Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs. It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

On Thursday 19th March, students at APS are encouraged to wear their traditional cultural dress for Harmony Week. Children who do not have a cultural dress or want another option can wear orange. Parents are encouraged to get involved and speak to their child about their cultural background (e.g. the meaning behind the cultural dress, foods, greetings or sayings in other languages).

Did you know?

• Nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.
• We identify with over 300 ancestries.
• Since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia.
• 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia.
• Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi.
• More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.

(These facts are taken from ABS 2016 Census Data.)