Bundaberg Christian College has officially opened new facilities including two flexible learning areas and a new administration building.
Principal Paul Thompson said this phase of the master plan would provide students with a flexible way of learning and help create a stronger identity in the junior school section.
“No longer is our administration building shared with the home economics classes, the library and IT, and no longer is the junior school as spread out as it once was,” Mr Thompson said.
“What we now have are two state-of-the-art facilities that give our students opportunities and helps us to become the school of tomorrow.”
Mr Thompson said the new facilities focused on the junior school levels and the new Year 6 rooms were agile learning spaces that would give students a flexible learning environment, to increase their learning potential through collaboration, project-based learning, critical thinking and problem solving.
He said there was now a larger boardroom for teachers, and its design helped unite staff and as it is more interactive, with an opportunity for larger staff meetings to now be held.
“One of the good things about this is that it now has the year sixes come down here and they have a great sense of identity,” Mr Thompson said.
“The Year 6 students are now playground monitors who watch over the Prep to Year 3 students, and because of this there is definitely more engagement with one another.”
Bundaberg Christian College vice-captain Melanie Ames said the two buildings opened at the end of last year and the Year 6 cohort had transitioned down to the new facility.
Melanie said when she went to primary school learning was different to how it is now and she believes the new way would encourage students to think outside the box more and be more stimulated during lessons.
“The students will thrive in this type of learning environment,” Melanie said.
“When I was at primary school our classrooms had rows of desk and a television on a trolley, this is more open with comfortable seating and I think it’s definitely a positive.
“It’s all part of the plan to bring the junior school to the one area in the school and I think that will be great.”
College grows from 50 to 700 students
Bundaberg Christian College first opened in 1996 with about 50 students. Now almost 25 years later student numbers have increased to 700 students.
Bundaberg Christian College Director and a founding board member Jan Keune said it was pleasing to see the progress the college had made and where it was headed.
“It is wonderful to see where the college is going, from when I first came on to now,” she said.
“It’s wonderful that it has grown so much and providing a great education in this community.
“Moving the younger students to the one area is great, and we can see it is all working a lot better that way.”
She said she looks forward to the continued growth at Bundaberg Christian College and Mr Thompson agreed saying there were plenty of plans for the next two to three years for the college.
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