Students from Noble Park Primary School and Noble Park English Language School, Daryoush, Ryan, Tyeba and Lina teamed up to celebrate Harmony Day.
By Kelly Yates
FOR the first time, Noble Park Primary School and Noble Park English Language School came together to celebrate Harmony Day.
The day kicked off on Tuesday at 11.30am at Noble Park Primary School with about 400 students participating in the celebrations.
The aim of the day was to bring the school community together by promoting cultural diversity.
Noble Park Primary School has 35 different nationalities in the school and caters for the huge amount through a student wellbeing program, which includes breakfast events, after school sports clinics, dancing such as hip hop, a mothers’ group and the English as a Second Language program.
The day’s events included group activities, singing, dancing and a concert.
Several local service providers allowed families to meet them and learn about the local services on offer.
Some of the performers on the day included the Asanti Dance Theatre and Usted Ghani Karez.
The students also learnt traditional Afghan dancing and the Noble Park Primary School’s choir performed a song.
Noble Park Primary School teacher Alejandra San Martin said the day was fantastic, exciting and fun.
She said the students from both schools were put into several groups to play different games.
“The kids were doing what kids do best and that’s to play games together,” she said.
Ms San Martin said every term new overseas students are enrolled into the school.
“They arrive in Australia and go through an intensive English program for from six months to a year, then they are allocated to a school,” she said.
The day was organised by the South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre (SERMRC) and was funded by the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
SERMRC president Sally Regan said all of the children enjoyed combining for the day.
“They got the opportunity to interact with some new children,” she said.
This was the first time Noble Park Primary School had a joint Harmony Day event.
