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Shooting hoops set in concrete

New Basketball Court for Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) Yarra Junction

Cire Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) service at Yarra Junction will soon receive an upgrade to their basketball playing area due to the generosity of Upper Yarra Community Enterprise. The Community Enterprise operates the Yarra Junction and Warburton Bendigo Bank branches. Cire Family and Children’s Services Director, Lysa Smart, and Cire Sponsorship and Fundraising Coordinator, Amy Sheridan, attended the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise sponsorship presentation in Warburton recently to receive a cheque for this project to get underway at Cire’s Little Yarra Road campus.

“Providing funding for the basketball concrete pad was a great opportunity for us to support and encourage children to be outside and have fun while being active. The outside school hours program at Cire is an essential and high quality service to our community and it’s great to know the children will be now be able to play regardless of the weather, and on a flat surface. We’re sure there are many future stars among them.”Jaqui Hall Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise

Cire Family and Children’s Services was successful in receiving sponsorship to create a new concreted basketball area for the children. This project will encourage children to participate in being active and healthy after school, enhance social inclusion and team involvement; and also broaden their basketball skills. There is a huge emphasis on promoting physical activity in children these days so by providing them with a safe, fun space to run, play and stretch their legs means the children can continue to be encouraged by Cire educators to get active.

“Physical activity is such an important part of every child’s growth and encourages good modelling for later life in creating healthy lifestyles. Being that we care for children after school, it is important that we can provide these children with an appropriate space to get active.” Lysa Smart, Director Cire Family and Children’s Services Yarra Junction.

The importance of providing activities and space for children to be physically active means Cire staff can help promote health and development, improve cardiovascular fitness, improve balance, coordination and strength, as well as help further develop strong, healthy muscles, bones and joints; which is important to their overall growth. Interpersonal skills are developed and enhanced through participation in team sports.

Cire OSHC staff are so excited the children will be able to safely enjoy their ball sports once their new court has been constructed within the next couple of months. They can’t wait for this new space to be completed.

“Our aim was to provide a space for the children to continue to better their basketball skills and we are thrilled to be able to improve the space for the children to do this and improve our services.” Lysa Smart.

Cire Family and Children’s Services appreciates the continued support from the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise which in turn helps our community by providing them with high quality care.

Stay tuned for project updates.

Exceeding - National Quality StandardCire Family and Children’s Services outside school hours care (Yarra Junction) is proud to announce the achievement of receiving an  Exceeding Rating from Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.

For further information all our children’s services click here

YVCS is awash with plastic bag free enthusiasm

The Senior and Intermediate VCAL class at Yarra Valley Community School (YVCS) Yarra Junction campus, have been working on an ‘environmental awareness’ campaign focussing on a plastic bag free initiative as part of their Work Related Skills subject. The Upper Yarra region is supporting the Plastic Bag Free Warburton movement, which aims to make the township of Warburton plastic bag free.

The students have been busy designing, screen-printing, and selling reusable calico bags as a way to encourage the community to go ‘plastic-bag free.’ These bags are available from the Yarra Junction campus or from Village Greens Organic Store for $4.00 each. They have been very popular with limited stock now available, so call to secure yours now; however, don’t fear the students are prepared to produce more in order to help the cause.

Plastic Bag Free Warburton  was established in September 2013 and has consistently been raising awareness during 2015 with numerous events; including a film night in July, a bag making workshop as part of International Crochet Day, and the Sew Warburton group which have been creating and giving away reusable bags for locals at events such as ECOSS’s Spring Festival and Warburton Primary School’s Springfest.

The dedication of our students and this fabulous local group are making a brilliant impact on the way locals are shopping. Well done to all involved.


The following article was written by one of our Intermediate students, Bridgette Cronin, who encourages you to think about the impact that plastic has on the environment.

YVCS Students encourage you to go plastic-bag free!

Plastic has been a significant part of our lives since the 1950s; globally we use over 260 million tons of plastic yearly. Seeing a plastic bag fluttering around in the wind is a site that we’ve all become used to. And while we know, to a degree, about the impact this has on our environment, I’m not sure that some of us actually know how serious this ‘plastic plague’ is getting. Did you know plastic isn’t biodegradable? It photo-degrades; which means that the plastic just breaks up into smaller pieces littering the environment around it.

We all know that the majority of marine debris is made up of plastic, but do you know exactly how much? 80%! That’s right, 80% of all marine debris is, in fact, made up entirely of plastic debris. Ever heard of the Pacific Trash Vortex? Well, it is an area the size of Texas and comprises garbage, dead animals (that have been choked or poisoned by plastic) and plastic, which makes up 90% of the trash vortex. And the horrific part is that it’s not the only trash vortex, just the biggest one.

This is why some of the students here at YVCS are trying valiantly to raise awareness about the harm that plastic bags do to our environment. We hope to encourage the community to get rid of this plastic menace by purchasing reusable canvas bags that some of the students have personally designed and painted. These bags are only $4 each and available at YVCS campus and at the Village Greens Organic store in Yarra Junction. Help us rid the environment of this plastic threat for good!


To find out more about UYCH youth education services click here or call 1300 835 235

Baking a Great Relationship

Lemon delicious, pavlova, fruit sponge with custard, birthday cakes, cupcakes and even an impossible pie! It sounds like a menu you may find in a bakery. In reality, this is a small sample of the delicious foods that the students of Yarra Valley Community School (YVCS) have been making in conjunction with the good folk of the Warburton Lyrebird Day Club.

The Warburton Lyrebird Day Club was established in 1995 to address the concerning level of social isolation felt by many veterans and senior community members in the Warburton region.

The club meets every Wednesday at the Redwood Centre in Warburton. YVCS students from the Yarra Junction campus attend each week (and even through the school holidays) to assist with setting the tables, preparing the main meal, making the dessert, serving the luncheon guests and cleaning the kitchen after mealtime. Students assist lunch members into the dining room, serve their drinks and make sure that needs are met.

“I love going each week and supporting my older community members. They get to enjoy a big lunch and catch up with fellow community members. Each week we cook for them, talk with them and hear great stories…every week is full of laughter and fun.” – Sarah YVCS Yarra Junction campus

Lunch guests pay $12.50, receive a three-course meal and are invited to participate in social activities. Games such as Mahjong, solitaire, scrabble and other card and board games are played weekly.  The money raised each week then provides the meal for the next week.

In November 2015 The Warburton Day Club will celebrate 20 years of providing meals to the community through volunteer support and passion. The students of Yarra Valley Community School are extremely proud of their role in supporting such a great initiative and the feedback received from the seniors has been great.

Check out the The Lyrebird Club Facebook page

Our students are a dedicated bunch who embrace the community and do all they can to assist throughout the year. The projects they undertake are designed to assist them with tasks that can lead to further education and employment. If you require more information on our youth education services click here or call 1300 835 235. With two convenient locations we’ve got the valley covered when it comes to education.