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By Mara Pattison-Sowden

9th February 2010 11:05:21 AM

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Tech savvy … Upper Plenty Primary School students Becky, Edward, Michael and Roma enjoy their new classroom. 42486 Picture: EMILY LANE

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LOCAL primary school students are finally enjoying the use of new facilities and the latest technology.

State funding enabled the students to move out of portable classrooms and buildings no longer fit for use.

Upper Plenty Primary School’s portables have been replaced with a new central learning area – large enough to fit a whole school assembly comfortably – an administration block and four expanding classrooms.

The classrooms have an open design, and unit co-ordinator Natalie Harper said the children were excited by the new layout.

“It’s really stimulating and the larger space let’s us do multi-age activities,” she said.

An interactive whiteboard has helped to engage the children, Ms Harper said.

“The focus it brings to touch and move things on the board, especially for the boys, is engaging,” she said.

Beveridge Primary School principal Steven Fernando said with a 25 per cent annual student growth, their new buildings haven’t come soon enough.

The school has also been able to provide netbook computers to Grade 3 to 6 students for note-taking and research.

Kinglake West Primary School students have been settled into their new classrooms since July.

Principal Mark Portman said it was “a much-needed upgrade” but added the outdoor area still needed sprucing up.

“We’d like to turn it into a beautiful facility for students to enjoy as well as being educationally up to scratch,” he said.

Work will begin soon on two new primary schools in Mernda and Craigieburn.

Building contractor Abigroup will begin excavation in the next few weeks, with the schools due to open for the 2011 school year.

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