Thursday, 14 November 2019

 Ms MAXWELL (Northern Victoria) (09:56): My members statement is on Fabric of Yarrunga. Yarrunga Primary School is a place of big ideas, dreams and wonderings. It is a school where the curriculum is delivered a little bit differently, and with solid results to date. Students have a say in what they want to learn about—things that make them curious, that make them question and wonder. This style of engagement and integrating their wonderings into the curriculum has improved student attendance, behaviour and results. Students have improved their literacy and numeracy through researching areas that appeal to them, including billycarts, space, how to build a town and ‘What comes first, the chicken or the egg?’.

As part of the whole-school unit of learning about the history of Wangaratta, Yarrunga Primary School partnered with the Wangaratta Art Gallery to create an exhibition of grades 1 and 2 artworks. The exhibition explores Yarrunga’s Indigenous links, settlement history and connection to the textile industry, which has been a significant employer in the region and for the families of Yarrunga. With a focus on enabling students to be art dreamers, the students told stories about themselves to self-reflect and to participate in a community event. The Fabric of Yarrunga exhibition is a beautiful collection of student work, with pieces that will make you smile, that will make you think and make you appreciate the talent of these young people.

Congratulations to Yarrunga Primary School students in grades 1 and 2, and thank you for sharing your artwork with Wangaratta and its visitors. I encourage anyone to visit the exhibition before it closes on 8 December. I applaud Fran Waterman, the principal, and her team at Yarrunga Primary School for encouraging these students— (Time expired)