A fresh new look for the school
More than a third of students at Tambo Upper Primary School were affected themselves or had family members who lost property in the Black Summer fires.
In Mallacoota, the stress on families affected by the Black Summer bushfires was immense.
So, the Victorian Jewish Bushfire Relief Appeal in partnership with the St Vincent de Paul Society has provided the town with a number of new playgrounds.
A range of new multi-purpose courts that can be used by older children to play basketball, soccer and a range of other sports and activities were also developed.
These new spaces have facilitated place for outdoor activity, fun and social connection for families and friends to come together.
At Tambo Upper Primary School, 25km north of Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland, work has begun on a ninja playground for children funded by the Victorian Jewish Bushfire Relief Appeal.
According to school principal Carly Miller, more than a third of students at Tambo Upper Primary School were affected themselves or had family members who lost property in the Black Summer fires.
“This includes some children who were not able to leave their properties in time and experienced the fire firsthand. This trauma has put incredible pressure on our families and some have been finding it very difficult to get their children to school,” Miller said.
When the Mallacoota community was in the early days of recovery, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and forced the closure of the Mallacoota P-12 School as Victorian students moved to remote learning.
The school principal was concerned about the impact of the bushfires together with the impact of the COVID-19 response on his school community.
To help minimise the impact, the Victorian Jewish Bushfire Relief Appeal funded the appointment of a school counsellor for 12 months from June 2020.
The counsellor worked with students, school staff and the broader community to support the mental health of Mallacoota residents.
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