Defence Kids HQ Club

Welcome back Enoggera Defence Families and Enoggera Community to Term 3. I have really enjoyed over the last week hearing about all the wonderful stories and adventures our students had to share from their two-week break.

NAIDOC WEEK – (FOR OUR ELDERS)

Last week in Defence Kids HQ we acknowledged and celebrated the 2023 National NAIDOC week’s theme For Our Elders. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders are a fundamental part of our communities. Our Elders are our wisdom keepers. They have witnessed the many changes, so dramatically incurred in their lifetime. They are the vital bridge between the modern world and Aboriginal culture. NAIDOC week was the perfect opportunity for our Defence children to participate in a range of culturally rich activities and to support and amplify the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As a defence club we achieved this through learning about how our Elders stories have been told through Aboriginal art.

Visual Story-telling (Using symbols to create meaning)

From Dreamtime stories to important stories of survival, and historical events, Aboriginal art gives great significance to the culture. Various tribes can have their own symbols that create meaning specific to them, and by doing so we can learn about the importance of their family and their experiences through the generations. Our defence students were so enthused to paint their symbols to create visual meaning from the rich literature and dreamtime stories we shared.

 

Parental Absences:

Our parental absences have increased since coming back from the school holidays with more of our defence parents being posted on exercises and deployments. A friendly reminder that as Absences begin to increase in the ADF, to please update myself on any upcoming Absences. You can also email myself, let admin or your child’s classroom teacher know. This information is really important so that I can ensure I am there pre, during and post preparation in supporting your child during their parent/s absence. Thank you to those parents who have emailed me already updating me on their current/future absences. It is greatly appreciated. Please see below for some of the ways we can support your child during a parental absence.

Laura Vinter, Defence School Mentor