WHAT'S NEW?
THE SOUTH WING
At the 2020 Presentation Evening, Peter Leigh, our College Council Chair, gave an overview of the commitment to the continued upgrade of the Wantirna South Campus. As you are all very well aware, the first stage of that upgrade is well on the way with the building of the North Wing.
I am very pleased to be able to present to you today, the exciting news of the College’s commitment to the second stage, the South Wing.
The new South Wing will be a two-storey building that will replace the current single storey Secondary-Wing that exists on the south side of the courtyard. This building was constructed at the same time as the Primary-Wing in 1989, which we recently demolished to make way for the North Wing. Over the years, this building has housed the Library, computer laboratories, Food Studies, Science (prior to the new Science Wing), VCAL, Art, Drama, Primary LOTE, general classrooms, offices for Accounts, IT and a Uniform Shop. No doubt, many memories exist of those who have passed through this building as staff or students over the last 32 years and we will look to celebrate these in the year ahead.
The South Wing was developed out of a vision to significantly improve the learning environment for our senior students, giving them even greater opportunities for success. The building will have new study and common room spaces on the ground level and a number of additional Secondary classes and study spaces with the option for a large seminar space on the second level. It will connect to the library via a central foyer area and careers hub on the ground level and connect to the Oval Wing corridor on the second level. A collection of varying study spaces, breakout options, collaboration rooms and quiet study zones have all been included to enhance student learning. The building is designed such that it will be a space that students will feel comfortable and safe in, and want to be there. Overall, the desire is to give our senior students more flexibility in their approach to study and engender more ownership and responsibility for the space and their learning, much like they will be exposed to as higher education students.
In addition to the focus on senior students, there will be additional general purpose classrooms for Secondary learning, a large Primary Makerspace to replace the current IT classroom and next to this, in much the same location as now, the Information Technology Hub for staff and student services.
At this stage, we hope to commence the project in the first half of 2022, with the demolition of the current Secondary-Wing commencing soon after the completion of the North Wing building project.
It is an exciting development that has involved hours of consultation, collaboration and discussion, led by Andrew Bawden, our Head of Secondary, and I wish to thank him and his team for all of their work. We are really looking forward to how this building will help shape our educational offering in Senior Secondary and we ask that you commit the development to your prayers as we move to progress through the formal planning phase and subsequent tender process.
If you have any questions regarding the new development, please don’t hesitate to contact Andrew Bawden or myself. In the meantime, please enjoy some architects' impressions of the new facility.
South View from Oval
View from Reserve (Primary Art Walkway) showing connection to the Oval Wing
Bird's eye view from West Wing looking across new development to the Oval Wing
Mr Rod Ramsay (Head of Campus)