August 28, 2012
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has taken over as honorary Principal for a day at Araluen Primary School in Sale.
Mr Chester took the reins from Principal Karen Milner this morning and set about getting straight into it visiting classrooms and meeting with students and staff.
He said the students were fantastic in welcoming him into the new job albeit for only a day.
“The students could not have been any more welcoming to me on my first and only day as Principal,” Mr Chester said.
“It was good to have the opportunity to experience what Principals are required to do on a daily basis.
“While I enjoyed the experience I was also happy to hand the job back to Karen at the end of the day and get back on with the job of representing Gippsland in Federal Parliament.”
The ‘Principal for a Day’ program is designed to give community leaders a first-hand experience of a normal day in a Victorian Government school.
Principal Karen Milner said that it was a great pleasure to host Mr Chester.
“Darren talked with parents and teachers, met with our student leaders, read books to our junior students and talked politics with a number of the classes,” Mrs Milner said.
“It was wonderful for our students to hear about his career journey and hopefully he has inspired some of our students to follow their passions and aim high.”
Mr Chester said this week is also National Literacy and Numeracy Week.
“Literacy and numeracy are critical fundamentals to a child’s learning and development,” Mr Chester said.
“This week recognises the importance of these skills in life and encourages children to participate in activities which will enhance their abilities.”