Morphett Vale Primary School and Preschool

Wanggami. 🦘

That's the Ngarrindjeri word for kangaroo.

We were fortunate to spend time learning with local Indigenous artist and cultural consultant Harley Hall & his wife Trish, during our recent pupil free day. In this short video, Harley uses the yidaki and movement to bring wanggami to life.

Learning about First Nations cultures, histories and perspectives is an important part of our journey as a school. We are grateful for opportunities to listen, learn and walk together in respect and understanding.

Students and families, we'd love to learn with you! Can you share a Kaurna or Ngarrindjeri word in the comments, or tell us something you've discovered about our local First Nations cultures?

A big thank you to Harley for sharing his knowledge and passion with our staff.

Learn more about Harley's work via the link below.
https://www.ngrakanidreaming.com.au/

Learning, Listening and Growing Together 🌿

Today, the staff of Morphett Vale Primary School came together for a Cultural Awareness Professional Development Day, providing an opportunity to deepen our understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories and perspectives.

Our day began on Kaurna Country beneath the shade of a gum tree, surrounded by birdsong, as we gathered for a Welcome and Smoking Ceremony led by Harley Hall and Trish. Staff were joined by children attending OSHC, who were also fortunate to participate in this special experience.

A Smoking Ceremony is an ancient cultural practice that has been conducted by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. Harley shared the significance of the ceremony as a way of cleansing people, places and objects of negative energies and spirits, creating a sense of connection, respect and belonging.

Through storytelling, language and music, Harley taught us Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri words and demonstrated the Yidaki (didgeridoo), skilfully recreating the sounds of native animals. Listening and learning in such a meaningful setting provided a powerful reminder of the rich cultural knowledge that continues to thrive on Country.

The remainder of the day was facilitated by Simon Wilson, Melissa Mundy and Jess Harvie who led staff through meaningful discussions and learning experiences focused on cultural responsiveness and Indigenous perspectives. Together, we explored ways to continue walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with respect, understanding and a commitment to ongoing learning. Their knowledge, guidance and generosity provided valuable opportunities for reflection and growth that will continue to shape our practice and strengthen our school community.

We extend our sincere thanks to Harley, Trish, Melissa, Jess and Simon for sharing their knowledge and supporting our learning journey.

❤️💛🖤

🎉 MINI ME MONDAY REVEAL 🎉

The sleepy little Mini Me with a love for the Backstreet Boys was… 🥁

✨ Mrs Creeper, our Year 1 & 2 teacher! ✨

We hope you enjoyed guessing this week’s mystery staff member and learning a fun fact from her childhood! 🎶😴

A big thank you to everyone who joined in and shared their guesses. Keep an eye out for our next Mini Me Monday challenge—you never know who might be featured next! 👀💙

Today at Morphett Vale Primary School, our Junior Primary students joined schools across Australia in celebrating National Simultaneous Storytime by sharing the wonderful story Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller! 📚⚽🦘

A special thank you to our Principal, Mrs Mundy, who read the story to students and helped bring the book to life for our young learners. 💚

After reading together, students took part in a range of hands-on, play-based activities inspired by the story. There was plenty of excitement as children enjoyed outdoor soccer games, challenged friends at the foosball table, created colourful masks and headbands, and even tested their soccer skills using straws and pom-poms! 🎭⚽🌟

The activities encouraged creativity, teamwork, problem-solving and imaginative play, while helping students build connections through literacy and fun.

What a fantastic way to celebrate the joy of reading together at MVPS! 💛

🎉 MINI ME MONDAY REVEAL 🎉

This week’s Mini Me was… 🥁

✨ Miss Jess from the Reception class! ✨

We heard alot of conservations with staff with this week about where we all grew up, it was so much fun🌾

Congratularuons to Riley G & Angelo S who guess right and won a slushie from the canteen ❄️
Thank you to everyone who joined in with their guesses this week — we’re loving seeing our school community get involved 💙

Stay tuned for another Mini Me Monday coming soon 👀