By Chloe Groom, Centipede program at Glebe Public School, from Bulletin 1/2026 (March)
“At the moment, Centipede is struggling as several of the grants we have relied on in the past are not being offered this year, and the cost of bus hire … has made it almost impossible to fund excursions in school holidays … It would be wonderful if any Glebe Society members would be willing to sponsor a child or group to go on a school holiday excursion this year.”
Centipede is an out of school hours program based at Glebe Public School, providing an essential service to children in Glebe. We are a registered charity providing before school, after school and vacation care. Our services include breakfast, a hot meal in the afternoons, a food pantry and referrals to other services when required.
Glebe Public School is a diverse school with families from varied backgrounds. In 2025 twenty-six per cent of students identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; this is likely to be significantly higher among the families that utilise Centipede. Thirty-five per cent of Glebe Public School’s families are in the bottom quarter of the Distribution of Socio-Educational Advantage [1]. The care we provide is subsidised or free of charge to low-income families. We also have close links to Glebe Youth Service, Glebe Treehouse and other referral organisations.
Centipede is supported by fees paid by families, grants and donations from businesses and from members of the public. Unfortunately, at the moment, Centipede is struggling as several of the grants we have relied on in the past are not being offered this year, and the cost of bus hire, in particular, has made it almost impossible to fund excursions in school holidays. Whenever possible we try to give the children stimulating experiences beyond Glebe in the school holidays, as this may be their only opportunity in the year to go to the zoo, see live theatre, go ice skating or visit the cinema.
It would be wonderful if any Glebe Society members would be willing to sponsor a child or group to go on a school holiday excursion this year. In addition to our regular program costs, it costs approximately $50 for a child to go on an excursion (including entrance fees and bus hire). Costs for a group excursion (based on 40 children and five educators) range from $1480 for the Harbour Bridge and Pancakes on the Rocks, up to $3230 for Scenic World in Katoomba. A list of potential excursions and their estimated costs is on our website.
We can accept donations via bank transfer or PayPal. Please see Make a donation on our website or email centipede.glebe@yahoo.com.au for more information. All donations to Centipede are tax-deductible.
We are very thankful for the Glebe Society members who have supported Centipede in the past and who continue to do so.
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