Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2023

More recently, the Uralla Club has hosted breakfast yarning circles with Brisbane Grammar School’s ‘Close the Gap Group’, and members of the Reconciliation Working Group have participated in cultural collaboration workshops hosted by St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace. Staff and students have been inspired by meeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peers from these schools and learning what they are doing to create a more reconciled Australia. While these initiatives are rewarding, genuine and meaningful, it was time to work towards a more holistic, formalised school-wide approach to reconciliation, so that over time, it becomes an intrinsic and authentic part of our School culture and pedagogical practice. In late 2021 a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group was formed to develop the School’s action plan using the Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Schools and Early Learning framework. Specifically designed by Reconciliation Australia for schools and early learning services, this framework aligns with the Australian Curriculum and is used in more than 4600 educational institutions across the country. This formalisation of the School’s commitment to reconciliation allows progress to be measured against specific goals tailored to our School context and community. The BGGS RAP is built upon relationships, respect and opportunity, to ensure reconciliation is embodied and pursued in the classroom and throughout the School. It provides a framework for BGGS to foster more meaningful and reciprocal relationships with First Nations peoples, promote cultural awareness, and embed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross‑curriculum priority.

The first stage of the process, as determined by the Narragunnawali framework, required reflection —the opportunity to understand to what extent we, as a School, currently embed First Nations perspectives into our everyday practices, and what we collectively wanted to achieve with our RAP. Through this reflective process we developed our vision and commitments. This vision reflects the importance of reconciliation to our School community today: Our vision for reconciliation is to foster deep learning and understanding of the history of this continent and the current experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through engaging with, respecting, and valuing the diverse experiences, languages, cultures, and perspectives of First Nations peoples, we enrich our learning community and seek to develop thoughtful, inclusive, and independent learners. — an excerpt from BGGS’ Vision for Reconciliation The RAP Working Group includes teachers, professional staff and students who bring a wealth of experience, skills and ideas to the table. The group is committed to realising a range of current and long-term Actions including engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to bring their voices into learning activities and reconciliation projects, providing opportunities for students to extend their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and building relationships of trust and reciprocity with First Nations community members. The RAP is a whole-School initiative, with all staff, parents, students, and members of the wider community invited to attend our once-per-Term Working Group meetings, and to participate in the implementation of our goals and Actions.

Although in an early stage in our reconciliation journey with much to learn, many actions to take, and relationships to foster, the School has already achieved a number of our identified Actions, including the creation of the BGGS Acknowledgement of Country, displaying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at our Spring Hill campus, and supporting staff with curriculum resources and voluntary cultural competency opportunities. When asked about what reconciliation at BGGS meant to her, Uralla Club member, Nora Li (12R), explained ‘in a place of learning, it is imperative we are educated about and understand our shared history.’ The School’s location on land of exceptional historical and cultural significance offers an incredible opportunity for students to not only learn about and understand that shared history, but to grow into young women guided by strong ethical, intercultural and social awareness. ‘TO ME, RECONCILIATION IS ABOUT EDUCATION. ‘WITH EDUCATION COMES UNDERSTANDING AND WITH UNDERSTANDING COMES TRUTH‑TELLING. AND WHEN THE TRUTHS

OF THE NATION ARE REVEALED THEN THE HEALING CAN BEGIN. ‘ONCE HEALING HAS PLAYED ITS ROLE THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER AS A NATION.’ – CORNEL OZIES - DUGUN, Y A WURU, GOONIY A NDI A ND

J A BIRR J A BIRR M A N FROM THE

KIMBERLEY REGION (CINEM A TOGR A PHER/ DIRECTOR)

CAPTION 3 MEMBERS OF THE BGGS RAP WORKING GROUP, MS ABBY HILLS, URALLA CLUB CAPTAINS, KATIE REID (12E) AND LIZA SHOEBRIDGE (12B), DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR SCHOOL-WIDE PEDAGOGY, MS SUSAN GARSON AND DIRECTOR OF SERVICE, MRS LYNNE MUNGOMERY

3

9

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

GAZETTE • ISSUE 1, 2023 ISSUE 1, 2023