06 Sep 2017 Seymour Telegraph, Seymour VIC (General News) by Alison OConnor New facilities to benefit infants, students and families alike will be built at Seymour College. Mitchell Shire Council will receive $3.7 million to build an integrated community and learning hub, which will consist of two early learning rooms with associated outdoor spaces, two maternal and child health rooms with a shared waiting area, and two consulting rooms. The consulting rooms will be used to deliver specialist and allied health services such as early childhood intervention services, family services, counselling, occupational therapy and speech therapy. The hub will also include a multi-purpose room that opens out to the outdoor play space which can be used for extended day care or for community meetings, school holiday programs, homework groups and group activities such as yoga, social groups and youth groups. Other services delivered from the hub will include early learning services, extended day care, allied health, parenting and community groups. This is an exciting project for our community as it will improve educational outcomes for all children in Seymour and surrounding areas, principal Gail Hardman said. Seymour College is well-positioned to deliver quality services as we flourish into a leading educational and community hub. Commitment to further demolition works at the college will allow for future development to occur in a timely manner. The old multi-purpose facility and squash court will be demolished to make way for the construction of new middle and senior classrooms and facilities which will benefit the entire community. The college already operates a hydrotherapy pool and community arts centre, trade training centre, sports stadium and football oval, amenities that are used by many local organisations during the year. These great new facilities will be shared between Seymour College and community groups, building a sense of community pride and making local services more accessible, Education Minister James Merlino said. Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said the new facilities would provide local families with a one-stop-shop for child wellbeing and education from birth to Year 12. This project sends a strong message to the community that we are working with you to complete the Seymour College redevelopment and create an education and community precinct that Seymour can be proud of, Ms Symes said. The announcement follows last years budget announcement that Seymour College would receive funding to begin planning school upgrades. Stage two and three of the schools regeneration project have been on the agenda since the first part of the initiative was completed in mid-2013, six years after the concept was thought of way back in 2007. Member for Euroa Steph Ryan, who has long campaigned for the completion of the project in her electorate, said last weeks announcement was positive, but Seymour College needed more. Some money is better than no money, but Seymour Colleges muchneeded rebuild is not going to happen with this sort of drip-fed funding, Ms Ryan said. The Nationals committed to funding the full $15 million required to rebuild the school before the last election and thats what I continue to fight for from the Andrews Government. Caption Text: Thumbs up: Seymour College captain Mackenzie Garner, Mitchell Shire Mayor Rhonda Sanderson, school captain Cooper Clydesdale, Education Minister James Merlino, school principal Gail Hardman and Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes, along with Seymour College students, were thrilled with last weeks integrated community and learning hub announcement for the school. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.