St Hilda’s School
PRE-PREPARATORY AND OSHC
RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN
JANUARY 2026 - DECEMBER 2026
Vision For Reconciliation
At St Hilda’s Pre-Preparatory/OSHC we recognise and acknowledge the Kombumerri people of the Ngarahngwal and Yugambeh Language Groups of the Mibiny Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which we play, learn and grow. Through our Acknowledgement of Country, the girls are supported to understand the importance of Country to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
St Hilda’s Pre-Preparatory/OSHC’s vision for reconciliation is to create a welcoming and inviting learning environment which is respectful and accepting of all cultures, including the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, and acknowledges the true histories of the local area. We educate and assist all children, educators and families in promoting inclusive practices and embedding these into our environment and curriculum. We will continue to respectfully embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and ways of knowing and being into our practice and curriculum holistically, respecting histories and continued traditions. We are committed to building awareness and stronger relationships with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Acknowledgement of Country
CHILDREN’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ON COUNTRY
Kaiala, Jingeri Nyunga (Hello Sun)
Kaiala, Jingeri Chagun (Hello Earth)
Kaiala, Jingeri Tullei (Hello Trees)
Kaiala, Jingeri Jimbelung (Hello Friends)
Numulla Kombumerri Jara (Embrace Kombumerri Country)
SERVICE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
We acknowledge all First Peoples of the land on which we live, walk and work. We honour them and their Ancestors for their survival, continued traditions and spiritual connection to, and caring of country, land, sky, water and sea. We pay respect to their Elders past present, and future, and continue to support their right to self-determination. In particular, we pay respect to the Traditional Owners, the Kombumerri People of the Ngarahngwal and Yugambeh language groups of the Mibiny nation.
RAP Working Party
MRS LISA CLEVERLY
MISS THERESE RUNDLE
MISS ANNIKA WILSON
Director of Pre-Preparatory
Early Childhood Teacher and Multicultural Leader
OSHC Co-ordinator
Contributors
MS JUSTINE DILLON
MR PAUL PAULSON Kombumerri Traditional Custodian
Anglican School Commission Director of Indigenous Education
Relationships in the Classroom
Torres
COMMITMENT ACTION
We are committed to engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our learning activities. Having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in learning environments is vital when teaching about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
Continue regular activities with local Aboriginal Elders and Traditional Owners in the classrooms throughout the year building children’s and educators’ knowledge and understanding.
Continue regular activities in OSHC with local Aboriginal Elders and Traditional Owners in the program throughout the year building children’s and educators’ knowledge and understanding.
Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)
My Time, Our Place (MTOP –School Aged Care, OSHC)
We seek out ways to connect our reconciliation vision and plans and Early Years Learning Framework principles, practices, and outcomes. Our efforts mean reconciliation is embedded in everyday early learning environments.
We commit to connecting our vision and plans for reconciliation with the principles, practices, and outcomes of the My Time, Our Place Framework. By forming a strong relationship between the two, reconciliation will always be a part of our everyday learning environment.
Educators in Pre-Prep invited to complete the online Becoming Culturally Aware Course by Yugambeh Region Aboriginal Corporation Alliance to support further building educators’ cultural competence.
Educators in PP participate in professional development on ways of knowing and doing.
Educators in Pre-Prep invited to complete the online Becoming Culturally Aware Course by Yugambeh Region Aboriginal Corporation Alliance to support further building educators’ cultural competence.
Educators in OSHC participate in professional development on ways of knowing and doing.
Aboriginal and
Strait Islander People in the classroom
Relationships Around the Service
COMMITMENT
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Representation on Committees.
Elders and Traditional Owners Share Histories and Cultures.
We commit to inviting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, parents/carers and community members to be active representatives on our service’s committees. We commit to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives inform decision making processes by respecting the experiences and knowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can bring to our committees.
We are committed to forging a meaningful and ongoing relationship with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, and people recognised in their community as Traditional Owners. We hope this relationship can be of mutual benefit, and that our local Elders and Traditional Owners will feel safe, and confident, to share their historical and cultural knowledge with our educators, and children.
ACTION
Continue to liaise with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community member when creating our RAP.
Cultural Responsiveness for Educators.
Reconciliation Projects
Educators are supported to reflect on and build their cultural responsiveness to improve their practice and best support the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Educators are provided with a range of opportunities to build their knowledge and understanding of their own positionality and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, contributions and cultures.
Our service will collaborate on projects that visibly and authentically embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in learning programs and the physical environment. Through this culture of collaboration across the service and with the community, we commit to creating an environment where young people, educators and community members acknowledge, respect and experience connection to the First Australians.
Continue to invite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to visit Pre-Prep to share Histories and culture with educators and children on a regular basis.
Continue to invite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to visit OSHC to share Histories and culture with educators and children on a regular basis.
Annual professional development for Pre-Prep teachers and educators to continue to develop their cultural responsiveness.
Annual professional development for OSHC educators to continue to develop their cultural responsiveness.
Engage an Aboriginal artist to create an artwork for our Service on Kombumerri Country
Relationships in the Community
COMMITMENT
Welcome to Country Where appropriate, significant events at our service commence with a Welcome to Country. Protocols for welcoming visitors to Country have been a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for thousands of years. By incorporating these protocols into formal events and important occasions, we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Custodians of their Land.
Celebrate National Reconciliation Week
Create Stakeholder List
Our service and school community celebrates National Reconciliation Week (NRW) which is held from 27 May to 3 June each year by talking about reconciliation in the classroom and around the service and school and celebrating with the community. NRW is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort.
We will develop and maintain a stakeholder list that reflects our current and future working relationships with members of the community who are committed to working collaboratively to drive reconciliation initiatives.
Build Relationships with Community
Cultural Responsiveness for Children
We commit to building relationships with our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community that are built on mutual respect, trust and inclusiveness. We value these relationships and their role in helping to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous educators, children and community members.
Our everyday program will have ways for children to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, contributions and cultures, in and outside the classroom. We will include cultural responsiveness principles our children have learned in the ethos of our classrooms and across our service.
ACTION
Kombumerri Traditional Owner or Yugambeh Elder perform a Welcome to Country Ceremony for Pre-Prep children and educators explaining the significance of the ceremony.
Kombumerri Traditional Owner or Yugambeh Elder perform a Welcome to Country Ceremony for OSHC children and educators explaining the significance of the ceremony.
Celebrate National Reconciliation Week in Pre-Prep and attend the school Chapel Service and Smoking Ceremony.
Celebrate National Reconciliation Week in OSHC with a variety of activities in Before and After School Care.
Continue to build upon our contacts to add to our list of stakeholders and relevant community members PrePrep and OSHC educators can invite to participate in our program to achieve RAP goals.
Continue to develop connections with members of the Torres Strait Islander community.
Continue to develop connections with members of the Aboriginal community and Pre-Prep and OSHC
Continue to communicate through newsletters and displays opportunities for families and educators to attend local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events in order to build their cultural responsiveness.
Respect in the Classroom
Teach about Reconciliation
COMMITMENT ACTION
Our service community is committed to learning about reconciliation in Australia. Having an understanding of the concept, history and progress of reconciliation is an important part of continuing the reconciliation journey. This understanding also helps to strengthen engagement with our service’s RAP by positioning it within the broader story of reconciliation in Australia.
Continue to update information regarding cultures represented in our Pre-Prep community and ensure our curriculum incorporates events and cultures represented in our community.
Continue to update information regarding cultures represented in our OSHC community and ensure our curriculum incorporates events and cultures represented in our community.
Teach about Days of National Significance
Explore Current Affairs and Issues
We commit to incorporating nationally significant days for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and reconciliation into our curriculum to increase knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, contributions and contemporary issues. We also commit to including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives when teaching about other national days, such as 26 January (Australia Day) and ANZAC Day.
We are committed to raising awareness of current affairs and issues in the public domain that are of particular significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the process of reconciliation. This will be done through curriculum delivery, policies and procedures, and will be integrated into the ethos of our service.
Celebrate NAIDOC Week in OSHC.
Celebrate Torres Strait Islander culture with Floral Friday in Pre-Prep.
Celebrate Torres Strait Islander culture with Floral Friday in OSHC.
Continue to share with families of Pre-Prep and OSHC dates of Significance and how we have acknowledged these.
Continue to research and purchase resources for developing cultural responsiveness in Pre-Prep and OSHC.
Respect Around the Service
COMMITMENT ACTION
Acknowledgement of Country Our service community is committed to learning about reconciliation in Australia. Having an understanding of the concept, history and progress of reconciliation is an important part of continuing the reconciliation journey. This understanding also helps to strengthen engagement with our service’s RAP by positioning it within the broader story of reconciliation in Australia.
Continue the daily Acknowledgement of Country in Yugambeh language with actions in Pre-Prep classrooms and special events.
Incorporate a daily Acknowledgement of Country in Yugambeh language in OSHC.
Encourage children to develop and express their own Acknowledgement of Country in PP.
Encourage children to develop and express their own Acknowledgement of Country in OSHC.
Visibly Demonstrate Respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures
Care of Country
We commit to demonstrating our respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in the physical environment of our service. We understand that making our respect visible in the learning environment through the incorporation of meaningful, relevant, and culturally appropriate art, artefacts and symbolism reinforces our work toward reconciliation. It also makes our intentions and actions clear to our children, parents, and the broader community.
We commit to actively connecting with, and caring for, the Country/place on which our service stands. This involves respectfully learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, philosophies and practices about caring for Country/place, as well as physically demonstrating respect for the skies, waterways and Land on which we live and learn. We will consider First Nations perspectives as part of broader sustainability plans, policies and practices. This will reinforce the meaningful and continuous connections Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have continued to have with Country/place since time immemorial, as well as provide positive opportunities for all members of our educational community to become socially and environmentally responsible citizens who display a growing awareness of the importance of First Nations land management and sustainability.
Rename the Pre-Prep Rooms after plants of significance to our local Kombumerri People and provide ongoing education about these with the children and families with the local Kombumerri People.
Rename the OSHC Rooms after plants of significance to our local Kombumerri People and provide ongoing education about these with the children and families with the local Kombumerri People.
Continue to build upon our resource collection to engage children in caring for Country and local seasonal calendars.
Involve Kombumerri Rangers in educating children and educators in caring for Country in Pre-Prep.
Involve Kombumerri Rangers in educating children and educators in caring for Country in OSHC.
Respect With the Community
COMMITMENT ACTION
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags of Country
Our school and service flies or displays the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags as a demonstration of our pride and respect for the histories, cultures, and contributions of Australia’s First Peoples. Flying or displaying the flags promotes a sense of community partnership and a commitment toward reconciliation.
Introduce children to the Flagpoles of the School and display large Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in service during significant dates.
Continue to ensure the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are displayed prominently in each room and activities to educate the children and families on these flags are incorporated into the program.
Continue to ensure the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are displayed prominently in the OSHC rooms and activities to educate the children and families on these flags are incorporated into the program.
Physical Acknowledgement of Country Acknowledgement of Country
RAP Launch
Take Action Against Racism
Our service proudly commits to displaying a physical Acknowledgement of Country as a way of showing awareness of, and respect for, the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which our service is located.
Our service is proud to launch our RAP at an event that recognises the efforts of the working group and celebrates our service’s commitment to reconciliation. We will use our RAP launch event to inform the wider community about our RAP and the many different ways they can get involved and take action toward reconciliation.
Racism can have serious negative consequences for the people who experience it, for those who witness it, and for wider society. When racism is properly understood it is easier to overcome. We commit to building awareness of what racism is, the impacts of racism and how to respond effectively when it occurs through an antiracism strategy tailored to the needs of our service.
Include an Acknowledgement of Country plaque in the Pre-Prep and OSHC Rooms and Offices.
Launch the 2026 RAP with the Pre-Prep and OSHC Communities through our newsletters.
Celebrate the cultural diversity within Pre-Prep with activities during Harmony Day and Multicultural Queensland Month.
Celebrate the cultural diversity within OSHC with activities during Harmony Day and Multicultural Queensland Month.
Acknowledge the National Weel of Action Against Bullying in Pre-Prep.
Acknowledge the National Weel of Action Against Bullying in OSHC.
Opportunities in the Classroom
COMMITMENT ACTION
Curriculum Planning
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in curriculum planning, development and evaluation processes is a key and ongoing consideration across all year levels and learning areas. Curriculum documents have or will be audited to identify the extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions are already embedded, and to identify opportunities for strengthening the representation of this content in the curriculum.
We support all teachers to know about and engage with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers’ focus on reconciliation, in particular Focus Area 2.4. As a result, teachers understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation.
Continue to build upon our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and cultural teaching resources.
Include Cultural Connections as a regular agenda item in Pre-Prep Teacher meetings.
Include Cultural Connections as a regular agenda item in OSHC meetings.
Provide professional development to teachers on how they can engage with professional standards for Teachers with actions towards reconciliation and how they can meaningfully build upon this across their teaching career.
Include a regular agenda item in Pre-Prep Leading Learning Meetings and Year Level Teacher meetings to discuss Reconciliation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, the RAP Progress and sharing of ideas.
Include a regular agenda item in OSHC Educator Meetings to discuss Reconciliation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, the RAP Progress and sharing of ideas.
Opportunities Around the Service
COMMITMENT ACTION
Inclusive Policies
Educator Engagement with the RAP
All educators in our service are aware of policies that refer specifically to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and increasing knowledge of, and respect for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in Australia. We have a plan in place to ensure all educators comply with these policies in their daily practice. Our internal policies have been, or will be, amended to ensure they are also inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and increase knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in Australia.
Commitment to the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) from all educators is essential for developing a RAP that is implemented in a meaningful and sustainable way. All educators will be involved in the ongoing development and implementation of our RAP through educator development opportunities facilitated by the RAP Working Group.
Continue to build relationships with the local Inclusion Support Officer and educators of Pre-Preparatory.
Include termly updates on progress of implementing the RAP in PrePrep Leading Learning Meetings and OSHC Educators Meetings.
RAP Budget Allocation
Reconciliation Awards
We have set aside dedicated funds from within our budget to procure relevant goods and services that strengthen the sustainability of our RAP Actions. Educators are aware that it is important to consider remuneration for people who have been involved in RAP initiatives out of respect for the time and resources that they have contributed.
We commit to creating opportunities to acknowledge students, children, staff and community members who are making an outstanding contribution to progressing reconciliation in our early learning service.
Continue to include an allowance for building resources and engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples into the Pre-Prep and OSHC Programs.
Nominate for a Reconciliation Award and share progress and initiatives of the RAP in Pre-Prep and OSHC.
Opportunities with the Community
COMMITMENT
Local Sites, Events and Excursions
Celebrate RAP Success
We commit to learning more about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions of the Country on which we live, work, learn and play, by working with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to learn about events of historical and cultural significance and visit appropriate sites.
We are committed to reflecting on the progress made in the growth of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions in our service. We will track the progress of our RAP, continually revisit our commitments, and celebrate our achievements, while generating new ideas to develop and sustain our RAP into the future.
ACTION
Organise an excursion in Vacation Care program to a site of significance to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Organise an excursion for PP to spend time on Country with Kombumerri Rangers.
Communicate progress in our RAP with the School Council, Anglican Schools’ Commission and our Approved Provider.
Continue to add to our Folder highlighting Pre-Prep activities and events from our RAP.
Continue to add to our Service Folder highlighting OSHC activities and events from our RAP.
Communicate RAP progress with Pre-Preparatory/OSHC and School community through a variety of displays and newsletters.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages
We commit to providing students and children with a deeper knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and identities by learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. We acknowledge the importance of language maintenance and revitalisation efforts and will provide children with opportunities to learn – or learn about – the First Language of their local area.
Incorporate the use of signage in language in Pre-Prep and OSHC
Continue to embed the use of Yugambeh and Ngarahngwal Language into the Pre-Prep program including greetings, animals and numbers.
Continue to embed the use of Yugambeh and Ngarahngwal Language into the OSHC program including greetings, animals and numbers.
