Diocese of Townsville

TOWNSVILLE CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE 2 GARDENIA AVENUE KIRWAN QLD 4817 T 4773 0900 F 4773 0901 E enquiries@tsv.catholic.edu.au W www.tsv.catholic.edu.au

Term 2&3 2009

Indigenous Education

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Students Sierra Laidlow, Courtney Birse and Jorja Davidson celebrate the launch of the Indigenous Heritage Project at Ryan Catholic College

2 .......................Message from the Assistant Director

Upcoming Events

Resources

3 .......................Celebrating MABO Day

4-5 ..................... Indigenous Heritage Project Launched

6-13 ....................School News

Contents:

Ernie Christie ASSISTANT DIRECTOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, CURRICULUM, ICT & INDIGENOUS EDUCATION TOWNSVILLE CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE

Students Sierra Laidlow, Courtney Birse and Jorja Davidson celebrate the launch of the Indigenous Heritage Project at

Ryan Catholic College

Dear Friends,

Terms 2 and 3 have been very busy and exciting with the launch of our Indigenous Heritage Project that has now taken place in most of our Catholic schools within the Diocese. I am delighted that this project is now in place as it is yet another way that we can work toward strengthening awareness of our Indigenous heritage and culture within our communities. Congratulations to our Indigenous Education team for their hard work in bringing this project to fruition. This newsletter includes photos from the various launches of this project around the Diocese.

We were proud to work with Gail Mabo to bring Indigenous singing sensation Jessica Mauboy to Townsville to help us celebrate Mabo Day. Jessica visited students at The Marian School and Ryan Catholic College and not only did she perform for our students, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance troupes from The Marian School and Abergowrie College entertained her! It was a wonderful occasion and a fantastic way to spread the message of the significance of Mabo Day for all Australians.

Our NAIDOC Week celebrations were very joyous and spirited occasions in all our Catholic schools. NAIDOC Week is another wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about and appreciate our Indigenous cultures.

Our Diocese is blessed to have so many Indigenous students and their families enrolled and involved in our school communities. This newsletter is again filled with stories of the achievements of our Indigenous students and I congratulate and thank you all for your continued commitment to Catholic Education.

Blessings,

There were high pitched screams of delight when Indigenous singer Jessica Mauboy visited students at The Marian School and Ryan Catholic College to mark 2009 MABO Day.Jessica Mauboy, who rose to prominence on the 2006 season of Australian Idol, performed at both schools and was also treated to a performance by The Marian School Dancers and the Abergowrie dancers. The boys, who travelled from Abergowrie to perform at Ryan Catholic College, joined Jessica on stage at the end of her performance, which was certainly the highlight of the day.

Townsville Catholic Education’s Indigenous Education department, with the Mabo family worked together to bring Jessica to Townsville in recognition of MABO Day. Eddie Mabo’s daughter, Gail, was present for the celebrations at Ryan Catholic College.Senior Indigenous Education Officer for Townsville Catholic Education, Thelma Gertz, said “This was a wonderful opportunity for students, both Indigenous and non Indigenous, to learn about, recognise and celebrate the significance of Mabo Day.”

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Celebrating MABO Day

WelcomeUpcoming EventsOctober 14-15 ............QCEC IE Sub Committee Meeting

26 .................NIEW Day Conference

28 .................Careers Expo – Palm Island

November 19 .................DICEC Meeting

20 Sports Academy Advisory Committee Meeting

ResourcesDVDS: The Apology to the stolen generations Film of the 13th February 2008 apology to the stolen generations by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Also contains expert analysis and reactions from members of Australia’s Stolen Generations.

KITS: Message Stick Provides non-Indigenous students with the opportunity to develop an understanding and appreciation of Australia’s Indigenous peoples and their cultures through reading and interaction with Dreaming stories, plays and non-fiction texts. It also offers Indigenous students curriculum content that is culturally relevant. The teacher’s guide includes a range of activities for reading, writing and oral language.

BOOKS/CDS: Nature’s menu: A Junior science project by Indigenous students at St Patrick’s College Townsville 2003-2007 Provides an insight to the world of traditional Indigenous food and sources of nourishment. Each food is described in terms of its source, how it is obtained and prepared, and its taste. Two sections of the book cover the land and the creeks and sea. The cd-rom contains a powerpoint presentation and workbooklets.

WEBSITES: http://www.naidoc.org.au NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.

Jessica Mauboy with Gail Mabo and students from St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie.

Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 2009 Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 20092 3

Jessica Mauboy with the Torres Strait Islander dancers at The Marian School.

Jessica Mauboy and Gail Mabo

Our Indigenous Heritage Project was launched in all Catholic schools in Term 2 and 3.

Jessica performing at Ryan Catholic College.

Abergowrie boys dance on stage. Ben Henaway, Jessica Mauboy, Songhie Tatipata.

Jenelle Brackley, Jessica Mauboy, Thelma Gertz, Debbie Pardon. The Marian School dancers perform for Jessica Mauboy.

Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 2009 Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 20094 5

Traditional custodians Bindal and Wulgurukaba, together with Bishop Michael Putney, launched the Indigenous Heritage Project for Catholic schools in the Townsville Diocese, with the unveiling of the first signage at the Catholic Education Office.The Indigenous Heritage project involves the installation of external welcome boards and internal message boards in all Catholic schools across the Diocese, with the permission of the Traditional Custodians of these areas and in line with their recommendations. The Welcome and Message Boards feature the following information, relevant to the location of the school: • An acknowledgement of Country;• The Indigenous word for ‘welcome’ or traditional greeting along with the pronunciation of the word;• The name of and/or illustration of traditional plants in the area that the school is located; and• The traditional ‘totem’ appropriate for display as suggested, approved and designed by a member of the local Indigenous community.

The project was symbolically launched at the Townsville Catholic Education Office during National Reconciliation Week, and has followed with similar ceremonies at each school in the Diocese.Catholic Education Assistant Director, Mr Ernie Christie, said the project is an innovative way to further embed Indigenous perspectives into the culture of Catholic schools. “The presence of the Aboriginal people is valued and appreciated and their contribution to the culture of the area needs to be openly acknowledged and celebrated in order that future generations are made aware of the historic connection of Aboriginal people to the communities of North and West Queensland,” Mr Christie said.“We hope this project, launched during National Reconciliation Week, will work toward continuing the reconciliation conversation and strengthen the awareness and understanding of teachers, students and families in our school communities about traditional Indigenous cultures, language, history, spirituality, protocols and worldviews. “It creates a visibly welcoming and culturally sensitive atmosphere in all of our schools, further enhancing the learning environment and engagement with Indigenous families and communities,” Mr Christie said.

Indigenous Heritage Project Launched in Our Catholic Schools

Holy Spirit School Canossa School, Trebonne St Margaret Mary’s College St Francis School, Ayr

Edmund Rice Flexible Learning Centre St Joseph’s School, The Strand Southern Cross Catholic School

St John Bosco School, Collinsville Good Shepherd Catholic Community School

St Kieran’s School, Mount Isa St Michael’s School, Palm Island St Catherine’s School, Proserpine

St Jospeh’s Primary School, Mount Isa The Marian School St Mary’s School, Bowen

Burdekin Catholic High School Ignatius Park College St Colman’s School, Home Hill

St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie St Joseph’s Catholic School, Mundingburra St Joseph’s School, Cloncurry

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Palm Island Junior Football teamOn May 2nd and 3rd, our junior footballers joined with the Bwgcolman Community School team to play nine games in Townsville.

They represented both our school and Palm Island and did us proud, both in their behaviour and their result.

Well done boys!

St Michael’s School Captains, Kenny Baira and Rochelle Sibley with

Principal Gary Recklies being presented with gifts from Grade 1

FOGS Indigenous Career Expo - TownsvilleThe 2009 FOGS Indigenous Employment and Careers Expos, presented by the Australian Government aim to provide Indigenous job seekers and school leavers throughout Queensland with the opportunity to connect with a selection of Queensland’s most prominent employers, education and training providers, together with a host of former State of Origin heroes, in one place for one day. The FOGS Indigenous Employment and Careers Expo was held in Townsville on Wednesday 29th April at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre. Indigenous students from all Catholic secondary colleges in the Townsville Diocese attended.The students were also able to meet some of ‘former origin greats’, Allan Langer, Gene Miles, Greg Conescu, Mal Meninga, Sam Backo and Arthur Beetson. FOGS is a non-profit organisation committed to helping rugby league, communities and charities in Queensland. Members include 166 players who have represented Queensland in State of Origin (source: www.fogs.com.au).

School Captain Blessing Ceremony at St Michael’sOn Friday 8th May St Michael’s School on Palm Island held a special ceremony to bless our school captains and Year 7 students. The ceremony was outside in front of our flag poles and began with Year 7 raising the flags and singing the Australian anthem. Miss Aileen and the Year 7 students have been practising the technique involved with raising flags and so we have introduced this as part of our Friday assemblies. It is a lovely tradition and the children seem really impressed by it.

After the flags and anthem we sang our school song asked and began with announcing our new Sports Captains, Saul Burns for Mackerel and Neil Baira for Trevally. They were then given their badges and joined in front by Rochelle Sibley and Kenny Baira our School Captains. Our group of four leaders were the blessed by Father Cipriano while I read a special blessing attributed to St Patrick. All of Year7 were the asked to stand in front of the school and receive special gifts made by students in Prep, Year 1 and 2. The Prep students made bracelets for them as a symbol of their hands that will be used to build a successful future for their community. Year 1 children made love hearts as a reminder of our school motto - To truth by love. Year 2 students made book marks to remind the Year 7 students of the importance of books as knowledge is power. It was a lovely ceremony and hopefully will help our school leaders in fulfilling their spiritual roles. We would like to say a huge thank you to the parents in attendance.

Burdekin Catholic High School adopts an ElderEach year Burdekin Catholic High School marks Reconciliation Week with a school assembly. The highlight of this year’s assembly was an Adoption Ceremony, in which Mrs Elva Pedro accepted the voluntary position of School Elder. The Reconciliation Liturgy and Ceremony were conducted by Mrs Sharon Russo and Miss Fiona Scott [Indigenous Education staff], Shanae Messer and Leonard Heron [Indigenous students] and Lisa Pucciarmati and Steven O’Shea [School Captains].

Mrs Pedro’s new role will include participation in a wide range of school events and celebrations, promoting an Indigenous presence in our school. Mrs Pedro will also help us continue to promote greater cultural appreciation and celebration of diversity.

“Even though we have different religious beliefs and different cultural backgrounds, there is only one God who created us and who we serve,” she said. “The most important thing for us all today, to get somewhere in life, is to believe in God, believe in ourselves, and strive for excellence in whatever we choose to do.”

Mrs Pedro’s children attended Burdekin Catholic High School and she has an ongoing connection with the school through her grand nephews.

“After all these years, I didn’t think I would know many people at BCHS,” Mrs Pedro reflected, “but I know quite a few of the kids and staff; I feel right at home here!” “It has been such an honour to be asked to do this job!”

“Having the Adoption take place on National Sorry Day (26 May), as the start of our Reconciliation Week, was really special,” said Mrs Russo.

“Yes, it has been a long held dream that Sharon and I have had, to have an Elder as an integral part of our school community,” added Miss Scott, “a desire that has come to fruition through the support of our principal, Mr Tom Kruger, and the staff at Burdekin Catholic High School.”

Steven O’Shea and Lisa Pucciarmati (School Captains), Mrs Elva Pedro (School Elder) and Shanae Messer &

Leonard Heron (Indigenous Students)

Welcome Dinner at St Margaret Mary’s College for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island FamiliesIt was great to have the opportunity to meet with so many of the families of our Indigenous students at the special Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Welcome Dinner for 2009 on the 4th March at St Margaret Mary’s College.

It was held in the hospitality centre and was a relaxing and friendly occasion. Formalities included an address from the principal, Mr Peter Griffin and another from Mrs Leigharnie Lenoy.

They spoke to parents about the opportunities available for their girls here at St Margaret Mary’s College and invited them to help us support them by being involved and letting us know what else we could be doing for their daughters. The girls together than prayed a special blessing using both words and actions upon their families and teacher for the year ahead.

Over and above all this the food was wonderful and the well attended evening gave teachers and other staff of the college the opportunity to interact informally with students and their parents and enjoy each other’s company.

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(source: www.fogs.com.au).

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Students from Ryan Catholic College with Townsville Catholic Education staff,

Debbie Pardon, Megan Harrison and Ada Boland

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gan Harrison and Ada Bo

Year 12 students from Columba Catholic Colege, Jackson Peachey and Brandon McGilvary spent time finding out what Queensland Ambulance has on offer.

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YeCMQDebbie Pardon, Ben Henaway and

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Columba Catholic College students Darrus Wolmby, Jonathan Bien, Jackson Peachey

and Brandon McGilvary were excited to share a photo with Rugby League legend,

Allan Langer.

National Sorry Day

Townsville Catholic Education Office staff cut the cake to mark National Sorry Day. L-R: Rachel Mahoney, Jenelle Brackley, Mary McAuliffe,

De’arne French and Vanessa Blackman.

Listen to my silent prayer as I stand before you.

As my weary eyes look back over distant horizons,

Back to those days where my people walked. The footprints of my grandfathers are imprinted on the earth and the images

become real to me.

I see my Grandfathers standing tall and strong warriors of long ago, I hear them singing, I see them dancing, and my spirit moves

within me.

They told of the emus fighting and the kangaroos picking up the scent of our

hunters the images fade away as I feel the hurt of my people. I can hear the cries of my Grandmothers as they cry for their children.

Grandfather, you can see me as I stand here and feel tis hurt,

Father Creator, is this the purpose of my being here?

Or is it your plan to reshape my people, to be once again the proud race it once was?

Let me walk with you and my Grandfathers Towards the dawn of a proud and new nation.

I thank you for my Sacred Being.

Amen

On Tuesday 26th May, Townsville Catholic Education Office held a ceremony to mark National Sorry Day.

2009 ATSIAP Competition The 2009 ATSIAP (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Program) Senior Competition was held in Townsville with 28 teams

from 18 schools competing. The ATSIAP Competition encourages Indigenous students to perform four tasks which require team work, research, public speaking and study skills and assists in breaking the “shame” factor for many teenagers.

Abergowrie nominated one team in this year’s competition as it was our first entry for many years. The team consisted of James Arrowsmith – Year 12, Hodrick Mudu – Year 11, Michael Enosa and Mangubadijarri Yanner – Year 10. With the assistance of Miss Andrea, Miss Pelly and Miss Elaine, these students spent one and a half weeks preparing for their Long Term Problem Solving Task, Persuasive Speech and Quiz. Students had to also prepare for an impromptu task in which the students were given a product to advertise and a commercial had to be performed.

For their Long Term Problem Solving Task, the team chose to address the following question:

2009 NAIDOC Theme: Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth. How can you and your school work together with the Elders in your community in a way that their knowledge and experience will play a role in the nurturing of our youth?

The students prepared a performance in which each of them talked about what their own elders have taught them in their communities and how our school interacts with elders of the traditional owner group, the Warragumay people.

For their Persuasive Speech, one member of the team had to speak whilst the whole team researched the chosen topic, which was:

Australia Day – A Day of Celebration or a Day of Mourning: Do you believe that Australia Day should be celebrated on another date that would signify a more united Australia, one that avoids controversy and is inclusive, instead of 26th January?

Mangubadijarri Yanner spoke on behalf of the Abergowrie Team and delivered a wonderful presentation which came from the heart and argued that the date of Australia Day should be moved to 13th February – the same date of the National Apology to the Indigenous People of Australia.

The heats were held on Thursday and the students’ performances were outstanding and they were clearly the team to beat. On the Friday, finalists were announced and Abergowrie were the only team to reach the finals in all four tasks. Their finals’ performances were breathtaking with the students getting standing ovations and bringing many audience members to tears with their moving presentations that came from the heart.

On Friday evening, the Abergowrie team attended a Presentation Dinner at the Aitkenvale PCYC with the other ATSIAP competitors. The team results were as follows:

Persuasive Speech: Second Place Long Term Problem Solving Task: Third Place Quiz: Second Place (40 out of 50) Commercial (impromptu task): Finalist Overall ATSIAP Champion Team: St. Teresa’s College - Abergowrie

The applause and cheers were deafening when the Abergowrie Team were announced as Overall Champions. The students had won the hearts and support of so many people involved in this competition.

The St Teresa’s College – Abergowrie ATSIAP Team wish to thank the staff and all their brothers for their support, prayers and well wishes. Plans for the 2010 Competition are already underway!!

Mike and

Year 8 students at Gilroy Santa Maria College in Ingham enthusiastically joined in Cultural Week. We spent three days immersed in the history, myths, music, dance, spirituality, and art and crafts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture.

On the first day we had an opening ceremony and flag raising, and then Mrs Bligh gave a talk about Aboriginal history and spirituality. Then we were joined by the Deadly Aunties, Torres Strait Island ladies from Townsville who showed us how to weave with palm leaves. The other activity on this day was decorating boomerangs with traditional Indigenous designs.

We also had a visit from Ben and Songhie, two Indigenous rugby league players from the Cowboys, who talked about their background and their current lives in the Cowboys. They stayed all afternoon, had a training run with our Open league team, and learnt some new skills with the Aunties. On the next day we went to Mungalla Station, where we heard about the life of the Traditional Custodians, the Nywaigi people; the story of the pioneering families, the Cassadys and the Atkinsons; and the amazing story of the Captive Lives, the Aboriginal people who were taken from their homes in 1880s and displayed in circuses and shows in America and Europe. The students also were able to try their skills at boomerang throwing.

The wet weather on the last day meant that we couldn’t go to Broadwater Park as planned, but we still had an interesting day at school, listening to Indigenous rangers talk about cultural sites and artefacts, drama activities and watching Kanyini, a powerful film about the stolen generation.

We have to thank all those who helped make the activities possible: The Bligh family; Aunties Alma, Maman and Millina; Ben Henaway and Songhie Tatipata; Jacob Cassady, Larissa and Harry at Mungalla; Clarence Wyles and Simon Smallwood from the EPA, and Thelma Gertz, Ada Boland and Megan Harrison from Townsville Catholic Education Office.

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Cultural Awareness Week at Gilroy Santa Maria College

Cultural Awareness Week at Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham

Sean Choolburra visits Gilroy – Too Deadly!

St Patrick’s College has eleven students involved in the PASS Australia programme who work with the trainees to encourage and reward success in this school based traineeship programme.The students are working toward completing Certificate II in Community Recreation and each Tuesday they are either studying theory or delivering programmes at Belgian Gardens Primary School.On Friday, 8th May, Paul Dyer and Mick Butcher (FOGS) presented eight PASS students with incentives for performing well in their traineeship. The students included Travina Nona, Philomena Fuji, Patricia Doyle, Vendina Wosomo, Leah Pitt, Ada Pearson, Michaellyn David and Tamika Shipton. Tamika was selected as one of the most improved trainees. The reward for this was a behind the scenes trip to the Cowboy/ Saint George clash.

Sean Choolburra entertained Year 8 students at Gilroy Santa Maria College as part of Cultural Awareness Week.

Year 8 students at Gilroy Santa Maria College in Ingham were also treated to a visit by Sean Choolburra for Cultural Awareness Week. Sean talked to the group about his background, having been born and raised in Townsville and attending Catholic schools. His ancestors are Gu-Gu-Yalanji, Kalkadoon, Kandju and Bwgcolman people from around Townsville, Palm Island and north of Cardwell. He gave an energetic performance of dance, stories, language music, fire making, and explanation of artefacts, and all of these were blended with Sean’s incredible talent for humour.

Congratulations to Regina Larry, Michaellyn David, Nandy Enosa and Maggie-May Fauid for being selected in the NQ Open Girls Volleyball team for 2009. The girls have recently returned from the Queensland Secondary Schools Volleyball Championships held on the Sunshine Coast.

St Patrick’s College Volleyball team.

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Charters Towers FormalThe Charters Towers annual senior formal was hosted by Blackheath and Thornborough this year with a theme of Bollywood. There were a number of Indigenous Columba Catholic College students that attended and I must say that the students look very different not only out of uniform but dressed to the nines, which I think they all enjoyed immensely. The next big occasion for most of these students will be their graduation.

Makin’ Trax CampA group of nine students from Columba Catholic College attended the week long annual ‘Makin’ Trax Camp’ that was held on Magnetic Island. Fun was had by all who attended including staff. The current Year 12s said that they were thinking about repeating just so that could attend another camp! This was a worthwhile camp and I am also looking forward to next year.

Abergowrie’s team

St Anthony’s Acknowledges Traditional Custodians

The St Teresa’s College – Abergowrie ATSIAP Team after their Long Term Problem Solving Task.

L to R: Mangubadijarri Yanner, Ms Andrea Obeyesekere-Wood, Michael Enosa, Ms Elaine Morganson, Hodrick Mudu, James Arrowsmith and Mrs Pelly Morganson.

Congratulations James, Hodrick, Michael & Mangu…we are so proud of you!!!

Presentation Night with their Medallions & Overall Champion School Trophy.L to R – Back Row: James Arrowsmith, Mrs Pelly Morganson, Michael Enosa,

Mrs Andrea Obeyesekere-Wood, Ms Elaine MorgansonL to R – Front Row: Hodrick Mudu, Mangubadijarri Yanner

Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 2009 Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 20098 9

NQ Open Volleyball Girls 2009

St Patrick’s students received PASS Australia Incentives

Paul Dyer and Mick

Butcher with students from

St Patrick’s College.

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St Anthony’s Catholic College has begun preparations for its contribution to the Indigenous Heritage Project being launched by the Catholic Education Office. The College plans to plant two special gardens to highlight the significance of the Traditional Custodians of the Padua and Assisi campuses of the school. Junior School Deputy, Mrs Sue Geaney described the launch as “a significant recognition of the original custodians of the land and we owe it to them and all of our students to educate about our Indigenous Heritage.” The Project will be officially promoted at a special liturgy to coincide with the College’s NAIDOC celebrations later in the term.

Columba Catholic College News...

Students from St Anthony’s Catholic College pictured with the Indigenous Heritage project welcome sign

Sadiar attends UNSW Indigenous Winter School

Sadiar Foster Yr 11 studentSt Patrick’s College, Townsville

I recently had the fine opportunity to take part in the annual UNSW Indigenous Winter School which was held in Sydney. While in Sydney, I lived on the Uni Campus and attended a fun-filled week of various workshops and activities. These were related to my chosen course – Medicine.

I enjoyed all aspects the event had to offer and made many wonderful friends with other students participating in this program from across Australia.

During my stay at the University I was lucky enough to experience what University studies and campus life is all about. The University of NSW has about 50,000 students and 7000 staff members so it’s a lot bigger than Saint Patrick’s College. However everyone was

really friendly and made my stay a thoroughly enjoyable one.

As part of the Medicine Faculty, I learnt how to suture a pig’s trotter, which was interesting. I completed the activity with a somewhat crooked needle! I also visited the St Vincent de Paul Hospital and the Prince of Wales Hospital. Here I learnt how to plaster patients’ legs and arms. I was also provided with useful advice from a Physiotherapist on techniques.

My trip also included a visit to the Human Organ Museum. This was fascinating and I was amazed by what I learnt about diseases and how they affect the body. I attended a formal dinner and was excited by the inspirational speeches and good food! I left with feeling of gratitude and a sense of motivation. A Graduation Ceremony was held on the last night of Winter School. During the ceremony each student was presented with a graduation certificate for their chosen course.

I returned home with strong motivation to pursue a career in Paediatrics medicine. I am currently interested in applying for the Pre-Medicine Program at the end of next year.

This was an amazing experience and I’d like to thank Ms Rentoule for encouraging me to apply for the Winter School Program. I’d highly recommend this course to other Indigenous students. This program provides such a wonderful insight into what you can study and career options. It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m grateful I was selected to be a participant. I believe you can be anything you want to be, you just have to go out and work hard for it.

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d Year 1C wins the 2009 Holy Spirit School NAIDOC Week awardEach year the Holy Spirit Indigenous Parent Network arranges a class set of prizes for NAIDOC Week. In 2009 Year 1C were proud to carry off the award. They won the NAIDOC Week prize for their clever Torres Strait Island jewellery – supervised by Teresa Cowley. But most especially they were chosen for their “Three R’s – Respect, Responsibility and Reconciliation Year 1C teacher Evon Downie, said she was so proud of them, “Especially their cooperation with visitors, like Richard Rohr who joined them for a meditation session”Listening to 1C they are definitely aiming to achieve more NAIDOC awards next year.

Year 1C – winners of the 2009 Holy Spirit School NAIDOC Week award

NAIDOC Week at The Marian Catholic SchoolDuring NAIDOC Week, The Marian School had their second Indigenous mural painted on the wall of the Middle School building. The 2009 mural was designed by Selwyn Johnson and painted with the help of Denise Weightman. It is a depiction of a river with barramundis, crocodiles and crabs. The children were involved in the artwork by adding their handprints to the mural.The paintings provide a colourful and cultural outlook for the classroom as well as visitors to the school. It allows the children and the school community to remain connected to the traditional Indigenous communities that once were part of this local area.On our NAIDOC Day, the children were involved in a variety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activities. All classes experienced aspect of Indigenous culture through various art activities. The children enjoyed clay painting, aboriginal designed mandalas, dot painting, salt playdough jewellery and printmaking. We had visiting guest speakers, story tellers and dance instructors who provided the children with a wonderful insight into the Indigenous culture.

Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 2009 Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 200910 11

NAIDOC Week Celebrations

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Palm Island schools gather to celebrate NAIDOC WeekThe schools on Palm Island gathered in the second week of Term 3 for our Children NAIDOC Week. We started with a march on Monday and an official opening by the elders.There were all sorts of workshops held over at the Bwgcolman School and our children all enjoyed themselves. There was hula skirt making, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Dancing, painting, sand art, basket weaving and lots more. To finish off the week we held a traditional Kupp-Murri. A big thanks to all who helped in making it a memorable week.

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traditional Kupp-Murri. A big thanks to all w

Palm Island schools’ celebrations for NAIDOC Week

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who helped in making it a memorable week.

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Students from The Marian School enjoy the new mural designed by Selwyn Johnson

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NAIDOC Week Celebrations at Ryan Catholic CollegeWell what a busy and eventful time we have had celebrating NAIDOC week here at Ryan Catholic College. Our Prep – Year 4 students have embraced our unique culture through celebrating in a number of ways. We have been treated to the many events and activities over the last few weeks and would like to share with you some of our experiences. • Our Prep A students lead us with a wonderful liturgy – “We all count” comparing traditional and modern utensils • Our Prep - 4 school assembly was hosted by 1A students with a NAIDOC flavour. We also had a guest speaker who visited us and talked about the “Origin of the Bindal and Wul-guru-ka-ba peoples” who are the Traditional Custodians of the land • Students on campus had a NAIDOC focus this year, each classroom organised activities for all to share, such as colouring, puzzles, threading, drawing & face painting • We dedicated the first week of term 3 to more NAIDOC activities that focused on understanding and appreciating our Indigenous culture. We had two and sometimes three different activities each day that the children could be involved in. Cheree Shelton and Nikki Blackwell as well as many other staff members, devoted their time and talent in providing traditional music, puzzles, colouring, hand and finger painting, sand art, rock art, jewellery making, animal murals and helped in creating stunning mosaic flags with coloured pasta. These activities were enjoyed by all year levels and the children really found the art forms “fascinating” • We had the talented Shalom Christian College perform some dances for us that showcased their cultural heritage, they were very entertaining. Thanks Shalom! What a wonderful time to be a part of Catholic Education, thanks to all involved.

St Teresa’s College NAIDOC WeekFamily Fun Day

Students participate in

the 2009 Makin’ Trax Camp on

Magnetic Island.

Sports Academy Makin’ Trax Camp on Magnetic IslandA group of 44 students from all our Sports Academy Colleges recently enjoyed a week of activities on Magnetic Island at their Makin’ Trax Camp. The students completed a First Aid Certificate, Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate, Sports Taping workshop as well as participating in basketball, touch and rugby league coaching sessions.

Cultural activities included discussions, story telling, music jamming sessions and opportunities to hear the life stories and experiences of mentors and community role models. Obe Geia from the North Queensland Cowboys was one of the more popular guest speakers.

Group activities were lead by Sports Academy school advisers and our Cowboy Under 20s trainees, Ben Henaway and Songhie Tatipata. These included circuit fitness training, aerobics, cardio pump, “line dancing with a difference” and “beach muscles”. Students were also challenged to join in the “feel the burn” sessions! The highlight of the camp was the beach games and the crowning of the queen and king of the beach.

Students returned to their schools exhausted but satisfied that they had increased their network of friends and completed certificates to lead them forward towards their futures.

School News

Townsville Catholic Education has received funding from the Commonwealth Government to undertake a two year Literacy Pilot Project, ‘Leading Indigenous Literacy’ to support individualised literacy and language learning for Indigenous students at St Michael’s School, Palm Island and St Teresa’s College, Abergowrie.

All the students involved in the Pilot are learning Standard Australian English (SAE) as a second (or third) language and face huge challenges to learn the “language of school”.

A key feature of the Pilot is professional development and support provided to teachers and teacher assistants who are being trained to use the Indigenous Bandscales to track and monitor Indigenous students’ language learning and literacy development. They are also being supported by our speech pathologist, Katie Whitworth who provides training in the use of technology to sample students’ oral language and reading together with assistance with recording and analysing students’ oral language development.

Teachers, with teacher assistant support, are collecting samples of students’ oral language, reading and writing. These samples are levelled, using the Indigenous Bandscales and teachers use this information as a basis for planning focused literacy intervention. Parents, care givers and community are engaged through newsletters and school-based activities like the recent book fair held at St Michael’s.

A highlight for the students at St Teresa’s was a story-telling/mentoring session held by Boori (Monty) Pryor who will return to the school early next year to conduct further story telling and writing workshops for students and teachers. Mike and Mary Byrne in the new Sacred Garden.

Our Indigenous Cadets Cultural Diversity Liturgy at Columba Catholic CollegeOn Friday 1 May, Columba Catholic College celebrated the 2009 Cultural Festival. The day began in the Iona Centre with the ‘Cultural Diversity’ Liturgy. The theme of the Liturgy was ‘Coming Together’. During the Liturgy the talents of the Columba Catholic College Community members were acknowledged as well as the cultural diversity of our Columba community. The ceremony commenced with Mr Gaston playing the didgeridoo and the Year 8 students dancing with different coloured ribbons that represented the many colours that blend together to make a beautiful rainbow. The rainbow was symbolic of the Columba community, which is made up of many unique and different individuals who possess different talents and come from many lands. Miss Barry’s Year 10 RE class role played the parable of the talents and all students and staff were encouraged by Mr Butler in his reflection on the parable to use the talents they have been blessed with to their full potential. The cultural diversity of the Columba Community was acknowledged when Miss Landis played and sang ‘We are Australian’ while many staff and students brought forward flags that represented their country of origin.

Year 9 Student Krista Smith and Year 10 Student Peo Nona brought forward flags that represented their heritage.

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St Michael’s Prep class On Safari

Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 2009 Indigenous Education Term 2&3, 200912 13

St Michael’s students browsing at their book fair

St Michael’s cultural literacy

Literacy at St Michael’s & St Teresa’s

SMMC Indigenous students participate in Qld Music FestivalOn Thursday 30th July, St Margaret Mary’s College Indigenous students attended a workshop conducted by composer Michael Nyman and featuring William Barton, an Indigenous musician. This workshop was held at the Civic Theatre as part of the Queensland Music Festival.Many questions were asked and a performance by William on the Didgeridoo was awe-inspiring. One of the participants commented, “You could feel his music move your insides”. William portrayed an air of pride and confidence in his performance and I am sure the Indigenous girls shared the sentiments expressed by these students – Arika Appleby. “I loved it, he was amazing and an inspiration” and Jacinta Onus, “It was good to watch and I enjoyed it.”We only had a mere glimpse of William’s potential as a performer, but the cultural and spiritual experience and knowledge William passed on to our Indigenous students and other students of St Margaret Mary’s will be remembered by us all.

Nine Indigenous trainee teachers in our Diocesan schools are supported by the National Indigenous Cadet Program funded by the Commonwealth Government. Four of these are new to the program this year and are exceeding expectations with their high results from semester one. They are:

• Shannon Gertz (Holy Spirit School) • Damien Logan (Good Shepherd Catholic Community School) • Allison Archie (Ryan Catholic College) • James Gaston (Columba Catholic College) who started his studies in semester 2.

Other outstanding achievements have been made by Tanya Mitchell (St Joseph’s, Cloncurry), mother of four, teacher aide and successful student. Congratulations to Arthur Gaby who graduated from the program this year and is teaching at St Catherine’s, Proserpine. Teresa Cowley is another great achiever as a mother of four, cultural education officer in two of our schools and succeeding in her studies at Australian Catholic University.

Our third year cadets, Krista O’Conner (St Margaret Mary’s College) and Bridget Hughes (St Michael’s, Palm Island) are also succeeding in their studies and contributing to our school communities. Bridget is working with teachers at St Michael’s on a Literacy Pilot project and is providing invaluable expertise and support to the project.

Congratulations to all our Cadets and we look forward to welcoming you to the teaching service in years to come.

Abergowrie boys enjoy Monty’s stories

Dolly Hankin, Michael BaniThelma Gertz, Jason Costigan, Alice Bin TahlKaren Williamson, Sam Backo, Rhyston Williamson

Michael Bani, Debbie Pardon, Thelma Gertz,

Alice Bin Tahl, Carl Webb

St Peter’s School student Tawana Tyson showed great sportsmanship when she participated in the school’s ‘Blue and Gold Day’. Tawana showed great

pride in her blue team and gained many points for them as well.

Tawana Goes for Gold

Debbie Pardon and Jean Clapham

FOGS Indigenous Career Expo Mount IsaAllison Archie Bridget Hughes Damien Logan Shannon Gertz

Tanya Mitchell Theresa Cowley Arthur Gabey