By Michael Doran
Community spirit and family fun will be happening at Yarra Junction Primary School’s Christmas Carols Night on Thursday 20 December, starting at 5.30pm.
The night follows a day of celebrations marked by students and teachers coming to school dressed in a Christmas costume or at least in the green, red and white colours of the season.
Acting Principal, Lisa Rankin said “The evening has been very much planned by the students and it is a great opportunity for them to have their say in what will happen on the night. Our Christmas Club students will create all of the decorations for the day.
“Each of the grades will be on stage performing their songs and the school choir will also be there for the carols. We will have a parade and Santa will be arriving in the local CFA fire-truck to listen to all the last minute present requests and for the happy snaps.”
The event is both Christmas carols and end-of-year celebrations and Ms Rankin said that they would be delighted if members of the wider Yarra Junction community came along and joined-in the night of entertainment.
She also said that while it is a BYO picnic, the student leaders have the job of delivering cool drinks and icy-poles to their guests.
Just down the road at Woori Yallock Primary School their Christmas Carols night is on Thursday 13 December starting at 6pm. As at Yarra Junction, the school is inviting all members of the local community to come and join with them in celebrating the Christmas season.
The barbecue will be starting up around 5pm and will be followed with Santa arriving, again on the local CFA truck, between 6.45 and 7pm. People coming along are welcome to bring their picnics with them and students from all grades will be performing as part of the line-up.
Following on from the success of last years effort, which generated more than 100 presents, the school is again collecting gifts under their Christmas tree for the Eastern Domestic Violence Service.
School Welfare Officer, Andre Campbell said that they were overwhelmed last year with donations and are hoping that the whole community can be involved this year. “Anyone can call in to the office and pick a tag off our tree that gives them the age and gender for the present they will be donating,” she said. “After it was in the paper last year we even had a man come in from Chirnside Park with a gift for a family who are doing it tough at this time of year.”
So Christmas at Yarra Junction and surrounds is very much a family oriented time and whilst events are being held at schools the whole community is invited to join in.
