Berkeley West Public School

Knowledge is Strength

Telephone02 4271 1478

Emailberkeleyw-p.School@det.nsw.edu.au

New Friday sports shirt on sale from Thursday 14 March!

New Friday sports shirt

Following major support (88%) from the school community, everyone will be able to purchase a new Indigenous design school sports shirt from the P&F uniform shop from this Thursday 14 March. This will be an optional shirt for students to wear K-6 on Fridays only. Students may also wear the existing maroon and white sports shirt on Fridays. The new Indigenous design shirt will be sold for $30 and should be worn with maroon shorts/skorts/skirt. Don't forget our uniform shop accepts card payments now! To begin, you will only be able to buy one shirt per student.

From next week (starting Monday 18 March), students can wear the maroon and white polo or current blue polo shirt to school Monday-Thursday. Grey shorts/skorts/skirts should be worn with the maroon and white shirt. Eventually the P&F will phase out selling the blue polo shirt and move to the maroon and white for all students K-6. The P&F may also look to offering a cheaper plain maroon polo (short and long sleeve) if required.

With both the new Indigenous polo shirt and the maroon and white polo shirt, it may take a little time to stock particular sizes (especially as K-2 haven't worn maroon and white to this point), but get your orders in so that they can be ordered.

Shirt development

shirt development

Last year we had Uncle Daren come into our school and facilitate workshops with small groups of our students from across the school. Uncle Daren shared design concepts with the students and taught them the meaning and significance behind animals from Dharawal country. 

Students then worked with their buddies to create visual elements to add onto our polo shirts. A main element on our polo design is the Turtle Dreaming “Billima” Bill.lee.mah in Dharawal Language. There are many different Sea Turtles around our country and each turtle has its own significance, strength and story. The turtle painted here has been used to symbolise courage, determination, strength peace and harmony as we travel and press on through life’s journey. Students totem animals were also included, these animals are the stingray “Garawan, the dolphin “Baruwaluwu”, the Goanna “Djindaala and the platypus “Djamalang.

Uncle Daren then took the creative elements designed by the students away and transcribed them into a digital design for our polo shirts.