With engagement of students in school life a top priority, Wallangarra State School’s Rachael Walker was very keen to involve students in NAIDOC Week so the school was a hive of indigenous activity on Friday, July 14.
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Mrs Walker is also the school’s EATSIPS (Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Perspectives in Schools) coordinator, as well as being the P/1/2 teacher. Given the school’s strong representation of indigenous students (13 out of a total of 65) coming from Tenterfield and Jennings as well as Wallangarra, she said NAIDOC Week is important not only to these students but to the school as a whole.
And making school entertaining certainly helps with attendance.
“We’re very keen to use this kind of opportunity to reach everybody,” she said.
To that end the school yard had stations for facepainting, decoration-making, colouring-in, badge-making, boomerang and flag-painting, puzzles, beading, and making headbands, armbands and pins. The Bush Kids group had a literacy station, and there were a few fundraising endeavours with a bake sale, sausage sizzle and pop-up op shop to recycle unwanted goods.
Representatives from Carbal Medical Services were also on hand promoting their projects Healthy Murri quit the durri and Chronic conditions and mental health, with giveaways of caps and water bottles to spread with word.