The South Castlemaine Kindergarten celebrated their 50th anniversary with a special event at the Etty Street centre on Tuesday afternoon.

The celebrations were attended by past and present staff members, parents and students and also by former Mayor Peter Skilbeck and newly appointed mayor Cr Rosie Annear. 

The celebrations began with a barbecue catered for by the parents club and a couple of dances by the kinder students, followed by a welcome by South Castlemaine Kindergarten educational leader Amber Smolak.

Ms Smolak said the kinder was built thanks to the support of the local community and was run by a volunteer committee of management until 18 years ago when management of the kinder was taken over by the YMCA.

However, the kinder continues to receive wonderful support from its parents group and Mount Alexander Shire Council.

“We were pleased to install a new kitchen and bathroom in 2015 and have undertaken extensive ground improvements in recent years,” she said.

As part of the occasion Mr Skilbeck, former Kinder Director Jean Everett and assistant Helen Butterworth were invited to unveil the contents of a time capsule they buried at the kindergarten to mark the new century back in the year 2000.

Among the items discovered in the capsule was a copy of our sister paper the Midland Express from Tuesday May 27, 2000, a Mount Alexander Shire keyring and art works created by students which attended the centre 22 years ago.

The art works detailed each student’s favourite toy, food and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Mr Skilbeck had also added a drawing which stated he wanted to be ‘alive’, his favourite toy was his ride-on mower and his favourite food was fish and salad.

“It still is!” he laughed.

Among the other guests were inaugural committee member Lyn Timmins and Ballarat YMCA general manager Marg Harrison.

Ms Harrison said the kinder recently underwent assessment and she was confident they will pass with flying colours following an ‘exceeds expectations’ last time around.

Marg congratulated staff and families on their wonderful support of the centre over the last 50 years.

“We can’t wait to see what you achieve in the next 50!” Ms Harrison said.

Ms Smolak said the kindergarten is already at capacity for 2023.

“We currently have a waiting list and with the ongoing support of the community the future looks bright,” she said.

The current kinder community plan to create a new time capsule to be opened at the centre in 20 years time.

Castlemaine Steiner School’s Science, Design, and Technology Centre officially opened earlier this month with a visit from Bendigo Federal MP Lisa Chesters, on behalf of the new Education Minister Jason Clare, and a musical performance from the school’s Year 7 and 8 performance ensemble. 

The school successfully secured almost $1.5 million dollars in federal funding for the project through the Capital Grants Program. 

“This is the largest federal government, single investment, in the Mount Alexander Shire for the past eight years,” Ms Chesters said. 

“A lot of work has gone into the project, which has delivered facilities that will help teachers to inspire students.” 

Castlemaine Steiner School and Kindergarten currently has 146 students enrolled from Kindergarten through to Year 8. 

According to the principal Nerrida Johnson, plans for the new building began in 2018 as part of the school’s master plan. 

The master plan and the construction of a science, design and technology centre include setting the foundation for possible extension into middle and senior high school in future years. Future plans for the school include upgrading outdoor learning and play spaces and additional learning spaces as enrolments grow and future needs arise. 

For the time being, the new addition is being well utilised by the junior school. The science lab is enabling teachers to conduct more complex experiments with students, as well as doubling a digital classroom. The design, art, and craft sections of the building have wet areas for arts and carpeted classrooms for soft arts and crafts. 

“It is so important that we are developing in young people, not only the ability to think critically about the world around them, but also the ability to actually do something about it,” Nerrida said. 

“We want our students to be able to step out into the world, to be able to think and perceive clearly, respond from the heart, and then take action to physically make a difference… and this beautiful building has been designed especially to support the development of all of those skills. 

“The practical arts provide a foundation for our students to be not just thinkers, but to be creators, makers, repairers, and shapers.”