NEWS
Sensory garden growing By Kyra Gillespie Emerald Secondary College students have been busy creating unique artworks to help peers with learning difficulties. With the help of artist Jane Bennetts-Brown, and a generous State Government and Creative Learning grant, Year 10 and 12 VCAL students have been using recycled metal to create artwork for a sensory garden. Sensory gardens are popular with and beneficial to adolescents, especially those who have sensory processing issues, including autism and other disabilities. The pieces will play with the visual and auditory senses in a tactile way and be located around the inclusion and learning centre. Emerald Secondary College Wellbeing Leader, Felicity Wooden, said the students came up with the innovative idea. "The students have been creating something beautiful out of something people view as rubbish to explore the concept that beauty and value is in everything and everyone," Ms Wooden said. "These pieces will celebrate the diversity of our students, show beauty where it may not have originally be seen, and utilise nature to create movement and sound." Creating art out of items donated by the community, the students are learning to experiment with materials, create designs and expand their imagination. "This garden is designed with the purpose of stimulating the senses, which is achieved through plants and the use of materials that engage one's sense of sight, smell, touch, taste and sound," Ms Wooden said. "The sensory garden will be accessed as a calming place, somewhere the students can stimulate their senses in a relaxing and gentle way. They can get stimulation required by exploring their senses without feeling overwhelmed. "For students who are not on the spectrum, the garden will be used as an educational tool to learn about senses, they will be encouraged to interact with the garden through smell, taste and touch."
Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Hannah, Hudson and Georgia working on a spinning sensory wheel 181625
New classroom and centre proves a boon Feedback sought on garden site Students at Belgrave South Primary School will soon benefit from a new classroom and community centre. Monbulk MP and Minister for Education, James Merlino, on Friday 8 June announced Belgrave South Primary School will receive $200,000 to build the new, modern outdoor classroom and community centre. The Community House building will also be removed as part of the upgrade. The classroom is Stage 4 of the school's regeneration and will comprise a learning centre and community space focused on horticulture and biological science. The local Scout group will also have access to the new classroom and community centre for their activities. Mr Merlino said it was a fantastic development. "It's exciting to see Belgrave South Primary School get the funding it needs to give students and the local community access to absolutely top-notch learning facilities," he said. "This upgrade is about more than giving students the first-rate school facilities to learn in - it is about building community pride in a great lo-
James Merlino and principal Stuart Boyle (l-r; centre) with students at Belgrave South Primary School. 181888 cal school." Belgrave South Primary School will use the space to support classes on biodiversity, sustainability, permaculture and self-sufficiency, including a new harvest-to-table education program deliverd in partnership with local community groups.
The upgrade will also boost the school's hospitality program, with the school restaurant using produce grown by students in the surrounding gardens. The community will also be able to use the space for workshops, meetings and local projects.
Knox City Council is urging residents and ratepayers to make their views known on the future of the iconic Knox Community Gardens and Vineyard site in Boronia. Included as part of the strategic master plan for Lewis Park, the site is home to the Knox Community Gardens and a separate previously leased vineyard. Knox City Council Mayor, Cr John Mortimore, said the site has abundant but as-yet unrealised potential as a public space. Council has identified three proposed concept options for its future use. Consultation on the options via an online survey is open between 13 June and 12 July. Visit www.knox.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay.
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Tuesday, 19 June, 2018
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