COMMUNITY

Care For Kids

This is sadly the reality for a small number of students who attend Urangan Point State School.

That is why the Hervey Bay RSL Grants Committee didn't hesitate to become a major sponsor of the school's chaplaincy program which has provided “chappy”

Carmen Pampeyan with an extra day per week for the next 12 months, thanks to a $20,000 grant.

This means that Carmen will be on hand for three days rather than two to provide care for the 1/3 of the students who so desperately need her support.

Carmen ensures that there is toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, give shoes, socks and clothing for the kid's feet, much of which is donated by generous communitymembersincludingWoolworths andBrumby'sBakeryinUrangan

“There's always emergency sandwiches in the freezer for lunch because some of the kids don't come to school with any food at all,” Carmen said.

“We have 75 kids that have toast two mornings a week and when it's cold that number increases.”

Principal Matt Winter said the extra financial support is vital not only for the

IT IS unimaginable to think that children in this day and age are sent to school without shoes and socks, breakfast, a jumper during winter or have head lice so bad that their head is bleeding children's wellbeing but also for their mental health.

“The assistance that chappy gives these kids is wide and varied,” he said.

“Some kids have very difficult home lives. We have many families going through divorce, domestic violence and homelessness.

“We've had one little fellow that is coping with three deaths in the family in a short time and those sorts of things have a big impact on them with anxiety.”

Matt said education is not the only aspect of schooling for teaching staff today with so much more going on behind the scenes which is why the chaplaincy program is so vital.

“The public don't see that there's this tremendous community need, feeding the kids, cleaning their hair, dressing them

“With my principal lens on, the ultimate role of school is education but that can't happen if you have head lice so bad that your head is bleeding or your feet are so cold because you don't have socks on.