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26 MAY, 2021
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(Damjan Janevski) 237719_05
Ted lends a paw A labrador named Ted is bringing plenty of smiles to pupils and staff at Werribee Primary School. Ted, whose owner is leading teacher in student engagement and wellbeing, Laura Secrieru, began visiting the school last year when he was 12-weeks-old. He has since been appointed the official School Helping Dog, as part of a trial run by the school’s wellbeing team. The trial is the brainchild of social work student Elise Underwood, who is undergoing a placement at the school. Mrs Secrieru said Ted was not a trained therapy dog, but has been helping to increase pupils’ engagement and attendance through his weekly visits. She said the pupils learned to demonstrate the school’s values of respect, responsibility and resilience around Ted, so that he can learn them too. The school has also installed a letterbox for pupils to mail letters to Ted. “A lot of letters say: ’We love you Ted, you’re so cute, please come and visit us’,” Miss Underwood said. OLIVIA, 6, AND AMELIA, 11, GIVE TED A CUDDLE
Alesha Capone
Budget cash for Wyndham By Alesha Capone New schools, public transport upgrades, and a new road are the big ticket items for Wyndham in this year’s state budget. The budget, which was released last week, includes $492 million to build 13 new schools across the state, including one in Manor Lakes, one in Werribee and two in Tarneit. The schools are to be constructed by 2023. Tarneit MP Sarah Connolly said the two new Tarneit schools would provide facilities for more than 1000 students. The first stage of a fifth school, Truganina North Secondary College, will open in 2024. Once complete, it will accommodate 2200 students.
Manor Lakes P-12 College will receive $9.4 million for new facilities to cater for an additional 400 students. Altona MP Jill Hennessy said Alamanda K-9 College in Point Cook will get $6.2 million to upgrade its facilities. Tarneit Senior College will receive $5.8 million to deliver its final stage of construction, including a new classroom wing to accommodate 300 additional students. The government will invest $276.4 million in acquiring land for future schools in seven municipalities, including four sites in Wyndham. Werribee MP Tim Pallas said this would include land for a future school in Mambourin.
Wyndham mayor Adele Hegedich said the budget funding was “extremely welcome”. “About 100 babies are currently being born each week in Wyndham, which means we need to plan for at least an extra new classroom every week just to keep pace with this ongoing boom,” Cr Hegedich said. Commuters will benefit from a $94 million commitment to upgrade the Melton and Wyndham Vale rail corridors to allow the future operation of higher-capacity trains including nine-car VLocity trains. An additional $10.284 million has been allocated for early works at the Ison Road rail overpass in Werribee, to connect Ison Road through Wyndham west and the Princes
Freeway corridor. In health, $5.7 million has been earmarked to plan the redevelopment of emergency departments at Werribee Mercy Hospital, plus four other Victorian hospitals. The budget also mentions previouslyannounced funding for the new Wyndham Law Court development, but $6 million has been reallocated to a Bendigo justice project. Development projects for the Wyndham Vale and Truganina fire stations have been given $3.5 million each, a further $31 million has been set aside for the Werribee Irrigation District modernisation program and $2 million to upgrade and signalise the Derrimut-Hopkins Road and Boundary Road intersection.