User:Assize/schools/Matraville

Matraville Public School is a New South Wales primary school located in the suburb of Hillsdale, and draws its students predominantly from the surrounding suburbs of Hillsdale, Banksmeadow and Matraville. The school has approximately 300 enrolled pupils from kindergarten to Year 6. The school uniform is green and white, and includes the school crest which features the ship Endeavour in commemoration of Captain Cook's landing at nearby Botany Bay. The motto of the school is "Endeavour." The current principal is Simon Symeou. He proceeded Bob Mirrow who was a loved principal throughout this career.

History
The school was opened as Cross Road Public School in 1903, named after the school's location at the intersection between Beauchamp and Bunnerong Roads. It was later renamed as Matraville Public School in 1904. The school recently celebrated its centenary year.

School Grounds
The school campus is located at the corner of Beauchamp and Bunnerong Roads. The grounds are roughly divided into three sections: the primary (kindergarten to year 2) playground is surrounded by a U-shaped block of classrooms, the upper playground adjacent to Bunnerong Road is for years 3 and 4, and there is another playground for years 5 and 6. In addition to the classroom blocks there is also a large school hall which is used for school functions and assemblies, and also occasionally rented leased by members of the public on weekends. The primary grassed area (known as the "paddock") owned by the school contains cricket nets, and formerly contained classrooms which were demolished in the 1990's. Adjacent to this park is a park owned by the City of Botany Bay affectionately known as the "Big Park."

School Activities
Matraville Public School teaches a variety of subjects in accordance with the New South Wales Primary Schools syllabus, including mathematics, English, science and technology, and human society and its environment (HSIE). Spanish is taught to native speakers and as a second language to all students from year 3 and 4 onwards. Furthermore Bengali has been taught to native speakers since 1999, which is representative of the strong relationship the school enjoys with the local Bangladeshi community. The school has an active music and dance program, including a band and highly successful dance groups. There is also a chess team that participates in the NSW Schools Competition.

The school also has an active sports program, although it emphasises participation over competition. For younger students there are weekly visits to the nearby Bunnerong gymnastics centre, while older students can choose from a range of sports, including soccer, tennis and cricket.

Notable alumni

 * Mike Whitney - former Australian Test cricket bowler
 * David Andrew Warner - contracted player for the NSW SpeedBlitz Blues cricket team