Petition
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To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory
This petition draws to the attention of the Assembly that these residents of the ACT are strongly opposed to the ACT Government’s proposal to close Melrose Primary School in Chifley.
Melrose Primary School has a proven reputation for providing quality primary school education with strong emphases on environmental studies. It forms an essential part of the community within Chifley and surrounding suburbs. In partnership with the YMCA, the school provides additional opportunities and learning paths to Chifley Preschool, Melrose Primary School and Melrose High.We implore the Assembly allow Melrose Primary School to remain open.Don’t forget your name and email address when leaving your comment below. Thankyou.
I’ve noticed lots of young families have moved into the area in the past 5 years. I agree that there will certainly be an increased demand for places at our local school. When we decided to live in Chifley having access to a local school was an important factor. It seems our suburb is being disadvantaged with our children being expected to travel two suburbs or to cross Hindmarsh Drive to access educational services.
When you look at the building itself, which is co-locating successfully with the YMCA, you see that it is one of the most well maintained and amenable school buildings in the Woden area (after extensive funding for upgrades by both the ACT and Commonwealth governments. The decision to close Melrose is a hasty and ill concieved plan based on poor projections. This will not strengthen public education as Minister Barr states and will impact negatively on children in our suburb.
As a member of the Chifley Action Group I wish to register my whole hearted support for keeping Melrose Primary School and Chifley Preschool open.
I believe the ACT Government has acted in a totally inappropriate manner in how they have approached these proposed closures, from the very onset, and they need to take a much closer look at EACH community impacted, and revise their ‘one size fits all’ approach accordingly.
As a resident of Chifley and a parent to one of the students of Melrose Primary School (MPS), I would like to register my support in keeping MPS open as well as the Chifley Preschool and other schools scheduled to be closed within this year.
The surprise announcement on the closure of these schools post a lot of problems/difficulties to those children and parents who are affected. The ACT government should have presented first a possible alternative and should have given more time to all affected families. Moreover, I also feel that there should be proper study on the growth of each community in determining which schools should be closed and which should be retained.
I wish to convey our gratitude for the people and community involved with Melrose Primary School and Chifley Pre-School.
As a family with two children we decided to move to Chifley in 2001 and move our son from a private school to our local public primary school, Melrose PS. Our son and our family have been rewarded with academic and social rewards that we are eternally greatful for.
Our second son who is a different boy from the first son went through Chifley Pre-School and then onto MPS. Again we are rewarded with both academic and social rewards.
When the proposed shools to close were named, we felt that a family member had died.
We have an understanding that Melrose PS and Chifley Pre-School have something unique to offer not only thier students but family and the wider community.
We acknowledge the work and effort the Chifley Action Group has accomplished and the work load in front of them. We urge everybody to HAVE A GO and stand up for our children (and maybe theirs) and support the Chifley Action Group.
As a former resident of Chifley, who recently sold my father’s Chifley house to a young couple, I am horrified by the social manipulation the Government would cause if it closed Melrose Primary. To turn Lyons Chifley and Pearce into DINK suburbs where children were not part of the mix, just at time when the suburbs are recovering from the initial ‘young family’ settlement bias of the mid 1960s is an appalling idea. I live in Fisher, a suburb that has been without a Primary School for some years, and although the adjacent suburb does have a school, I see very few primary-age children in Fisher.
Canberra used to be a city where anyone could live anywhere and have simialr facilities. The Government seem bent on destroying this ideal.
i have a little girl that is 9 months old what schools will be open in here area when it’s time for her to go to schoolwill i have to travel 20 to 30 mins to take her to school or is it paying for for her to go to a priv school i want to know what’s going to happen to all the school’s and there is going to be more staff out of job’s and more staff on the dole that the gov pay’s of any way.
I would like to support keeping Melrose Primary School open. When we moved to Canberra for the first time my children went to Melrose PS and that community was my intro to Canberra. It was very positive. My children thrived and went onto greater things. If the building is to be maintained for community use such as the YMCA then the school may as well go on using the building as well. I support futher development of communty use of the bulidings with yhe Y but keeping the school open as well.
I would like to congratulate the CAG on their excellent efforts in keeping the Melrose community informed and the high quality submission to the Govt. to keep our school open regardless of the final outcome on Wednesday December 13.
I am a previous student of Chifley Pre-school and Primary School. I brought my two boys back to Chifley to attend the same schools as I know the area, the people and mainly because all facilities are within walking distance for my sons to access.
It simply is not common sense to have schools closed in two neighbouring suburbs forcing us into cars or public transport to get our kids to school. Personally, this is not going to work for me as I will have to battle traffic etc to get my younger son to school (my older son rides his bike to MHS) drive back home to park the car and then walk to work. This is only one out of many foreseeable problems should the Govt not see sense and keep our school open.
I still have not placed my younger son at another school as I simply refuse to believe that Melrose PS will close.
Today is the announcement about school closures, what a disappointment. We moved to Canberra in August 2006 from Sydney and our children have attended Melrose PS as it is in walking distance from our home. The quality of the teachers and facilities are first rate, better than anything in Sydney and I was attracted by the small size. Both children are very happy there, made friends instantly and will now have to change schools again if it closes. This shouldn’t be an economic decision, it should be a government service provided as a community right. I currently take public transport to work but now I will have to drive to another school then either drive to the city to work or take the car home and get the bus. I grew up walking to the local primary school, why can’t my children?
Well the announcement has been made. Common sence and logic have been banashed from governance for good. I have not let any of my personal feelings out during the past six months as I wanted our campainge to be based on fact and logic NOT crying children and frustrated parents.
The facts as they stand now,
FACT: ACTION school bus services will not be available until AFTER the school year starts and then only if there is a minimum of ?27 children available for each run.
FACT: I do not beleive that it is appropriate to be sending my 6 year old on a school bus with a 9 year old as her protector.
FACT: I will have to drive my 3 children to school for the next 11 years. As they are spaced apart, by the time the number 2 is old enough to be accompanied by number 1, number 1 will be at high school, and this will be the case with number 2 and 3.
FACT: The transitional funding to help eliviate any finacial strain we might experience will not be available until AFTER we have started the next school year, AFTER we have outlaid for new uniforms etc, AFTER the Christmas break AFTER the summer holidays.
FACT: It is a disgrace that the Melrose Autism Program will be moved next year to lesser accomodation with reduced access to facilities
FACT: Melrose had a unique relationship with the YMCA that was NOT recipricated in any other school in Canberra. Through this partnership services and programs offered at Melrose not only to the school population but to the community as a whole are now lost.
My faith in honesty and fair play where misplaced. I for one will not be voting at the next election. I will attend but unless someone can offer me a real alternative NOBODY will get my vote. IF THEY DON’Y EARN IT, THEY WON’T GET IT. That is my new mantra.
Thank you to all who helped us “To Do the Best We Can”
I am truly lost for words, and find it very difficult to express my feelings following the announcement Melrose Primary will close this year.
I heard John Stanhope on ABC radio this morning – crapping on about how they simply followed the legislation with the consultation process and it was therefore not really their fault it was done so poorly. What alot of rubbish. If that was the case how could they not have announced the closures in January 2007 – had their (farcical) six months and then given families, teachers and communties the rest of the year to plan what this meant for them the next year.
Andrew Barr was to be commended on attending X amount of meetings and visiting X amount of schools.
WHERE WAS HE WHEN THE CHILDREN & PARENTS WERE TOLD THEIR SCHOOL WOULD CLOSE. WHERE WAS HE WHEN OUR CHILDREN CRIED.
They now offer me 3 days – at times that you’re expected to conform to – to make a decision about where my son will go to school next year.
This makes me sick.
My son will not be able to walk to school for the next three years. His grandparents will not be able to walk him to school. The government says our children are unhealthy – yet I now have to drive my child to school as otherwise he would need to walk through two suburbs to get to school.
I also believed the consultation period would allow the govt. to review their haphazard approach and work with the communities involved to reach a solution that truly reflected the needs of each community.
Wasn’t I wrong about that.
The very least they should have done was given us time to plan for the future they have so very kindly upended for so many.
My name is Sean. I am a student at Melrose Primary.
I am very angry that they’re closing my school. I won’t be able to walk to school anymore because I can’t cross the roads and it’s very far to get there.
We were very sad when Mr McCartney said our school was closed.
My friends are going to different schools.
It’s very hard to pick what school to go to.
Please open my school again.
[...] The reality of school closures is how they affect the kids. [...]