PEET funds for Balcatta/Tuart Hill school-based projects

20/12/95

School-based projects to forge stronger community links in Balcatta and Tuart Hill have received special funding from the Public Education Endowment Trust.

Education Minister Norman Moore, the trust chairman, said Balcatta Senior High School (BSHS) and its four feeder primary schools would receive $3,530 for a program involving a series of workshops and involving parents of more than 1,500 students.

Servite College would receive $3,180 for a project to help students with disabilities with the transition from school to work by providing potential employers with increased information.

Mr Moore said the programs were included in 20 proposed by schools and other organisations across the State, and covering a wide spectrum of educational goals, that were to receive a total of $112,000 in funds from the trust in 1996.

The trust was established in 1909 to support outstanding educational programs that had the potential to help a wide cross-section of students.

The Minister said the BSHS Perfecting Partnerships with Parents project had the potential to make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the communities surrounding the five schools that would take part.

Schools involved were Balcatta Senior High School and Takari, Balcatta, West Balcatta and Osborne Primary Schools.

"This group of schools is to be commended for the way in which their project aims to develop and support partnerships within school communities which will be of mutual benefit to all involved well into the future," Mr Moore said.

"Better communication links between parents and schools will encourage parents to take a positive interest in their children's education from primary through to high school."

Mr Moore said the Balcatta project would give parents the opportunity to learn about their children's schools, their teachers and the curriculum.

Some workshops would assist parents and care-givers to develop strategies to use at home to reinforce classroom work, while others would develop special skills in dealing with discipline, self-esteem and decision-making.

Mr Moore said the five schools had a large number of students from families with a Southern European background and, where necessary, interpreters would be employed so teachers could interact with parents far more effectively.

The Servite College project would involve the school's 1,700 students and their families, businesses which supplied goods and services to the school, business and organisations such as Rotary and the Osborne Park Business Association.

A special function would be held at the end of each year to thank "work experience" employers and to display certificates of appreciation publicly.

"Employers often feel unsure about how to deal with a student with a disability because of a lack of experience in this area," Mr Moore said.

"Only by better informing employers and by providing them with increased support will they become more confident about the valuable role they can play in helping a young person towards a promising future."

Mr Moore said the Servite College project would increase the self-esteem of students in the college's Education Support Unit and increase their chance of finding regular paid employment on leaving school.

Media contact: Anabel Gomez 321 1444 or 222 9595