Light Electorate Schools

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (17:08): Earlier today, I discussed some of the schools in my electorate, and I visited some of them last week. I would now like to continue those remarks. There were a couple of other schools I visited that I have not have the opportunity to discuss, and one of those is Xavier College, which is a Catholic college in my electorate. It is a year 8 to 12 school in the Salesian tradition, and there I met a number of students and we had a discussion about their plans for the future. We discussed their school and the facilities at the school.

I was given an opportunity to visit the new student hub, which is part of a recent investment in facilities at the college. The student hub is a resource centre, a library and a whole range of other facilities in a learning space for students, and it is quite an impressive building. I also visited the remodelled chapel at the college, and they have done a wonderful job there. It is a place that is of obvious spiritual importance to the college. I also looked at their native gardens and agricultural centre.

I mention these things because it was obvious to me from visiting these schools–not only Xavier but Trinity, Gawler and District College, Mark Oliphant College, Northern Adelaide Special School and Playford College—that they all take a very holistic approach to their students' wellbeing. Xavier, for example, has a special emphasis on wellbeing. They have a student group that promotes wellbeing amongst peers and a group of young people who are involved in developing programs for their peers. For example, Trinity College is part of the resilience movement, and their teachers have undertaken training and are building resilience in their students.

Gawler and District College is establishing a wellbeing program as well, and I had a chat with the staff member in charge of that program. Mark Oliphant College has put a lot of time, effort and resources into making sure that not only are students' academic requirements being met but also their cultural, spiritual and pastoral needs. All the schools in my area put an emphasis on the pastoral care of their students to grow the students not only academically but also as human beings and citizens of our state. I commend and congratulate all the schools in my area on the very good job they do.

In addition to attending those schools, I also attended a governing council meeting at Munno Para Primary School, a school that faces a number of challenges. It is situated in an area that unfortunately has not received a great deal of investment from either the private sector or government and is only funded at this point in time as a level 2 school. I have taken that matter up with the Minister for Education because, given the level of disadvantage at that school, I think it should be funded at a higher level. I understand that the minister, through the department, has asked for that funding to be reviewed.

Approximately 30 per cent of the school's students have some sort of learning difficulty or are living with some type of disability. That is quite a high number, so it is disappointing that, because of the ranking or the level of the school, it does not get more resources to assist with that. The principal, Belinda Kopania, is doing a wonderful job with the resources she has, and the teacher body at the school is really A1. They are working with a lot of NGOs to support their students and the parent body.

The school is innovative, in the sense that they pool resources from a whole range of locations and institutions in the area to make sure that their students do not miss out. They run a number of programs to make sure that the young people in this area get a fair go, get a good education and get a fair start in life. One thing that Munno Para Primary School faces, (and to some extent Munno Para preschool as well) is that they are in a community with a high level of welfare and very few resources. For example, it does not even have a local shop. However, I would like to commend Life Church, a Christian church in the area.

Life Church does an amazing job providing a whole range of services to the community, including a kids' playgroup and a group for mothers. They also run a teenager program and a men's program, and two days a week they run a food program for people in need. The church does all that work in the community without any support from the government. They raise money through their own resources and congregation and the donations they receive. I would like to commend Life Church for what they are doing.

I would also like to mention the work that Renewal SA is doing in terms of renewal in that area. The department has started to look at the area as a possible renewal project and they are playing their part. It is good to see a whole range of institutions in the locality, including the Playford city council, which put up its hand, work together to improve the quality of life of not only students and young people in that community but also residents and families in general.

There is another group I would like to mention in the context of schools. I am a member of the Northern Mens Wellbeing Network. This is a network of men and women who provide support and services to men and boys in the community. For example, the Smith Family is an organisation that is part of the network. They provide a number of scholarships to children in Munno Para Primary School and in other schools in the area. I know, for example, that Centacare and Anglicare provide services to students in schools in this community. The City of Playford also provides a number of supports to this community through its men's health programs and other community programs.

Despite the challenges faced by these communities, they are doing very well. They are building resilience and also trying to take control of their future. In closing, I would like to congratulate the school leadership teams and the governing councils in my electorate on doing such a wonderful job preparing our young people for the future not only academically but also as citizens of our communities.

At 17:17 the house adjourned until Wednesday 31 May 2017 at 11:00.