Parkside Primary’s Journey to Reconciliation
In 2021, we welcomed Jack Buckskin back to translate our own Parkside Primary Acknowledgement to Country, created by students of M1, M5, D2 and D1 into Kaurna language. Jack visited in Term 4 and taught us about the importance of acknowledging country. We all went off diligently and brainstormed in our own classes. Students wrote detailed and heartfelt acknowledgements which their teachers then helped to blend into one. We sent this off to Jack and he spent time translating this into Kaurna.
This was a fulfilling process where we were able to see our words come to life and articulate it in a way we’ve never heard before. Students were proud, engaged and motivated to learn each sentence through dedicated repetition, and they look forward to continuing to learn to build their fluency with ongoing practise. It is our goal by the end of 2022 to have students at Parkside fluently speak in Kaurna to deliver the Acknowledgement to Country at special events. We would like to thank Jack Buckskin for helping us on our journey to achieving one of our school’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) goals. Here is our Acknowledgement, written in both Kaurna and English.
Acknowledgement to Country
We at Parkside Primary School recognise the Kaurna people as our generous hosts. As guests, we know that our school on the Adelaide plains, always was and always will be Kaurna land. We understand the Kaurna people’s connection to country still lasts today.
We see and appreciate the traditional owners who show strength in keeping culture safe and alive, and we work together to show respect for the cultural spirits that live here.
Now and forever, we learn from the people before us that country is our heart, and we should only take what we need. We keep the land healthy and watch it flourish.
Another one of our achievements this year towards our RAP goals has been the process of successfully receiving grant money to plant our very own bush tucker garden. Here is an update from our Mitchell 2 teacher, Lillie Sellentin:
“We were successful with our application for a 2021 Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant for our project – “planting a bush tucker garden”.
“Mitchell 2 students and some parent volunteers participated in planting native bush tucker plants to increase the biodiversity and cultural experience of our Kitchen Garden. This project enables students with the opportunity to have conversations to learn more about our native Australian bush tucker and Aboriginal culture.
“Parkside Primary School is one of 1,609 primary schools and early learning centres throughout Australia receiving a Woolworths Junior Landcare grant to help grow our next generation of environmental champions.
“The grants are being funded with a 10c contribution from each sale of the Woolworths Bag for Good at full price, which was launched in 2018 when Woolworths went single-use plastic bag free.
“The children and teachers are looking forward to working and learning from this project and we’ll keep you updated on the results.”
We also thank and acknowledge Lillie Foenander and parent volunteers for their dedicated work in the Kitchen Garden.
Lastly, our RAP team should also be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication in supporting the school community to make progress on Parkside’s RAP. The team have worked hard towards many achievements this year and aim to continue this process into next year. As always, we welcome support from any community members with our journey.
Jenna Krinas
Deputy Principal
Parkside Primary School
We at Parkside Primary School recognise the Kaurna people as our generous hosts. As guests, we know that our school on the Adelaide plains always was and always will be Kaurna land.
We understand the Kaurna people’s connection to Country still lasts today. We see and appreciate the traditional owners who show strength in keeping culture safe and alive, and we work together to show respect for the cultural spirits that live here.
Now and forever, we learn from the people before us that Country is our heart, and we should only take what we need. We keep the land healthy and watch it flourish.
