Hawkesbury schools receive NSW Government resilience grants for Fun Days

The primary schools received the grants to hold a series of fun days for students and staff, which included pizza, water slides, jumping castles and massages.

St Monica's Primary Richmond received $10,000 to construct a Yarning Circle, and the school is covering an additional $3000 for the build. They are also using the funds for Motiv8 sports to come onsite and have fun-filled outdoor activities for all students, massage therapists to come onsite and give staff massages for three hours, and a staff lunch and morning tea.

Chisholm Catholic Primary School in Bligh Park received $5000 for a jumping castle and face painting for students, and the school contributed a small amount towards this. They also secured a pizza van for all students and staff.

Assistant Principal Roslyn Earl said all students from Kindergarten to year 6 were involved in the fun day.

"The Chisholm students were treated to various jumping castles, waterslides, obstacle courses, a hot sausage sizzle and a cool ice block," Ms Earl said.

"The Chisholm community has not only endured two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and remote learning but also numerous, devastating floods. Many in our Chisholm community have been extremely impacted and have faced continual hardship due to the flooding.

"We are grateful to Resilience NSW who funded the Fun Day honouring the resilience, generosity and compassion of our Chisholm Catholic School community."

St Matthew's Primary School Windsor received $5000 for a jumping castle, face painting, a dunking machine, pizzas delivered onsite for staff and students, and a small food gift box for morning tea for all staff.

Principal Tim Vane-Tempest said it was "a blast" and most of the teachers volunteered to go on the dunking machine.

"It was the best thing, and what this community needed after a very long, trying three years," Mr Vane-Tempest said.

"It was a really great chance for the community to come together and celebrate as a group after many months and years not being able to do those sorts of things.

"It was just a great opportunity to meet old friends, create new friends and really build on the spirit and the intangible quality of this school we've had for so many years."

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He thanked the state government for "giving the kids a memory they'll take with them".

"An understanding of your community is so important. We needed this as a group, as a community, just to know we weren't forgotten, and that as a community we can endure but we're resilient and if we stick together there's not much that can knock us down," Mr Vane-Tempest said.