Community Grants Recipient - Truganina South Primary School

Cedar Woods has announced the Victorian recipients of its Community Grants program for 2022, with funding allocated directly benefitting local communities where Cedar Woods’ developments are located. 

We’re pleased to announce that Wyndham’s Truganina South Primary School has been selected as one of the recipients – A Victorian Private Partnership Public school that has, over the last decade, grown to house more than 680 students who represent over 60 cultures and 80 languages. 

We sat down with the Principal of Truganina South Primary School, Linda Danese, to learn more about the Schoolschool and how they plan to use their funding.  

Tell us a little bit about Truganina South Primary School? 

We put our students at the centre of everything we do and work collaboratively to ensure that their academic and well-being needs are met as we help them develop into happy, resilient, and confident citizens of the future. 

We have a strong focus on inclusive education and well-being through our Program for Students with Disabilities and the establishment of a Wellbeing Centre. We also have a strong commitment to our Indigenous past, present and future with acknowledgements and the incorporation of Indigenous literature into our curriculum. 

Our students are wonderful, and the staff are truly committed and passionate and really came through in the last two years during COVID. 

How did you hear about the Community Grants program and why did you decide to apply? 

I have been aware of the Community Grants since becoming Principal in 2016. Our School Council President, David Gibilisco, mentioned Cedar Woods had announced expressions of interest again this year and we made the decision to put in our submission. 

We have unfortunately had a reduction in the funds available to us to plan projects that benefit our students due to changes in policy outside of our control. Our School Council body is very keen to look for grants to support planned projects and programs at the school, and the Community Grants program was a perfect fit.  

How will you be using your funding and how will this help to support Truganina South Primary School? 

After two years of COVID lockdowns and remote learning, the current focus of the Department of Education and Training is on creating outdoor spaces with natural ventilation where children can conduct their learning. While the Department of Education did provide us with some funding, we were sadly a little short after creating an open space classroom, complete with shade sails.  

Because of the generosity of Cedar Woods, we will be able to fully complete works on this outdoor space and install tables and areas where students can work and learn outdoors. These will be beautified with garden beds, trees and vegetation and will also be utilised by our teachers during breaks and provide a space for our families to gather before and after school. 

This outdoor space will give our students more learning spaces and bring our families together in a place where they can meet, greet and mingle. It will mean the whole project can be completed at the same time and utilised by many within our community. It will also add a beautiful vista to the front of our school. and we are so thankful for this grant. 

On behalf of everyone at Truganina South Primary School, I would like to express our gratitude for this funding. We look forward to sending you updates and reports on our progress with the outdoor learning space, and can’t wait to invite you to a small celebration when it is complete!