New School Logo
Mosman Park Staff Supporting our Reconciliation Action Plan and new school logo
Mosman Park Primary School is a school of around 450 students from Kindergarten to Year 6. We are privileged to be on Whadjuk Noongar country. In recent years, we have been focused on upskilling staff on Aboriginal culture and on further developing relationships with Aboriginal families. In 2021, the hard work of staff was acknowledged by being one of only three schools nationally to be announced as finalists in the 2021 Biennial Narragunnawali Awards which celebrate the work of schools in fostering greater knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. Finalists are acknowledged for strengthening relationships, building respect and providing meaningful opportunities in the classroom, around the school or service, and with the community.
The Reconciliation Action Plan (started in late 2019 and consisting of Aboriginal parents, some staff, the Mayor, and a local Elder in the working party) and Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework have enabled the school to be more inclusive: a place that has a much greater awareness of the full history and the culture of our area and is strategic and focused on our Reconciliation agenda. All Mosman Park students are now engaged with, and excited by, their knowledge of Aboriginal culture and history. Our 2021 NAIDOC celebration was the biggest and best yet – with art activities, sustainability opportunities, a smoking ceremony, a Welcome to Country, assembly, guest presenters, songs, storytelling, quizzes and treasure hunts (to find the Noongar signs around the school); and every student was able to screen print a t-shirt or bandana with a Mosman Park NAIDOC 2021 design and wear that on the last day of the week. Our P&C and school board have been very supportive of all these initiatives, and our Aboriginal families have run activities and worked with us every step of the way to make the event as authentic and as big a celebration of culture as possible.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan vision at Mosman Park Primary School is to:
LISTEN - For the benefit of all; to celebrate, embrace and take pride in the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and stories.
LEARN - By acknowledging past wrongs and move forward; deepening our understanding and valuing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, heritage and connection to Country/Land.
LEAD - Through the creation of opportunities for respectful and equitable cultural partnerships within our community and beyond, by embedding knowledge of our Noongar geography, culture and language.
TRUTH, JUSTICE, HEALING.
At Mosman Park PS, the RAP vision has since translated into a new school motto and logo: championing the skills to Listen, Learn and Lead, and with a logo design by a local Aboriginal artist which uses Aboriginal design concepts. We have chosen an Aboriginal-inspired design to represent the country we are living on and to acknowledge our commitment to Reconciliation and moving forward together (Danjoo Kooliny). We have further developed these words to explore how they would impact our school.
LISTEN: Out of mutual respect, we take the time to deeply, mindfully and actively listen to learn from one another. (dadirri – inner deep listening and quiet).
LEARN: As life-long learners, we strive towards achieving our personal best, actively participate in our own learning and support that of others to engage deeply with the world: inquiring, thinking critically and creatively.
LEAD: We recognise that leadership comes in many forms and that, together, we can play our part in creating a world that is enriching, safe and sustainable.
In 2021, we also discovered that our Stirling House (sporting faction) was named after a former governor who was associated with a massacre of Aboriginal people in Pinjarra. One of our Pre-Primary students queried the rightness of using the name given the massacre. We worked with our student leaders to research a more culturally appropriate name. Our new sporting house is now named after a local Noongar activist, Fanny Balbuk, and that logo was designed by a student through a competition. We taught our students about who she was and what she contributed. When we made these changes we did so with the full agreement of our Parents and Citizens Association as well as our School Board, including the Elder on our School Board, Aunty Freda Ogilvie.
As we move forward, you can expect to see more of our documents, signs, uniforms and website to move over to our new logos.