MOORAK’s youngest students will get the best start to life, with a new state-of-the-art preschool building officially opened.
Although the building has already been in use this year, the building was officially opened by Minister for Education Blair Boyer last Wednesday.
The $1.8m modular building is the culmination of more than five years of planning, which involved architects speaking to the school community, and the students, about what they would like to see.
It also includes a new nature play space.
Cutting the ribbon on the new building was preschoolers Lucas Bourchier and Remy Scherer.
Principal Pete Mitchinson said the building would improve educational outcomes for students.
“This has been a huge project, but it was definitely worth the wait,” he said.
“The improvement to literacy and numeracy, and the opportunities that this is giving them has been really good.
“You have to build solid foundations, and those solid foundations are built here in preschool before they move into school.
“This is where it all starts, and where we build foundations socially, and the literacy and numeracy skills.”
The work has increased the facility’s capacity to allow more than 30 children to attend.
Mr Boyer, who was schooled at Narrawong in Victoria, said he was delighted to be able to be part of the opening.
“As someone who grew up just across the border at a very small country primary school that only had about 35 kids, I love coming and seeing other regional schools, and of course I love seeing investment in our small schools like this, to make sure they have the same fantastic infrastructure and facilities that you expect anywhere else,” he said.
“It’s good to see that what’s been built here will serve this community really, really well for generations to come and it’s good that the outcome achieved here was not a refurbishment of the old preschool, but a new build.”
He said he was pleased that education had been a big part of 2022/23 State budget.
“There is significant investment not just in Adelaide but, importantly, in our regions as well including the Limestone Coast, and I think we are acknowledging the importance of the area economically as well,’ he said.
“I think we’ve underestimated the Limestone Coast in the past – parties of all persuasions – but Peter Malinauskas has been very keen to make sure the first Country Cabinet we did was right here.”
