Matter of perspective

Sydney
7 September 2003

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Matter of perspective

Gabrielle McAnespie with Year 6 students and members of the Stiff Gins

By Gabrielle McAnespie

St Charles' Primary School, Waverley, has developed a sister school relationship with St Mary's School at Bowraville (45 students) as part of its policy of introducing Aboriginal perspectives to its students.

The schools engage in a school exchange and visit each other on an annual basis. This is reconciliation in action as indigenous country kids and non-indigenous city kids are provided with opportunities to form friendships.

It reflects the policy of the Catholic Education Office Sydney – Many Voices: One Shared Vision.

If we want change to be authentic, we must manage it systematically with students from Kindergarten to Year 6. We must also involve the other important stakeholders – teachers and parents. It is only when each of these groups is engaged, that Aboriginal perspectives can be really embedded in the curriculum.

So how has this been done at St Charles? Firstly we nominated a term when the focus on Aboriginal perspectives is to be explicit.

We look for explicit ways to integrate an Aboriginal perspective in key learning areas. One way we achieved this was through Aboriginal literature studies. We also look for integration opportunities through Human Society in its Environment units (such as colonisation and Australian identity) and Science and Technology (for example, rainforests).

Aboriginal artists, entertainers and sportspeople who have been our assembly guests include Jimmy Little, the Stiff Gins, Boori Prior, Gary Ella, Michael O’Loughlin and Adam Goodes.

Students use our computer laboratory for research and emailing projects. The results of their study are posted on our website: www.stc.waverley.syd.catholic.edu.au

Gabrielle McAnespie is principal of St Charles’ Primary School, Waverley.