Our Pillars are: Caring for Country, Connection of Country and Wisdom of Country.

  pdf Click Here  - for the Current Fire Carriers Covenant
(or click on the image to the right)

Indigenous Perspectives

Through our Curriculum and Religious Education topics, teachers strive to include Indigenous perspectives according to the following categories:Caring for Country, Connection of Country and Wisdom of Country.

Where possible we like to teach Yorta Yorta traditions and customs. Inviting local elders in or going to local sites, such as Rumbalara or The Flats is an important part of teaching the local customs and traditions.

Koori Worker

Our Koori Worker supports student learning of traditions and culture. Our Koori Worker develops a Cultural Plan for each student, which helps to set goals for their learning  of culture. The Koori Worker also assists teachers in class when teaching indigenous perspectives.

F.I.R.E Carriers

St. Mary’s is a FIRE Carrier School. FIRE stands for Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education. The FIRE Carrier Project is a joint initiative of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria and the Opening the Doors Foundation with Catholic Education Sandhurst. It seeks to keep the Reconciliation flame alight in schools, educating and encouraging reconciliation both within and outside of the school community. Our FIRE Carrier programme is led by our Year 5 students, who can apply to be a FIRE Carrier at the end of the school year. During their Year 6 year, students are then commissioned in a whole school Commissioning Ceremony. Students and staff plan initiatives and events to educate and inform our School community about Reconciliation, our shared history and culture. These include Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC week activities. 

The role of FIRE carriers at St. Mary’s: 

• To keep the Reconciliation flame alight in our St. Mary’s community.
• To educate students, staff and families about Reconciliation.
• To spread the message of our shared history and culture.
• To represent the St. Mary’s Community at any local events, such as the Annual Sorry Day breakfast.

*include 2023 School Covenant document as a link

Didgeridoo Program

Our Year 5 and 6 indigenous boys are invited to participate in learning the didgeridoo. They are taught by Troy Firebrace and are encouraged to perform at our Assemblies each week.

Dreaming Garden

In 2023, we were able to create an indigenous garden that used the Dreamtime story, Ina Yillian, as our theme. The children created the Rainbow serpent, Gane, out of decorative rocks. Elders teach us about the use of local native plants for food, medicine and tool making. Many of these plants are included in our garden.