Year 9

Connect to Country at The Midawarr Camp Incursion   

Yr 9 have had the privilege and opportunity this week to immerse themselves in the much anticipated Midawarr Camp. On the first day of the camp, Yr 9 were treated to a moving, spiritual Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, led by Uncle Ray, an elder from the Aurora Nation. Smoking ceremonies are an ancient custom among Indigenous Australians in which native plants are burnt to produce smoke and acknowledge the ancestors and pay respect to the land, waters and sea of the country. The smoke is believed to have healing and cleansing properties. It was a privilege for our Year 9 students to be part of such a significant cultural event that connected the Indigenous community with our Redlands community to country.

On day 1, students connected and had meaningful conversations via Zoom with Yolngu people in north-eastern Arnhem Land to discuss the laws and customs of Yolngu culture with the assistance of their Tutor and Culture College supervisor. Students have also had immersive, practical opportunities to connect with the Yolngu culture by participating in Gawura activities which involved Dance, ochre painting and learning about hunting tools, along with Yolngu Matha – Communication and Sign Language. 

The students had to write their own Acknowledgement of Country which gave them an opportunity to show respect for Traditional Owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country.

“We would like to offer our complete respect and gratitude to the traditional custodians of Country in which we meet today. May we recognise our past failures and work together to reconcile.” – Patrick Walker and Lily Swift

“Thank you for welcoming me and the rest of my community to your Country. We are appreciative of all of your resources and services which your land provides us with and we will treat it as you treat it. We also recognise that your ancestors have been the traditional owners of the land and have been for thousands of years. Thank you for also letting us bring our own culture and traditions. Thank you for welcoming us to the Country.”  – Jamieson Houchell

On day 2, Yr 9 participated in Djalkirri Rom – learning about Yolngu lore and customs. They also had the opportunity to expand their taste buds through tasting Kangaroo and damper, fresh from a fire pit in the Koomurri bush tucker activities.

“Today we looked into and learned the sign language and simple phrases in the Yolngu language, which was very interesting. We got to speak to our mentors, and learned how to pronounce phrases such as ‘yo nhe yaku’, which means what is your name, and learned how to use sign language to say family titles and the names of different animals. It was a really interesting experience that we were so lucky to partake in.” – Lily Hobbs

Yr 9 have proven their maturity this week through their sensitivity and cultural understanding of Indigenous culture which is a reflection of their commitment to the Midawarr Camp. 

Highlights from days 3 and 4 will be in next week’s Note Day.

Canteen Update – Reminder

As you have been made aware, we have commenced online ordering in the Senior Campus Canteen this year and we are strongly encouraging students to use this system for purchasing food in the Canteen for the remainder of this term. 

From the beginning of Term 1 2021 we will be moving to a more complete pre-order system in the Secondary School. This will mean that if students want to purchase a hot or pre-prepared meal for Recess or Lunch, they will have to use the online purchasing system, Flexischools. While there will still be some snacks available for students to purchase in person at Recess and Lunch, the majority of meals will only be available for students to pre-order via Flexischools.

This arrangement will allow for:

• a more extensive menu for students to choose from
• certainty for students that meals will be available for them to pick up in the Canteen
• less wastage of food in the Canteen

Many parents would be currently using this arrangement in the Junior School which has had positive feedback.

CANTEEN ORDERING – FLEXISCHOOLS

Parents and carers can create a Flexischools account for their family and link a credit card and student number to the account. Students can submit orders up until 8.30am to ensure they are available for them to pick up at Recess or Lunch. We would encourage all students and parents to create an account and start using Flexischools this term to ensure they are fully prepared for this change next year. More details regarding online Canteen ordering are available on Redlands Pulse. 

Mr Nicholas Walker
Acting Yr 9 Advisor
nwalker@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9909 3133