Education Minister Grace Grace today visited Gympie schools that had experienced significant damage in the recent floods, and thanked Gympie Central State School for opening their doors to other students.
Minister Grace said the impact on One Mile State School in particular was substantial, and it would need to offer alternative learning arrangements for a number of weeks.
“The work being put into cleaning up affected schools like One Mile SS and Two Mile SS is phenomenal and I want to thank the staff, principals, and the entire school communities, as well as our QBuild staff for the huge difference they’re making on the ground,” Ms Grace said.
“It really is heartbreaking to walk around the schools and see the impact of the flooding: classrooms, music rooms, tuck shops are all affected, and lots of equipment will need to be replaced.
“Thankfully all students can safely remain on site at Two Mile State School and around 200 can remain at One Mile State School.
“However around 150 students and their teachers from One Mile will be using facilities at Gympie Central State School for the coming weeks.
“It’s wonderful to see Gympie Central opening up their doors and welcoming these students into their communities.
“The One Mile mascot LARS even visited over the weekend and made a video showing students what their temporary home looked like!
“We’re now looking at how we build back better, and ensuring any repairs and rebuilding includes a focus on flood mitigation.”
One Mile State School Principal Stuart Bell praised the school community for stepping up in the school’s hour of need.
“It’s been an incredible time as our parents have supported our students and our staff and the State Government and QBuild people have cleaned up the school after the flood,” Mr Bell said.
“If someone had told me a week ago we would now be partially open I would not have believed them, but it’s down to the dedication of our school community and our staff plus the help we have received from the State Government.”
Gympie Central State School Principal Glenn Cafferky said his school was very happy to help One Mile State School in this time of crisis.
“We want to do all we can to continue the education of students at One Mile SS whose classrooms have been damaged by floodwaters,” Mr Cafferky said.
“We have welcomed their students and their teachers who will work here until their classrooms are repaired – we are just very happy to be able to help.
“The One Mile students have settled in really well. It’s a credit to the staff of One Mile and Gympie Central for supporting the students from their schools, and to the Department of Education’s team who have supported the transition back to learning.”
Principal of Two Mile State School Peter Teagle said the school community had come together to ensure it was ready to open and provide a great learning environment for students.
“Everyone has worked tirelessly to get us back up and running this week and we were all delighted to welcome students and staff back on site on Monday.”
Photos from today’s visit and audio of the presser are available here
