Indigenous Education

Indigenous Education

St Benedict’s Catholic School acknowledges the Wulgurukaba land on which our community stands, and the nearby Bindal traditional lands on the other side of the Ross River.  Once a meeting place of elders past, it continues to be a meeting place for our present and emerging leaders.

We are committed to providing opportunities for students and families who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to celebrate and continue to develop their own cultural identities as well as supporting them in their educational journey.  Our Indigenous Education Teacher works closely with teachers to complete a ‘Nalga Dhanbul’ ('child story' in Wulgurukaba language) document for each child, which helps teachers gain a greater understanding of who the students are, their background and how they can be further supported in the classroom.  We also set up meetings with our community throughout the year to further develop relationships to support our students.  

St Benedict’s also collaborates on projects that visibly and authentically embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures into our learning programs and physical environment.  Our curriculum across all year levels ensures that students are provided with opportunities to build their knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, within and beyond the classroom to enact reconciliation within our community.

n 2022, after collaboration with our school community, St Benedict's was able to publish its Reconciliation Action Plan through Narragunnawali (Reconciliation in Education). This document outlines our vision for Reconciliation and describes how we are inspired to journey together towards reconciliation as one nation. It also describes our commitment to building deep interpersonal relationships and partnerships, in order to enact varied actions of reconciliation within our community.