STUDENTS at Hamilton Parklands School had plenty of reasons to smile on Monday morning when they were finally able to move into their new school building as part of $13 million capital works.

The specialist school was established on its current site in 1989 in a quiet location on the outskirts of Hamilton on North Boundary Road, with the new building proclaiming the serenity of the bushland at HIRL nearby.

The new building includes a brand-new staff space, multiple classrooms with natural and sensory lighting, a huge kitchen, art room, community hub for families, and reading snugs, all with the décor imbued with neutral colours to complement the native plants in the landscaped outdoor areas.

Principal, Sonya Holden said the works began in 2020 and it was wonderful to finally be able to move the 18 students and nine staff into the new building after working out of the demountable classrooms on the campus ground for so long.

“It’s been three years in the making,” she said.

“We are so happy.

“The staff worked like trojans on Friday to get everything moved in so the students could start on Monday.

“There are still a lot of boxes to be unpacked, but it’s just amazing for Hamilton to have this beautiful and brand-new facility.”

The enormous new kitchen area will be able to cater for functions and enable families to come together for occasions like Christmas, likewise the outdoor area will be able to accommodate family events.

The demountable classrooms will eventually be relocated offsite, and one will be demolished that will make way for another separate new landscaped area.

The school offers a unique educational program for students with intellectual disabilities aged five to 18 years with some of the students eager to tell The Spectator how much they loved their new learning environment.

“We love this school,” Hayden Kenny said.

“Yeah, it’s so good,” Zack Roberts said.

“It’s a lot bigger,” Archie Purcell said.