At Corpus Christi Primary School, learning can occur anywhere.
And at any time.
Students might be in the garden – listening to their teacher – exploring creativity in the corridors or developing their skills on the oval.
There’s no limitation to where learning can occur- and that’s exactly how school Principal Linda Roynic likes it.
“We are showing the students that learning can occur anywhere, not just in a room,” she said.
“Also, that different thinking can happen in different spaces. For example, there are different ways of sitting, you don’t have to sit at a desk to learn, you can be out in the fresh air. Sometimes we find a mound out the back and teachers are sitting on the ground and enjoying the space and the sunshine.”
Now the 430 students at the Catholic primary school at Werribee in the western suburbs of Melbourne can also add a large open structure to their diverse learning environments.
Sitting just outside the classrooms, close to the football oval, tennis courts and junior playground, the new structure – built by Swan Hill construction business ENVIROCLASS - is quite a sight.
At 28m long by 18.5m wide and 6m at the eaves, the structure provides an all-weather gathering place for the entire school community as well as extra outdoor learning space.
Covering a basketball court with lighting and speakers built-in, Linda said the structure has already been used for school assemblies and sporting activities and there are plans for an art show and Book Week celebrations.
These are just some of the examples of the “relationship building” that occurs at Corpus Christi.
Linda said family-school partnerships – connecting the school with the families of students – were critical.
“There’s more than 40 years of research that says our student outcomes in learning are going to improve if our family-school partnerships are strong,” she said.
“It’s the coming together that improves their outcomes, we don’t do anything here unless it has a direct link to improving outcomes – academic, emotional, social and physical – for students.”
Practically, these partnerships look like parents and caregivers chatting under the shelter at the start and the end of school each day and children mingling at the end of school breaks before returning inside.
There’s even enough space under the shelter to park food trucks, according to Linda.
Perfect for the art show later this year.
Build Management
ENVIROCLASS project manager Robert Dick oversaw the shelter construction at Corpus Christi Primary School with the assistance of our Melbourne-based Site Project Manager Graeme Ballinger.
The build took two months, including a fortnight of school holidays.
Building within a school and negotiating tight spaces, different surfaces and other buildings can be challenging.
Graeme said access to the site can be one of the “biggest problems”.
“We had to come across the artificial turf on the oval, so we were a little bit concerned about how it would hold up bringing semi-trailers, cranes and concrete trucks,” he said.
“It was fine. Really our only way (in) was to come through MacKillop College (next door) so we had to make contact with the caretaker there to gain access.”
Other aspects of the management included “being mindful of the students around and their safety” as well as noise.
This was why communication was crucial.
While communication with the school and its Principal Linda Roynic was ongoing and consistent, it was the discussions with some students that were invaluable.
Graeme said the students were interested and had “curious minds”, following along with the construction.
But the change to the school yard came as a surprise to one boy, especially.
“He was really annoyed when he got back from school holidays and there was a construction here,” Graeme said.
“The school organised him and I to have a chat, so I could answer any questions and explain things to him.
“After that, he was right on board. I was happy to help, and it was a learning opportunity.”