Yanchep District High School now called Yanchep Lagoon PS

YANCHEP’S oldest school has reinvented itself as it undergoes changes in student numbers and facilities.

Yanchep District High School, which started with primary classes in 1975 and expanded to Year 8s in 1980, is now called Yanchep Lagoon Primary School.

The change aligns with this week’s last week’s Jan 31 opening of Yanchep Secondary College for years 7 to 11.

Principal Alan Curtis said the school was going through a “rebirth” with its student numbers halved to about 320 as a result of high school students shifting.

Mr Curtis said, given the school’s history of more than 40 years, there was sadness as the high school students and teachers finished at the end of last year.

However, he said they were looking forward to this year as well.

“It’s going to be fantastic to have a dedicated primary school,” he said.

“It’s going to change the feel of the school a lot.”

Mr Curtis said they did a parent survey to help choose the new name for the school, which now caters for Kindergarten to Year 6 classes.

He said ‘Yanchep Lagoon Primary’ fitted well with the school’s location near the lagoon.

“It’s an iconic piece of Yanchep history,” he said.

“It seemed to be logical; we are on Lagoon Drive.

“It distinguishes us from the other school (Yanchep Beach Primary).”

The principal said the school motto was now ‘Dream, believe, achieve’ and parents helped choose the new uniforms, which feature blue tones.

He said the Year 6 students had a leavers shirt that they would wear all year so they would “stand out as a year group”.

To help cover the cost of the new uniform, the Education Department provided a $250 subsidy to students enrolled in Kindergarten to Year 5 at the school last year.

Part of the school’s rebirth includes a $15 million project to demolish and rebuild the primary school buildings.

“We have got the new building program to look forward to in 2019-20,” Mr Curtis said.

“We are losing 14 transportables – we’ve lost the three science labs already and the rest of the transportable rooms will go during the year.”

Mr Curtis said the redevelopment would give them more space on the school grounds, with the whole site set to remain part of the school.

“The kids will enjoy the extra space; it was getting pretty crowded,” he said.

He said they would use a State Government grant later this year to convert the former secondary home economics classroom into a science laboratory, as it already had water and gas supplies.

Deputy principal Delva Russell said they had a “fantastic opening day” on January 31 and students enjoyed having the extra room to play.

“The kids looked magnificent in their new uniforms,” Mr Curtis added.

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