The aura of change in education that pervaded the previous two decades continued into the nineties.
In 1991 Alan Brebner became the first Principal to be appointed to Black Rock under the local selection procedures which have now been extended to cover all school appointments.
Increasing enrolments resulted in the provision in 1992 of a wooden portable classroom (Room 19) being positioned north of the staff car park.
In 1995, the School Council converted the sheltershed near the canteen into a music room. Unfortunately we lost the caretaker's residence adjoining the school when it was auctioned in 1994.
The asphalt area was extended to the Ferguson Street entrance and a rotunda constructed in the area where the pine trees once were.
Playground equipment has been examined to ensure its safety, and repairs and modifications made. The garden at the front of the school was redesigned with considerable planting of trees and shrubs.
The election of a new State government in 1992 brought with it many changes, some of which were new, some of which had evolved, and some of which were old ideas that had been revised and renamed.
Schools of the Future was an exciting new program, built partly on the School Improvement Plan and Ministerial Papers of the eighties, which in turn grew out of the earlier Green and White Discussion papers.
School Policies were expanded into School Charters, and the trend to greater local community involvement and responsibility continued.
Curriculum Frameworks documents extended to become Curriculum and Standards Frameworks.
One result of this was the introduction of the Learning Assessment Project (L.A.P.) testing of pupils in Years Three and Five throughout the State. Besides providing guidelines for reviewing and assessing the more traditional subjects, Frameworks also encouraged schools to provide an even wider curriculum.
At Black Rock the LOTE (Language Other than English) program in Japanese has continued.
Bike-Ed was revived and refocused and School Concerts which had been features for brief periods in the thirties and the seventies became highlights of 1993 and 1995.
Under the directorship of Jayne Timms the whole school was involved in most successful performances held in the Moorabbin Town Hall.
Computers, no longer a novelty, became an integral part of school life in the classroom, in the library and in the office.
Although the original Microbees purchased in 1985/6 were still functional, thanks mainly to Fred Richards' maintenance expertise, they were outdated and could not cope with the advanced educational software. They were progressively replaced by Apple, Mackintosh and lap-tops.
Another technological innovation was the installation of satellite dishes in each school to enable students to participate in interactive television programs. At Black Rock the dish was on the roof of the library.
In the late eighties a subsidised Before School Care program had been trialled in the school hall, but the patronage at that time was insufficient for it to continue as a viable project.
In response to the increasing needs of parents in this area, late in 1993 negotiations took place to transfer part of the municipal council's After School Care program to the BRPS hall - and to extend it to include before school sessions.
This program has been very well supported and has been operating successfully for more than fifteen years.
Parental input and contributions have continued in the best traditions of Black Rock.
The "Great Fete" of 1992 became the "Great Washout" when a devastating storm hit the area. Amazingly the fete still managed to raise several thousand dollars.
The 1994 Fete changed its emphasis to be more of a Fun and Food Festival and succeeded making a $20,000 profit.
The Class Parent Scheme continued to operate providing support for teachers in many different ways and was extended to include a "Teachers' Day" during Education Week. This provided an opportunity for parents to publicly acknowledge the work done for the children by the teachers.