New chapter for Banmira Specialist School
The Banmira Specialist School officially opened it’s new $24.8 million junior campus on March 14.
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Formerly Verney Rd School, the campus sits on the site of former Wanganui Park Secondary College.
The project was fast-tracked to open for term one, 2025, with 130 students and 60 staff having transitioned to the site smoothly.
The campus features state-of-the-art services, including a sensory room, parents’ hub, and NDIS therapist space.
The opening of the junior campus was stage one, with stage two to include moving senior school students across to the new Parkside Dve campus.
GOTAFE and Wodonga TAFE announce merger
The intention to merge Goulburn Ovens TAFE and Wodonga TAFE was announced at the Committee for Greater Shepparton’s Captain’s Table Luncheon on May 16 and has since been confirmed after Victorian Government endorsement.
Joint Wodonga TAFE chief executive and GOTAFE acting chief executive Phil Paterson said the two institutions had a “strong history of collaboration” and confirmed there would be no campus closures or redundancies.
Following the amalgamation, some of the changes will include expanded course offerings at both TAFEs in 2026, including GOTAFE delivering four courses at Wodonga TAFE campuses, and Wodonga TAFE delivering two courses at GOTAFE campuses.
Thirty years of Shepparton Deaf Facility
The Shepparton Deaf Facility celebrated its 30th anniversary on October 25, marking three decades of hearing support since opening at Guthrie Street Primary School in 1995.
Sharon Hensgen-Smith — the facility’s first co-ordinator, who is now the regional director — was inspired by a lack of support for deaf students in the Goulburn Valley to lobby for a complete facility to provide essential support.
The facility provides a specialised environment designed for eye contact and sign language with a focus on literacy and language.
Magnify Sandhurst officially launched
The Magnify Sandhurst teaching program launched at St Anne’s College on January 28 and was implemented in classrooms from the first day of school in 2025.
Being rolled out in phases from 2025 to 2027, the program aims to have students learning and behaving the same as other students in Sandhurst schools.
The strategy is said to streamline lesson planning, with all schools receiving the same curated lesson plans made by qualified teachers.
The program was developed through a mix of evidence-based practices in teaching and learning, aiming to improve literacy and numeracy, and limit teachers’ workload, allowing them to focus more on how they teach rather than what they teach.
Ardmona Primary School celebrates 150 years
Ardmona Primary School celebrated its 150th anniversary in October 2025, marked with a commemorative magazine from The News.
The school is a proud member of a tight network of small schools around the area, well placed to focus on cohesion, community and tailored support for each student.
Highlights at the school include Spanish lessons, speciality programs in sport, art and science led by visiting experts, a kids’ kitchen and collaborations with other schools in the region.
Campus transformations
Shepparton’s tertiary landscape was transformed with more than $30 million in campus upgrades.
In February, La Trobe University unveiled its $20 million Shepparton Reimagined project, featuring a new two-storey building, doubled clinical nursing capacity, and the university's first fully electric, net-zero campus.
Meanwhile in March, GOTAFE opened its $10 million Trade Skills Centre double-storey extension, a 3410-square-metre facility housing state-of-the-art workshops for plumbing and construction.
These investments are designed to meet critical regional demand and provide world-class training locally.
New kindergarten in store for Kialla
St Anne’s College Kialla will soon offer a complete educational experience from kindergarten to Year 12, following a Victorian Government announcement on November 6 that two kinder rooms will be built at the site, expected to open in 2029.
In a $14.62 million Building Blocks partnership with Sandhurst Catholic Early Childhood Education and Care, new modular kinders at four Catholic schools in regional Victoria, one being St Anne’s, will provide more than 472 low-fee places.
Each centre will support three- and four-year-old kindergarten programs, with facilities designed to meet the needs of growing communities.
La Trobe Univeristy appoints new Shepparton head of campus
Laura Baker has been appointed as head of campus at La Trobe University Shepparton, and will begin on Monday, February 2.
Ms Baker succeeds outgoing head of campus Elizabeth Capp, who stepped down after seven years in the role.
Raised in Euroa and coming from the position of executive director of student experience at GOTAFE, Ms Baker has deep roots in the Goulburn Valley, and her connection to the region is both personal and professional.
She brings a strong community focus to the role with more than a decade of senior leadership experience across education, government and the corporate sector.