By Callum Ludwig
The revamp to the Cire Community School campus in Yarra Junction has received another boost with the announcement of a dedicated Years 5 and 6 and Middle School precinct.
Supporters of the school celebrated the second turning of the sod at the Little Yarra Road campus in a year to mark the occasion, the other being for the under-construction Early Years Learning Hub.
Cire Chief Operating Officer Erin Weinberg said the upgrade is thanks to a $1 million grant through the Victorian State Government and the Victorian Independent Schools Block Grant Authority (VIS BGA).
“Our Children’s Centre building which’s been here for a while will be redeveloped with the support of those funds and it will become a site for the middle-year students at our school,” she said.
“It will create year five and six classroom buildings comprising of four general learning areas, a breakout space, outdoor learning areas, a kitchen, sick bay, staff office, meeting room and staff and student amenities,”
“We know it’s much needed in the community and we know it’s going to be a beautiful space for our young people to come and join our school community and have a space that’s their own.”
The overall project to reinvigorate the building into a dedicated space for students is expected to come out to about $2 million, with the rest of the balance to be covered by Cire.
Executive Manager of Education Peri Dix said she wanted to double up on the thanks to the VIS BGA and Cire Services for the money put into making the building a fantastic environment for their young students.
“It provides a lot more space, Yarra Junction is a growing campus and we run short of space on a daily basis so having this and being able to utilise the bush block next door will provide our students with a lot more scope for outdoor learning,” she said.
“We try and provide as much hands-on learning as we can and this gives us another avenue.”
Initially established as the Yarra Valley Community School in 2015, the Yarra Junction campus was the inaugural Cire Community School, since joined by further campuses in Lilydale, Berwick and Mt Evelyn (moving to Monbulk for 2024). Grade 5 and 6 classes were introduced in 2021.
Yarra Ranges Council Mayor Jim Child said what Cire Services does in providing care facilities, education facilities and community hubs to engage more with connect communities together is amazing to see.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve done this on this site, I remember doing one with Sally Brennan up here back in the old days and then down here for the new facility, which we can see how it’s coming along now,” he said.
“If you look at the infill around Yarra Junction and the rest of our region, this facility will provide so much going into the future, and I just don’t know how Cire Services does it,”
“You drive around the Yarra Valley and you see Cire buses everywhere, connecting all these places together so they’re not only providing the services on campus but connecting those communities to these hubs and that’s just so wonderful to see.”
The works getting underway to repurpose the Children’s Centre are being conducted in a way that will not impact the service delivery of the Children’s Centre prior to the opening of the new Early Years Learning Hub in 2024.
