In this episode, they discuss the progress of building Bemin Secondary College, including the expected completion date. They also cover the recruitment process for teachers and the role of the Victorian School Building Authority. The speaker reflects on their proudest achievement of employing over 50 staff and emphasizes the importance of remembering that the school belongs to the community. Excitement builds for the upcoming school opening.
Involvement in the design and construction of a new school includes decisions about landscaping, furniture choices, and interior features.
Setting up a dual-campus school requires strong coordination and equal resources and facilities for both campuses.
Deep dives
Building a school from the ground up
In this podcast episode, Joerp discusses the process of building a school from scratch. She talks about her involvement in the design and construction of the school, including decisions about landscaping, furniture choices, and interior features. While she does not have control over all aspects of the design, she and other principals provide feedback on architectural plans to ensure practicality and functionality. Joerp also highlights the importance of creating a sense of community within the school and emphasizes that the school belongs to the community, not just the principal.
Dual-campus challenges
The podcast delves into the challenges of setting up a dual-campus school. Joerp mentions that staff members will be working across both campuses, which requires strong coordination and administration teams at each site. She acknowledges that certain aspects, such as reception areas and first aid rooms, need to be operational from day one on both campuses. Joerp also mentions the importance of providing equal resources and facilities for both campuses, even though they may cater to different age groups and student populations.
Time constraints and preparations
One of the biggest hurdles discussed in the podcast is the limited time available to prepare for the school's opening. Joerp expresses concerns about completing all the necessary tasks before the Christmas break, but acknowledges that some work may need to be carried out in January. Despite the time constraints, Joerp proudly shares that over 50 staff members have been employed, highlighting the team's achievements. She also mentions the ongoing preparations, such as furniture selection and arranging staff visits to familiarize them with the new buildings.
Welcome to Episode 5 of the School Assembly podcast series. If you haven’t heard this one before, we explore what it takes to build a school from the ground up and in Series 2 we’re following Jo Camozzato and the team at Bemin Secondary College – that’s a dual campus site in Truganina, which is north of Melbourne in Victoria. The focus for this episode is the build itself. Now, the school is due to open first day of term next year, and the build is due for completion on December 20th. So, it’s a good time to catch up with Jo to find out how things are going, but also ask her about how much involvement she has in the build and the design, and everything from sort of landscaping to the internal features, the furniture choices, the colours, all that kind of thing.
Host: Jo Earp
Guest: Jo Camozzato
Sponsor: MacKillop Seasons
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