Written by Damien Hehir & Mary Yu, Co-Principals
The wait is now over, and the playground has been installed. A famous quote from the Kevin Costner movie, Field of Dreams was: “Build it and they will come…”
This saying could not possibly be any more true when it comes to the new playground. The level of excitement was so high on the Monday after the holiday, when the first recess bell rang and the race was on to land on the structure. This enthusiasm continued all week and was renewed when the final piece, the pyramid, was completed this week. As we walked around the playground, many of the children came up to us saying how happy they were that they had this new playground. 
The different pieces of equipment were carefully chosen to be both challenging and engaging for the students; developing their gross motor skills, confidence, balance and strength. The play structure also assists children in developing social skills as the students learn to take turns, work together and consider the safety of those around them. The playground structure is far more than just a place to play, it a holistic learning experience.
The Year 6s were able to use the playground on Founder’s Day and the Early Childhood children are making good use of the equipment as well. The playground is for everyone – we even saw some teachers and parents who wanted to try it out.
We have been happy to see the parents and guardians allowing their children to use the play structure after school as it is a good community resource for our families. However, we do need to work together to ensure the rules are followed and that the responsibility of safety and supervision is shared by our parent community.
We remind parents of a few important points:
– The play structure is not to be used before school
– Parents are responsible for the supervision of their children after school hours (signs explaining this are posted around the playground)
– Please remind your children to follow the same rules for playground use after hours, as when they are supervised by their teachers during school time
The safety of the children is always our number one priority, and following the safety rules will help keep the playground safe. Have fun!