Facilities News 

 

Dr Denise Clarke 

Facilities Manager 

State Budget Announcement

Wow! Jacana School for Autism has been granted $10 million in the State budget towards upgrading the existing facilities. This was not something we were expecting but is is very welcome and timely.

Thank you to parents and caregivers who completed the survey that was sent out last week. We are using that information in the document we are preparing for stage one of the project. If you didn't get to respond this time I am sure there may be other opportunities later in the process. 

A long term Master Plan for the school will be developed as part of the upgrade project and should be in place by the end of June.

Bricks & Mortar Training - Capital Works 2020-2021

Corinne, Frances and myself attended the on-line training recently. Frances is taking over the role of Facilities Manager until the end of Term 1, and I will focus on Capital Works for the next few months as there is a significant amount of documentation to be completed before we start talking to Architects.  

Transition Week preparations

The multipurpose room has been cleared of Physical Education equipment and VCAL furniture has been moved in ready for transition week. The former VCAL room is now being set up for the new Media Arts program for 2021. Staff are busy packing their personal resources and moving to their new rooms for next week.

Holiday Works

We have re-assessed plans for the coming school holidays. We are not undertaking any major improvements e.g. replace turf in one of the playgrounds until the Master plan has been developed. We are completing necessary works and some cosmetic works so that the classrooms are in good condition for the students next year.  

Drainage works on the edge of the oval will be supplemented so that we don't have a swimming pool when there is heavy rain. Primary classrooms will be re-painted as the wear and tear since the last paint job is starting to show. Some Middle school classrooms will have blinds replaced. In the last year we have moved to single window blinds rather than larger blinds covering multiple windows. This has allowed re-use of relatively new blinds in other areas of the school as they become available. An example was relocating blinds (only 12 months old) from the old building that was demolished and re-installed in secondary rooms with same size windows.

Storage is still a challenge and rather than building a shed for equipment that is rotated through classrooms based on the needs of the students at the time, we are having another shipping container delivered during the holidays. This provides us with instant storage, and can be shifted  so it will not impede any new building works. 

End of  Year Thank You

The school's maintenance team of Rob Marsh and Jacob McKerchar have maintained the school facilities so that they are welcoming and safe for the students. This year there has been quite a bit of moving and re-locating of furniture around the school, so we thank them for their efforts. At times it has been very challenging. 

I also would like to thank the Buildings & Grounds Sub Committee for their input into planning improvements and maintenance, assessing quotes and generally supporting the delivery of good facilities for all students.