SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Joe Mastroianni)
Spectacular kid caper Melton West Primary School pupils are gearing up for a stellar mass song and dance at this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular. This year’s production, With the Beat, will explore the concepts of belonging and identity and feature a 75-piece orchestra, 1300-voice choir and 1125 dancers. There are 72 Victorian schools involved in the mass choir and 80 involved in the mass dance. This year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular will run for two shows on Saturday, September 15, at Hisense Arena. An event spokeswoman said the show provided a “unique training opportunity” for students, on stage as well as backstage. GRADE 5 PUPILS SHANAYA, LILA AND MADISON
Sumeyya Ilanbey
Exford school poll cash By Sumeyya Ilanbey Exford Primary School will be overhauled and brought into the 21st century with much-needed upgrades, including a gymnasium and permanent buildings, the Labor government has promised three months from the election. Education Minister James Merlino visited the 116-year-old school on Wednesday to announce a re-elected Labor government would commit $6.25 million for the first stage of the upgrades, which will involve masterplanning the site and replacing portables with permanent buildings.
The school’s population has more than quadrupled to 440 students since Lisa Campo was appointed principal in 2007. The number of classrooms increased from five to 18 in 11 years. “We have been communicating with the [education] department for a number of years, just ensuring they understand the growing needs at our school and the recognition that we have a lot of growth coming our way [from] new estates between us and Melton South,” Ms Campo said. “We’ve been communicating, ‘Hey, we need
to be ready for the wave of children coming our way’, so we’re thrilled the department has taken this action.” As part of the funding deal, the school council and leadership team will work with the Victorian School Building Authority to identify required upgrades and decide whether additional land needs to be purchased. Ms Campo hopes the school will also be connected to the main sewer and water system. She says the school has previously run out of potable water and has outgrown its current sewerage treatment plants.
“[We’re also] after an attractive environment that [caters] for all learning needs, so you can have dedicated classroom spaces but spaces that can be collaborative, used across year levels … for science, literacy, arts,” she said. Mr Merlino said the state government recognised the urgency of upgrading Exford Primary School. He said work would start “immediately” if Labor is re-elected. “Stage one will … go towards masterplanning the whole site, but it will be that the majority of funding will go towards permanent facilities to replace the portables,” he said.