What a joy having a new playground at St Paul’s has been! When the students came back to school this term, they were delighted to see everything finally finished and they have been trying everything out, every day, ever since.
Last year, all staff, students, parents and Board members were given the opportunity to contribute to the design of the new playground. We were very interested to get feedback from all these important stakeholders and work collaboratively to achieve the best outcome for the school. This also helped the students to feel a sense of ownership of what would, ultimately, be their playground. At the end of last year, the old playground was removed. This meant that throughout Term 1, students were faced with a bare patch of ground that was fenced off and unusable. Fortunately, the school is blessed to have a range of other play areas to use, such as the COLA, oval, sandpit and gardens! It was very exciting when construction began, machinery was used and the students were able to see their new playground begin to take shape. The workers needed to dig 51 holes for poles, posts and railings! The day the concrete was poured was especially interesting as the big boom crane came up and over the top of the classrooms.
The playground incorporates elements our students requested in a circuit layout with plenty of climbing. The design includes a new concrete handball court, with both play areas surrounded by artificial turf.
Here are some of the parts of the playground that the students particularly like:
“I like the climbing rope because you can go up to the rope roof.”
“I like the monkey bars because it is high and long and you can do lots of trick on it.”
“I like the spider web because I like to climb and hang off it.”
“I like the net on top as you can just sit up there and have a break.”
“I like going up and over the rock wall.”
Thank you to our amazing P & F for their considerable financial contribution to this project. The rest was fully funded by the school. It is a legacy that the children will enjoy for many years to come.
