal inspired clay fridge magnets, read stories on Storylines, played some Aboriginal games, read Dreaming stories, learnt some language through the NSW AECG Languages App and finished the week with a mufti day dressing in the colours red, yellow and black. It was a wonderful week, with very high student engagement.
Some students also attended NAIDOC Day at Dungog High School. It was a wonderful day of johnny cake baking, dancing, Gathang bingo and learning about Aboriginal artefacts. A special thank you to Nan Margaret who made it all possible by driving us to Dungog High School and back again, and helped to look after us as we had fun, learnt, and made connections. Thank you also to Dungog High School and Murrook for another fantastic day commemorating NAIDOC Week.
