New laptop will ease stress of Newton Moore Aboriginal students

A donation of 18 laptops to Newton Moore Senior High School will help lower unnecessary stress levels for some of the schools Year 11 and 12 Aboriginal students.

The Goomburrup Aboriginal Corporation handed over 18 computers to the school yesterday.

Newton Moore Aboriginal and Islander education officer Lois Little said she approached the corporation’s manager Ernie Hill after she found out that several Year 11 and 12 students did not have their own devices.

“The school doesn’t supply them and families were struggling so I approached Ernie,” she said.

“It’s extremely important that the students now have access to these devices.

“A lot of the assessments by our kids weren’t being handed in and a lot of the classwork also has to be done on laptops.”

Mr Hill said he was more than happy to be able to happy whenever he could.

“We approached a few different organisations to see how we could source the laptops,” he said.

“The Wanneroo Men’s Shed then contacted us saying they had 18 laptops available and ready to go.”

The computers will be lent to Aboriginal students on a semester by semester basis through the school’s library.

“We’ll meet with the Year 11 and 12 students, discuss the expectations of their use and they will loan them out for a semester,” Mrs Little said.

“They will bring them back and then loan them out until the end of the year.”

Mr Hill said it was important to him the students had access to the computers in order to prevent unnecessary stresses.

“I run a the corporation’s suicide prevention program,” he said.

“So anything that might lead to the suicide ideation I want to be able to address.

“Having that extra stress, in terms of their education, was unnecessary.”