By Karen Poh
THANKS to Sunshine Primary School’s multicultural aide, Anh Tran, shy Vietnamese parents broke through language barriers to take part in a recent Multicultural Day.
Faces beamed as children tucked into a Vietnamese tasting plate of fried rice, spring rolls and rice paper rolls.
Staff too were treated to a traditional Vietnamese feast – the parents’ way of saying thank you to the teachers who had invested in the lives of their children.
A big part of Ms Tran’s work involves drawing the Sunshine community closer.
“I actually invited all the parents, the Vietnamese parents, to come in and share,” she said. “The parents are quite shy, they can’t speak English, so there’s a gap. And so we try to bring them in.
“You look at them and they’re sharing the food, they’re sharing with the teachers, and I’m really glad to see that.”
Visual arts teacher Joan Murray said the Vietnamese was the second-largest population in the school and a day such as Multicultural Day was part of embracing that culture.
“It’s something very special that the school does and it makes our school a richer place, because we can celebrate that, and the kids love it,” she said. “Now they have Anh, who can speak to them (parents) and speak for them, and they are not afraid to tell her things that worry them,” Ms Murray said.
“This is just a wonderful way for staff to meet the families in a nicer, more social setting.”
Principal Teresa Stone said Multicultural Day was about fostering a community-mindedness, and helping parents realise that the school wasn’t an institution of which they couldn’t be a part.
“It’s just the most uplifting thing to celebrate as a community,” she said.
With more than 20 cultures represented at the school, “it’s just so nice as a Sunshine community to celebrate everybody,” Ms Stone said.
“We have many ways of connecting … and celebrating with our community, and this is one that we’re able to share the joy of learning with different members of our community.
“Sometimes parents and families feel disconnected from school, or that they feel a bit nervous coming in, so we try as many different ways as possible to make people feel really comfortable in our school.
“It’s their school, not just teachers’ school or kids’ school. It’s everybody’s school,” Ms Stone said.
“And it’s really good for our kids to see their parents are so keen and really welcomed into the school … that adults really care about and want to know about them.”
Multiculturalism is not just about celebrating difference, Ms Stone said.
“It’s about seeing us as one community, and valuing the gifts that each person has to bring.
“I believe we’ve moved on a great deal from pointing out differences and celebrating that – which is important.
“But I think we have come a long way in becoming just one community.
“We are about community, and a lot of learning is about putting back in the community and inviting people in from the community,” Ms Stone said.
“And today is one of those ways where we actually see that that’s working for our kids.”
