By Brendan Rees
Cranbourne East’s St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Primary School has welcomed the addition of new learning spaces.
The $3.1 million project saw the refurbishment of the existing administration building which was turned into a new music and visual arts learning area while the old visual arts room was refurbished into a new administration area.
Other additions included a new basketball court, classrooms and expansion of the car park after works started in May last year and were completed by March.
Member for Cranbourne, Jude Perera officially opened the learning spaces and unveiled a plaque during a ceremony held on Wednesday June 13.
The project benefited from a $1.5 million investment of the State Government while the Catholic Development Fund provided $1.6 million.
St Thomas’ began in January 2014 with an enrolment of 125 students in all classes from Prep to Year Six.
Principal Brendan Marrinon said it was a proud moment for the school and the upgrades would prepare “children for life.”
“It’s incredibly important; we were able to enrol another hundred kids,” he said.
“We were 303 at the end of last year and now we’re 498. We have got a waiting list for next year.
“The biggest part of the project was six classrooms and that includes an environmental science room that’s been designed to control humidity so we can propagate plants or have tropical plants because of the tropical microclimate,” Mr Marrinon said.
Mr Perera said the school attracted a large number of kids and “making this investment makes sure they will continue to have access to a great local school.”
“This is on top of Labor’s recent announcement of a new Primary School in Botanic Ridge, a new Primary School in the Casey Fields area and a New Secondary College in Cranbourne West with also a Special School,” Mr Perera said.
Minister for Education James Merlino said: “This brand new, state-of-the-art building is another example of how we’re making the investments we need to give every child – regardless of where they live, or the school they go to – the very best education.”
Mr Merlino added the school was one of the many Victorian schools benefiting from the Labor Government’s $120 million Capital Funding Program for Non-Government Schools.
The program has already seen more than 86 projects receive funding to build and upgrade Catholic and independent schools across the state.
