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School sets new foundations

Letitia BusniakGeraldton Guardian
Founding mums Lisa Scamporlino, Anne-Maree Hopkinson and Wendy Watters with a handful of Leaning Tree's students.
Camera IconFounding mums Lisa Scamporlino, Anne-Maree Hopkinson and Wendy Watters with a handful of Leaning Tree's students. Credit: Letitia Busniak

This bare block of land might not look like much at the moment, but the Glenfield property has a big future ahead where one community group is concerned.

The large property, located on the corner of Macedonia and Alexander Drive in Glenfield, will soon be home to the new campus of Leaning Tree Community School.

Students, parents, staff and community members were welcomed to the new location with a special Our Day on the Land recently.

The independent school, founded by a group of local parents, has been operating from leased premises at St Patrick’s College for almost 10 years.

Local parent Diane Geqwin, who attended the opening, said the new property would allow the school to really show its potential.

“My girl is a year six student at the school and it’s already so amazing what they’ve been able to accomplish in the small leased premises they currently have,” she said.

“My daughter absolutely loves her school and the staff are just so passionate. It’s going to be pretty incredible to see what they can create by setting up their own school campus from scratch.”

Now with the 10 acre property secured, plans are currently in place and construction is hoped to begin in the second half of this year.

School education manager Lara Sampson said the project was the accumulation of many years of planning within the school community.

“This is a dream made reality through many years of hard work and dedication from volunteers and staff,” she said.

“We aim to be a vibrant part of the Glenfield community and look forward to building relationships and becoming a valued asset to the community.”

The primary school currently has 78 students enrolled in classes and also features the Rainbow Playgroup for children from birth to age four and their families.

A main focus for the school is its environmentally friendly status, with the new campus plans set to aid that title.

Mrs Sampson said a key value of the school was sustainability and environmental consciousness in all aspects of school life.

“As such Leaning Tree plans to become the greenest school in WA,” she said.

“Plans are to incorporate key environmental sustainability components into the initial build, to enable sustainability outcomes to be realised from the outset.

“We believe that families are a part of our school community and therefore, their involvement and commitment is essential to the wellbeing of the school.

“The children, families and staff are dedicated to contributing to making the Mid West a family and childhood friendly Region.”

More information on the new campus is available at the current Leaning Tree office on Bayly Street.

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