Thomas Reddall High School

Focusing On Our Future

Telephone02 4625 4404

Emailthomasredd-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Koori Pages

2018

Plans for the Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islanders Day in Term 3 are slowly getting off the ground.

Students in Yr 7 and 8 are being given extra literacy and numeracy help to assist them.

Koori Flow has begun again as has the Boys group.

If there are any community members who would like to help and have their working with Childrens Checks, Please contact Mrs Boot or Mr Pillay at the school. We would love the help and extra ideas.

 

2017

Koori Flow once again ran with the infusion of help from Macquarie Uni's outreach program.

The boys worked on paintings for identity.

Students have begun a Junior AECG to begin work next year.

Junior students attended a cultural Day in Abarvale Park with the other local schools. It was a terrific day.

2016

This year we have begun a program with the ATSI unit from Macquarie University who are running the Ngamuru Program with our Koori and Torres Straights students every second Thursday taught by Aboriginal women. The topics include, Identity, Self Esteem, Cultural Activities, Goal Setting and Motivation, Team work, Connections, Leadership, Dealing with Racism, Study success, Dealing with Drugs and Alcohol and more. The students have learned about social groups, skin moiety and totems, countries, Dreamtime stories and other parts of Indigenous History so far. They are very attentive and respectful and I believe are finding it very interesting.

 

In March a small group of Year 9 students participated in the Art Unit of NSW DET in a Drama Workshop over 4 days. They hear from two Elders, Uncle Wes and Uncle Gary, of Dreamtimes Stories of family and tribes and of Wood carving. They put the stories into small acts and dances and performed them for some local Infants classes. It was attended by Indigenous students from all over NSW and they had a great time.

 The final performance can be seen at :

Koori Drama Workshop

 

2015

Sista Speak

Recently we had a Yarn with a few of the mothers and carers of our girls to begin a program called Sista Speak. We had a lot of good ideas and some of the mums had some wonderful contact people for me which I have begun to follow up on. Next term will have some great activities.

 

Boys, we are starting to get organised for you two but a few hiccoughs with the Program were looked at so we have to organise our own but we are on our way.

 

Anyone with talent or ideas and stories of local interest please feel free to call Mrs Diana Boot to talk about them. The more we can share with our kids the better.

 

Indigenous Garden area.

Finally some of our tiny tube stock look like real plants. We have some lovely flowers this year as they are getting bigger.  Time for some more purchases and some weeding after all this rain. 

Mr Mackie has finished the pergola and the concreting and they are deciding on a covering for it now. The HSC Construction Boys have done well.

 

Some of  the shrub type plants like grevillea are now in. We will be preparing the larger gardens and digging some holes in the wider area for larger plants. Those summer rains diid well for us and we only lost one plant. The others are starting to appear well.

 

School Based Apprenticeships with HSC

At present we have only one student doing a school based apprenticeship, but he is enjoying it (even more than school I think!)

 It is a great opportunity and rules or working, of punctuality attendance, effort and presentation apply as in any job. It is important that students realise that by beginning with these habits now in school, working routine for life gets easier.

 

TVET

Hands on programs this year we have had a few students doing the spray painting and Hair and Beauty Courses. Most have really enjoyed these opportunities. Since these are not free  but provided free to the students, they should take the commitment to complete seriously and follow through to get the most out of these courses that are not open to other students.

 I find sometimes our students are a little shy to try something new or out of their comfort zone, and in that way miss the opportunities available to them. Students must be 15 to attend TAFE courses.

 

Aunty Fran has been working on stories passed on by her mother.

'Stories my mother told me' - Frances Bodkin

http://dharawalstories.com/stories-alphabetically-by-dharawal-title/

 

We will be buying the book for the library. Great to keep the Oral culture alive but we can help with the printed form too! (Speaking as the Librarian!!)


LINKS

Take a look for some info here.

1. Find out about Indigenous Success Stories.

 

About Indigenous Austraila

http://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia

 

History Fact Sheets

http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/australian-aboriginal-history-timeline#axzz3l6mcIlEK

 

Resources

 

Stolen Generation Fact Sheets.

 

Related content