Our Lady's Help of Christians School, East Brunswick who have been a part of the Multicultural Schools program for three years, recently visited their sister school in Indonesia, Maria Bintang Laut Primary School, supplying the pupils with footballs provided by the Blues.
Our Lady's is a great ambassador for Carlton's Multicultural Program, and we as a Club were delighted to be a part of this worthwhile excursion.
Below is a report written by Philip Cachia, Principal of Our Lady's Help of Christians School about his time in Indonesia.
SISTER SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL
Early this year a unique opportunity presented itself when a visitor arrived at our school with an idea. She was Sr. Cendra Tan from the Sisters of Divine Providence who was studying in Melbourne at the time.
We had a wide-ranging conversation. We spoke of the similarities and differences between our two educational systems, the ways they were funded, and the various spiritual influences they carried. We also reflected on the contrast of Indonesia as a geographically small country with 250 million people and Australia’s large, empty spaces and small population of a mere 23 million people.
Indonesia is also a country with only 1% of its people from a Christian faith. Australians are predominantly of a Christian faith. Indonesia where the average wage is $100AU per month… Australia where filling your petrol tank at the bowser almost costs as much.
What followed was an experience-rich term for Our Lady’s senior students who researched Indonesian facts, customs and culture as part of their SOSE Inquiry Unit.
With teachers who were willing to be a little adventurous, Philip Cachia (Principal) and Senior School teachers Clare Curtis, Robert Lagreca and Jack Rendle departed Melbourne on Wednesday 21st September to visit Maria Bintang Laut Primary School (Mary Star of the Sea) in Bandung, Indonesia for a 5 day cross cultural visit and to establish a sister school relationship.
From the moment we arrived in a hot and humid Jakarta, we were warmly welcomed by a delegation from the school and the Sisters. In fact the hospitality from Principal Lanny Yuniarti, the staff, the children and the parents was something I have never experienced before. These are people who have little materially, yet they are deeply spiritual. They love life, they smile, they are incredibly generous, they dance and they laugh. They have a real love for people and the children they teach, and they are not troubled by the superfluous. There is also a deep respect for teachers and education as a pathway to a more prosperous future.
It was with great pride when the Maria Bintang Laut Primary Orchestra played “Advance Australia Fair” on their Angklung (a traditional Indonesian instrument). We had the privilege of viewing some of their class lessons and then we were invited to teach a lesson with the children of Year 2, 4 and 5 in areas such as Contemporary Learning of Mathematics (CTLM), SOSE Inquiry about Australia, and the ‘Making Jesus Real’ program that is a feature of Our Lady’s School East Brunswick.
There was also significant peer-to-peer sharing between the teachers of Bandung and Our Lady’s School. Teachers of the two schools conducted a lively Q&A, but the true highlight was a Skype hook up between the two schools where our Senior school teachers were able to connect back to their students in Melbourne, say “Apa Kabar” (Hello) and wish them a happy and safe school holiday for the following day. For the first time ever, we danced the International ‘Waka Waka’ online over Skype - Bandung meets East Brunswick. With this music and dance, children and teachers at both schools were brought together in one unified moment of celebration.
Our Lady’s School is looking forward to reciprocating the wonderful hospitality we experienced in Bandung. In March 2012, Principal Lanny Yuniarti and two of her teachers will fly to Melbourne to experience Australian education first hand. Our Lady Help of Christians School East Brunswick will sponsor the visit as a way of further sharing contemporary methods of education, learning more about the Indonesian culture and ways of life, enriching our children’s experience of contemporary Australia and its place in the Asia Pacific region, maybe seeing a little Australian wildlife along the way and to resolving the most puzzling aspect of Australian culture for our Indonesian friends “What is Vegemite?”
Philip Cachia - Principal
