Maddingley
Indonesian Cultural Immersion Week
We were incredibly fortunate to welcome Bayu, an accomplished graphic designer, illustrator and cultural educator, to our school in Week 3 as part of a national cultural arts initiative. Bayu is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Education at Yogyakarta State University and has extensive experience working in schools across both Indonesia and Australia. His passion lies in sharing Indonesian culture through art, storytelling, traditional games, wayang (shadow puppets), batik and creative learning experiences.
Through the Indonesia–Australia Institute, Bayu received a grant to visit ten schools over ten weeks to deliver an immersive cultural arts program and share his knowledge of Indonesian language and culture. We were lucky enough to be selected as one of these schools and have Bayu with us for a full week of rich, hands-on learning.
Across the week, Bayu worked with students from Prep to Year 12:
- Prep students listened to a story he illustrated himself and learned about traditional batik motifs, creating their own patterns inspired by Indonesian designs.
- Years 4, 5 and Prep Reception enjoyed learning an Indonesian dance, and Bayu even ran lunchtime dance workshops for Years 1 to 4, which were extremely popular.
- Year 6 students explored the world of wayang, designing and using shadow puppets to tell stories.
Bayu taught students about Indonesian school life and introduced traditional games such as congklak, bekel and takraw, which quickly became favourites among the Year 5s and Year 7s.
On Thursday 6 August, we were honoured to also welcome the Consulate General for the Republic of Indonesia, along with members of the consulate team. They spent time with our Year 7, 8, 9 and 12 Indonesian students, sharing insights about Indonesia and teaching students how to play the angklung, a traditional bamboo instrument, as well as leading a dance workshop. The Consul General also met with Mrs Ogston and Mr Pate, to discuss the future of Indonesian learning at Bacchus Marsh Grammar.
To conclude this wonderful week, we were delighted to receive certificates for students who participated in the Sayembara Lisan, a statewide Indonesian speaking competition run by VILTA (Victorian Indonesian Language Teachers Association). We congratulate the following students on their outstanding achievements:
Navleen G (5B) – High Distinction
Mithila C (5F) – High Distinction
Rnvir A (6A) – High Distinction
Avyan M (6B) – Distinction
Ivy P (7C) – Distinction
Aadi M (9F) – Distinction
Aleena A (10F) – Distinction
Emma B (10H) – Distinction
Veronica W (11B) – Distinction
Bayu’s visit, along with the support from the Indonesian Consulate, has strengthened our students’ understanding of Indonesian culture and language, and has further enriched our Indonesian learning program. It was a week filled with creativity, cultural pride and joyful learning – one we will remember for a long time.
Kayla Rideg – Teacher
Woodlea
Student Representative Council
Throughout Term 3, the SRC has been proud to accomplish a range of exciting initiatives. The team has worked hard to make a positive contribution to our school community.
One of our highlights was supporting Hero for Heart Kids Day in June, which was led by Logan H in Year 8 to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Through his moving and personal speech at our Middle School Assembly, Logan shed light on the incredible work of the Heart Kids Foundation and its impact so far. The SRC remains committed to this charity and will continue working on initiatives that support their goals, so keep an eye out on Schoolbox for upcoming news if you are interested in supporting too!
Another exciting event currently underway is the Biker Bonanza, a challenge designed to encourage students to make healthy lifestyle choices by riding their bikes to school. This challenge ends on 31 August with an incredible number of students already taking up the reins. All challengers will be entered into a special Bikers’ Raffle to win some cool prizes!
Last week also saw yet another successful completion of the Rainbow Eating Challenge, an all-school healthy eating challenge that encouraged more diversity in diets. It was fantastic to see students getting involved and thinking about their health in positive ways. Thank you to all students who took part. Participants will be entered into a Rainbow Raffle this week so, once again, check on School Box to see announcements!
Finally, a note on our Student Voice Box. This is a tool that provides an important way for students to communicate with the SRC. It allows students to share feedback about our projects and suggest new ideas for future initiatives. You can find this Student Voice Box next to the pigeon-holes in Reception. We are excited to continue listening to student voices and working together to make BMG an even better school community.
Lakshith T 8WC