"We're wrapt, absolutely wrapt," says Principal
A Toowoomba primary school says it is 'wrapt' in its new facilities - made possible through $925,000 in Australian Government Building the Education Revolution (BER) program funding.
Principal of the 108-year-old Harlaxton State School, Leonie Hultgren said the BER funding had allowed the school to complete the upgrade of their hall; extend and refurbish their resource centre and two classrooms; and buy a number of interactive white boards.
"We now have a weatherproof hall complete with sound-proofing and excellent acoustics, capable of accommodating all of our 140 students.
"The kids love their hall. When they came in here for the first time they didn't know where to look. One of the boys looked around and stated, 'This is just superb'," Leonie said.
Built by local contractor FK Gardner and Sons Pty Ltd using mainly local sub-contractors, the hall will be used for school assemblies, wet weather days, art shows, parent nights and community events, such as discos and bush dances.
BER funding has allowed for the extension and refurbishment of the school's resource centre - complete with new book cases, a disabled toilet, computer nest and an outside covered learning area.
Leonie said the upgraded resource centre meant a lot to the school.
"We can now section off the library room with concertina doors and there is also a new teacher's reference section," Leonie said.
She said teachers were very happy with the interactive whiteboards which now existed in most of the school's classrooms.
"Use of technology such as interactive whiteboards allows teachers to implement and experiment with new pedagogies. Teachers have already made changes to the way they teaching and the students are responding very positively.
"It is exciting to see how much more interested they are when they are given opportunities to manipulate things," Leonie said.
School P&C President, Annette Hill, and her mother Sandra Hill, who has been involved with the school for over twenty-three years, described the new facilities as being 'the biggest addition during their connection with the school.
"It's really been massive. Parents are taking a lot more interest and pride in the school and our beautiful buildings," they said.
Leonie said it was great that BER money has gone into school infrastructure.
"It's going to build generational pride, a place to belong and a sense of community.
"I can't get over the fact that a grandmother, whose children went here, and whose grandchildren now go here, knows their grandchildren will be benefiting from these facilities in the future," Leonie said.
The Queensland Government's Department of Education and Training is managing the implementation of Building the Education Revolution into Queensland state schools on behalf of the Australian Government.
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