At Mount Rogers Primary School in Canberra, Simone Xirakis is redefining how students communicate-and connect. What might seem like a challenge, keeping a classroom of young children silent, becomes effortless when she asks them to turn their “voices off.” Her students respond with enthusiasm, switching to Auslan as their shared language, according to abc.net.au
Since the school replaced Mandarin with Australian Sign Language in 2024, Xirakis has been at the center of a shift toward inclusion, particularly for nine Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Today, every child from preschool to Year 6 learns to sign, creating a more accessible and unified school environment.
“What we’re seeing in the playground is students signing with these Deaf students who have no other access to language and very excited to do so,” Ms Xirakis said.
As students progress faster than expected, Xirakis has had to continuously adapt her teaching. “We’ve gone from being able to sign new vocab only to actually being able to sign full sentences, have conversations,” Ms Xirakis said. “And we’ve seen an increase in the use of Auslan with staff and also with the wider community, [including] the parents.”
Her approach goes beyond language, incorporating Deaf culture, identity and history. “For all [our deaf students], it’s an increase in confidence with their signing, an increase in their Deaf pride,” Ms Xirakis said.
Xirakis has also seen Auslan empower students who struggle academically, giving them a new way to succeed. Through her work, the classroom-and the wider school community—is becoming more inclusive, expressive and connected.
Source: abc.net.au
