Page 21 - The Song Room 2020 Year in Review

WHAT WE SAW IN 2020
COMPASSION AND CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTION At Bankstown North Public School in New South Wales 94% of students
come from a non-English speaking background.
What I liked best about The Song Room classes was that everyone was treated equally”.
YEAR 5 STUDENT, BANKSTOWN NORTH PRIMARY SCHOOL NSW
Each year students are given the opportunity to connect through participation with the Deadly Arts program. Students are taught about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, the world’s oldest living continuous culture, to help them reflect on history, identity and Country.
Through weekly Dance, Visual Arts and Music sessions, students build empathy and respect for each other and in doing so they become part of
a connected learning environment. Regardless of their background, they feel that they belong and can engage positively in the school community.
To extend the program in 2020, Jason Douglas from the Kubi-Kibi people and Trevor Eastwood from Ngamba people led a Creative Community Project at the school, which is one of three schools funded by The Smith Family in Bankstown.
The team provided workshops to groups of students and teachers across the school, sharing stories and showing artefacts that the students were able to interact with. The teachers raved that they were the best cultural learning sessions they had experienced. Everyone, including the Principal, teachers, staff and students, then came together to complete a school mural.
Jason and Trevor worked closely with Years 5 and 6, teaching them about Aboriginal symbols and their
meaning, and then guiding them to create their own canvasses.
The Deadly Arts program is experiential so students are given alternative ways of connecting with learning. One student who usually had difficulty concentrating, and did not often connect with tasks at school, was captivated and produced an outstanding artwork. The artworks produced are on permanent display at the school.
Jason is passionate about his culture and he loves having the opportunity to pass on this knowledge to others. He said that although the majority of students came from a non-English speaking backgrounds, they engaged 100% with the learning and teaching, and they also had opportunities to share stories about
their own families’ culture.
Deadly Arts has helped make children
and staff more aware of First Nations perspectives and has been part of the journey of embedding cultural learning across the school. The program drew on intercultural skills to engage and empower the school community, helping to build well-being, resilience and connection through their shared Arts Learning experiences.
BANKSTOWN NORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL NSW
IMAGE: THE SONG ROOM
THE SONG ROOM: 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW 21