Eidsvold State School, west of Bundaberg, is reviving an ancient language, building resilience, and dramatically improving attendance rates — and that's all before the school day starts.
Ngara Yumbin. Hello, everyone.
They are the words that mark the start of the school day in Eidsvold, but instead of sitting in home rooms and having their names marked off a role, these students are drumming, running, and speaking in an ancient language.
The school of 90 students has developed and run the Yumbin program for four years, focusing on health and wellbeing and awakening the Wakka Wakka Aboriginal language that had been dormant for years.
It's now in the process of being expanded to five other schools in the region.
Connecting with culture through language
For year 6 student Tameesha Pope the program had added significance.
"Language is my favourite part because it's part of my culture and I didn't know any of the words," Tameesha said.
"It's really important because not many people have the opportunity and not many people can connect with their culture like that."
Principal Preston Parter said there were no longer any fluent speakers of Wakka Wakka in the town of about 600 people.
"It was sleeping, just waiting for someone to revive it," Mr Parter said.
"We've had to work really closely with a linguist and other resources from the State Library and archives.
"We're still finding our feet as we work through the program because the teachers are still learning the language.
"It's not like Japanese where you can get an app.
"We've got a 50-50 split of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and that feeling of acceptance and connectedness not only for our Indigenous kids but also kids that have been here for generations deserve that connection to the land, culture and the language."
School captain Alissa Fort said parents were also learning the language.
"When you go home you can teach your parents. Our parents are learning it from us," Alissa said.
"It's a privilege. It's made a difference."
Lifelong skills
Rock and water, another part of Yumbin, aims to prepare students for life after school.
It focuses on self-defence, resilience, and staying calm.
Year 9 student Noah Farr said it made him feel stronger.
"I've been part of the program for four years. We learn more every day," Noah said.
"You can use those skills all through your life."
Local police have also joined the program.
Acting Sergeant Geoff Price said building a positive environment as well as relationships at school helped the community work together.
"It's a good way to interact with them and show them that there's more to police than just going out and arresting criminals," Acting Sergeant Price said.
"It's a positive way to start their day and it's a good chance for me to come down and get involved with the school."
Attendance up but not the only success
Mr Parter said students were starting to independently search for more Wakka Wakka words.
"A lot of the kids are surpassing teachers now. We see such a massive difference that it makes across the board here," he said.
"If we talk about attendance data we've gone up by about 12 per cent in four years for Indigenous kids and about 9.5 per cent for non-Indigenous.
"I think a lot of other schools should be thinking about what sort of outcomes that could have for kids, not just reading data but the actual life skills that they could be walking away with."
Aunty Doris Chapman said the Yumbin program had been welcomed by the community, including elders.
"It's the meaning behind the words that's as important as much as knowing them. I believe that the program is the drawcard for attendance for our students, it gives them identity," Aunty Doris said.
"We're not only sharing our words but a piece of ourselves and our culture."
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