St Michael’s Primary School at Nelson Bay has started off the school year with modern classrooms and new facilities.
Students returned to school last week and there was plenty of excitement about the school’s new upgrades.
Year 6 student Noah, who has been at the school since Kindergarten, said it was quite exciting to walk back into school and see all of the changes.
“We’ve been waiting for about 12 months for the construction to be complete,” he said.
The upgrades included new classrooms, a learning hub, a new administration building and basketball and netball courts, which proved to be rather popular with the students.
“On the first day, we had the primary children all eager to have a go on the netball and basketball courts,” principal Helen Bourne said.
The school’s administration building is now located on Wahgunyah Road, which Ms Bourne said is the front of house for the school.
“That’s where the students arrive and leave from so it was important to move the administration building to that location,” she said.
Construction at the school is still underway, with more classrooms and the learning hub scheduled to be finished by August this year.
The learning hub will also have a courtyard, providing an opportunity for students to go and read in the courtyard.
“Once the other buildings are complete, it will be like a brand new school,” Ms Bourne said.
The school’s sign and cross is also visual from surrounding streets, which Ms Bourne said is quite amazing.
“We will be able to light the cross up at night time and it changes colour, depending on the church’s season,” she said.
In addition to the student’s excitement to return to school, Ms Bourne also expressed her eagerness to utilise the new facilities.
“The teachers are still amazed with how much it has changed our school,” she said.
The school’s youngest students started off their schooling journey in the new classrooms and Ms Bourne said it has been wonderful to watch them settle in.
“It’s the teacher in front that’s the most important but to have the new facilities it just adds to their learning,” she said.
St Michael’s Primary School has been on its current Nelson Bay site since 1969 and Ms Bourne said it was overdue for upgrades.
“It’s moving us forward with our buildings, which were quite old and needed renovating, so it was time for that to happen so we could have modern classrooms to assist the learning that’s happening with the students,” she said.
St Michael’s Primary School is also growing in enrolments, with 13 classes this year, compared to 11 classes in previous years.
Beyond the modern facilities, the heart of St Michael’s Primary School is the community in which it exists.
When asked what she loves the most about St Michael’s, Year 6 student Carla’s response was the community.
“Now that construction is over, infants and primary students are back to having our lunch breaks together and everyone is smiling on the new fields because we’re all together,” she said.
