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Your Community Newspaper
Thursday, June 22, 2006
WEEKLY
Ph. (08) 86712683
www.themonitor.com.au
Fax: (08) 8671 2843
The Monitor, Roxby Downs’ Community Paper will arrive weekly on your doorstep or regular outlet from Thursday, July 6.
That’s only the beginning according to the paper’s Managing Editor, Ray Goldie. “The Monitor will be full of surprises with a new look and new pages being introduced over the next few months.” “This is a natural progression for the paper and has been in the pipeline for some time,“ he said The Monitor was originally conceived in 2003 to fill a gap in community communications as relayed in the Roxby 2001 Reports. It has increased distribution from 2000 to 3100 across one of the largest distribution areas in Australia. Newspaper manager, Mandie Arnold, said the staff are very proud of the paper and are excited about the chance to deliver more news, more often, to our readers.
Andamooka primary school under fire
At the recent Andamooka community me eting , the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) announced a preliminar y rebuilding plan which would only cater for Reception to Year 3 students. The announcement followed allegations of serious misappropriation of funds from the school which were uncovered after the devastating arson attacks earlier this year. The allegations stunned those at the meeting but attention was immediately focused back to the school’s future.
Over 70 Andamooka townspeople attended the meeting, which included DECS personnel and two members of the South Australian Police’s Anti Corruption Branch. The DECS personnel put forward several best guess timelines concerning the rebuilding process. A minimum timeline of 14 – 16 weeks was given to reestablish a preschool, R-3 and the community library, at an expected cost of $150,000. DECS Director of Learning Resources and Services, Marie O’Toole, said the Minister for Education, Jane Lomax-Smith, had given her approval and commitment to rebuilding the school, with the format still to be determined. Superintendent for Site Physical Resources (DECS),
Frank Kairns, said the rebuilding of the school would focus on a core group of children between pre-school and Year 3, with additions subject to discussion. The crowd remained unconvinced and a number of people stood up and voiced their desire to see the school rebuilt from reception to Year 7 – exactly how it was before the disastrous arson attacks earlier this year. One man questioned why Andamooka should suffer by not rebuilding the primary school to the previous service level when it was not the community’s fault the last school was destroyed. Another man asked whether or not DECS had considered what the potential impact of having limited primary school services in Andamooka would be during the Olympic Dam expansion.
The DECS personnel responded that the department had conducted research indicating that upper primary school students would benefit from interacting with a larger group of students their own age at RDAS. DECS Northern Country District director, David Craig, said a number of students in the Year 4 -7 bracket had told DECS staff they would welcome the opportunity to stay at the Roxby Downs Area School (RDAS). However, the crowd continued to debate the issue with DECS staff until the meeting was closed. Chairperson of the school’s governing council and mother, Naomi Campbell, elaborated on the community’s feelings towards the DECS proposal. “It was frustrating to hear
DECS go round and round talking about options for the school’s future when the community just wants the school rebuilt as it was. We just want to bring the kids home to Andamooka as soon as possible,” she said.
“It is good to have ministerial commitment to rebuild the school but the current situation is very difficult because the community is being made to suffer through no fault of our own,” she said. mc22060618
The Andamooka community reacted strongly to a recent Department of Education plan to only partially rebuild the Andamooka Primary School.
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8671 1353
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At St Peter's College we ensure the transition is as easy as possible, offering an outstanding education and a wide range of co-curricular programs whilst living in the caring and supportive environment of our modern Boarding House. Each boy has access to the outstanding facilities St Peter's College has to offer. For more information about how we can help your boy to develop, please contact our Registrar, Mr Ian Munro on (08) 8362 3451 to appreciate first hand our dedication to your sons' education.
Hackney Road, St Peters Tel. 8362 3451 | Fax. 8362 1654 | Email. registry@stpeters.sa.edu.au www.stpeters.sa.edu.au sp22060625