Page 142 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2008
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2. the BIIP would not have to compete for funding or facilities with another language program at Yarralumla;
3. Yarralumla has given considerable thought to the best method of integrating the program, and was able to outline this satisfactorily to Lyons parents;
4. Yarralumla expressed the intention to conduct a LOTE program in Italian for its existing students;
5. this LOTE program would very likely to inspire other families to join the BIIP, allowing it the possibility of growth within the existing Yarralumla student body;
6. Yarralumla is willing to consider offering an intensive language course to any existing students who want to join the BIIP;
7. Yarralumla also expressed a willingness to adopt the Italian culture in a variety of other ways, including bilingual signage, bilingual assemblies, bilingual extra-curricular activities such as choir performances, art and gardening;
8. this willingness to adopt the Italian culture and to encourage the growth of the program is vital to the continuation of funding and support by the Italian government;
9. the school indicated that a survey of the Yarralumla Primary School parents, conducted earlier in the year, has drawn 100% positive response to the question of whether the school should adopt the BIIP;
10. this positive response was demonstrated by the participation of Yarralumla parents in the relocation discussions, their actions in preparing a warm welcome for Lyons parents, and their replies to questions posed by Lyons parents on the day;
11. the school culture at Yarralumla was perceived to be similar in nature to Lyons, which would be likely to result in a smoother transition of the BIIP students and parents into the wider school community; and
12. the Yarralumla school buildings and their surrounds were preferred to those at the Mawson School, in terms of being able to happily accommodate the program.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the Yarralumla Primary School, both the P&C and the school board chair, wrote to me on 12 November last year, stating:
I am writing to urge your strongest support for choosing Yarralumla Primary School as the recipient of the Bilingual Italian Emersion Program (BIIP).
The Yarralumla Primary parent community would enthusiastically embrace a bilingual P-6 framework. Results from the school survey indicate overwhelming community support for such a program. Having been without a LOTE for three years, our school community would be thrilled to partake in such a unique program. We consider Yarralumla Primary to be an ideal site for the BIIP as our students and families would benefit for the following reasons.
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