Eumemmering MP Gordon RichPhillips and Opposition Leader Robert Doyle with students Maddie and Corey. Pictures: Mike Richards.By Paul Dunlop
PRAISE for staff and students of Officer Primary School has been mixed with a warning from state Opposition Leader Robert Doyle that challenging times are ahead for the school.
Mr Doyle was impressed by what he described as the “lovely feel and caring atmosphere” at the school but said it was fast growing too big for its Tivendale Road site.
He toured the school as part of a visit to the PakenhamBerwick area with his shadow Cabinet on Monday.
A former teacher, Mr Doyle said the school, which has almost 250 students, was typical of many other educational facilities in the southeast growth corridor.
A boom in enrolments in recent years, coupled with the expected transformation of Officer into one of Victoria’s fastest growing towns meant good planning was vital if the school’s many attributes were to continue to flourish, Mr Doyle said.
“I can see problems. They do need to expand and they have limited space to do that. They obviously do a great job with what they have,” he said.
“Officer Primary School has a lovely feel and a really nice, caring atmosphere and there are some great opportunities here, but the facilities need to be able to cope with the increasing numbers.
“You can’t just plonk down more portable classrooms year after year.”
Joining Mr Doyle at Officer were Eumemmerring MP Gordon RichPhillips and newly endorsed Liberal candidate for Gembrook Simon Wildes.
School principal Sue Nelson showed the visitors around the school grounds and classrooms where students displayed their reading skills to Mr Doyle and colleagues.
The opposition leader was very impressed with the school’s Tool Time initiative, previously featured in the Gazette, which has parents volunteering to help students learn basic woodcraft skills.
Ms Nelson said staff and parents were very aware of the challenges posed by the forecasted growth of Officer and hoped the school community would be closely consulted by government agencies when it came to planning for the future.
She said the spirit of the school community was emphasised time and again by the very positive involvement of parents in activities and excursions.
As previously reported in the Gazette, the primary school is to receive two new relocatable classrooms as part of a statewide project to inject new infrastructure into education.
The classrooms were expected to be delivered within the next month, Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato said.
“These two new classrooms will be welcome at a school that is facing increasing enrolments in this south east growth corridor on the outskirts of Melbourne,” Ms Lobato said when she made the announcement earlier this year.
Also on Mr Doyle’s agenda during his visit on Monday was a meeting with City of Casey officials and a bus tour with other Liberal Party MPs, Casey mayor Neil Lucas and chief executive officer Mike Tyler and councillors.
