National Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June

The National reconciliation week 2022 theme “Be Brave, Make Change” is a challenge for all individuals, families, communities, organisations and government – to be brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so that we can make change for the benefit of all Australians. … National reconciliation week is a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

National Sorry Day is Thursday 26 May; a day which acknowledges and raises awareness of the history and continued effect of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their families, communities and culture. National Reconciliation Week celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.

These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

27 May 1967 On this day, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.

3 June 1992  On this day, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. This decision paved the way for Native Title.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Maths Conference

Thank you to staff from both state and independent schools who attended Sunday’s conference at New Farm SS.  A big thank you to our HOD Judy Loudon who initiated and coordinated this event.  It has been a number of years since we have had Maths as our explicit improvement agenda and the conference provided an opportunity to hear from excellent speakers and practitioners.

Teneriffe Festival

This Saturday 28 May many of our students and staff will be supporting our local Teneriffe Festival with a number of performances planned.  This is a wonderful local event and I hope families are able to attend and enjoy this event which directly supports local business and community.

Gala Days

Unfortunately, Gala Days have been cancelled for this Friday 27 May due to wet weather impacting the playing fields.

Field Events Yr 3 - 6 - postponed

We originally planned to hold our annual Field Events Day at school, on the 16th of June.  However, the building work has meant the oval is now not available for this event.  In addition, local fields are recovering from flooding and excessive rain, resulting in difficulty to find a suitable venue.  We will continue to secure a venue for this event and will keep you informed of developments.   

Uniform Reminders 

During the cooler weather leggings or jogging pants are permitted as part of the winter uniform.  These should be in the colours e.g. blue, maroon or black tights.  Patterned leggings/tights should be kept for the weekend and evenings.   

School hats are still needed in the winter terms.  ‘No hat, no play” is part of our Sunsafe policy.

This term, some of our students have begun designing their projects for the Premier's Coding Challenge #digitalfuturesqld (education.qld.gov.au). Primary aged students from Year 3 and up are challenged to create an interactive game or app that represents the future.  

Students will focus on a topic (e.g. transportation in the future) and a user group to design their digital solutions around. While students will have a short amount of time each week during morning tea with the Innovation Coach to work on their projects, we encourage students to continue their work at home between meetings. We also encourage parents/caregivers to get involved. 

Apps can be designed and coded using App Lab | Code.org. This is a Java based platform and will require more advanced coding skills.  

Games can be coded using Microsoft MakeCode Arcade, Sprite Lab | Code.org or Scratch - Imagine, Program, Share (mit.edu). Each platform uses visual/block-base coding, which is often more intuitive for young coders. The Year 3 and Year 5 students are learning to use Code.org  and MakeCode Arcade, respectively, for their Digital Technology unit this year.