Buckland Street Buildings
Progress summary
Construction of the pop-up school, now known as the ‘Buckland Street buildings' started in late November 2016 with the arrival of the demountable buildings. Work continued during the January school holidays.
Beginning Term 1 2017, 4 general learning spaces, a staff lounge, 2 staff study rooms, performance/future learning space and the senior study closest to Buckland Street were made available for school use. All the Buckland Street buildings will officially be available for school use in March 2017.
Image: Interior view of one of the Buckland Street pop-up classrooms.
Image: View of the corridor connecting the new Buckland Street buildings.
Tasks completed since the last update
During trenching work, some contaminated soil was unearthed which included asbestos material. The material was identified as non-friable asbestos containing cement sheeting fragments, commonly-used in construction prior to 1985. Following testing, the contamination in the excavated material was considered low level with all results below the human health criteria used to assess schools.
Though not considered a reportable incident, The Environmental Protection Authority was informed as a precaution. The site has been remediated, with all work undertaken in accordance with the NSW workplace health and safety regulator, SafeWork NSW.
Formal clearance was provided by a licenced hygienist which meant the school could safely occupy the completed buildings from the beginning of school term.
Letters were distributed to inform the school community when the 2017 school year began.
Community consultation
Workshops and surveys with members of the school and local community were carried out in November and December 2016. Feedback gathered from these activities is being used to guide the design of the new school.
Fencing and access changes
- A safety fence has been erected while the Buckland Street buildings are constructed.
- Signage is in place to assist with directions around the site.
- A traffic controller and pedestrian guide are present during school hours to ensure the safety of the staff, students and community while work continues.
- Truck movements will not be permitted during school drop off and pick up times.
Next steps and key events
- Work continues to deliver the Buckland Street buildings to accommodate the classes currently based on the Alexandria Park Community School Mitchell Road Campus.
- The licenced hygienist will continue monitoring the area while construction continues.
- Concept design for the new Alexandria Park Community School is currently underway.
- A community consultation booth will be held on Saturday 18 February 2017, 8:30am-12:30pm at Carriageworks Farmers Market, Eveleigh.
February 2017 project update
Progress summary
Work is continuing to ensure the Buckland Street Buildings are open to staff and students on 6 March 2017.
Image: In-situ photo of the Alexandria Park Community School.
Due to recent poor weather, some external landscaping works will continue following the opening. Any disruption to school operations as a result of these works will be minimal.
Tasks completed since the last update
- The design for the Park Road Campus Redevelopment is progressing well with TKD Architects completing the concept design.
- The concept design has been endorsed by the Project Reference Group (PRG) and is being reviewed by key technical stakeholders.
- New school facilities, with potential for shared community use, are being investigated; discussions are underway with the City of Sydney Council.
Next steps and key events
- The Mitchell Road campus will be vacated to make way for ‘early works' to commence on the site, in preparation for relocating the Cleveland Street Intensive English High School.
- The design will now progress from the concept stage into the schematic stage, guided by the input collected from the workshops and information booths that have been held to date.
- The PRG will continue to review key project issues at fortnightly meetings.
Community consultation
The project team has continued to keep the local community up to date, with information booths held at Joynton Park Markets, ‘Family Culture Day' at the Block, Carriageworks Farmers Markets and ‘Summer on the Green' from December 2016 to February 2017.
To find out more about the project, you are welcome to come and speak with the project team at the following upcoming event:
Alexandria Summer Fair
- Sunday 26 March 2017, 11am–3pm.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter regarding the progress:
The construction of our pop-up high school on half of the school oval will commence on
Friday November 18 2016.
The establishment of our pop-up high school on the Park Road site will commence in the week beginning Monday 21 November. Safety fencing will be erected starting on the afternoon of Friday 18 November. This work will cause some changes to our regular use/and access to the school grounds for the last four weeks of the 2016 school year.
A minimum of half of the oval closest to Belmont Street and the community gardens alongside the new Buckland Street development (ie the western end of the oval) will be fenced off to safely contain the construction of the temporary school.
This means that from Monday 21 November
Belmont Street
There will be no pedestrian access to the school oval from Belmont Street. The gate at the community garden will be closed and blocked off.
A safety fence will be erected inside the staff car park gate to allow parents and students from APCS and Wunanbiri access into the school.
The car park gate and the inside gate will be closed at 9.30am and reopened at 3.00pm. I remind you that the car park is for STAFF ONLY and is not to be used for dropping off or picking up children.
Buckland Street
The gate on the corner of the oval on Buckland Street will be closed and cannot be used as an access point to the school. A new gate to enter the school from Buckland Street will be constructed about half way along the oval.
Safe access to the school
We are a flexible and fabulous team at Alexandria Park Community School.
Please speak with your children about the changed entrances to the school and assist us by modelling safe entry and exits from the school.
Staff will remind students of the changes on Thursday and Friday and then each day from 21 November. Signs will be erected by the contractors and staff will be on duty at the beginning and end of each day, the peak pedestrian traffic times. Secondary staff will as normal supervise students to and from the Mitchell Road campus.
Thank you for in advance for your cooperation during the last four weeks of term 4 2016.
Printablecopy given to students can be printed here: Letter to parents (pdf 304 KB)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What an exciting program of re-development we have commencing at Alexandria Park Community School.
As you know, we have confirmed the location of the pop up high school, which will be constructed on one end of the oval. The plan is that the high school staff and students (7-12) will commence use of the pop up high school from Term 1 2017.
As well, the master planning for the re-build of the permanent K-12 school on the Park Road site has also commenced.
The first stage of the planning is to give the architects a sense of what we value and what is important about our school to students, staff, parents and the wider community.
Next week there are two opportunities for parents to contribute to the first phase of consultation.
We invite you to participate in one of the following consultation sessions run by the architects commissioned to design our school.
Tuesday November 22nd, 6.30-7.30pm in the professional learning centre on the Mitchell Road campus.
Wednesday November 23rd, 9.30-10.30am in the consultation classroom. Please meet in the administration foyer of the Park Road campus.
If you would like to attend one of these consultation sessions please RSVP to Linda Turner or Charlene Flood on 9698 1967 by close of business - Monday November 21st 2016.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is the design of the Alexandria Park Community School pop-up High School.
The pop-up high school is being designed to provide adequate facilities in order to meet the educational and safety needs of the students and staff and will include:
- 14 general learning spaces
- two science labs
- one technology space
- a performance space
- a visual arts space
- a senior study space for years 11 and 12
- an administration centre
- a staff study space
- staff and student toilets
- a canteen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below are some pictures of how other schools have their pop up.
details copied from the Department website last updated 5/9/16
Inspiration for the pop-up school: Artarmon Temporary Public School
Artarmon Temporary Public School was completed in February 2016. It was developed for approximately 200 students, with eight homebases, an administration building, covered outdoor area, and student and staff amenities buildings.
Inspiration for the pop-up school: Chatswood Public School 'Bush Campus'
Chatswood Public School "Bush Campus" accommodates approximately 330 year 3 and year 4 students and is based on the grounds of the Chatswood High School Campus. There are 12 home bases, a special programs room, administration building, in addition to student and staff amenities buildings
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the high school be moving from the Mitchell Road campus into the pop-up school?
It is anticipated that the high school students will move into the pop-up school on the Park Road campus mid-2017.
Will we have access to the same facilities we have now?
Yes. The senior school students will be relocated into a pop-up school on the Park Road campus. Consultation with representatives from the school has commenced to determine the needs for the pop-up school and the potential to share facilities on the Park Road campus.
What stage is the project currently at?
The pop-up school is currently in the investigation stage and the new school is currently in the project development stage.
Who is going to be delivering the project?
A project manager and head design consultant are in the process of being engaged for the redevelopment project. We expect to have these consultants appointed August/September 2016.
Will we have a voice during the design of the new school?
Yes. There will be extensive consultation with the school and local community at all stages of the project. Workshops, surveys and information booths will form part of this process. Additionally, a Project Reference Group has been established consisting of the School Principal, Community Coordinator, AECG Representative, staff and student representatives, and the Director Public Schools NSW. As part of the Project Reference Group they will be able to present feedback, issues and ideas with regard to the project which will feed into the design.
When will we get more information?
The school's representatives in the Project Reference Group will be kept up to date on the project status to assist with communicating the project to the school community. Once the project manager has been appointed, a schedule for information booths will be developed and published to the school and local community. As the project progresses, monthly newsletter updates will be issued to the school community and published on the project website.
Will the demountables have air-conditioning?
Yes. All demountables used will be refurbished and air conditioned.
How will the Park Road campus accommodate the primary and secondary students while redevelopment of the site takes place?
As the design is developed, the staging of the works and planning to safely accommodate the students will be refined.
Taken from Department website link - Page updated 05/09/2016