Aboriginal Services - Making Tracks
-Supporting and encouraging Aboriginal Students and their families at school -

Making Tracks is a Spyns project funded by Better Futures to support and encourage Aboriginal students and their families at school.

Making Tracks is aimed at promoting school connectedness through:

• Hands on learning
• Resilience building
• Cultural activities
• Family support

Ring Alice on 4729 4277 or Sarala on 4721 5024

Making Tracks is a two year program funded by Better Futures and is an early intervention strategy designed to engage Aboriginal students in their learning by giving them the opportunity to learn through hands-on projects with an Aboriginal perspective. The overall aim of the project is to engage Aboriginal students in their schooling and see them gain their School Certificate or Higher School Certificate. Students involved in Making Tracks participate in hands-on activities designed around the students’ interests, practically applying relevant cultural, academic and social learning. Guest speakers and role models attend the group activities to offer encouragement and support. Students are also regularly involved in resilience building activities to make them stronger and able to cope with future challenges more effectively. Students are encouraged and supported to be engaged in the whole school environment.

A major component of the project is Family Support. Family support is aimed at enabling Parents to be more active in their child’s education. Family members are encouraged through various activities and ways to be more involved in their child’s education.

This year the students are participating in a dance program through which Aboriginal language, music and cultural knowledge is learned. Performances are planned for NAIDOC week and several other Cranebrook community events.

A Bush Tucker Garden is being developed at Braddock Public School this year as part of Making Tracks and will involve Braddock Public School Making Tracks students creating a mosaic as a backdrop to the garden in collaboration with Year 7 Making Tracks students at Cranebrook High School. The bush tucker theme will encourage learning opportunities in cultural uses of plants, nutrition and health, as well as providing a focus for fun family celebrations of Aboriginal culture and children’s achievements.