02 Apr 2014
Warnervale turns orange!
Harmony Day is celebrated by school students across Australia in March each year. On Friday, March 21 students, parents and community members of Warnervale Public School, enjoyed an exciting day of multicultural experiences to promote understanding and tolerance of other cultures. Ms Jill Carter, Warnervale's principal, was particularly enthusiastic about reinforcing the main message of Harmony Day. "Harmony Day signifies ‘Everyone Belongs', which means all Australians are a welcome part of our country, regardless of their background. It's a time to reflect on where Australia has come from, recognising the traditional owners of this land. It's wonderful to see the orange buzz about the school .. the community participation, inclusiveness and respect – celebrating the different cultures that make Australia and Warnervale a great place to live."
Since the latter months of last year, Tricia Carlson from the Warnervale Family and Community Centre has worked hand in hand with Warnervale Public School staff and community volunteers to make this a special, yet educational day for students. Sponsors, Wyong Council and Northern Settlement Services, contributed funds to help pay for a wide range of experiences including Greek cooking, African drumming, Indonesian bamboo dancing, Australian puppet making, Aboriginal Craft, Chinese calligraphy, South American worry dolls and International soccer.
Students were divided into groups and rotated around 5 different activities which included cooking, dance and craft activities and lasted about 40 minutes each. When asked what her favourite group was, Bronte said "Hmmm … all of them!"
The colour representing Harmony Day is orange and a special menu, with ‘orange meal options', was available from the canteen on the day and families were welcome to spend time with their children, not only sharing the lunch break but also joining the assembly and day's activities. The Harmony Day assembly with multicultural dance performances was held in the hall and featured a Welcome to Country by a member of the Aboriginal community and a wonderful performance by Wadalba Community School's cultural group.
Jordan said he enjoyed the Aboriginal Art activity the best although really just loved "basically everything". He summed up the day as "a day where we celebrated everyone's country and culture".
Wadalba Cultural Group