Community Links

As a school that was built to service this housing estate, community links have been hugely important over the almost 50 years of the school’s existence. Historically, Coldstream Primary School helped to develop the Margaret Lewis reserve from cleared land to a lush ecosystem celebrating indigenous heritage and culture.

We worked with Friends of Margaret Lewis Reserve to establish the Frog Bog as part of an engineering design in one of our class Lego projects.

We promote our school as a community organisation – we established the Education Precinct in this cul-de-sac that includes the Maternal Health Care Centre, the kindergarten opposite, the local Playgroup and Lyrebird (Autism School).   This was to ensure the seamless transition for children from Birth to the end of primary school and beyond, for which we won a Victorian State Education Award. Many older community members minding grandchildren find our school accessible when they are entertaining the grandchildren and we welcome community to use our spaces respectfully.   

In addition we:

  • listened to community when they were crying out for long daycare and holiday care activities

  • run a free Breaky Club for all students

  • run a free facilitated Playgroup

  • run a foodbank for families in need (were responsible for the delivery of food parcels through the community through covid by our Care Pack Ninjas).

  • work with tertiary institutions to provide learning placements for pre-service teachers, education support, occupational therapists and mental health practitioners.

  • Work with Ranges Tec providing authentic work opportunities for their students and improvements to our school facilities

  • till recently, supported before and after school hours and vacation care for children from other schools

  • work closely with the Shire of Yarra Ranges when they are consulting eg we were involved in a series of focus groups where our children helped design the Pump Track, our children created and installed the 1000 Poppies project and the Pom Pom Bomb installations.  We were involved in the Story Telling Project that developed the whole Melba Walk project.

  • ran a big student leadership day with 135 children from 8-9 schools represented and speakers from the Yarra Ranges

  • have been involved in community launches, events and leading ANZAC ceremonies

  • were involved in the EasternHealth’s workshop on designing anti-gambling material for children

  • worked with local football, netball and tennis clubs to promote their memberships

  • worked with indigenous community to create artworks

 

This year alone we have:

  • distributed many food packs

  • worked with local agencies including Bunnings, the Shire of Yarra Ranges Ribbons of Green, Boral

  • have worked with indigenous rangers to do propagating and planting at Spadonis Reserve

  • collaborated with Ranges Tec

  • worked with indigenous agencies and most recently developed rope bridges for indigenous animals and planting

  • invited community into the school on several occasions including all Harmony Week activities and so many other activities for our immediate school community.

 

These activities give the children a strong sense of PLACE in a world that is rapidly becoming more and more globalised and disconnected.  This is an important protective factor for them and supports the community overall.