School to celebrate Naidoc Week
Naidoc Week will be the culmination of a focus on Aboriginal Education at Woy Woy Public School.
Teacher Mr Blake Rosewarn is leading a team preparing to celebrate Naidoc Week this week.
The theme this year is "Get up! Stand up! Show up!"
The school will celebrate the week between, Monday, June 27, to Friday, July 1, because students and staff will be on holidays during National Naidoc Week held in the first week of July.
The school will hold a special Naidoc Week assembly that will take place on Wednesday, June 29, underneath the school's cola.
It will involve a smoking ceremony performed by Uncle Tim Selwyn, performances and award presentations.
Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities that recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Principal Ms Ona Buckley said all aboriginal staff members, including teachers, members of the school executive, school learning support officers and office administrative staff, attended the inaugural Central Coast Aboriginal Education Conference at Mingara on Monday, June 6.
"The conference was aimed at giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Department of Education employees a platform to discuss their experiences at work, and to plan for how schools, and the system in which they work can operate in the most culturally inclusive and respectful way possible.
"At Woy Woy Public School, we are justifiably proud of the programs we run for our aboriginal students and of the aboriginal education programs in evidence across the school.
"That being said, we will listen to the message our staff members brought back from the conference; that message being that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels but must continue to strive to make sure the school is a welcoming, safe space for Aboriginal students, parents, carers, teachers, administration staff, and indeed, all members of our community," said Ms Buckley.
SOURCE:
Newsletter, 7 Jun 2022
Ona Buckley, Woy Woy Public School