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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-11-26 Daily Xml
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Newland Electorate Schools

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (16:18): It was another really big week in the Newland electorate last week, as I had five primary school visits. Many would know, and have heard me say when I make those visits, that if I am ever in need of another career then primary school teaching may be where I end up, because it is well and truly where my heart and my passion are and I do really love spending time with local students in my electorate.

We started the week with an announcement at Modbury South Primary School, alongside the Minister for Education, about our new numeracy check, which will be occurring for all year 1 students from next year. It was a really exciting time not just to announce the importance of that check but to hear from the students at Modbury South about the trial that they have undergone and how they are finding a real love for maths.

We had a discussion particularly with one of the young girls at the school about what it means for young women to be getting involved in maths and to be having that love for maths. We know that even in my generation, which was not all that long ago, there was not really that encouragement for girls to continue maths. For myself, even moving from one school to another halfway through high school and the disparity between the curriculums at those two schools basically meant that there was not the opportunity to catch up in maths and science in a way that I probably would have liked, nor was there encouragement for me to do so. I do think that that has unfortunately been the case for so many girls in the past and I am really pleased to see that there is this renewed emphasis on numeracy, not just for young students across South Australia but for girls.

Later that afternoon I went along to an assembly at Modbury School P-6, one of my other wonderful primary schools, and I got to present one of the winners of my Christmas card competition for this year, one of four winners. This year we were very lucky to have had almost 250 entries from across our 15 schools, which is a mammoth effort particularly for me, the judge, to let down that many kids and tell them that they are not the winners of the competition. But we have gone and put those designs all around our office—in the windows, on the walls—so that the students, if they would like to, can come along and see their beautiful designs up around the office.

I also returned to Modbury South again the next day for the transition day, which is hosted by the Schools Ministry Group—and I have to say, if you do not have this happening in your own local electorate, it is one of the most brilliant programs that I have seen in the last few years in terms that transition to high school program. The Schools Ministry Group host one at Modbury South every year for six local primary schools where they talk about the transition process to high school. They have representatives from the local high schools who come and put students in groups so that they can meet other peers who are going along to those high schools. They talk about change, they talk about goal setting and they talk about all of those hard emotions that a lot of students feel going into high school.

I was there. I donated the sausages and did a bit of a shift on the sausage sizzle. The kids are all fed for the day and get this opportunity to really socialise and meet each other. I do want to say a big thanks on the record to Schools Ministry Group for the work that they do in putting that on every year. It is a mammoth task for six schools to all get into one gym and be hosted by Schools Ministry Group, and we have a number of wonderful local volunteers including from the Gully Church who came along, and I really want to thank all those volunteers and supporters as well.

I ended the week with two assemblies—one at Ardtornish, one at St Agnes—at our two public primary schools in St Agnes. At Ardtornish I went along to find two other winners from our Christmas card competition to present them but also to hand out certificates for the Terrific Kids award which has been sponsored for many years by the Tea Tree Gully Kiwanis, which is no longer in operation but they do still do those Terrific Kids certificates at local assemblies. I do also want to put on the record my thanks to the Grove Shopping Centre for sponsoring those little vouchers for students around the community.

I left Ardtornish in a mad rush two minutes up the road to go to St Agnes Primary School for the final assembly for the incredible Sandee Ising who is leaving teaching as the principal there after 34 years in education. Sandee is one of the most remarkable women; I have been so blessed to get to know her over the last few years and I know that the community is so saddened to see her go. It was a really emotional afternoon and all the kids made cards and they held them up, 'We love you, Ms Ising,' 'We will miss you, Ms Ising.' There was not a dry eye in the house. I would like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of Sandee Ising at St Agnes Primary School and of course across our education department over the last 34 years. We will certainly be the worse for not having her teaching in our local schools.

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