With National Sorry Day 2017, we at Paint the Town REaD want to say sorry. We stand with our wonderful Aboriginal Elders, colleagues and friends and want to work together to close the early literacy gap for our Aboriginal kids, made worse by the intergenerational trauma from the Stolen Generations.
Over 140 delegates (and mascots!) celebrated our 6th National Conference, Climb Every Mountain: Songlines and Singing. Aunty Carol Cooper and Aunty Jacinta Tobin welcomed us to Country, and set the scene for two days of learning, practical workshops and fun. The Blue Mountains three levels of Government were well represented by Cr Romola Hollywood, who welcomed delegates at a Civic Reception, Hon Susan Templeman, who opened the Conference with Aunty Carol and Aunt Jacinta, and Trish Doyle MP. who opened our Principals Forum. Thank you to our Keynote Speakers, Aunty Jacinta Tobin, Dr Marina Kalashnikova (Western Sydney University), Dr Amanda Howard (Newcastle University), and Kerry Dominish (CEO – Early Start) and the 30 workshop presenters. And our Conference Dinner wouldn’t have been so successful without the Blue Mountains Ukulele group and the generosity of Carrington’s Brewery!
With our 6th National Conference on next week, you only have a few days to go to register. So use the links to the right, to take you straight to the registration page!
And whilst everyone is preparing for the Conference, the Aboriginal Elders in Shoalhaven NSW have been busy giving their mascot egg to the children, supported by Mayor Amanda Findley. Children in Moree NSW are also reading with their egg and Parker Pelican in the Parks and Gardens in Adelaide has celebrated his first birthday, with a huge party of about 400 people, where there was lots of singing and families reading together in the local community park.
Paint the Town REaD Ltd together with our co-host, Paint the Blue REaD invite people interested in early literacy, children’s singing and collective impact in Aboriginal and/or mainstream practices to attend this Conference. We will be meeting on Darug and Gunungurra traditional lands.
3–5 May 2017
Carrington Hotel, Katoomba NSW
Registration for this exciting event is now open. Click here to find out more.
We invite you to become a proud sponsor and be part of our 6th National Conference. This will give your organisation great exposure as the conference aims to bring together professionals from a wide range of disciplines supporting families with children 0-5years across the country. Our expected audience will include staff working in the following sectors:-
To find out more click here
Bundaberg, South Cairns and Deception Bay are the homes for three new mascots who love being read to: two turtles and a kookaburra respectively.
Through the creative genius of La Salle teacher, Danielle Calleja, and Paint the Swan Coordinator, Fiona Lee, students from La Salle College, wrote, designed and created children’s books, which they then read with children at a recent Paint the Swan REaD event.
Danielle then presented the outcomes of this project at the Australian Literacy Educators Conference in Adelaide recently.
La Salle College is a co-educational Catholic secondary school situated in the Swan Valley, Perth. The College caters for 1400 students in Years 7 – 12.
This is a terrific example of how High School students can support the early literacy development of young children in their community.
It takes a village to raise a child.
Lady Cosgrove our Patron very generously opened Admiralty House to close to 100 supporters of Paint the Town REaD for a Reception on Monday night 9th May.
Lady Cosgrove spoke of her passion for reading with children from birth, and gave examples from her own life.
Lady Cosgrove and PTTR Board members with the Reading Bug.
Paint D’Bay REaD launched in March with the arrival of the magical black egg. Queensland Minister for Science and Innovation, Leeanne Enoch, was the first to read to the egg, followed by the Chris Whiting, MP for Murrumba and then various other dignitaries, including the children!
Paint D’Day REaD is a partnership led by local residents, including the Aboriginal community Elders and families and workers, Queensland’s First Five Forever and Communities for Children workers.
We can’t wait to see what will hatch out of the egg!
The 2016 ZEST Awards saw Paint Penrith REaD’s community champion, Graham Fitzpatrick, and Paint the Blue REaD’s 2015 REaDing Week, nominated for awards. Although they were not winners this year, Rooby Roo, the mascot from Penrith, still managed to steal the show!
Congratulations, Graham, for the amazing work you do for Paint Penrith REaD, promoting Rooby and her message in Penrith through Vintage FM, raising funds, holding business events and including Rooby in just about everything you do. And congratulations to the Blue Mountains team, led by Judith Hawkes from MOCS, for staging a 2015 Reading Week, delivering 15 events in 8 villages , coordinating 37 agencies and businesses to reach nearly 300 children.
Paint Penrith REaD’s Community Champion, Graham Fitzpatrick, flanked at the ZEST Awards by Rooby Roo and Julieanne Woods.