Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to one of the great primary schools in the heart of the electorate of Casey, the Mount Evelyn Primary School. One of the great aspects of being a member of parliament, and I know all members in this place will agree, is having the opportunity to visit primary schools to see first-hand the great work being done not just by teachers but also by parents in a partnership to build a school community and to see the students involved in a wonderful education process.

On the evening of Thursday, 15 March, I had the pleasure of attending a twilight school assembly at the Mount Evelyn Primary School, where they spoke about important values of the school community and presented leadership badges and certificates to the school leaders. The school had been through a significant consultation process with parents, teachers and students to develop an important values booklet, which was funded by the Australian government. It took a great deal of commitment from the parents, the teachers and the students to ensure that everyone had an input into the values booklet, and the values determined will be abiding principles of the school.

The parents from the school council participated in a weekend retreat to discuss what they thought were important values, together with the teachers and the students. The values that the school has decided upon include: respect, responsibility, care, integrity, enjoyment, sense of community, excellence and sustainability.

As I mentioned earlier, I had the pleasure of presenting badges and certificates to the school captains and vice captains, who will undertake an important role in implementing these principles throughout the year. I give particular credit to the chosen school captains, Joshua Dobson and Nikki Bedwell, as well as to vice captains Marcus Crew and Holly Bedyn. Their parents, and in one case grandparents, were there and I could see they were very proud that their sons and daughters had been chosen for leadership roles. I wish them all the best for the school year. I pay tribute to the principal, Mr Phil Comport, and to the many parents who took the time to turn up to the school assembly and show their dedication in building in Mount Evelyn not just a great primary school but a great community.

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