The grant will cater to increased student numbers at St Clare's, upgrade facilities and provide students with a range of different sized spaces adaptable to various styles of teaching and learning. Designed by award-winning architects, Austin McFarland, the buildings will combine state-of-the-art technology with innovative internal and external spaces designed to encourage a collaborative approach to learning.
St Clare's High School Principal, Peter Nicholls, says the grant shows the Federal Government's recognition that flexible learning spaces are imperative to supporting student engagement in modern classroom environments:
"We're excited to soon be able to offer our students innovative learning environments, complementing our established "Bring Your Own Device" policy. We're proud to enhance our commitment to providing excellence in education for students in Taree and the surrounding districts," said Mr Nicholls.
Last week it was announced that three high schools in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle; San Clemente High School, Mayfield, St Joseph's High School, Aberdeen and the new St Bede's Catholic College, Chisholm, will share in $10,103,014 of Australian Government Capital Grants.
The funding has been provided under the Capital Grants Program (CGP) for non-government schools and is allocated through the NSW Catholic Block Grant Authority (BGA). The grant is designed to provide schools with the best possible learning environment for its students.
The current combined project budget for these four school projects is $24,641,835 (San Clemente - $4,652,819, St Joseph's - $5,311,898, St Clare's - $4,890,839 and St Bede's - $9,786,279) which includes a minimum contribution from the Diocesan Schools Building Fund and school contributions of $11,115,234.
Photo courtesy of Wingham Chronicle.