Wednesday, 9 February 2022

Mount Waverley electorate schools

Mr FREGON (Mount Waverley) (09:51): Last week, like many parents across the state, I was excited to see my little ones return to school for the 2022 academic year. A big shout-out to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education for his fantastic work, because under the Andrews government’s back-to-school plan schools in my district of Mount Waverley now have access to rapid antigen tests, air-purification devices and a pool of support staff ready to cover any workforce shortages. We should also extend our thanks to the 99.7 per cent of school and early education staff who are double vaccinated and to the many who have already rolled up their sleeves for their third doses.

Despite the past challenging few years I would like to take a moment to appreciate the students who were able to overcome adversity and receive the Norm Gibbs Award in my area. The Norm Gibbs Award commemorates students with strong community spirit. The recipients for this year are Julia Grubnic from Avila College, Anushka Bhatt from Mount Waverley Primary School, Jennifer McDonald from Brentwood Secondary College, Lilian Douglas from Essex Heights Primary, Kiah Haysom from Glenallen School, Jamie Chen from Syndal South Primary and Jeffery Li from Glendal Primary School. The recipient of the Lance Lloyd Award at Mount Waverley North Primary School was Charlotte Johnson. Students at Mount Waverley Secondary College and Holy Family and Glendal and Syndal South will also be getting shade sails as part of the extra work that we are doing to ensure safe and secure schooling for our children face to face.