The artwork that was submitted in the Koori Curriculum Acknowledgement of Country Competition 2022 was, at the time, still in progress. We have since amended the wording in consultation with Aboriginal community members. The Acknowledgement of Country has been developed into a painting and posters that have been displayed around the school, and IGS staff have the Acknowledgement of Country included in their email signatures.
“At International Grammar School, we are committed to privileging First Nations voices through incorporating the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People into all areas of our learning,” said IGS Coordinator of Indigenous Partnerships Lucy Howard-Shibuya.
“This starts in our Early Learning Centre where our staff keenly engage with First Nations culture, teaching kids using authentic First Nations resources in music, stories, art and language.”
“Our Early Learning educators through consultation with the community have incorporated local language into a totem structure for class groups.
“A poster was also designed and painted on Gadigal Country by our Aboriginal students with the support of Wiradjuri artist Bianca Caldwell.”
The children in Early Learning recently enjoyed creating a shorter version of the poster which reads “This is our pre-school, there is the sky, we sit on Gadigal land and here am I. We thank the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People for looking after our land for thousands and thousands of years”.
“We are so proud of this painting as it is a strong symbol in our community that we value and respect First Nations Perspectives and are incorporating them into our classrooms from the age of three when they start their IGS education,” Lucy said.
You can vote online here. Voting closes on 11 February.
