GPS celebrates Harmony Day

Gosford Public school dresses up for Harmony Day

Gosford Public School students celebrated a variety of cultures on March 19 as part of Harmony Day celebrations.

Gosford Public School EAL/D Teacher, Andrea Byrne, said the day a great way to celebrate all of the school’s diverse cultures.

“At Gosford Public School, 46.6% of our students are from a language background other than English, so it is a very special day for us, and this year we did some amazing things,” Byrne said.

“Students wore traditional clothing and were able to share some of their customs and traditions with their teachers and peers.”

Parents volunteered their time and language skills to run ‘Pop up’ language lessons for students across the day, including Russian, Korean, Hindi, Mandarin and Spanish.

“The students had an absolute blast learning new languages,” she said.

“One of the highlights of the day was the Mandarin Shadow Puppets session that was run by one of our very creative parents, Jannelle.

“Our students also got to attend a special cultural museum that was organised by our wonderful teachers.

“The museum featured photographs, ornaments, textiles, instruments, currency, books, clothing and many other culturally significant items.

“Students also learnt how to play with the Vietnamese shuttlecocks and had fun practising their new skills.”

Byrne said the multicultural food menu offered on the day was the icing on the cake, with one student commenting it was ‘the best day ever.’

Jacinta Counihan