On Thursday 24 June we were very fortunate to end Term Two with a day of wonderful experiences for NADIOC celebrations.
The amazing team from Speaking in Colour ran a day of events that included art, dance, weaving and artefacts. The students and staff had a great time learning about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. The students were inquisitive, open, and focused throughout the lessons. At the end of the day we concluded with an assembly. Class 5/6P were chosen to demonstrate the dance they had learnt from Berthalia Reuben, a Torres Strait Islander man, who shared his community’s knowledge through song and dance. The presenters were equally impressed with Newcastle East Public School, stating that it was one of the ‘best schools’ they had ever been to. They were impressed by the students’ great behaviour, genuine interest and higher-order questioning skills, as well as the staff’s openness and commitment to the students and education. A special mention to Tracy from OOSH, who provided lunch for our guests; they were very grateful. Don’t forget, we are in the process of designing new sports shirts for our school with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focus, so if you have any designs please return them to Yasmin McNamee as soon as possible.