RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN 2021
CONTENTS
Vision Statement
3
Committee
3
Students
3
Acknowledgement
4
ELC Acknowledgement of Country
4
Barbreck Acknowledgement of Country
4
Senior School and School Events
4
Actions
5
1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Classroom
5
2. Early Years Framework – Early Learning Specific
5
3. Cultural Competence for Staff
6
4. Welcome to Country
6
5. The Acknowledgement to Country
6
6. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags
6
7. Celebrate National Reconciliation Week
7
8. Build Relationships with Community 7 9. Teach About Reconciliation
7
10. Explore Current Affairs and Issues
7
11. Take Action Against Racism
8
12. Curriculum Planning
8
13. Inclusive Policies
8
14. Staff Engagement with RAP
8
15. National Quality Standard – Early Learning Specific
8
16. Celebrate RAP Progress
9
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
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VISION STATEMENT A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. At St Catherine’s School, we value the rich cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and respect their deep and abiding connection with the Land. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the Traditional Owners of the Land upon which this School is built and, with their guidance, we seek to further our appreciation of their custodianship of the Land so that we may share this responsibility with them.
The creation of the St Catherine’s School vision for reconciliation requires our School to make the following commitments: • to truly engage with, and learn from, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations; • to embed Indigenous cultures and knowledge in St Catherine’s School’s teaching and learning, and engagement activities; • to be united as a community that is inclusive and understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities; • to demonstrate an understanding of, and deep respect for, the traditions, heritage, history and generational impact, knowledge and perspectives of the many nations and language groups that make up Australia; • to reflect Indigenous cultural heritage in the School’s physical environment, ensuring Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people feel comfortable within our School community; • to ensure that our School is a place where Indigenous people feel culturally safe and are treated with dignity and respect.
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
This is our guide for the future ensuring that our contribution to reconciliation is on-going, meaningful and authentic.
Committee
Students
Gina Peele (Chair) Wayahpo Manolis Lisa Gionfriddo Gabi Fellows Lisa Steven Lucy Campbell Sophie Gardiner Nadia Durrant Zoe Swindells Paul Gilby Virginia Guest Simone Schilte Elka Gaensler Sue Collister Dylan Licastro Anita Dammery Margaret Handolias Pauline van der Poel
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT An Acknowledgement of Country is an opportunity for anyone to show respect for Traditional Owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country. It can be given by both non-Indigenous people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. St Catherine’s School has created three acknowledgements, to reflect the age and understanding of the three sub schools: Early Learning Centre (ELC), Barbreck and Senior School.
ELC Acknowledgement of Country
Barbreck Acknowledgement of Country
Senior School and School Events
We acknowledge the Aboriginal People, the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered today.
We would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation.
We raise our hands to the sky that covers the Aboriginal land.
They are the traditional custodians of this land, the land that our School stands on today.
We would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today. We would also like to pay respect to the Wurundjeri Elders, past, present and emerging and extend this respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other communities who are here today.
(Raise Hands)
We touch the ground in the care of the Aboriginal land. (Touch Ground)
We place our hands on our hearts in love of the Aboriginal land.
We thank them for caring for the land for thousands of years. We will also be respectful and careful. We will try to live in harmony with the land as they have done.
(Touch Chest Over Heart) Adapted from Aunty Tracey Bostock
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
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ACTIONS As a School, we have committed to 16 Actions to formulate our Reconciliation Action Plan. 1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Classroom
2. Early Years Framework – Early Learning Specific
We are committed to welcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into our classrooms to work alongside our students in learning activities. Having an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s presence in learning environments is significant when teaching about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
We are committed to seeking meaningful connections between our vision and plans for reconciliation and the principles, practices and outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework. Establishing a strong relationship between the two will ensure reconciliation is meaningfully embedded in everyday early learning environments.
We aim to: • Enhance teaching and learning activities by engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from within the community; • Invite Elders and Traditional Owners to speak to students, children and staff about the histories and cultures of the local area; • Have Faculty Heads to develop entry points in the Curriculum to create a seamless link between subjects and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures’ cross-curriculum priority.
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
We aim to: • Truly engage with, and learn from, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations, ensuring our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities have a respected and acted upon voice; • Embed Indigenous cultures and knowledges into St Catherine’s School’s ELC teaching and learning and engagement activities; • Promote greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders ways of ‘knowing and being’.
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3. Cultural Competence for Staff St Catherine’s School will reflect on our current level of cultural competence of staff and provide a range of opportunities to build and extend their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. We also commit to supporting staff to independently seek out and participate in a variety of cultural awareness experiences that assist them on their own journey of understanding. We aim to: • Provide opportunities for staff to build and extend knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; • Organise short presentations at professional learning sessions once per term or include a staff meeting agenda item that focuses on a specific RAP Action to increase whole-staff buyin and understanding of the commitment. Each RAP Action is accompanied by background information, activities and resources; • Provide an introductory overview of Narragunnawali and the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). www.narragunnawali.org.au/about/webinars
4. Welcome to Country The community of St Catherine’s School brings a wide range of cultural backgrounds and experiences to reconciliation. Through open and thoughtful conversations combined with deliberate actions, we seek to increase our community’s understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and experiences and to inspire further reconciliation. Where appropriate, significant events at our School commence with protocols for welcoming visitors to Country that have been a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for thousands of years. By incorporating these protocols into formal events and important occasions, we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Custodians of their Land. Welcome to Country provides custodians the opportunity to formally welcome people to their land. Any Welcome to Country ceremony at St Catherine’s should be undertaken by Elders of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people and the content will be determined through discussions with the Elder and the event organiser. Generally, the Elder will offer participants local Aboriginal history and cultural information and will go on to welcome participants to the country/land.
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
St Catherine’s will invite an Elder to conduct a Welcome to Country at the following events: (1) a whole School gathering in the first week of Term 1; (2) C elebration of NAIDOC Week, to be held in the first week of Term 3; (3) other events as determined appropriate (ie opening of any new building on campus).
5. The Acknowledgement to Country St Catherine’s School has created three acknowledgements, to reflect the age and understanding of the three sub schools: Early Learning Centre, Barbreck and Senior School. These Acknowledgements are reflected in the first section of this document. The acknowledgement will be read: (1) a t the start of events and functions that occur within the School. Essentially, these events include: All School Assemblies, Information evenings, Formal events (Presentation evenings, Principal’s events, Staff Professional Days, SCOGA events), All School/Auxiliary Annual General Meetings; (2) i n St Catherine’s publications across printed and web-based materials (including email banner).
6. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags St Catherine’s School displays the Aboriginal and Australian Flag alongside the St Catherine’s School Flag. The Torres Strait Islander flag will be flown as part of reconciliation and NAIDOC week and will replace the St Catherine’s School Flag, as a demonstration of our pride and respect for the histories, cultures and contributions of Australia’s First Peoples. Flying or displaying the flags promotes a sense of community partnership and a commitment toward reconciliation. We aim to: • Display the Aboriginal Flag alongside the Australian Flag. These flags should only be flown in daylight and lit up after dark; • Displaying flags – large flag within school and desktop flags for classrooms. Sharing information about the flags to further develop cultural competence of staff; • Teachers to provide learning opportunities for the students to further develop their knowledge about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
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7. Celebrate National Reconciliation Week Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and, importantly, as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. St Catherine’s acknowledges the importance of celebrating Reconciliation Week, ensuring a shared awareness and learning through the celebration. Our School community celebrates National Reconciliation Week from 27 May to 3 June each year by talking about reconciliation in the classroom and around the school, and celebrating within our community. National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort.
8. Build Relationships with Community St Catherine’s School commits to building relationships with our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community that are built on mutual respect, trust and inclusiveness. We value the relationships we develop and their role in helping to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous staff, students, children and community members. We aim to: • Ensure communication about the Reconciliation Action Plan to our community through The Weekly Newsletter, short presentations at the ELC to Year 12 Information Evenings and maintain updates regularly of progress; • Host a NAIDOC week celebration with extended community members; • Embed cultural learning within the Year 8 Central Australia trip and promote the students’ learnings across our community; • Create a ‘Yarning Circle’ where our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and elders feel culturally safe and can connect to each other, creating a Network to support our students and reconciliation activities; • Identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders within our community and locally that can mentor our own students to enhance their journey through the School for cultural, personal, leadership or skills-building support.
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
9. Teach About Reconciliation St Catherine’s School is committed to learning about reconciliation in Australia. Having an understanding of the concept, history and progress of reconciliation is an important part of continuing the reconciliation journey. This understanding also helps to strengthen engagement with our School’s Reconciliation Action Plan and must be relevant and culturally sensitive. In order to do this, staff must be enabled to feel competent and comfortable to do so. We aim to: • Create meaningful opportunities to make reconciliation an integral part of our School’s core values, mission statement and vision; • Ensure a shared vision in teaching across the School about reconciliation; • Work with Marketing to create a short clip of what Reconciliation looks like at St Catherine’s School.
10. Explore Current Affairs and Issues Curriculum planning around increasing indigenous presence in curriculum content across the Senior School. Faculties within the Senior School embed indigenous content within the curriculum and teaching. St Catherine’s School will develop further opportunities for all Faculties to incorporate topics, studies and issues relating to Australia’s first people in order to broaden awareness and engagement among students and the St Catherine’s community with reconciliation processes and understanding. Students will see and engage with indigenous culture, people, histories and issues regularly in their various subjects. They will accumulate knowledge and understanding to actively participate in the reconciliation process as part of the progression through years and subjects at the School by the topics and themes covered in their regular school study. We aim to: • After auditing existing content, Faculties will identify scope and sequences within relevant year levels and subjects for new or revised inclusion of curriculum relating to Indigenous Australian; • By the end of 2022, a framework of Senior School curriculum to be in place to allow students regular and frequent opportunities to engage with, learn about and advance reconciliation through teaching and learning across all Faculty areas.
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11. Take Action Against Racism
13. Inclusive Policies
In working as a whole School community, there is a need to define racism and to further explore the implications of racism, as a school. By raising awareness of Racism, we will further understanding of how damaging certain words and actions can be to others. Education about racism in a sustained and consistent approach to guide behaviours within our community.
Staff at St Catherine’s School are aware of the policies that refer specifically to improving educational outcomes for all students including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and students from other cultures therefore increasing knowledge of, and respect for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in Australia. Our internal policies will be reviewed to ensure they are also inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those of other cultures and increase knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in Australia.
We aim to: • Explore further the implications of racism within the School community and understand what constitutes racism, including the damaging effects of racism on individuals and society with an aim to raise awareness of words and actions, and to encourage tolerance and inclusivity; • Work with the student body to investigate ways to educate students about racism; • Locate specific areas within the School to appropriately raise awareness of Racism through student clubs and the library.
12. Curriculum Planning Through the ELC, Junior School and Senior School, embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in curriculum planning, development and evaluation processes is a key and ongoing consideration across the School. We aim to: • Audit Curriculum documents to identify the extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions are already embedded, and to identify opportunities for strengthening the representation of this content in the curriculum; • At St Catherine’s School, staff across all year levels and learning areas are to identify opportunities to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in curriculum planning and development as well as evaluation process; • Embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pedagogy agenda item in staff meetings, faculty meetings, and similar on a regular basis;
We aim to: • Create a sub-committee to review the policies and recommend changes to the policies to ensure they are inclusive of our students’ cultural differences.
14. Staff Engagement with RAP Ensuring an awareness and engagement across the School for staff and students will provide the means to further development and progress in the St Catherine’s School Reconciliation Action Plan. Student and staff learning about Reconciliation as an extra layer to our actions and agendas for both students and staff. We aim to: • Engage staff and students through staff meetings and year level meetings; • Provide professional learning opportunities during staff meetings in the ELC, JS and SS; • Utilise the Reconciliation Action Plan working group to present and create opportunities for discussion and learning.
15. National Quality Standard – Early Learning Specific We commit to ensuring that our engagement with the National Quality Standard involves the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions in our daily practice and programming, as well as authentic and meaningful engagement with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
• Complete a resource audit across all year levels and learning areas and evaluate the resources in terms of relevance, authenticity and source.
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
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Artwork by St Catherine’s indigenous students Ursula Hood and Alesha Harrison (Year 7 2013), created exploring the use of traditional indigenous painting methods which was included in the Yalari fundraising auction.
16. Celebrate RAP Progress Reflecting on the progress made in the growth of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions at St Catherine’s through our RAP is essential and should be celebrated. This reflection and celebration can also assist us to generate new ideas about developing and sustaining our RAP into the future. Reconciliation is a process of incremental learning and change, so it is important that we capture and reflect on the challenges experienced on our reconciliation journey as well as the successes. Cultivating pride in our RAP will help to maintain enthusiasm and momentum for the RAP as time goes on.
2021 Reconciliation Action Plan
We aim to: • Share and celebrate the RAP progress with our students, staff and community, using digital media, videos and articles; • Hold our RAP committee to meet to reflect, review and set goals; • Track positive staff contributions to RAP development, implementation or professional learning activities; • Include data about RAP-specific progress in our school’s official reporting processes, such as the annual report.
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St Catherine’s School 17 Heyington Place Toorak VIC 3142 Telephone +61 3 9822 1285 Email info@stcatherines.net.au www.stcatherines.net.au CRICOS 00574F ABN 90 004 251 816
