Master Plan Update

Approaching Exciting Milestones

As we draw closer to the end of the 2024 school year, I look forward to seeing many of you at the various end of year celebration and graduation events. This is an exciting time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of our students, as well as marking the transition or progression to their next season of schooling or beyond!

We are approaching an exciting milestone in our South Plympton Master planning pursuits! Stage 1a (the large western extension to the main building) is on schedule to be finished in a bit over a month. This will allow us to set up these new learning and performance spaces ready for the start of the 2025 school year. Most of our 3/4 and 5/6 classes, for example, will start 2025 in these new rooms. Landscaping on the ground level is also well underway, providing our students with about 500M2 of new undercover play and recreation space for recess and lunchtime use. Previously we parked staff cars in this area.

With Stage 1a about to be finished, we are about to turn soil on the next two concurrent projects.

Stage 1b will be a three-term-long, staged refurbishment of our two-story building along the eastern boundary of the College, resulting in two magnificent new Art Rooms (top floor) and also two wonderful new Home Economics Rooms (ground floor). Partial and staged use of this building will be retained during the three-term refurbishment (it’s a bit like playing Tetris!), with the refurbishment planned to be fully complete at the end of Term 3 2025. This project will start on 5 December 2024 as soon as students have concluded for the year.

We have seen ‘action’ to the northern end of the South Plympton campus on Monday 11 November 2024, when Stage 2a commences. The builders will install a builder’s fence east-west along the middle of the hardcourts effectively isolating the far northern end of the courts where they will commence preliminary work for Stage 2a (a head-start to ensure this entire project will be completed comfortably by the end of 2025). 

Stage 2a will see the provision of almost 100 onsite car parks under the current hard courts with new playing fields then built above them. This project will take almost 100 cars off the surrounding streets (where they are currently being parked), making a substantial improvement to the current student drop-off and collection ‘fiasco’ we see each morning and afternoon. I just can’t wait for this to be completed! This project is also instrumental in freeing up an additional ~1500m2 of future student play and recreation space in the heart of the College (where we previously parked staff cars).

If I have lost you in all the ‘stages’ above, please visit our website, where it is all explained in more detail.

I pray the end of the 2024 school year is smooth and productive for you and your family as you approach a time of rest and the blessing of Christmas. Here at Emmaus, we will be flat-out ‘building’ over the entire holidays!

Blessings to you all,

Andrew Linke

Executive Principal