St Xavier's Gunnedah build on home stretch

The multi-million dollar project is just months away from completion and the remaining work on the library and years 5 and 6 classrooms is well under way.

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The entire project was meant to be completed last month, but a fire in the original school buildings in November 2020 set the timeline back by 5-6 weeks because they had to be demolished, redesigned and rebuilt instead of repurposed. These are the areas still to be completed.

Principal Jennifer Honner is expecting the new classrooms to be ready for week two of term one, and by then all the finishing touches on the whole project, such as pot plants, seating and cubby houses, will be in place.

Mrs Honner is still getting used to the new administration building after nearly 40 years in the original building as first a teacher, then an assistant principal, and then principal.

It has become a "mobile workplace", and staff can now set-up in any room, thanks to modern technology.

Technology, combined with the redesign, have brought the historic school into the 21^st century by creating "flexible learning spaces" for both staff and students.

Glass doors and windows play a huge role in creating connections, allowing teachers to open up their classrooms to utilise the shared spaces. There are also "break-out rooms" for small group activities and long verandahs and decks offer further opportunities to learn in the open.

"It's got a beautiful atmosphere ... the spaces are divine," Mrs Honner said.

"Everything is just easier."

Mrs Honner said everyone was "really ready" for the change and the transition from traditional classrooms had been "seamless".

"It was really interesting. They walked in and just started teaching and learning as they always have done," she said.

"One of the things that happened really quickly was that groups of children or teachers and a child started to use that shared space almost immediately as an extensions of their classroom.

"We didn't have to encourage anyone to embrace the space."

And there are more new spaces to come - next year a multi-purpose sports court will be constructed between the hall and the former administration building, and the school yard will be redeveloped.

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