THE southern suburb of Calwell, in the district of Tuggeranong, is named after Arthur Augustus Calwell, a leader of the Labor Party in the ’60s.

Gazetted on August 5, 1975, Calwell’s streets are named for Victorian politicians and the Calwell Shopping Centre is named after Alfred Richard Outtrim who represented Maryborough from 1885 to 1920.

The Calwell Centre is a designated group centre located on Webber Crescent in the north of the suburb.

It was developed in the early ‘90s to serve Calwell, Richardson, Theodore and Isabella Plains.

Jane teaches long-term academic skills

AT Kumon Tuggeranong Education Centre its instructor and owner, Jane Hiatt, is dedicated to helping all her students do their best academically.

While Kumon offers learning for all ages, Jane says pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children benefit the most from Kumon because it trains them to become good academic athletes for primary school, high school and university.

Offering maths and English subjects, Kumon is designed to encourage independent learning by providing students with worksheets, to be done for 20-30 minutes each day, which allow them to figure out how to solve problems on their own.

“Maths and English are the core subjects, and when students are good at them, it gives them the headspace to be able to focus on other subjects,” Jane says.

Jane says the most important thing to give her students is confidence and self esteem.

“If we can help children have that in bucket loads by year 1 or year 2, then they’ll be strong in classes,” she says.

“I am there to encourage children and lift them up. I genuinely want to see all students shine and do their best.

“I do this because I love my village and I want to be able to see the kids in the village do well.

“It’s important for our young ones to be prepared for their life journey.”

Kumon Tuggeranong Education Centre, Shop 4, Calwell Shops, Webber Crescent. Call 6292 3645 or 0419 134078, email jane@kumontuggeranong.com or visit kumonsearch.com.au

School celebrates its past and the future

NOT only is St Francis of Assisi Primary School celebrating 30 years in the Calwell community but it’s also celebrating its excellent STEM programs, says principal Kate Markcrow.

“Our STEM programs are excellent because we do not focus on any single aspect, but rather offer rich access and hands-on activities related to science, technology, engineering and maths,” she says.

“Students are encouraged to design, build, test and improve, knowing that everything they do develops new skills.”

But, STEM education doesn’t just happen in the dedicated STEM rooms, and Kate says, it flows back into the classroom where students continue to apply their skills.

As for the school, Kate says St Francis is a local, affordable parish primary school that welcomes all families.

“We have a dedicated group of teachers who ensure that each child feels welcomed and valued into our school community,” she says.

“Our small class sizes allow for individual learning to occur.

“[And], the St Francis kindergarten environment fosters a positive relationship with each child and aims to create a sense of belonging to our school community.

“The classes focus on explorative experiences across all curriculum areas. “The combination of exciting learning opportunities and caring relationships create a love of learning which establishes a solid foundation for the remainder of the children’s education journey.”

St Francis of Assisi Primary School, 120 Casey Crescent, Calwell. Call 6292 4500 or visit stfa.act.edu.au

The bank with a big heart, says Chloe

BEING a big bank is one thing but being a better big bank is another, says the branch manager of Bendigo Bank Calwell, Chloe Heath, who is proud to be part of a community-focused bank.

She’s been part of the Bendigo Bank family for more than 11 years and has seen it evolve in that time.

“I’ve never had that temptation to move to another financial institution because I’ve always felt that Bendigo Bank is the bank with a heart,” she says.

“We’re an ethical bank because we really consider the impact that we have on the community.

“We try to feed into the prosperity of a community as opposed to off it.”

Chloe says Bendigo Bank in Calwell supports many local charities and groups but one of the big groups it supports across the branches is Menslink.

“They really try to support young men and they really help with the mental health of young men,” she says.

“We want to actually make an impact and make our community better. So through organisations like Menslink we’re able to create changes so they’re able to do the great things they do.”

And apart from all of the great things Bendigo Bank does, Chloe says they’re a big bank and they can do anything a normal big bank can do.

Bendigo Bank Calwell, Shops 19-21 Calwell Shopping Centre, Webber Crescent, Calwell. Call 6291 3385 or visit bendigobank.com.au

Shopping centre takes the solar energy step

CALWELL Shopping Centre is going green, says centre manager Amanda Flack.

“We’ve just had solar put on the roof so in the next couple of weeks the house power will be green,” she says.

“The centre takes a pretty big environmental footprint in Calwell and the owner of the building is an environmentally conscious person so it goes with the centre’s philosophy.”

Established in 1991, Amanda says Calwell Shopping Centre has been supporting the local community since.

“We’ve always supported local community operated organisations such as charities, schools, sporting clubs and churches,” she says.

“We have a Communities@Work charity box in the centre where people can put non-perishable donations in it year-round.”

Amanda says locally, people might be doing it hard and the community want to help out people in their own backyard, which is why they support Canberra-based charities.

“We try to support charities that help out Canberra so people can see where their money is going,” she says.

Leading up to the holidays locals can enjoy community carols at the centre, which are held on the last Friday leading up to Christmas every year.

“And this year, for the first time, the community churches are organising an interactive, pop-up nativity scene.”

Calwell Shopping Centre, 7 Webber Crescent, Calwell. Call 6292 8811 or visit calwellshops.com.au

Chemist with the community at its heart

CUSTOMERS are at the centre of everything Capital Chemist in Calwell does and its owner Elise Thornton says they’re always making sure to provide them with services to suit the growing needs of the community.

“When we discovered there was a medical-grade device available that could treat and kill the lice and their eggs all in one treatment, we had to have it for Calwell,” Elise says.

“So we created a new private space within the Calwell Shopping Centre for the head-lice clinic.

“It’s a great service where all the work is done for you and the kids go home completely head lice free.

“[And] we often treat mums as well, as mums often treat all their kids but they need someone to do their hair for them.”

Capital Chemist Calwell is also creating a baby clinic and preconception check up service to meet the needs of growing families in the community.

“This year we have seen a bit of a baby boom in Calwell and so have found our pharmacists are doing lots of vaccinations for whooping cough for expectant parents and grandparents,” Elise says.

“The range of vaccinations our pharmacists can provide without a prescription is continuing to grow and the feedback from customers is fantastic.

“We are always happy to hear feedback and would love our customers to tell us what services they would love to see in Calwell in 2019.”

Capital Chemist Calwell, Calwell Shopping Centre, Shop 14, corner of Were Street and Webber Crescent. Call 6292 8200 or visit capitalchemist.com.au

Club loves to help its community

CALWELL Club has been operating in the Calwell community since 2004 and is just one of four venues across the Eastlake Group.

Louize Glenn, of Calwell Club, says the club is a proud community partner that focuses on local community organisations and sporting groups such as Neighbourhood Watch, Tuggeranong Lions Club, STC Pumas Cricket and Eagles Baseball.

“The Eastlake venues are so much more than just a great meal deal and we look forward to continuing our partnerships with the community of Tuggeranong and thank them for their support over the last 14 years,” she says.

Calwell Club, 1 Were Street, Calwell. Call 6291 5666, email ccrecption@eastlakefc.com.au or visit eastlakefc.com.au

Calwell’s community learning hub

CALWELL High School has been providing innovative education and a community connection since 1991, and is now considered the hub of the Calwell community, says principal Bruce McCourt.

As a community centred high school, it provides a comprehensive curriculum that is rich and diverse, including extension programs in core subjects, STEM initiatives and excellence in vocational education.

The school believes academic success is best enabled by strong supports that nurture student wellbeing.

At Calwell High School, the staff want every student to succeed and thrive.

“It’s a school that’s built on relationships and we understand that the students’ wellbeing has to be right before their learning can be enhanced,” Bruce says.

To make sure of this, teachers are involved in their own action-based research projects so they are constantly learning to become better teachers.

“Calwell High School is a great school with students at the core of everything we do,” Bruce says.

“We’re proud of our school and we’re happy to share it, so come and talk to us or we can organise a time for a tour.”

Calwell High School, 111 Casey Crescent, Calwell. Call 6205 6833 or visit calwellhs.act.edu.au