Busby Public School community rooms open for school's 60th birthday

Release date: 21 November 2023

Thanks to Principal Ena Lakisoe’s vision for a welcoming and engaging school, Busby Public School opened its refurbished community rooms yesterday while celebrating its 60th birthday.

“As a new principal, one of the first things I did was ask my staff, students and community what I could do to make this school an even better place to be,” Ena said.

“The stories that came through were strong. Community members reminisced about a time when the school was a hub of activity. 

“I realised we needed to open our school to engage our community and provide a space for our breakfast club.” 

A project to upgrade the school’s two community rooms was born. The rooms once hosted playgroups but over time were used for storage only.

Asset Services Officer Jacki McIvor’s priority for the project was to ensure the rooms were safe for occupation, met requirements including the Education Facilities Standards and Guidelines (EFSG 2.0) and kept their historical charm while bringing Ena’s vision to life.

“It was an absolute pleasure working on this project with Ena and I look forward to seeing these rooms have many years of happy use by the school community,” said Jacki, who works in the South-Western Sydney Asset Management team.

The project included: 

• internal works such as the replacement of flooring and ceiling fans, painting and adjusting existing windows

• replacing the kitchenette and bathroom to make these areas functional and compliant

• external works including the renewal of decks, subfloor repairs, painting, new concrete stairs, handrails and balustrades, and security screen doors for both rooms.

The Aroha Unity Room is where student breakfast club will be located. The room is now set up like a café with couches and colourful tables. 

“Students can come and sit down to have breakfast. Music will be playing. Students who do not have lunch can make sandwiches and take fruit back to their classrooms,” Ena said.

The Curiosity Room’s purpose is to be determined, but the possibilities are endless. Ideas include parent workshops or a home for gadgets where students can use technology to support their learning.

This year is the school’s 60th birthday and sees a rebrand and redesign of the school values, with reflections from the community. The school community chose, by vote, the dragon as the new school mascot. The new values are unity, respect, courage, kindness and curiosity – with 2023 being the Year of Unity. 

The birthday celebrations included rides, stalls, snacks, performances, sausage sizzle and visits from Busby Fire Brigade, Green Valley Police Youth Liaison and Liverpool State Emergency Services. 

Festivities began with the opening of the community rooms, which are designed to ‘unite’ the community.

“We did this to help make our school a better place to be,” Ena said. “Where our families could benefit and be uplifted in some small way whether by learning, laughter or love.”