Primary school students at Jerrys Plains Public School have been given sporting supplies to help them stay active during lockdown restrictions which have kept them learning from home.
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Each of the 32 students were able to choose one piece of sporting equipment to take home thanks to a donation from Malabar Resources as part of an initiative to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the students.
Jerrys Plains Public School Principal Michael Frith said the sporting supplies were greatly appreciated by the students and families, who have been remote learning for close to three months.
"Malabar's donation of sporting equipment will not just help our students stay active, but also support their mental wellbeing as they adjust to social distancing restrictions," Mr Firth said.
"Getting outside and playing is so important and the more encouragement and opportunity we can give our kids, the better."
Students ranging from the Ready4School program up to Year 6 were able to choose from a range of sports equipment including basketballs, netballs, footballs and cricket and tennis sets.
Donna McLaughlin, the health, safety, environment and community manager at Malabar Resources, said the company was pleased to support student wellbeing in partnership with the school
"We know exercise is great for both physical and mental health. We thought this was a great opportunity to help encourage the students to play outdoors and take their minds off the pandemic," Ms McLaughlin said.
"It's a small gesture but we hope it makes a big difference."
Jerrys Plains Public School students will have to continue remote learning for another few weeks, as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet confirmed today that kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 students would return to face-to-face learning from October 18, with all students set to return to campuses from Monday, October 25.
Based in the Hunter Valley, Malabar Resources operates the recently approved Maxwell Underground Mine and Solar Farm as well as the Maxwell Infrastructure site, Spur Hill Underground exploration licence and a number of agricultural properties including Merton Vineyard.
The company has donated to a number of community projects in recent months, including donating school supplies to the Singleton Neighbourhood Centre in August and a donation of $500 and basic food supplies to the Scone Community Pantry last week after major fundraisers for the group had to be cancelled due to ongoing COVID restrictions.
