By Jena Carr
Wallington Primary School is paying its respects to Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islanders with a week of culturally inspired activities.
The Geelong Independent visited the school on Wednesday, May 31, to see the many activities, including cultural painting, that the students were doing to celebrate Reconciliation Week.
Teacher Jason Vaught said his prep class started the day with a yarn about friendships and that every student at the school does a First Nations class.
“Every week they come to class and do a yarn circle at the start where we’ll talk about how to help build relationships,” he said.
“Then we had our dreamtime story, which had a bit of a message at the end, and then we were doing the movement of animals.
“It is about the culture, a close connection to the land, and the students building their own personal connections.”
Mr Vaught said it was important to teach kids about the First Nation’s history and help them learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
“The year five and sixes previously did a big unit on coal burning, learning about how it works and how they’re good for nature,” he said.
“They also learned about the Bunyip, a mythical creature and a warning not to go near water holes.
“The idea is to also get people from First Nations to come in and help, particularly with art as they’re the ones that teach the art.”
Wallington Primary School will also hold an open afternoon on Thursday, June 15, for prospective prep-grade enrolments.
Attendees can participate in activities, a story time, and meet principal Gavin Nelson. Call the school on 5250 1841 for any questions or for enrolments.
