Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your elevation to the position of Speaker. I am sure you will bring the dignity and humility to the role that this place deserves. Tonight I would like to inform the House about one of the schools in my electorate. Overall I have about 65 schools or educational institutions so I would hope we could call the seat of Swan the seat of knowledge in WA. The school I want to tell you about is the Queens Park Primary School, which is located in Treasure Road, Queens Park. The school is relatively small, with about 200 students, making it a very friendly and family-focused school. Every child has their place there, and they celebrate diversity.

At Queens Park Primary School they have a strong focus on preparing children academically. Their motto 'Strength through knowledge' provides the focus for providing a curriculum that will ensure children are well prepared to fulfil their aspirations. It is more than a motto—it underpins every teaching and learning task undertaken at Queens Park Primary School. Literacy and numeracy are of critical importance, and they have made teaching these a whole-school focus. All the staff have supported this approach and they are starting to see some fantastic student achievements.

Their curriculum also recognises that developing children's self-esteem, decision-making skills and ability to take responsibility is vital. They teach those through empowerment and positive reinforcement. This is a school that believes children learn best when they feel it is safe to try, so they will let children make mistakes and then help them understand what can be learnt from the experience. Most importantly they are quick to applaud their success. Their philosophy is to nurture the 'whole' child, and equip them for life.

Madam Speaker, as you would know, the quality of every child's education is dependent on the performance of our educators and their dedication. At Queens Park Primary School the staff are experienced teachers who are dedicated, compassionate and committed professionals. They pride themselves on being an inclusive campus where both teaching and non-teaching staff have a shared responsibility for providing educational programs that address the individual needs of all students. In a small school such as theirs, the staff get to know the school's families really well. The children feel safe and valued.

The teachers are an important part of the Queens Park Primary School community—they do a fabulous job and have attained many outstanding achievements. The Queens Park Primary School believes in providing a values-based education. They believe that every child has the right to learn and play in a happy and harmonious environment, and their teachers and students work hard collaboratively to achieve this. The parents of the schoolchildren contribute as well. Positive reinforcement is used to encourage good behaviour and students are taught from the early years to consider their choices before acting.

My wife Cheryle and I were fortunate enough to attend the Queens Park Primary School's 11th annual art exhibition on 4 November 2013. The art exhibition is a showcase of the many artworks produced from the students and one school-based themed technology project. This year's exhibition was entitled a Creators' Bazaar. The concept of a Creators' Bazaar came from the technology project for 2014, which was to design and make an item that would have a market appeal to the general public. Each class discussed and decided on a suitable item. In class the students made their product and during the exhibition period voting slips were available for visitors to select the item they would be happy to buy. The selected projects were so varied and eclectic that the school wanted them displayed in a market-style environment. The arts centre was transformed to resemble a marketplace and all projects were displayed. Projects included individually designed jewellery, photo frames, decorated pot plants, cards, Mexican crop protectors and unique jars.

It was also with great excitement that this year they managed to incorporate QR codes on students' artwork. QR is short for quick response. A specifically generated barcode was attached to selected artworks. This barcode was a readable label that held recorded information for the student, relating to how that item was made. Once the barcode was zapped with a smartphone or iPad, you were directed to the child's message. The barcode could have been accessed by relations anywhere in the world provided they had a copy of the barcode. Very exciting stuff. Our very special thanks go to Mrs Pushpa Ramalingam for working so hard to get this organised through the school. A family fun afternoon was held after school on the day of the opening and the exhibition was open during school hours for a week. It was very well attended. My congratulations go to Queens Park Primary and I look forward to attending their 12th art exhibition.

House adjourned at 21:24