Refugee Week 2015 – Sunday 14 June to Saturday 20 June 2015

Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. Originally celebrated in 1986, Refugee Week coincides with World Refugee Day (20 June). In 2015, Refugee Week will be held from Sunday 14 June to Saturday 20 June.
The theme for Refugee Week for 2015 to 2017 will be “With courage let us all combine”. Taken from the second verse of the national anthem, the theme celebrates the courage of refugees and of people who speak out against persecution and injustice. It serves as a call for unity and for positive action, encouraging Australians to improve our nation’s welcome for refugees and to acknowledge the skills and energy refugees bring to their new home.

It takes courage to be a refugee: As people who have faced persecution because of who they are (their race, nationality or membership of a persecuted group) or what they believe (their religion or political opinion), refugees need courage:

The courage not to deny identity or beliefs in the face of persecution.
The courage to leave all that is familiar and step into the unknown in search of peace.
The courage to keep going in the face of devastating loss, difficulty and despair.
The courage to begin again, to work hard and to maintain hope in an unfamiliar land.
It takes courage to speak out against injustice: In a world where refugees experience persecution in their countries of origin and often face discrimination, difficulty and rejection in places where they seek refuge, speaking out often requires courage. In Refugee Week, we acknowledge and celebrate the dedication and bravery of refugee leaders, advocates and citizens who draw attention to violations of human rights, support people at their time of greatest need and challenge callous indifference to the suffering of others.

A call for unity and action for a fairer society: The Refugee Week theme encourages Australians to celebrate the best aspects of our nation’s welcome of refugees, frankly acknowledge unjust treatment of asylum seekers and refugees and commit to working together to ensure that we do better. In doing this, we celebrate the positive contributions to Australian society made over the past 70 years by the 800,000 Australians who once were refugees, taking inspiration from the second verse of Advance Australia Fair:

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross,
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas,
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.

All organisations and individuals holding events as part of Refugee Week are encouraged to link their activities to the national theme.

Today, children around the world celebrate their international day. This year marks the 90th global celebration of the rights and well-being of children around the world. The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland, proclaimed June 1 to be International Children’s Day in 1925.

We have asked our children what they thought being a child is like.

Here are some of their responses:

Eriminia, Yr 1:  “It’s fun to be a child because when I say something to my mum she listens to me.”

Tauya, Yr 1:“It’s fun to be child because people respect you, look after you and listen to you and take care of you.”

Patience, Yr 1: “It’s fun to be a child because you have friends and you get to play with them.”

Max, Rec: “It’s fun to be a child because we laugh”.

Arun, Yr 4: “Children should have fun, but also they need to responsible;  50 % fun and 50% responsible”

Brodie, Yr 3:  “It’s fun to be a child because the parents have to do all the work, but as a child you can relax and watch Tv”.

Ben,  Yr 1:” It’s fun being a child because you get to play things that you want and learn things that you want”.

Harriet, Yr 2: “It’s fun because you don’t have to do the jobs.”

Sophia, Yr 2:  “It’s fun because the teacher helps you learn.”

Rachel, Yr 4: “We could play and we don’t have to learn lots of things and then the teachers give us lollies and stuff.”

The yr 3/4 ZS & TD students worked on modality. They colaborated and  negociated meaning together.

Is ‘should’ a stronger word than ‘must’?  How can we use modality in our persuasive writing? How can it help us to use ‘rock’ words and be convincing?

Work in Progress. Watch this space.

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” 

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Which are the cities with most languages?

Find the answer in the link below.

http://flashsticks.com/language-hubs-the-cities-with-the-most-languages/

Which is the school with the most languages?

HOLY FAMILY CATHOLCI SCHOOL! 🙂

Today, the year 6/7s looked at onomatopoeia, the words that imitate sounds such as Boom! Splash! Ouch!

Though the sounds are the same, the words for them vary in different languages.

Here are the Woofs and the Meows around the world 🙂

National Sorry Day is an Australia-wide observance held on May 26 each year. This day gives people the chance to come together and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. Stolen generations refer to Indigenous Australians who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.

World Day for Cultural Diversity or Diversity Day is celebrate every year on May 21st.

“In a diverse world, the destruction of cultures is a crime, and uniformity is a dead-end: our aim must be to enhance, in one movement, the diversity that enriches us and the human rights that bring us together.”

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

Stronger families, stronger communities

National Families Week 2015 will be held from Friday 15 May to Thursday 21 May 2015 (coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May).

The aim of National Families Week 2015 is to celebrate the vital role that families play in Australian society. The 2015 theme is ‘Stronger Families, Stronger Communities‘.

This year’s theme highlights the important role families play as the central building block of our communities and that community wellbeing is enhanced by family wellbeing.

National Families Week is a time to celebrate with your family, make contact with your extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community. It is a time to celebrate the meaning of family and to make the most of family life. Let’s take the time to reflect on the critical role that families play in teaching, supporting and nurturing children, especially as they grow.

Each year, tens of thousands of people and hundreds of organisations celebrate National Families Week – Australia’s annual celebration of families. In 2014, over 130,000 people participated in National Families Week registered events around Australia, illustrating the importance of families within the community.

Why 15 – 21 May 2015?

National Families Week is timed to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Families on 15 May. This day is observed by the United Nations to mark the importance that the international community places on families as the most fundamental units of society, as well as to show concern about their situation in many parts of the world.

2014 was the 20^th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family. Marking this event offered an opportunity to refocus on the role of families in development; take stock of recent trends in family policy development; share good practices in family policy making; review challenges faced by families worldwide and recommend solutions.

HARMONY DAY

In Australia, every year on  March 21st,  we celebrate Harmony Day, a day about inclusiveness, respect and sense of belonging.

Holy Family is a multicultural school with over 40 different cultures represented. Our students have proudly represented their cultures at the Harmony Day Assembly on March 20^th.

Here are a few snapshots!