I am so excited to officially advise you that we have been successful in gaining funding for our final building project through Qld State Governments, Block Grant Authority. We received the official letter this week. Our final project will include two additional classrooms for Orange Block, a new block of four classrooms, next two Yellow Block which will be Sky Blue (referred to as Sky Block) and a multi-purpose block. 

The multi-purpose block will have two classrooms that will open up to an undercover area and will most likely be used as another Arts (Music, Dance, Drama) performance type space. The multi-purpose block will also have some small rooms for specialists like visiting OT’s and Speech Therapists to use as well as space for our Guidance Counsellors. On the other side behind the classrooms, we’ll have some spaces for instrumental music lessons and some storage. We also have a space for an event type canteen that can be used when using our undercover space for events like school discos or athletic carnivals on the oval. We have a walkthrough video we’ll share with you soon once we have added some audio to explain the different components.

In addition to the buildings for our final build for the masterplan, Townsville City Council has placed conditions on the development application to construct extensive road works which support community needs. I’m sure you will all be as relieved as I am that we are getting traffic lights at the Shaw Rd/ Bishop Putney Avenue. Shaw Rd will then have double lanes and turning lanes constructed as part of our project. We will be building a round-about at the entrance to our school which will also service the high school entrance when it is built. 

While this is all very exciting and well and truly needed, it is going to create an interesting year for us in 2023 as we navigate all the changes that need to be put in place to allow the roadworks and building construction to happen. I have included a letter from Townsville Catholic Education’s, Facilities Administrator, Tom Elderidge whom I will liaise with throughout the construction process-which will take place over most of at least the first half of 2023. There will be staging for managing traffic with the first stage being the construction of a temporary access road through the proposed secondary school ground from the Greater Ascot intersection and back out that way too. I will ensure to provide clear and regular communication regarding this much anticipated project.

Thank you to our community for your donations towards Catholic Mission from our Crazy Socktober. We want to ‘Sock it to Poverty!’

Please have a lovely weekend.

Cheers

Penny