Warialda High School

St Patrick's Day

Date

17 March

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

St. Patrick's Day started as a religious celebration in the 17th century to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. If you’re wondering why you wear green on St Patrick's Day, that goes back to the Irish Rebellion, when Irish soldiers wore green as they fought off the British in their trademark red. Until then, the color associated with St. Patrick and Feast Day was actually blue. The song soldiers sang during the war in 1798, “The Wearing of the Green,” changed all of that and made green, the color of shamrocks, Ireland’s mainstay color. From then on, people wore green on St. Patrick’s Day in solidarity. And when Chicago dyed their river green for the first time in 1962, the practice of wearing and decorating in green became a part of pop culture.

National Close the Gap Day

Date

18 March

Time

All day

Location

Australia

How to get involved in National Close the Gap Day Register your activity. You can download some online resources to support your event Invite your friends, workmates and family to join you Take action by signing the Close the Gap pledge and asking your friends and colleagues to do the same Call, tweet or write to your local Member of Parliament and tell them that you want them to Close the Gap Listen to and share the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on Facebook - visit our Close the Gap Facebook page.(link is external) Share your photos and stories on social media. Use the hashtag #ClosetheGap Donate to help our work on Close the Gap With events ranging from workplace morning teas, sports days, school events and public events in hospitals and offices around the country — tens of thousands of people take part each year to make a difference. Your actions can create lasting change. Be part of the generation that closes the gap.

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

Date

19 March

Time

All day

Location

Australia

The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) is an important day to mark Australian school communities standing together against bullying and violence. On Friday 19 March 2021, schools can Take Action Together and empower students to rally and unite their ideas and actions to address bullying.

Harmony Day

Date

21 March

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. In schools we celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional owners of the land to those who have come from many countries around the world. Harmony Day occurs on 21 March each year and coincides with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The ongoing theme of Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for all. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians equally belong to this nation and enrich it. How schools can be involved Display the Welcome poster at the gates of the school. Visit the Australian Government Harmony Day site for a collection of lesson ideas, lesson plans and student activities organised by level of schooling and subject area, and aligned to the Australian Curriculum. See how other individuals, schools, organisations and councils celebrate Harmony Day or share your story on the Harmony Day site. Download resources for Harmony Day including templates for posters, invitations and certificates as well as frames, filters, graphics and banners for websites and social media. Register your Harmony Day event. Registrations for 2020 Harmony Day celebrations open early in the calendar year. Display the Welcome poster supplied with your copy of the 2020 Calendar for Cultural Diversity in your classrooms and around the school. Discover different strategies to help build awareness of multiculturalism and combat racism in schools from Racism. No Way!E Explore computer based learning activities available through Racism. No Way! or census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics with your class. Respond to poetry or write a spoken word poem that reflects Australia’s cultural diversity and submit to SBS Face up to Racism. Enter a poster or song writing competition with Moving Forward Together. The theme for the 2020 competitions is ‘Picture a World in Harmony’. Entry is free and financial prizes are awarded at a ceremony at NSW Parliament House. Wear orange The following excerpt is taken from the Harmony Day website. Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Day. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. Australians can choose to wear something orange on 21 March to show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia. https://www.harmony.gov.au/get-involved/schools

Earth Day

Date

22 April

Time

All day

Location

Everywhere

Earth Day Network (EDN), the organizing body for Earth Day worldwide, announced today that the theme of Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth.” The theme is based on the emerging concept that rejects the idea that our only options to save the planet are to mitigate or adapt to the impacts of climate change and other environmental damage. Scientists, non-governmental organizations, business, and governments worldwide now are looking at natural system processes and emerging green technologies to restore the world’s ecosystems and forests, conserve and rebuild soils, improve farming practices, restore wildlife populations and rid the world’s oceans of plastics. While the world waits for global political and business leaders to take decisive action to reduce carbon emissions, natural processes including reforestation and soil conservation can store massive amounts of carbon while restoring biodiversity, clean water and air and rebalancing ecological systems. Restoration is pragmatic and necessary to reduce climate change. Restoration also brings hope, itself an important ingredient in the age of COVID-19. The impacts of the pandemic have illustrated with painful clarity that the planet faces two crises and they are connected: global environmental degradation and its connection to our health. Deforestation, wildlife trade, air and water pollution, human diets, climate change and other issues have all fed into a breakdown of our natural systems, leading to new and fatal diseases, such as the current pandemic, and a breakdown of the global economy.

Anzac Day

Date

25 April

Time

All day