SJC Indigenous Yarns

Jingi Walla - Hello,

We Welcome back our families from previous years but also a huge Welcome to our new year 7 students and families, also new students and families in other grades.  We hope you all had a wonderful summer break and we are excited for the year ahead at SJC.

It has already been a very busy start to the school year, so we will try and keep this brief.

Hopefully all of your sons and daughters have settled into a new year at SJC and are enjoying the experiences and challenges that that brings.

We will send emails to parents throughout the year to inform you of different activities, celebrations or opportunities that we might have for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, along with reminders and notices of local community events.

Now, we would like to introduce a new member of our Aboriginal and Torres Islander team Mr Bailee Nicholls, below is a message from him:

Hello St Joseph College community.  My name is Bailee Nicholls, I am a Ngemba/Barkindji man from a small country town in the far North-Western NSW region called Brewarrina.  Brewarrina is known for our famous Fish Traps or as known to our local people, Baiames Ngunnhu.  I recently made the move to the Tweed Coast region late April of 2023 and have been living in Fingal Head with family since.  During my time being on the Tweed Coast I’ve learned a lot about the Bundjalung Nation and the differences to my people back home.  I am pleased to be able to work alongside Mrs Lexe Busbridge to not only teach things about my people but also learn a lot more about the Bundjalung Nation.  I look forward to working with your children this year.  If there’s any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you.

We are available Monday to Friday, and can be contacted on the below email lexene.busbridge@lism.catholic.edu.au and Bailee.nicholls@lism.catholic.edu.au please feel free to email any questions or concerns you may have in regard to your son/daughters learning, wellbeing or school operations.

Below are a few urgent matters to draw your attention this week, we ask all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to please read the below information.

Marist Fathers Grant

The Marist Fathers Grant applications are open and the link has been shared with all parents who have applied previously.  Please encourage all high school parents to apply for this funding.  Applications close on 23 February 2024.  Acceptance letters will go out early March and reimbursements will be accepted from the time of the acceptance letters being sent. Please fill out the google form linked here to apply.

Another important opportunity specifically for students in years 10, 11 or 12 is the tutoring program.  This is available to any Indigenous student in these year groups and there are many options as to how this can be accessed so if your child is in any of these grades and you think might benefit from free tutoring please get in contact.

Year 10, 11 & 12 Tutoring

Tutoring nominations are open. Please follow this link.  Nominations close on 23 February (no late applications will be accepted after this date).  Acceptance letters will be sent out in early March.

I will also be meeting with your son/daughter once from Week 5 until the end of term to discuss an action plan for their goals and learning objectives here at St Joey's, these plans only take a short time to complete and it will give us a tailored program of support for your child.

Both myself and the students find this very helpful and is a great chance for me to connect with them and learn more about their educational pathway.

2024 NAIDOC Week

This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee is "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud”.  The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

First Nations communities, registered businesses, schools and local governments are all encouraged to apply for funding to run an activity or event that directly relates to the 2024 NAIDOC theme.

For more information about 2024 NAIDOC Week what the Grants can be used for and how to apply, please follow this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this through and we look forward to hopefully seeing/meeting you all in person soon.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions

Many Thanks

Bugalbeh

Mrs Lexe Busbridge and Mr Bailee Nicholls
St Joseph’s College Indigenous Education Workers