Unofficial Blaxcell Street Public School P & C web site

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Urgent need for proper fencing at Blaxcell Street Public School

Our school has dropped in government funding priority for a decent perimeter fence. This is apparently because we get very little vandalism, theft or fire, compared with other schools in our area. I believe this reflects the good management of the school, and the great spirit of community involvement inspired by the school management. It is wrong-headed bureaucratic thinking that punishes our children for having such a well managed school.

The following newspaper article reflects this need. We feel that the various government departments are letting us down.

Nick has spoken by phone with Geoff Dowle, at the Schools Security Unit, which determines the priority for funding for school fencing in our area. He indicates that the fence will eventually be funded by the 2006--2007 financial year. Although he indicated that the "priority process" is fixed and immutable, I believe that the suggestions made at the last P & C meeting to create a petition will help the situation.

Article on front page of Parramatta Advertiser, 13 April 2005

Our local paper, the Parramatta Advertiser, published an article on the front page on 13 April 2005. This article is relevant to parents and administrators at Blaxcell Street Public School. Note that the issue was also mentioned in the news program on the one of the TV channels close to the time that the incident happened, according to a parent who originally informed Nick of the matter.

The text of the article is here:

Boy's actions lauded

SARAH LAW
THE mature and quick-thinking actions of two boys from Blaxcell Street Public School at Granville allegedly saved two young girls from being harassed by a man.

Police have now urged parents to renew "stranger danger" warnings to children.

The two girls, aged eight and nine years, were within the school boundary when a man approached the front gate of the School about noon last Wednesday, April 6.

Police Said that he asked the girls to come over to his vehicle and he would give them a lolly.

Crime co-ordinator at Rosehill Police Station Sergeant Matt Hull said police believe it was the verbal intervention of the Year 6 boys that scared the man away.

Police said the young boys called out for the man to identify himself which caused him to run to his car.

Sgt Hull said the incident is being investigated.

"The matter is being looked at by detectives at Rosehill local Area command," Sgt Hull said.

The man reportedly drove off in a maroon four-door Toyota Hilux and is described as of Middle Eastern appearance and being aged between 20 and 30 years old.

Police urge parents to tell their children not to speak to strangers, and if they are approached, to report the incident immediately.

Thank you very much, John Bilic, editor of the Parramatta Advertiser, for permission to reproduce the article here.

Here are (large) images showing the original article:

Help spend $150,000 on your school!

The Federal government is giving up to $150,000 to schools that can get their community to submit a well-planned, worthwhile project for the school that needs money.

There will be a meeting open to all parents and teachers held in the school hall at 9 AM, Wednesday 1 June 2005 where you can help decide on what plans we propose. Suitable projects include:

See the Government Website for more details, where you can find the Guidelines, and Application form. There are briefing sessions to help prepare the application.  Here is the PowerPoint file of slides used at the briefing session.

Here is a flyer for our meeting (HTML), (PDF).  Here is a presentation I wrote that was never shown.

Update after the meeting

There was a big turn out of parents (more than 60 in my estimate without actually counting).  In places, we needed more than two levels of chairs to fit everyone in a circle in the hall.  The main parents' support was for air conditioning and the electrical power to support it.  A surprising result was 14 parents wanting to buy computers as their second choice.  (I did not support this, even though I am a computer engineer.)  Playground equipment came out third as parents' second choice.
  --- Nick, 2.45 pm

Another update after the meeting

I have listed the items that parents asked for in the brainstorming session.

Please note that this web site does not officially represent Blaxcell Street Public School, or the views of its administration. It has been created by a parent, Nick Urbanik, who is also the secretary of the Blaxcell Street Public School Council. Here is the official web site.