I am really excited and thankful for the Local Schools Community Grant that was given to us by Julie Collins Member for Franklin. This $20,000 grant will allow us to be able to add new seating and swings to our current playground. It will also mean that we are able to re-powdercoat existing equipment, making it fit in with our new gear.

The plans of our playground show a clear difference in the layout, taking into account a risk analysis of fall zones. This has been designed to Australian standards. We are currently taking feedback on the playground design, so if you see something that may benefit the design, please email me and we will take it into account.

When students were surveyed about what they wanted, they were keen on some shaded areas, thus the new seats have a roofed section. They also wanted more swings, so we are replacing the old copper log swings with powder coated steel swings.

The design process has taken into account current playground theory, attempting to make a natural path from the oval to the playground, across to the fire pit area and up to the sport court. A natural path or flow creates interesting spaces that students are more likely to explore and move between equipment. The traditional school grounds were based on rectangles as they fitted nicely into standard building blocks in England.

I would also like to thank Emmanuel parents Tobias Steele and Danielle Willis for providing the timber surround for the fire pit area. This has made a huge difference to the cost of the project. The fire pit will be installed soon and we will have an opening time at school celebrating our new area. The fire pit area will be useable by all school students under supervision. It will get more use in the winter months but can be used in summer months as an outdoor classroom.

We have a meeting with the builders on Thursday 27 February where we will set dates for building, so I hope to see some soil turning over very soon. We’ll keep you informed.

Ed Moroni – Secondary Coordinator