School $5m upgrade open for business

By Bridget Brady
THE revamped Cranbourne West Primary School that received a $5million makeover was officially opened last week.
Grade 6 school leaders led Education Minister Bronwyn Pike on a tour of the school that received a massive facelift that included a new gymnasium with a full sized indoor basketball stadium, staff room, office and learning area.
The works took about 12 months to complete and marked the biggest upgrades at the school in about 20 years.
Assistant principal Chris Short said the school now provided a much more usable space for the 800 students. Services were previously stretched at the school due to the growth in student numbers.
“It’s tremendous. We were under resourced,” Mr Short said.
He said the open learning area allowed for a range of year levels to share the one space which helped break down boundaries that might exist between different year levels.
“It creates a real sense of community.”
About 17 portables had also been moved and learning galleries created to connect them, Mr Short said.
Ms Pike said she was very impressed by the students who led the tour and were up to speed with the upgrades that had taken place at their school.
Ms Pike said Cranbourne West had undergone much growth in the last few years and noted the population of the town had grown by 3249 people between 2001 and 2006.
She said a great school was the best gift a child could get.
“That’s a gift that’s going to last you all of your life,” Ms Pike said.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera said the works had made a big difference in the school since he met the principal in 2006 regarding upgrades.
“I would like to thank and commend the local school community for their enthusiasm and commitment to this project,” Mr Perera said.
Mr Short said the whole school community had been very patient while the works were undertaken.
“It’s a nice celebration and it draws everything to an official close,” Mr Short said.