By Casey Neill
Dandenong West Primary School is leading the way in drawing the wider community into school life.
It picked up the Education and Early Childhood Award at Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence, which was held at Government House on Thursday 13 October.
The annual awards are now in their 15th year and acknowledge and celebrate contributions to multicultural communities.
Judges said that Dandenong West “serves as a best practice example of community engagement in learning”.
They acknowledged the school’s community hub, its connections with libraries and civic centres, its playgroups and men’s shed, and classes for adults in English, computers, cooking and craft.
Principal Bev Hansen said the school was immensely proud and honoured.
“We believe it is a school’s responsibility to serve the community in which it is located,” she said.
“While our core focus is student learning, we understand that this is best achieved working in partnership with families and the wider community.”
Ms Hansen said her students came from more than 50 countries, 93 per cent had a language background other than English and a third were likely to be refugees.
“Our families are typically newly arrived families, with a large proportion having been in Australia for less than two years,” she said.
She said war many of them were affected by isolation, family dislocation, interrupted schooling and poverty.
“It is essential that, as a school, we develop our own understanding of the consequences of such circumstances and work to develop a school environment that is welcoming and supportive,” she said.
“Our focus on cultural diversity supports our students academically, emotionally and socially.”
Ms Hansen was most proud of the partnerships the school had established to improve students’ academic success, health and emotional wellbeing.
“These partnerships have also enabled us to provide similar opportunities for the adults of our community,” she said.
