Aboriginal histories and cultures

Carlingford West Public School is committed to being a strong, culturally responsive, and inclusive school where every Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander learner and student is known, valued, and cared for to learn, grow, and belong.

Our commitment to creating an equitable and outstanding school affirms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education is everybody's business.

At Carlingford West Public School, our staff are passionate about creating opportunities for all Aboriginal students to deepen their cultural knowledge, promoting their overall wellbeing and sense of connectedness. We are committed to ensuring every student learns and grows in culturally safe environments, with students at the heart of everything we do.

Some of the ways we support this include:

· developing Personalised Learning Pathways in collaboration with students, their families/caregivers and Aboriginal Elders

· inviting family members to share their cultural knowledge with our Aboriginal students and/or school community

· inviting Aboriginal students to meet as a group to foster connectedness, build a supportive community, and encourage ongoing relationships throughout their school journey.

· Aboriginal students meet weekly for a yarn with our Aboriginal Artist and mentor, Barkinji woman, Courtney. During these sessions they learn about culture, enjoy gardening and using the produce in cooking activities.

· Aboriginal art lessons across all grades each year.

· our Aboriginal students worked with our Aboriginal mentor and Elder to write our Acknowledgement of Country and paint our Welcoming Message Sticks.

· facilitating excursions that allow students to connect on Country and learning from Aboriginal Elders.

· working with the Aboriginal Consultative Education Group (AECG), we have implemented a Cultural Curriculum specifically designed for our school and area.

· the school environment reflects and respects Aboriginal cultures through artwork, signage, and dedicated cultural spaces

· leading and facilitating the Carlingford District Network ‘Big Mob Day’ in conjunction with Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre. This is an annual event where students from Years 3-10 have a day on Country. They learn about local Aboriginal cultures, build relational connections and develop trust.

· With our Aboriginal Artist we have designed our Carlingford West Public School mural and sport shirts in conjunction with our Aboriginal students, student leaders, the president of our local AECG and teachers.

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Our mural and sport shirts have meaning for all our students and teachers. The tree is in the centre and is the tree of knowledge. The footprints are our students who grow through their

learning to become the leaves on the tree. The centre of the tree is our community, and it is surrounded by our seven grades (Kindergarten to Year 6). Meandering through our local community is Hunts Creek where Aboriginals would fish for our local totem the Black Snapper.

Aboriginal Education - Why is it important?

It recognises Aboriginal people as the First Australians.
It promotes awareness of the history and culture of Aboriginal people.
It formally acknowledges Aboriginal people’s ongoing connection to land.
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The following four themes inform our school processes and practices

Culturally safe schools
Culturally safe schools recognise that individual students have distinct cultural identities that shape their school experience. They use whole‑of‑school practices to make students feel welcome and supported, and families and communities feel connected to the school.
Culturally responsive teaching
Culturally responsive teaching acknowledges that students’ cultural backgrounds influence their ways of knowing, thinking and communicating. By understanding and responding to these cultural influences, teachers can promote student learning.
Personalised learning
Personalised learning approaches aim to increase engagement and achievement by tailoring learning based on individual student strengths, needs, interests, culture, progress and/or goals. These approaches are grounded in providing students with learning environments that support them to achieve to a high standard.
Positive Relationships
Positive relationships between school staff, students, families and communities are built on shared trust, respect and understanding. They are developed over time, reciprocal, and facilitated by school staff through engagement with students, their families and communities.
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Aboriginal Education and Communities

Wellbeing

See how we support every student’s wellbeing at school and beyond.

Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)