Googong Public School ready to open in Term 1, 2023

Mrs Lindsay, who was previously principal at Cooma Public School, is getting ready to welcome 427 students to the new school.

"Being able to start a school from scratch, it's an opportunity of a lifetime," she said.

Residents have watched the rapid construction of the $57 million campus over the past year.

The school will have seven kindergarten classes in order to accommodate the 137 students in that cohort.

"It's going to be very busy but it's exciting looking at the future growth at the school," Mrs Lindsay said.

The principal has been working with the community to develop the core values of the school, which are positivity, engagement in learning, relationships, community and mind and body health.

Aunty Matilda House wanted the theme of water to be integrated into the school logo and uniform. The school has adopted the goanna as a school mascot, which is known as a googah in the Ngambri language.

The five values of the school will be represented by different googahs. Students, who will also be known as googahs, will work towards personal learning goals under each value and receive reward certificates when they reach their goals.

The school features light and bright climate-controlled spaces that will help teachers collaborate both inside and outside the classroom.

"I'm just blown away by how amazing our school is going to be and the quality of teaching and learning that we'll be able to deliver here because of the facility," Mrs Lindsay said.

Mrs Lindsay said the school would offer a balance of direct, explicit instruction and inquiry-based learning.

"We're developing students for a world and for jobs that we don't know what they're going to be yet," she said.

"The skills of problem solving, creativity, collaboration and strong communication skills, that ability to work with other students is really important through our inquiry-based learning as well as explicit teaching."

Students will be involved in developing the school motto and will have a voice in how the new school develops. They will have "bounce back" lessons every week to support their mental health and wellbeing.

"We understand that we're getting 430 students from different schools, some are brand new starting school ... the teachers are all new. So we have a very strong focus on making sure we're developing resilience and tackling anxiety," Mrs Lindsay said.

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Thirty-five full time staff have been recruited, including 21 classroom teachers, with the majority coming from outside the Queanbeyan network.

Member for Monaro Nichole Overall said builders had worked seven days a week to get the campus ready.

"There's still the finishing touches to do in terms of landscaping and finishing off the drop zone but internally ... it's all just so exciting to see it come together," she said.

Googong residents have been eagerly anticipating the first public school in the township.

Fiona and Rob Hartley have recently moved into the township and will be sending their two eldest children into year 3 and year 2.

"They're excited about the new school uniform, they're excited to be with their friends and being able to walk up to school," Mr Hartley said.

Six-year-old Atticus Hartley said the school campus was "sensational". His brother Hadrian, 8, was keen to do sport every day.

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