Student bookmark art competition
Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (09:52): I was very pleased to recently visit many local primary schools in my electorate which participated in my community matters bookmark art competition. The theme was ‘diversity in our community’, and I was thrilled to receive so many considered and inspiring designs from creative year 5 minds in my electorate. Each participating school had several finalists, with the eventual winners decided by a poll on Facebook. All winners received a certificate and a book voucher for their excellent work. The winners’ pictures were also made into bookmarks which every student at the participating school received. I wish to congratulate the winners: Iliana Alam from Brentwood Park Primary, Lucas Bartlett at Strathaird Primary, Akein Siriwardane at Berwick Fields Primary, Amelia Klat at Hillsmeade Primary, Mia Gomez at River Gum Primary and Vinuli Goonasekera at Oakgrove Community Centre. I wish to thank all students who submitted a design. The colourful designs all depicted our multicultural electorate with pride. I hope these bookmarks will further encourage reading, which is an integral aspect of our local students’ development.
Whether it is through the Premier’s Reading Challenge, the public libraries funding program, or the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program, our government has a strong and ongoing commitment to reading in our local communities, which is something that all bookworms can rejoice in. I am very grateful for the students’ involvement in this bookmark competition which saw them take an interest in the diversity around us, treating people with respect, the art of imagination and a further interest in reading.