Talk:Edge Hill State School

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[edit] AFD

This article was nominated for deletion. The result was no consensus. See Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Edge Hill State School · Katefan0^(scribble) 17:46, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Expanding Article

In process of expanding this article, seeking to re-organise according to a number of public schooling themes.

To assist in the process, most of the existing article has been cut and pasted here .. elements of which are proposed to be reintegrated back into the article as rearranged.

I hope there are no objections to this.

History

Starting at the beginning, with the forming of Cairns back in 1876, we see the area around the current Edge Hill School first cleared and transformed into a primary industry area by Chinese market gardeners exporting bananas and selling vegetables locally. Next we see land owners increasingly planting out sugar cane and running dairy cattle^[1]

People involved in those early primary industries built their homes up on the slopes above otherwise low-lying and swampy tracts of land. The accumulation of these houses and homes later came to be known as the township of Edge Hill.^[1].

By the 1930's there were sufficient numbers of school aged children living in the Edge Hill township and surrounds to warrant establishing a school, and, by February 5, 1940 Edge Hill State School was opened with 31 pupils and an Acting Head Teacher (Mr Alexander Seaton)^[1].

Enrolments

In 2007 the school had an enrolment of 911 students, 116 of which identify as aboriginal^[2]. The school teaches from prep to year 7. In accordance with the new Rich Task curriculum (see below) there are considerable links between year levels.

A prep year is not compulsory in Queensland, as it is in New South Wales, although the prep year will go state-wide in 2008. Edge Hill already services its community by providing a free prep class (of 100 students) with state government funding.

Rejuvenation and Innovation

Although the school has existed since 1940 it has rejuvenated itself in recent years.

This change has been facilitated through extensive investment and support of teachers in the use of learning technology. To improve student outcomes the school uses only the latest computer equipment, and employs staff to support not only the maintenance but innovation of programs involving learning technology. This rejuvenation has been through actively seeking out Queensland government funding and programs^[3]

The school is now recognised by the Federal Department of Education, Science, and Training as a school of Innovation and Best Practice^[3]

Participation in New Programs and Using New FundingOpportunities

The school is currently using a Rich Task based curriculum. This program alters the usual Queensland School Curriculum by including real-world tasks which students must complete: for example, developing strategies to reduce litter in the local reef area^[3]

This has been supported by the consolidation of information technologies into the curriculum. In 2002 Edge Hill State School received an ICT innovators grant of $20,000 from the state government for a video and multimedia production studio. The school also runs a digital art expo^[3]

Teacher Training

An important aspect of these programs has been improving teacher skills. Edge Hill SS has been able to secure further training, such as in the use of new technologies, through various submissions^[3].

Community Input

Part of securing better outcomes for students has been involving parents in their children’s education.

For a while, the Edge Hill P&C had a paid liaison officer who arranged a monthly education forum; and the school had a parents network to keep parents who do not attend the forums informed^{[citation needed]}.

Principal

As at 2008, the school principal is Mr Paul Campbell^[4].

The previous school principal (2005-2007) was Ms. Susan Darby, who had come from working in distance education and helped lead the school through it's period of change, with its increasing emphasis on computer learning technologies^{[citation needed]}"

Bruceanthro (talk) 23:47, 31 March 2008 (UTC)