Koori Korner

We have had so many exciting things happening with our students in the last week. PCYC Fit Together program has seen a group of our boys going out on Country in Jervis Bay learning from Aunty Dierdre about bush tucker and bush medicine.

Our Bonaan Yandadul girls did an amazing performance at the Investiture assembly where our Hudson Fishlock, newly appointed Prefect delivered a deadly Acknowledgement of Country.

Finally we also saw a number of our students proudly receive their Principal Awards. Congratulations to these well deserving students!

Walawaani you mob! We hope you had a deadly holidays and are ready to get back into it!

This term Homework Centre will be continuing on a Tuesday afternoon in the library!

Aboriginal Dance with Ms Grady will be returning on Thursdays Session 1 in N1 for both A and B weeks.

Koori Korner News

Firstly, we are so proud of Hudson Fishlock in gaining himself a spot as an Ulladulla High School Year 12 Prefect! He has worked so hard for this position, and we know he is going to be a fantastic role model in our school.

Our Dance group, Bunaan Yandabal had a deadly first practice last Thursday to kick off Term 3. The girls are working on developing a new piece of work showing how they Get up, Stand up, and Show up in preparation for our NAIDOC Assembly in Week 9.

Reminder: Homework Centre runs each Tuesday afternoon in the Library. Erica our AEO will be there along with Maths tutor Mr Leydon for support with any of your class work or assignments.

Special mention to Cabrogal Women Maya Kelly in Year 10 who went on a Culture Writing and Poetry Camp in the school holidays with Waminda and wrote this beautiful poem about her journey of Aboriginality.

I lay awake, miles of skin

cling wrap

hiding what longs to dance under my flesh

A body in which I am still unfamiliar with

I'm Lost

Engulfed in linen patterned with flowers

sun coloured pillows support my thoughts

Thoughts not heard

by the outside world

They can’t hear

If I have no mouth

No voice

Disconnection

Country

Culture

That longing unsatisfied

I lay in flowers

silence.

Held captive by my skin stripped of colour

Hoping that when I fall

our mother will catch me

Hoping

While in her embrace

I find connection

connection to a culture that is so deeply

etched into my veins

Hoping that when I fall

our ancestors will hold me.

Monday 27 June, our dance group Bunaan Yandabal had the privilege of performing at the Far South Coast Dance Festival. Bahlie Smith and Adannaya Ekeson proudly delivered a beautiful Acknowlegement of Country followed by Bunaan Yandabul opening the festival with ‘Inspried Totems’. This piece was inspired by Bangarra’s 2021 secondary schools workshop ‘Totems’. With the help of the incredible Mrs Amanda Grady, Bunaan Yandabal manipulated movement to tell stories from their local community and their personal connections to Country.

NAIDOC 2022

Outstanding performances by Miribi Bunbal at Milton Public and Ulladulla Public NAIDOC assemblies. Miribi Bunbal had all of the primary students clapping along, dancing and sitting with eyes closed feeling the music all within the same performance! At Milton Public School Ms Bunyan interviewed Maya Kelly and Hudson Fishlock on the theme of NAIDOC this year 'Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up' and how they do this for their culture!

We are so proud of all our students who have ‘Shown Up’ for their culture these past couple of weeks to make these incredible opportunities happen!

We are so fortunate to have Mrs Grady and Mr Richardson at our school teaching our didge and dance groups. If you would like to be a part of either of these in Term 3 please come and see Erica in the Gunya room to pop your name down.

Have a great Term 3.

This week we had a deadly 2 days down in Batemans Bay at the UOW Campus participating in cultural activities and having yarns with local Elders and First Nations academics. Our students had an awesome time learning how to make rope, fishing nets and learning salt water peoples dances of the Budjan (Bird). Thanks for having us UOW.

We are so proud of Hudson Fishlock, Year 11 proud Awabakal man who is running for school captain in 2023. Hudson you are already such a fantastic role model and mentor to our First Nations students and we wish you the best of luck!

This week we were lucky enough to have the deadly team from Woolyungah Indigenous Centre at the University of Wollongong down to speak with our kids about future pathways into university. First Nations Years 7 & 8 students got to make slime and discuss what they might like to do when they’re older and if they might be considering university. While Years 10 – 12 had the opportunity to learn about UOW’s Indigenous Admissions Program and also have a Q&A with current UOW First Nations students. Applications for the IAP close next Friday the 17^th, please see Erica for details.

Homework Centre Reminder!

Each Tuesday afternoon in the Library Erica and other teachers/tutors are available to help with any assessments or assignments you have coming up or even just for a chat. Come and join us! Afternoon Tea provided.

Our Didge and Dance groups are doing some really special things at the moment. The dance group is working on a piece for the upcoming Far South Coast Dance Festival while the Didge boys are having some deadly rehearsals leading up to our local school’s NAIDOC Week.

Quote from one of our Didge Boys during their last session;

I love being in the bush

It's where I find my calm

The silence is so loud

but so good

3rd June Mabo Day

Mabo Day is marked annually on 3 June and marks the end of National Reconciliation Week. It commemorates Eddie Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal concept of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no-one’ in Australia. It was also from the success of the Mabo Case that the 'Native Title Act' was passed in 1993 which established a framework for native title claims for First Nations people.

8th June My Future Matters Program

On Wednesday the 8th UOW are coming to run My Future Matters for all of our First Nations students. Years 7-8 will be in session 2 and Years 10-12 session 3. Please return your permission notes to the office or Gunya Room as soon as possible.

May 26^th National Sorry Day

Every year on the 26th of May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’.

May 27^th – 3^rd June Reconciliation Week

This year the National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme is “Be Brave. Make Change.” This is a call to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

Mr Richardson had an awesome turn out for Didge practice this week!

The boys played out of the cultural garden and worked on some new skills together. If you would like to join our Didge or Dance groups at school please see Erica or Mr Richardson.

IMPORTANT DATES

26/5 - National Sorry Day Sorry day acknowledges and raises awareness of the history and continued trauma of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for their families, communities and culture. These people are Stolen Generation,

27/5 - 3/6 Reconciliation Week

The theme of this year’s Reconciliation Week is ‘Be Brave, Make Change’. This 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.

AECG Meeting

The Term 2 AECG Meeting is this Wednesday the 18^th at Budawang School 6pm. All parents and community members are welcome to attend.

Waminda Health Visits

Unfortunately, our Waminda 715 Health Checks have been postponed until next term. For more information contact Erica.

Reminder about Homework Centre

Homework Centre next Tuesday is on! Erica will be at Coolendel and Vince will be available to assist with any of your class work.

Late last year our dance group Boonaan had the pleasure of working with Bangarra on another awesome project in place of Schools Spectacular that was Covid cancelled, Schools Spectacular - Inspired. This project saw us learning choreography over zoom sessions with the Bangarra team and with other schools in the state. Our component of the choreography was Guya - Fish, so we felt it fitting to film the girls down at our beautiful harbour. This footage was then sent to Bangarra's editing team to be blended with the other school's pieces to create 2 final films. You can view his moving piece via the links below. Film 1 Ngurambang Film 2 Bandalang

https://tinyurl.com/2p8pscty. Then also our whole performance showcase "Ulladulla High School" at the bottom of the page.

Waminda Health Checks

Tomorrow, 10 May we will be having our 715

Health Checks resuming for 2022, these will be taking place weekly. Please return all Waminda consent forms to Erica in the Gunya room as soon as possible.

Homework Centre is back for Term 2!

Each Tuesday afternoon in the library from 3:15 for assistance with any class work, exam prep or assignments.

Walawaani njindiwan,

It was a huge Term 1! We are so happy to have our 18 new Year 7 First Nations students settled in. We have our Didge and Dance groups up and running and our Homework Centre each Tuesday afternoon.

Last term definitely came with it’s challenges though I’m so proud of how each of you have held yourselves together and pushed though floods, covid and isolations. I hope you all had a great break and are ready for Term 2. Erica

Walawaani!

Unfortunately our King Stingray workshop for our Didge boys had been cancelled by the event organisers due to the bad weather in Wollongong and the band is headed back to North East Arnhem Land. We are hoping this will be a rescheduled event and we can take the boys up in the near future.

All First Nation’s Year 9 & 10 students please check your emails for a PLP questionnaire sent from Mr Barry.

Wishing you all a safe break and see you Wednesday 27 April ready for an action packed Term 2.

We have made a strong start to 2022 with a powerful, culturally driven meeting taking place in the UHS Aboriginal Garden on Monday. Students were invited to join Sharon Bunyan, Erica East, Chae Moloney, Alumni D’arcy Macguire and Amanda Grady to launch our 2022 First Nations Dance Group. Cultural protocols, intentions and expectations, plans and potential performances were discussed along with the sharing of each individual’s role, story and journey. Students from Year 7 through to Year 11 participated in a cultural practice and protocols experience. Rehearsals/meetings start next week developing performances/works for Reconciliation Week, then moving onto NAIDOC work development. This year looks to be very exciting and culturally focused with the intention of building connections to culture and shared experiences through movement and dance. Watch this space.

AECG Meeting

This Wednesday the 16 March we have our first AECG meeting for the year. We encourage all our parents and caregivers to join us and have a voice in our children’s education. The meeting will be held at Ulladulla Public School at 6:00pm supper will be provided. Please call Erica for further details.

Homework Centre

Aboriginal Homework Centre will be on again this Tuesday in the Library from 3pm-5pm. All Welcome

First Nations homework Centre is running on Tuesday afternoons in the Library. Come along for teacher support, help with assignments, organisational skills, resumes and learning goals. 3.05 –5.00pm

ALL WELCOME

Reminder: Anyone wanting to join Boonan (dance group) please see Mrs Grady, Didge Group - Miribi Bunbal Mr Richardson. You can also see Erica

Pretty Patch at a glimpse

Yr 12 Aboriginal studies class along with Yr 12 Society and Culture were invited by Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Lands Council to a special smoking ceremony for a mural that is being painted by Transport NSW to commemorate Aboriginal Histories and Cultures. Thanks to Uncle Owen Carriage and Bindarray Jiibiny.

Walawaani to all of our First Nations students returning for 2022 and a big welcome to all of our Year 7’s starting at UHS! The Ochre Team are looking forward to meeting you all and working with you as we explore our culture throughout the year together.

Keep your eyes posted on the Koori Korner each week to keep up to date with programs happening around the school.

A great time was had by all at the final filming for the Spectacular schools inspired –’totems project’. The girls have been rehearsing for the past two weeks to perform a component of the overall piece of work. Thank you to Bangarra who facilitated these rehearsals via zoom to teach them the choreography for this year’s spectacular.

You’re invited to a virtual event

Film premiere: ‘Cultural Burning for Resilience’

Wednesday 8 December, 2022, 2:00-3:00pm ‘Cultural Burning for Resilience’ is an Aboriginal-led community project, supported by the Ulladulla Local Aboriginal Land Council, University of Wollongong’s Global Challenges Program and Treading Lightly Inc. The community project brings together Aboriginal high school students with Yuin Elders and Cultural Land Management Practitioners from the South Coast to learn about good fire, bad fire, and Connection to Country. This beautifully edited and compelling short film demonstrates the power of hands and enquiry-based learning that celebrates cultural fire knowledge. All our school community is invited to watch this online event. To register head to: https://tinyurl.com/2p8sw98k

Waminda visit

We are happy to be welcoming the lovely Haley Calford from Waminda back into the school. Haley coordinates the Mirrial Bulwul, a wellbeing program for our First Nation students at Ulladulla High School. Our students are excited to be working with Haley in these programs in the near future.

Homework Centre

Tuesday afternoons 3.05pm to 4.45pm, Q20

Afternoon tea provided

Bangarra Dance Company

Starting 30 November, Bangarra Dance Company will once again host online dance workshops for males and females. The workshops which will run over 4 sessions will be a component of the Schools Spectacular.

See Ms Grady or Erica to put your name down.

A great afternoon was had last Tuesday at our welcome back /reconnection BBQ. Lots of laughs as we chatted about how good it was to be back at school. Thank you Tarlia and Kira for cooking the BBQ.

REMINDER

Homework Centre is on!

Q20 - Tuesday 3.15-4.30pm

ALL WELCOME

Walawaani and welcome to Term 4 you mob!

Only a couple more weeks until we can see each other face to face at school and I am so excited to catch up with you all! In the meantime, remember to keep in contact with your teachers, get outside and check in with your fam. This is nearly over!!

Stay deadly my people…. Erica

A big thank you to Ngaire East and Shane Snelson for taking time to teach our kids to weave and paint over zoom as part of our online NAIDOC Week activities.

NAIDOC Week 2021 “Heal Country”

This year’s theme for NAIDOC Week is Heal Country. This film was created in collaboration with community to share experiences of connection to Country. For our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Country is more than just a place, Country is who we are, it is inside us. It is vital for all individuals to spend time on Country, take time to appreciate Country and learn how to look after the Country they live, work and play on. While this year we can’t all be together due to the current global climate it is important that we call connect through our Mother Earth. View the film at the link below

https://tinyurl.com/3xz82njh

NAIDOC Week 2021

As we know NAIDOC Week is this week. During NADIOC Week we are so excited to be offering our students the chance to participate in two online art classes. We have Shane Snelson conducting an online Art class and Naigre East conducting an Aboriginal Weaving class. Days and times to be confirmed. The sessions will go for half an hour each. If interested, please complete the link for each course below so your packs can be sent out before the classes start. Yes you can do both!

Art class tinyurl.com/4v25tvv8

Weaving class tinyurl.com/3r8uc9a8

Virtual Aboriginal Homework Centre via Teams

Tuesday 3.05pm-4.15pm

Students have been added to the Team. If you have not been added please email Erica.

NAIDOC Week 2021

As we know NAIDOC Week is next week. During NADIOC Week we are so excited to be offering our students the chance to participate in two online art classes. We have Shane Snelson conducting an online Art class and Naigre East conducting an Aboriginal Weaving class. Days and times to be confirmed. The sessions will go for half an hour each. If interested, please complete the link for each course below so your packs can be sent out before the classes start. Yes you can do both!

Art class

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16CG0BDQqwSk9zVo8CawoL5CB9CE1U3gUZW36MdLuCh0/edit

Weaving

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oBkINsog590TFAbYeLuRrsrFDnEA-SMinOBFPvjU9ck/edit

Nekaya Carpenter, Emma Ashby and Dr Ana Ramos from Waminda are back at school completing health checks for our First Nations students. These checks are taking place every Wednesday in a confidential environment. If you need a new Waminda registration form please see Erica in the Gunya room.

Waminda visit

We are so thankful to be able to have Waminda back into the school to be completing First Nations students free Health Checks. Each student, with parent/guardian permission, has the opportunity to speak with an Aboriginal Health Worker followed by an appointment with a GP all held inside the school. If you have not yet been seen and would like to, please see Erica in the Gunya room to receive a registration and consent form. Waminda is an external agency providing women and their Aboriginal families an opportunity to belong and receive quality health and well-being support. UHS is very lucky to collaborate with Waminda.

AECG Meeting

Our Term 3 AECG meeting is happening Wednesday 18 August 6pm at Milton Public School. The NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. is a non for profit Aboriginal organisation that provides advice on all matters relevant to education and training with the mandate that this advice represents the Aboriginal community viewpoint. Wandarma AECG works closely with the school community to support both our children and staff to achieve. All parents, guardians and community members are encouraged to attend. For more information, please contact Shane Snelson (Secretary) aecgwandarma@gmail.com or Natasha Mooney (President) natasha.mooney@det.nsw.edu.au

Dates to remember

Friday 30/8 - WebChoice opens for your subject selections for Yr 9&11 2022/23. If you are still unsure of your choices or wanted to chat about them see Erica in the Gunya Room.

NAIDOC week ceremony will take place Week 9. The didge and dance group will be performing. If you think you may like to join these groups please see Erica, Mr Richardson or Mrs Grady.

Homework Centre Q20

Tuesday 3.15pm-4.30pm

All Aboriginal students are encouraged to attend. Afternoon tea provided. Get help with your upcoming assessment tasks or simply complete your homework.

Yr 10 Transition Breakfast Tuesday 27 July 8.30-9.15am downstairs in the TLS. Please come straight in when your bus arrives.

Milton Public School NAIDOC assembly

Our didge boys Mirin Bunbal were invited to perform at Milton Public School Wednesday of last term as a part of their NAIDOC Week Assembly. Hudson Fishlock, Richard Howell, Chase Stewart, Jake Mines and Kane Watson performed an awesome piece for the whole school and their guests from the local community. Our Didge group meet for practice each Thursday, see Mr Richardson or Erica East if you would like to be part of this group. Well done boys!

Ms East

Our Youth mentor program hosted by the AMS was held at the Dunn Lewis Centre last Friday. Our lucky students were taught traditional Aboriginal art by Shane Snelson. This program is run over two weeks, and this Friday the students will finish their art and get to take it home.

23 June our Didge boys will be playing at the NAIDOC assembly at Milton Public School. Full school uniform to be worn

Connecting to Culture - Cultural Burn Camp

Last Tuesday 2 June to Thursday 4 June, 5 Aboriginal students from UHS participated in a two night cultural camp to Burrill Pines. Students from Batemans Bay High, Bomaderry High and Nowra High also attended. The main aim of the camp was to distinguish the importance in cultural burn in comparison to a regular hazard reduction burn that the RFS conduct.

The Cultural Burn was held at the Ulladulla Aboriginal Lands Council site in Narrawallee. Uncle Vic, Uncle Nook, Uncle Paul and Shane Snelson, were there to introduce the students to the traditional fire practices and to teach them the correct ways to conduct these fires. During the camp the students participated in a variety of cultural activities including traditional tool making, weaving, painting and learning dances which were performed in a Corrobboree on the final evening. The entire camp was filmed as a part of a cultural burn research assignment through Wollongong University. We look forward to viewing the final production in the coming weeks. Thank you to Ms Mooney and Erica for facilitating such a great camp.

Acknowledgment of Country Workshop

We are excited to be working collaboratively with students from Ulladulla Public School tomorrow as some of our young leaders attend an Acknowledgement of Country Workshop with Uncle Tommy Butler from Mogo.

AMS Excursion

Last Friday we took 6 students out to Lake Conjola as a part of our weekly Youth Aboriginal Mentor Program Excursion. The students had an awesome afternoon fishing together, playing cricket and having yarns to the support workers running the program from South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corp (AMS). This excursion is run every Friday afternoon, taking a small group of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids to do various cultural activities around the local area.

National Sorry Day

Observed annually on May 26th, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as The Stolen Generations. National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and the intergenerational trauma this has caused on our nation.

Waminda Programs

Mirriral Bulwul Program

Waminda have started a program called Mirriral Bulwul Program - "Strong Spirit". In this program Hayley Calford, Youth Social and Emotional Wellbeing Worker along with other support workers volunteer their time in school to run small groups with students to share stories, discuss suicide prevention and any issues directly affecting our youth. Waminda is an external agency that volunteers their time to work with our Aboriginal students.

Bulwul Balaang Youth Program

Waminda's youth team have created a program called Bulwul Balaang - Bulwul meaning (strong) and Balaang meaning (girl/woman). This is a program created to help build young strong, resilient women, help create pathways and opportunities for our future leaders and also to build on foundations of confidence, courage and cultural enrichment. This program will be held once a term involving a 2 hour session. Keep an eye out for more details.

Homework Centre - Tuesday 3.15pm - 4.30pm

Calling all senior students! Year 12 Trials are quickly approaching and it would be wonderful to get our Year 12 Koori students consistently attending The Homework Centre every Tuesday afternoon to be better prepared for exams. We have teachers qualified in a range of subjects who are there to help you with content revision and give you organisational and study strategies. This would also be a great time to see our Year 11 crew start attending also.

Homework Centre

Calling all senior students! Year 12 Trials are quickly approaching Week One and Two of next term, as such, it would be wonderful to get our Year 12 Koori students consistently attending The Homework Centre every Tuesday afternoon to be better prepared for exams. We have teachers qualified in a range of subjects who are there to help you with content revision and give you organisational and study strategies. This would also be a great time to see our Year 11 crew start attending also. Your final year is just around the corner and it's essential that you build an effective study routine early to prepare for the demands of the HSC.

AECG Meeting

Our local AECG meeting is taking place this Wednesday 19th May at Budawang School. We have a 6pm start for dinner with the meeting to commence at 6.30. We encourage parents to attend!

Weekly Meetings for Aboriginal students

One a fortnight there is a breakfast and catch up for students with the Aboriginal Education Team. At this catch-up you will get information about upcoming opportunities, programs and get organised for your day.

Monday Week A - Years 10-12 - Gunya Room

Monday Week B - Years 7-9 - Gunya Room

MORE THAN A WORD. RECONCILIATION TAKES ACTION

Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To our new supporters, please remember the importance of privileging and amplifying First Nations’ voices as you add your voice to calls for reconciliation and justice.

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

2021 marks twenty years of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of Australia’s formal reconciliation process. Find out more about national reconciliation Week nrw.reconciliation.org.au/about-nrw/

#MoreThanAWord #NRW2021

Youth Aboriginal Mentoring Program

What a great day out 10 students had at the end of last Term. AMS put on a Youth Aboriginal Mentoring Program. They took these 10 students to the Aboriginal Caves at Burrill Lake and later made clap sticks, played some activities and had lunch together. It was a great opportunity for students to connect with their Aboriginal Culture. Everyone enjoyed the day.

Health checks

Thank you to Waminda who conducted health checks to our Indigenous students last term. This is part of “closing the gap” initiative that ensures the health of our young people. Waminda will be doing health checks again this term for those who missed out. If you need a note please see Ms Mooney

Weekly Meetings for Aboriginal students

Every week Aboriginal students will attend a breakfast and catch up with Aboriginal Education Team staff. There you will have the opportunity to get information about upcoming opportunities, programs and get organised for your day.

Monday Week A - Yrs 10-12 - Gunya Room 9.10-9.30am

Monday Week B - Yrs 7-9 - Gunya Room 9.10-9.30am

Homework Centre reminder

Our school proudly runs the Aboriginal Homework Centre every Tuesday during school term. This is an opportunity for students to catch up on work, receive assistance in completing assignments as well as catching up with friends. If you need a lift home, this can be arranged.