School plays it safe and wins

NOBLE Park English Language School recently became the first Victorian school to achieve accreditation for a new road safety program.
Last Friday, Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas, presented Noble Park English Language School with a certificate for becoming the first school to successfully complete the RoadSafe Accredited Schools Program.
The program is an education strategy for Victorian schools which places road safety firmly in the curriculum.
Mr Pallas said teaching children about road safety was a top priority for the Bracks Government.
“There are more than 250 casualty crashes near Victorian schools each year. We all need to work together to reduce this statistic,” he said.
“Children are particularly vulnerable on our roads because of their lack of experience and judgement. This program provides a hands-on opportunity for students to learn skills that are vital to keeping them safe on the roads.”
Noble Park English Language School principal Enza Calabro said the program was particularly important because many of the school’s students were unfamiliar with the state’s roads and transport system.
“Many of our children are coming from non-western countries. These students are unfamiliar with our road systems,” she said.
“We also have a program where every new student is taken on the train by teachers to learn about the transport system.”
Member for Lyndhurst Tim Holding congratulated the Noble Park Language School for being the first to become accredited under the new program.
“Many of the students at this school have little experience of Australian road systems, traffic movement and pedestrian behaviour, so this is an essential area of teaching and learning,” he said.