Dear Parents and Carers,

RFW Bushfire Recovery Program
St Mary’s will be welcoming back clinicians (psychologists and an occupational therapist) from Royal Far West (RFW) from 23 May - 27 May 2022. They will be delivering a range of support as part of the Bushfire Recovery Program. The visit will include Professional Learning and consultation for our teaching staff and mental health screening for a small number of children. As part of professional learning for teaching staff, the clinicians will be spending time with the teachers to gain an understanding of how the classroom runs, any concerns they have about how their classrooms are functioning, and provide advice to teachers on supporting learners’ regulation, learning and attention in the classroom. 

On Tuesday 24 May at 9.00am and on Wednesday 25 May at 2.00pm, the clinicians will hold some Parent Information sessions in the PAC. They will provide information on the services offered through RFW, how to support children to develop resilience after disaster and provide information on ways to support children with regulation. The clinicians will be available after the session if parents would like more information. You are welcome to bring toddlers along to these sessions.

If you have any concerns or questions about the visit and consultations, please get in touch with school staff before Monday the 23 May 2022.

National Sorry Day, 26 May
National Sorry Day, 26 May, is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how Australians can all play a part in the healing process for the people and the nation. While this date carries great significance for the Stolen Generations and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is commemorated by Australians right around the country.

Next Thursday, 26 May, our Year 3-6 Aboriginal students and some of their friends will be walking across the Batemans Bay Bridge in unity to recognise Australia’s traditional owners and pay respect to the Stolen Generation. Following the walk there will be morning tea and a barbeque on the Clyde River Foreshore.

National Reconciliation Week 2022, 27 May-3 June
Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates the rich culture and history of the First Australians. It is the ideal time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The dates for National Reconciliation Week remain the same each year: 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2022, ‘Be Brave. Make Change’, is a challenge to all Australians - individuals, families, communities, organisations and government - to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

Last year Reconciliation Australia encouraged all Australians to take action; not just in National Reconciliation Week but every week of the year. This year, they are asking everyone to make change beginning with brave actions in their daily lives - where they live, work, play and socialise.

Our school is acknowledging and celebrating National Reconciliation Week through our participation in a range of activities. 

During Reconciliation Week, we will continue to promote and celebrate the cultural identity of our local Aboriginal community and develop our knowledge of the ways that the Yuin people are connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways. Each class will be developing their own unique and meaningful group Acknowledgement of Country which they will use to begin each day before Christian Meditation. We will also be learning about what caring for Country and connection to Country mean. 

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This National Reconciliation Week, let's all Be Brave. Make Change!

God bless and take care,  

Sue Heffernan
Assistant Principal