General News
4 May, 2022
Raffle results raise the roof
STUDENTS at St Colman’s Primary School in Mortlake received a welcome surprise in their return from the Easter holiday.
STUDENTS at St Colman’s Primary School in Mortlake received a welcome surprise in their return from the Easter holiday.
The school added a large structure over the basketball court during the holidays to provide students with an undercover area for play, leisure and learning.
St Colman’s Primary School principal Stacey Atkins said the school community were thrilled with the new addition.
“We’re really happy with our new ‘shed,’ as we’ve been calling it,” she said.
“It’s been a long time in the making with planning happening for a while, it hasn’t happened overnight.
“We’re all very excited about it.”
Students have quickly gravitated towards the new area and enjoyed making the most of the space, according to Ms Atkins.
“The kids are really pumped, and have been more engaged with the space,” she said.
“They’re very excited and can see the possibilities with this space too."
“One of my roles this year is as the physical education teacher, so having a space we can have lessons all year around is fantastic."
“They have a space they can play all year round, and won’t be confined from enjoying the fresh air during wet weather.”
The new structure was in part funded through the generosity of the community.
The school launched an online raffle last year with major prizes on offer.
With the support of the wider south west community, the school sold 521 raffle tickets and raised $9683 to cover the costs of the installation.
“The raffle raised a lot of money for our school, and it was a big effort for such a small school,” Ms Atkins said.
“We’ll be doing (the raffle) again this year, so people know when they buy a raffle ticket they not only have the chance to win a great prize but they’ve contributed to this space."
“Next time it will go towards resurfacing the basketball court, so it’s definitely making an impact on the kids.”
While the students will make the most of the space, Ms Atkins said the potential to welcome the community to the grounds was on the school is radar.
“There is also a scope for having large scale community events as well,” she said.
“We feel really fortune and can see the possibilities for this space.”
