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Jarmmarmia brings trust to school
School is deadly cool: Jarmmarmia Hooper loves building rapport among Wondai P-9 State School’s students and families. She’s pictured with Year 4s Jenarl Davidson, Kiana Williams and Phillip West.
by Marcus Priaulx 6 June 2014
T
he hiring of Jarmmarmia Hooper at Wondai school has lightened the load for principal Ruth Miller. Jarmmarmia is its Indigenous support worker and has linked closely with families on a Tuesday and Thursday for the past 10 weeks. Ruth said her Aboriginal parents had asked for somebody like Jarmmarmia to be part of her staff. “I was trying to be a principal and a parent liaison officer and it wasn’t working that well,” Ruth said. “Jarmmarmia arrived and we had a parent the other day say ‘we’re so lucky to have her’. It’s a common feeling. Parents are able to relate well with the Wynnum State High School graduate whose mob is from Cherbourg.
Jarmmarmia starts the day by looking at the roll to see which students are absent. She then contacts parents to see if there’s an issue. “Nine out of 10 times there’s a reason why the children aren’t here,” Jarmmarmia, who then offers assistance, said. “We don’t want parents to feel pressured and feel we’re always chasing them. “Having an Indigenous person builds trust.” Jarmmarmia believes strongly in the need for children to show for school every day and holds a Diploma in Indigenous Community Services. She began her working life in youth services before veering into schools. “I love working with the children, the positive feedback, the progress of the students…,” she
said. “It’s nice to see parents with a smile on their face and to have them know we’re glad they’re a part of our school. “I work to make them feel comfortable about the school and work out any issues. “It makes a difference to them self and their families when their children are positively engaged in learning. “It’s good for everybody’s future.” Ruth said Jarmmarmia had filled a gap within her staffing. “She’s completed our team,” Ruth said. “She’s a support for our parents and students and we’re building on the amount of families Jarmmarmia’s able to work with. “She’s building a rapport between the school and its families and we’re doing a lot better for it.”
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