Thursday this week commenced Reconciliation Week. 26 May – 3 June marks the anniversary of some important dates in Australian History and it is at this time that we reflect on these days to mark their significance.

During this week, the students have been taking turns to practise reading the Acknowledgement of Country in our classroom each morning. I’m so proud of everyone and their courage to stand up with pride and read the Acknowledgement with confidence in front of their peers.

The schools also acknowledged National Sorry Day at our assemblies and in our classrooms. We shared the importance and awareness of Sorry Day and that every year on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we know as ‘The Stolen Generations’. We read the book "Sorry", listened to Archie Roach and watched The Apology by Kevin Rudd. Friday sees the beginning of our National Reconciliation Week celebrations in our classrooms and campuses. We are looking forward to some great activities and sharing our pride with our friends.

We have over 100 young First Nations people who are members of our student community across the four campuses, including 19 at Hornsby in every Year group in the Middle and Senior Schools, and a couple of Year groups in Junior School. It is more important than ever for us to become better informed about issues affecting Indigenous people, and to call out racism when we see it and hear it – especially when it comes from our students or is built into our curriculum and resources. All of the Barker community are encouraged to think how we can “Be Brave. Make Change” every day through our own actions at Barker and in the wider community.