Katja Eager, from The Head Office, says the Wharehuia Community Centre on Stanley Rd is a great spot for its students to learn. Photo / Supplied
Katja Eager, from The Head Office, says the Wharehuia Community Centre on Stanley Rd is a great spot for its students to learn. Photo / Supplied
A free Wi-Fi hotspot is helping groups who operate from the Wharehuia Community Centre near Midhirst.
Primo put in the hotspot in October just before The Head Office started running its Tuesday classes for gifted kids.
Katja Eager, the group's chief executive, contacted Primo to see if the hotspot couldbe put in.
"The internet has proved vital for running the classes as it gives the students access to the internet for the research and self-guided learning, which is a big part of the way they learn."
A total of 28 students from 12 schools around the Stratford district attend the class each Tuesday. Katja says they have only been going for a month but already it is the highlight of the week for many of the kids.
"For a lot of them, it's the one day a week where they can be themselves. It's the place where they can be as quirky and diverse as they like."
The Wharehuia Community Centre, formerly Stanley School, is a great asset for the local area. Photo / Supplied
Kylie Hancock, from the Wharehuia's Community Centre's committee, says the facility is a real community asset. When the primary school closed, the locals all chipped in to buy the property, which also has a swimming pool and tennis courts.
Apart from The Head Office, it is regularly used by the Stratford Cycle Club, the Stratford Creative Fibre Group and the Stratford Yarn Group.
"We also hire the venue out to the public at $50 for a half day, $100 for a full day and the grounds are used for camping/campervans for $8 a per night. Our committee is happily celebrating what this means to our community and our future. We are very thankful for Primo for their kind contribution."
Katja says The Head Office is now able to reach a new group of children in Central Taranaki to give them the tools that will help them and their families.
A key thing is how teachers Kim Gillanders and Fiona Jackson show the children the different ways of learning there are.
"Bringing up a child with special needs is always full-on, and it doesn't matter at which end of the spectrum of special needs they sit. We are grateful to Primo for organising this. It will make the world of difference to a lot of our students."
