By Tyler Wright
The Dandenong Ranges Steiner School is set to breathe new life into the Menzies Creek Hall, following the news that the Menzies Creek Preschool will be ceasing operations.
On 31 January, the hall committee confirmed via social media it had formally signed an agreement with Steiner to use the hall during the day from Term 3 2024.
The school will be operating its playgroup sessions out of the hall, with its financial contributions through the lease helping subsidise local programs.
Menzies Creek Hall Committee president Geoff Connor said the committee subsidises yoga programs, a pilates program, movement classes for the elderly and a table tennis program.
“That allows us to provide other things as well; sometimes we do cabaret nights, which is a fully funded thing, which we would never be able to do unless we had funding,“ Mr Connor said.
“Cabaret night would be something in the order of a $2,000 contribution by the committee that basically bridges the gap between ticket prices that we offer to residents and the actual cost of running an event like that.
“We talked about how [Steiner’s] contributions to the Menzies Creek Hall, for the use of the hall, would go directly to maintenance, repairs, improvements and more importantly resident programs.“
Dandenong Ranges Steiner School also has a fondly remembered past at the same hall, starting its kindergarten at the hall in 1995.
“We started our school in the Menzies Creek Hall as well in 1999…the first prep class of eight children started in the Menzies Creek Hall,“ Dandenong Ranges Steiner School business manager Cath Lanigan said.
“It grew from there; in 2000 we had class one, and then that year we bought the building across the road and then the school moved into there.
“It’s really lovely to be going back to that space again as well and being able to offer playgroups there to the community as well.“
Ms Lanigan said the school currently operates a playgroup, three-year-old and four-year-old kindergarten and prep across the road from the hall at its early childhood campus, and with kindergarten hours extending over the next five years needed more space.
“We contacted the Menzies Creek Hall to see if we might be able to rent the space for our playgroup so we can move our playgroups across to the hall and then have more room on our current site for kindergarten,“ Ms Lanigan said.
“We’d heard as well that sadly the Menzies Creek Kindergarten was finishing at the end of last year operating from the hall, so we knew that there might be space possibly at the hall following the kindergarten closing.
“We’re really glad because we say ourselves as being part of the community; we’ve been in Menzies Creek for 25 years now, we’ve got six playgroups so it’s an opportunity for you to know for anyone who’s interested in our playgroups to [participate].“
The Dandenong Ranges Steiner School playgroup sessions will run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
