Southern Riverina students celebrated National Reconciliation Week, with a range of commemorative ceremonies between May 27 and June 3.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements.
Finley Public School students learned about National Reconciliation Week and National Sorry Day through classroom activities.
Jerilderie St Joseph's students also participated in activities to further develop their understanding about indigenous culture and discussed the topic of reconciliation in the local and wider community.
With the topic this year being In This Together, students joined in activities based that required them work together.
Cooking, dance, art and listening to and recreating Dreamtime stories were among the highlights.
They dressed in the colours of the Aboriginal Flag, red, black and yellow to celebrate the day.
Tocumwal PS principal Darren White said activities looked different this year because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“We had a special Zoom meeting with each individual class to engage in discussions about the day's importance and why we recognise Aboriginal people and their ties to the land,” he said.
“We had our second flag pole fixed recently so we also raised the Aboriginal flag.”
Finley St Joseph's Veronica Braybon also had to make other arrangements for her students.
“It was hard to have our usual celebrations given current restrictions but we had our Years 5 and 6 students engage in talks about why the day is important and why its relevant in our current culture,” she said.
“Our younger classes engaged in art and had discussions on what the day means.
“When we can, our Aboriginal team in Wagga Wagga will come out for a day and celebrate National Reconciliation Week.”
Berrigan St Columba's teacher Vanessa Andres said the special week is a "time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia".
“The students took part in this day by discussing what reconciliation means to them, learning to count in indigenous language, cooking up some delicious johnny cakes and creating a shared artwork around this year's theme.”