12 OCTOBER 2022 | ISSUE 510 | FREE
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NAGAMBIE PRIMARY BIG BUILD TO START
After eighteen months of planning, Nagambie Primary School is set to receive a makeover, with major building works about to begin.
To re-cap, in late 2020, Nagambie Primary School Principal received a phone call from Jaclyn Symes, Member for Northern and current Attorney General. “I received a call from Jaclyn Symes MP that we were allocated $2,900,000 of capital works funding in the Victorian budget to ‘upgrade and modernise’ our school. From there, the Victorian School Building Authority take responsibility for the money and managing the project, including appointing an architect to coordinate everything.
“After much consultation in 2020 with our school and wider community, we set out our vision and priorities. Central to this was keeping the ‘green heart’ open space of our school that has play, physical activity, community, learning and wellbeing at its core.
“We are also ‘opening up’ our main building and the P-2 classrooms to our beautiful grounds, with the addition of significant decking, seating, covered areas, tiered seating, access ramps and glass doors. There will also be a great new sandpit.
“Not everything we hoped for fitted into the final budget (does it ever), with the well-publicised rising cost of building works rearing its unfortunate head. However, we have been able to retain the two main priorities.
“When completed this will be a lovely space for families to gather and enjoy each other’s company as they drop off and pick up students. Our P-2 classrooms also get an interior upgrade, including new lighting, air-conditioning, carpet and paint.
The two priorities included a new large learning space and a room to facilitate allied health and small group activity.
The architect is James Seymour and the builders are Moretto’s, both from Shepparton.
“The new learning space will be positioned on the eastern side of the school, nestled between the Art room, Grade 5/6 classrooms and carpark.
“Moretto’s are very experienced with school projects. During construction there will be some changes to access and movement around the school. There will be some inconvenience but in a year’s time we will have fabulous new facilities that will make our school even better.
“The other is a significant upgrade on the western side of the main building. This includes removing and re-building the ‘Doll’s House’, which we use for small group and allied health work. The new building will include an adult toilet, baby change and tea and coffee facilities.
“I imagine there will be lots of stories and writing about building and hopefully lots of students wanting to be builders, electricians, architects, project managers and plumbers when they grow up," finished Mr Rob French.