Students design new playground for Winchelsea Primary School

WINCHELSEA Primary School is getting a new playground and the hope is to have it ready for the first day of school next year.

Acting principal Nick Keating said the students had a big say in the design after Grade 5 and Grade 6 students highlighted there was not a lot to do in the school grounds.

“The kids had expressed interest in a ropes-themed playground and had done so for a while.

“So we worked with our big kids last year to decide on the design and then put it out to the community and started fundraising.”

The acting principal said the school’s facilities were “mostly wise and weathered” and he hopes it will be the first of many projects.

 

 

The $57,763 playground will be built on vacant space near the school’s front entrance, between the flagpoles and cricket nets.

“We have 140 kids and, in the mornings, they all arrive five or ten minutes early and meet at the netball courts,” Mr Keating said.

“An opportunity for them to go and use our new playground right here before school is really important for us.”

Mr Keating said the existing big kids’ playground would remain but would need to be taken down at some point as it had a limited lifespan.

He said the school had worked hard to fundraise about $38,000 so far with funding from donations and events such as the colour fun run, a trivia night and Christmas raffles.

On top of that, Winchelsea & District Community Bank contributed $12,500 while Winchelsea Lions Club has chipped in $5,000.

 

 

The Community Bank’s Lisa Hicks, who is also on the school council, highlighted the benefits the playground would have for the town.

“This won’t just be for the school kids during the school time, it’s for the whole community, which is something the bank is passionate about,” she said.

“We want to make sure everyone’s included.”