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Wednesday 11 December 2019
5974 9000 or email: team@mpnews.com.au www.mpnews.com.au Tight squeeze: About 90 students crammed into Somerville Primary School principal Andrew Haley’s office to celebrate their reading success. Picture: Gary Sissons
Students on the same page MAKING reading fun is the philosophy at Somerville Primary School that has seen the annual reading challenge become such a highlight. Assistant principal Raelene Harvey said students were encouraged to see how many nights they could read books, with their success closely monitored. “When a child reached 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 or 200 nights they would come to my office and get a photo with balloons of the number of nights they had read,” she said. “The goal was to increase the number of reading nights across the school, and also to support students not being read to enough by providing them with reading mentors.” The reading challenge proved so successful that last week 90 students who had read for more than 200 nights crammed into principal Andrew Haley’s office for lunch. This Wednesday (11 December) students are planning a pizza party to celebrate the success of their school year. It’s bound to be fun – just like reading should be.
Time short for burn-offs Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au THE CFA says there is “still a short window of opportunity” for properties across the Mornington Peninsula to be cleaned up before the start of declared fire danger times on Monday 16 December. If fire is being used to clean up properties it must be registered. “So far this year, out-of-control burn-offs and unregistered burn-offs have caused unnecessary call-outs for
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brigades,” CFA District 8 operations manager Jamie Hansen said. He said there should be no burning off in strong winds or if they were forecast “not only on the day of your burn but for the days afterwards”. Mr Hansen said once the fire danger time comes into effect, the CFA has a “zero-tolerance approach to any fires that have started from negligent behaviour”. “Expect any fire you start to be fully investigated by CFA and Victoria Police,” he said. He said the CFA would only issue
permits after 16 December with “very strict conditions attached … the liability sits with the permit holder to ensure they always act safely”. During the Fire Danger Period fires cannot be lit in the open air without a written permit from CFA or the shire’s municipal fire prevention officer. Mr Hansen said the seasonal bushfire outlook released in late August “identified potential for above normal bushfire activity across the coastal and foothill forests of East Gippsland” and warned that ash forests in the central highlands and Otways could be more flammable
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than normal during summer. “Across the rest of Victoria, normal bushfire activity is expected, but CFA reminds Victorians that even an average fire season in the state can be a bad one.” The CFA says that despite recent rainfall, underlying dryness exists and presents a high fire risk in the area. “The fire potential is further increased by weather bureau forecasts that the next three months will be drier and warmer than average,” Mr Hansen said. “Any rainfall we do experience in
spring will produce growth, which could very easily become a high fuel load throughout the summer season if not properly managed. “Reducing fuel loads will ensure that if a fire does break out, it has less chance of taking hold or spreading.” For information about burn-off restrictions contact Mornington Peninsula Shire or visit cfa.vic.gov.au/ warningsrestrictions/restrictions-during-the-fire-danger-period. The CFA hotline is 1800 226 226 or to register a burn call 1800 668 511.
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