Last week staff and students engaged in prayers and activities to celebrate NAIDOC

Week. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

NAIDOC Week this year marked a powerful milestone: 50 years of honoring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy," celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities, and the legacy of our ancestors. 

Classes celebrated NAIDOC Week through story, song and creation.

Prep

Prep A spent time learning about indigenous symbols, they used the yarning circle that they made last year to have a yarn about their school holidays and listened to some dream time stories. They also learnt about animals native to Australia and decorated some to make a display.  

Prep B practised counting in Kuarna (the language of the Adelaide Plains) and learnt about the pattern in the Kuarna counting system. They listened to Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and they also used their yarning stick to share personal stories throughout the week. They talked about the importance of the yarning stick in First Nations culture.

Mrs Sarles set up a story walk for all classes to access based on the book 'Australia: From Dawn to Dusk' by Brentos. 

Year 1

Year 1 each developed a NAIDOC class prayer, read about Australian animals and designed their own animal for display.

Year 2

2A created an artistic montage. Every student in the class did a different page which when placed together made one big beautiful piece of artwork. 

2B learnt about Aboriginal artwork and used that knowledge to decorate their own stones which they used in their prayer space during NAIDOC week. Watch this space, because they will be placed around our school grounds! The stones also used the words from this year’s theme - The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy. 

Year 3

3A learnt about an Acknowledgement of Country, where we hear it and why it is important. They learnt that the Yidinji and Yirrganydji peoples are the Traditional Custodians of this area, including rainforest, reef, rivers and coastal land. They also learnt that “Gimuy” is the First Nations name for Cairns. After looking at some examples, they brainstormed ideas and developed their own Acknowledgement of Country.

3B explored this year’s theme. They watched a Behind the News (BTN) clip that helped them understand the origins of NAIDOC Week and why it is such a special time to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, and histories.

Students used Aboriginal art symbols to create their own stories. Each student carefully chose symbols and placed them on a boomerang template, turning their ideas into meaningful artwork. Students then shared their boomerangs and the stories behind them — a beautiful moment of connection and storytelling. 3B finished their lesson by reading a NAIDOC Week prayer together, reflecting on the strength, spirit, and culture of First Nations peoples.

Year 4

4A reflected on a number of thought-provoking questions about being caretakers of our land to benefit current and future generations.

4B wrote their own Acknowledgement to Country and danced a Torres Strait Islander dance which was shared as prayer. We will hear some of these acknowledgements at assembly over the next few weeks. 

Year 5

5A engaged in a Universal Design of Learning unit around GIMUY the Blue Quandongs or Slippery Blue Figs.

Students chose from a range of methods and materials to create an indigenous art work of the GIMUY figs.

5B examined artwork by Vincent Namatjira, who is a contemporary Aboriginal artist, and the great-grandson of Albert Namatjira, a renowned Australian watercolourist. Vincent’s work explores themes of identity, power, colonisation, and First Nations perspectives. Students built their understanding that not all Indigenous artists paint in a traditional style.

Students responded:

Iarlaith – This picture reminds me of the colonisation of Australia. I like this picture because Vincent Namatjira is standing up for his culture.

Jasper – I like this picture because of its unique style and how it has such a deepmeaning, making me think about European colonisation and how it has shaped the world today. It has such a playful appearance with such detail.

Anita – It makes me think about how the British took over the land and how the Aboriginal people were displaced.

 Emily G – When I look at this image, I think that Vincent Namatjira is protesting Captain Arthur Philip and trying to keep his land.

Year 6

Year 6 took part in two NAIDOC Activities. The first was based on a story called ‘Our Flag, Our Story’. Students listened to the story, learnt about the Torres Strait Island Flag and drew a flag explaining the different elements and colours. 

The second activity was based on the book ‘Walk with us’. Students read the story, discussed it as a class and wrote suggestions for what our community could be doing to care for our land and then researched what Aboriginal and Torres Strait rangers do as part of their role and how it is different depending on where they live (inland, near rivers or near oceans). 

The Arts

To celebrate NAIDOC week in The Arts, students looked at Jeremy Morgan Worrall's artwork Ancestral Lines and discussed how our own ancestral connections to family and elders helps us grow wings to become the people we are.  Students each created a feather showing elements that they have learned from their elders (ie. a love of reading, cooking, outdoor skills, etc) which contributed to a group mural of wings that represents the growth and possibilities learned from elders in their lives.