30 Nov 2016 Numurkah Leader, Numurkah VIC (General News) N Glasses for needy kids TUNGA South Primary School students began creating their own designer eyeware, in preparation for a new free Glasses For Kids program for Victorian schools in need. Katunga South PS is part of the State Government funded eye testing and glasses program, which will be rolled out to 226 schools around the state, for children between prep to grade three. Children with undiagnosed vision problems, o en nd it hard to concentrate at school, leading to poor results and bad behaviour. But many struggling families avoid eye testing because of the cost. KSPS principal Elizabeth Oudeman said free eye testing would be great for some families in the district, who could not easily access the services. O en problems are not identi ed early enough in the rst year of school, which can cause learning di culties, because childrens eyes are not functioning as well as they could be, she said. For children who have eye problems in their early lives, it can become a huge issue if not picked up. Northern Victoria MP Jaclyn Symes said the government had partnered with Melbourne University, with supervised nal-year optometry students to carry out the vision testing at schools. We are pu ing people rst with free eye testing and glasses for kids at northern Victorian schools most in need, so that every child has the opportunity to thrive in the classroom, Ms Symes said. Whether its making sure kids have a full stomach, access to a GP or the chance to go on excursions were making sure every student has the chance to make the most of H school. f Caption Text: KATUNGA South Primary School students began creating their own designer eyeware in preparation for a new free Glasses For Kids program for Victorian schools in need. See story page 9. Hello possums Katunga South Primary School students designed their own frames, ready for a free eye testing and glasses program. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.