Wednesday, 22 March 2023

 Ella GEORGE (Lara) (10:04): One of the highlights of being a local MP is visiting schools and kindergartens in the Lara electorate. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Lara Lake Community Pre-school to meet with their staff and a group of three-year-olds. We had a great discussion about the centre and how the Andrews Labor government’s free kinder program is benefiting local families. We had some fun cracking open kinder kits, which were filled with books and games to help kids continue with play-based learning at home. Thanks to Linda, Deb, Angela and the team of educators at Lara Lake Community Pre-school for all the work that you do with our littlest Victorians.

Another highlight was visiting staff and students at Herne Hill Primary School. Herne Hill Primary is a small school with a big heart. They put the voices of their students at the forefront of everything they do, including selecting the school’s values, which were voted on by students last year. It was great to see Herne Hill’s stunning new synthetic oval and running track, which was completed late last year thanks to a grant from the Andrews Labor government. The students are loving the new oval and putting it to good use with school sports competitions and lunchtime games. Thanks to principal Shane Ezard and assistant principal Karla Gilbert along with superstar school leaders Beth and Ollie for the wonderful tour of their school. Local schools and kinders are important places for our youngest Victorians to learn, grow and thrive, and I am so proud to be a member of a government committed to investing in education.