Latest news with #MtBarkerCommunityCollege
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Mt Barker Community College's Jason Thomas honoured at WA Technical Support in Schools Association awards
A tech guru responsible for keeping the devices and networks of a Great Southern school ticking has been lauded as the best in regional WA. Jason Thomas took out the title of the regional technical support staff member of the year at the 2025 WA Technical Support in Schools Association awards night on June 5. Mr Thomas, who serves as network support officer at Mt Barker Community College, said he was honoured to receive the surprise award. 'I'd been to the WATSSA conference a couple of times but never bothered with the dinner, so when my boss was telling me I had to go, I was like 'yeah alright' and then I got an email come through that I was a finalist and I understood why,' he said. The technician has worked at the school since 2017 and has racked up a decent resume of achievements including putting every classroom's interactive panel into a remote management system, upgrading the school's network and half of its wireless access points and creating four new fibre runs. He also manages the school's 160 iPads, 480 computers, many phones and deals with any IT queries any of its 650 students and teachers may have. 'I get to play with different technologies and research little projects to enhance the school,' he said. 'I'm about to work on adding our lab of 25 Mac desktops for media studies into our mobile device management solution that we already use for managing the primary school iPads. '(It will) allow me to fine tune what functionalities are and aren't allowed on the devices based on their location in the school, as well as deploying programs and apps to them.' 'There's always something to do.' The school's manager of corporate services Cecilia Douglas and principal Leanne Prior nominated Mr Thomas for the award. Ms Douglas said he has been instrumental in ensuring not only Mt Barker Community College's IT is looked after, but also the devices of several smaller nearby schools who don't have a designated technician. 'Jason is always willing to help and support both the school community and the general community and always does so in a friendly and helpful manner,' she said. 'Without an IT staff member here we wouldn't have a school that works, so Jason just makes sure our everything runs smoothly.'
West Australian
13-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Mt Barker Community College students step out in preparation for National Walk Safely to School Day
Students of Mt Barker Community College will be putting their best feet forward to support Walk Safely to School Day this Friday. The aim of the day is to encourage families to walk together to support road safety, physical activity, community connection and awareness of the environment. Striding out in Mt Barker will be principal Leanne Prior and around 26 families who have booked in to enjoy a healthy breakfast at the school on arrival. Organising the walk is school officer Lauren Pavlovich who will be accompanying her son Harrison, 6. She said the morning was part of National Road Safety Week which runs from May 11-18 with the theme 'be a road safety hero'. 'We are walking from the tourist bureau to the college, which involves heading over two crosswalks,' she said. 'Doing that in a group will give the children some experience of crossing the road. 'The campaign also encourages young children to hold hands with an adult or an older child.' It's the first time the college has been involved in Walk Safely to School Day but the 26th time the campaign has run overall. All students have been urged to be involved, from Years 1 to 12. 'We want to encourage children walk to school and to do it safely,' Ms Pavlovich said. 'I just hope it doesn't rain.' Harold Scruby, CEO of the Pedestrian Council of Australia said children needed exercise. 'Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day,' he said. 'We should encourage them to take a walk before school, during school and at the end of their day.'
