A.SCHOOL community campaign to gel a library is one step closer thanks to an investment boost of $90,000 from the state government. Member for Northern Victoria .laclyn Symes and Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green visited the school last Friday, March 16, to present the cheque and celebrate the a nouncement with students, teachers and parents at the school assembly. The funding will mean the school cancreatea new permanent library space that is large enough to support its volunteer-run lunchtime library service as the library is currently temporarily housed in a small classroom space. Over the past several years, the school has raised 55Of0OO through various lund raisers. Principal Sue Egan said the students wrote letters to their local rneinbers of state and federal parliament raising the issue of the need for aschool library. Parent .Indie Hopper, who has children at the school, also raised this issue with Ms Symes late last year and led the campaign. Ms Egan said the students were excited about the new library. Were absolutely delighted to be receiving th is grant lor our students and were hoping this will inspire their loveof reading, she said. T d like to thank Jaclyn Symes, Danielle Green and Rob Mitchell lor supporting us with the grant and I also want to thank the n Department of Education lor allowing lunding to go I hrough so we can have I his very valuable resource lor our school/ 1 Two of the students who had written letters took the lime to thank Ms Symes and Ms Green at the assembly. The new library will be a huge benefit for our school. It will help students Improve in reading and it also helps us have lots of choice lor class novels and books,T Zara Shinn-Mahoney said. We never d reamed though that there would soon come a grant of $90,000. We once again thank you for taking this cause seriously. There was a huge amount of enthusiasm and excitement in our school when it was announced by Ms Egan that we had got a grant to go towards a new library. We are very grateful that you Look our leLLers approvingly and raised them in parliament. We believe that as soon as our library gets built all our readers will shoot, like stars LO become advanced readers and evenauthors,M Kate I lopper added. Ms Symes said libraries form an integral part of any school community and commended the school for ins effoLs. This is a spectacular result lor Upper Plenty Primary School who had not only raised funds towards the project, but students and pa ren ts al so approac h ed their local slate and federal Labor Members for assistance, Ms Symes said. Ms Green said the upgrade will provide students the first-rale school lacilities they deserve, while building community pride in a fantastic local school. li is exciting to see Upper Plenty Primary School gel the funding it needs to build a new library that will be a wonderful resource for fts students, she said. Caption Text: New chapter (front) Upper Plenty Primary School captains Zoe Stokes and Cooper fork and (rear) Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes, principal Sue Egan and Memberfor Yan >fean Danielle Green are excited about the new library.Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence