Fernridge School pupils Richie Gray, 5, left, Melia Hart, 5, and Mila Waitere, 5, sitting in front of the classrooms to be demolished. PHOTO/CHELSEA BOYLE
CHELSEA BOYLE
Fernridge School is set for a big makeover that will completely transform the rural school.
“I can already see the juniors pretending to be builders now,” principal Janine Devenport said.
The construction of three new learning spaces on the far side of the school is set to begin in February.
An administration block would also be built.
The design includes a toilet for children with special needs.
Ms Devenport said the school’s classrooms had already been through three of four rounds of depreciation and it was time to start afresh.
“I have been waiting for so long, I still wonder if it is going to happen.
“It’s going to be fantastic.
“I’m stoked with the design.”
Construction would take a year and lessons were to continue as normal in the existing classrooms until the new ones were completed.
Then the old ones would be demolished, making way for a new look for the front of the school.
The new learning spaces would embrace the modern learning environment and would include break out spaces and a presentation room.
A maximum of 90 children could be housed across the three new classrooms.
Ms Devenport said she was looking forward to seeing heat pumps in the classrooms instead of wood burners.
“The teachers are here to teach, not to stoke the fire.”
Earlier this week, Ms Devenport said zone enrolments for the popular school had been closed.
“We had to close out of zone enrolments in June, for next year.”
She will be returning to the classroom to teach two mornings a week next year to take care of her burgeoning roll, which increased by 26 pupils over the course of this year.
