Tag: parents

Storytime at Croydon Library

Posted on by alex

Children’s Week is held annually during the fourth week in October and has the theme “A Caring World Shares”, which aims to focus on the needs of children and the ability to enjoy childhood.

This morning, as part of Children’s Week, I attended Storytime at Croydon Library, a weekly program that involves the reading of stories and songs to preschool children. The program typically involves four children’s stories and I was invited to read two of them, as well as participate in the songs and activities held during the session.

Storytime is a great program designed to encourage reading and an appreciation for books and it was great to see so many children and their parents attend the session. Storytime sessions are available at both Ringwood and Croydon Libraries, for details please visit www.erl.vic.gov.au/kids/storytimes.htm

Media Release: Push for commitment to Ringwood Station upgrade continues

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The Maroondah community has overwhelmingly supported Maroondah City Council’s campaign to secure funding for an upgrade to Ringwood Station.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said to date Council had collected more than 2000 signatures on a petition calling on all major parties to commit to funding an upgrade to Ringwood Station within the term of the next government.

He said Council had been overwhelmed with the support it had received throughout the campaign.

“Maroondah residents Dawn Oliffe and Margaret Stevens have both volunteered their time to collect signatures at Ringwood Station and Eastland,” Cr Makin said.

“Dawn spent one day at Ringwood Station collecting more than 100 signatures from commuters and Margaret organised to set up a stall at Eastland for an entire week which resulted in her collecting more than 400 signatures,” Cr Makin said.

“This is a phenomenal effort from two of our community members, and their dedication to the campaign shows how strongly they feel about the need for an upgrade to Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

“Margaret also volunteered her time with a number of other disability advocates to be involved with a video filmed by Council highlighting the difficulty people with a disability, parents with prams, and people using wheelchairs and scooters have using the station ramps,” Cr Makin said.

“The video has been a successful aspect of Council’s campaign with more than 780 people having watched it via Council’s website or YouTube. A Facebook page has also generated a lot of debate and to date has 110 followers,” Cr Makin said.

Cr Makin said Council will enter the next phase of the campaign with the launch of ‘’The Missing Piece”. This will be immediately prior to the Eastern Transport Coalition Forum.

“Significant investment and development continues in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise, and the commitment to fund the redevelopment of Ringwood Station remains the missing piece of the vision for the Ringwood Central Activities District,” Cr Makin said.

“I hope the community will join us at The Missing Piece launch and show their support for Council’s campaign to secure an upgrade to Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

The Missing Piece launch is on at 6pm, Wednesday October 13 at Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood.

Maroondah Young Leaders Presentation Evening

Posted on by alex

The Maroondah Young Leaders is a week-long program held at the EVs Youth Centre in Croydon and involves up to thirty local year 10 students..  The program aims to develop confidence and leadership skills, with the students  selected in consultation with teachers from the participating schools.

This evening I officially congratulated the students for their successful completion of the program.  The Young Leaders program provides life-long skills, including working with groups, public speaking and confidence, which are useful in educational, recreational, employment and community pursuits.

The presentation evening includes a performance organised by the participants, where they showcase the skills they have learnt during the week.

In addition, several of the students will be participating in the Community Action Project, which is where the participants complete a project that aims to be of assistance to the wider community.  Last year’s group completed a video highlighting bullying, which was well received by schools within Maroondah.  Discussions and planning for the Community Action Project will begin in a few weeks and is coordinated through the Maroondah Youth Services Team based at the EVs Youth Centre.

The speech I delivered at the presentation evening is available within this post:

Continue reading “Maroondah Young Leaders Presentation Evening”

Media Release: Help your children become ‘cyber-smart’

Posted on by alex

Safer Internet Day 2010 is almost upon us and it’s set to highlight the need to be safe and responsible when using online technologies.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, encouraged the community to learn more about safer surfing during Safer Internet Day on Tuesday 9 February.

“The day aims to help children, parents and library staff to manage online risks so the online experience of children is safe and positive,” Cr Makin said.

“Safer Internet Day 2010 is an international event supported by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under its Cybersmart national cybersafety education program,” Cr Makin said.

“The theme for 2010 is Think before you post. This theme is an important message for children and all people in our community – both for their internet and their mobile phone use,” Cr Makin said.

“Taking the simple step to stop and think about the consequences before sending or posting information may help to reduce negative experiences online,” Cr Makin said.

“What you send or post is placed in the public domain so it pays to be careful of what you put out there,” Cr Makin said.

A range of information on safe and responsible use of online technology is available by phoning the Cybersafety Contact Centre on 1800 880 176, emailing cybersafety@acma.gov.au or visiting www.cybersmart.gov.au.