New Karmai kinder to arrive at Korumburra Primary ready for term 1

EXCITEMENT is intensifying in Korumburra with a new kindergarten building expected to be established at Korumburra Primary School later this year ready to welcome four-year-old kinder participants in term 1 2024.

Karmai Community Children’s Centre will run the kinder, as is the case with the current four-year-old kinder program at Korumburra Primary School.

The school’s acting principal Dan Wells explained that while there are many benefits for kinder kids in being situated on the school grounds, the school is expanding and needs the rooms currently used for kinder for its students next year.

That is due to increasing numbers and the addition of specialist facilities such as a STEM classroom focused on science, technology, engineering and maths.

Dan said the school is delighted the new kinder building, to be built offsite and hopefully installed between late October and November, will enable kindergarten to keep running on the school campus.

He said doing so smooths the transition from kindergarten to school, with kindergarten participants interacting with school students and staff and joining school activities such as the ‘colour run’ and sports days.

As well as building connections for youngsters, the arrangement allows Karmai kinder staff and teachers at the primary school to work closely together, ensuring the handover of important information and enabling appropriate student support.

Shay Walker who teaches 4-year-old kinder for Karmai is excited about the upcoming move, saying the kinder has undergone a few shifts over the years and it will be great to have a purpose-built ongoing home at which the kids have their own landscaped area and play space.

Members of the Karmai Community Children’s Centre Board joined assistant principal Dan and the school’s business manager, along with a group of current three-year-old kinder kids at the site the new building will occupy.

While standing on a bare grassy hill made it difficult for the youngsters to imagine what is ahead next year, they are set for an exciting and perhaps initially daunting experience when they return as four-year-old kinder participants with a brand-new base.

The existing gum trees at the new kinder site will remain.

Karmai president Jamie Hutchison can’t wait to see the new building in place and said landscaping and the creation of a play space will follow.  

The project is funded by the Victorian Government.

A government statement highlighted the potential benefits of having the kindergarten and primary school situated together, helping local children make a smoother transition into school, as well as making drop-off time simpler for some families.

Three-year-old kinder will continue at the Karmai Community Children’s Centre.