Learning’s a growth industry in the North
ALICIA NALLY early stage of the college,” he said. “As well as a full class of availability in each of years 3, 4 and 5, we also have vacancies in Year 2 and one or two vacancies in Year 1.”
The school has added five extra teachers for next year.
MacKillop Catholic College opened in 2016 with Prep to Year 3 and will grow to Year 12 by 2025.
The second stage of the school’s construction will begin soon, providing a new library resource centre and eight classrooms.
The school is also preparing for its first high school classes with applications for 2020 Year 7 enrolments beginning this month.
St Joseph’s Parish School, Weipa, also opened in 2016 with Prep to Year 6 classes including a composite 4, 5, 6 class.
This year the composite class was just years 5 and 6.
Next year the school will have one class in each year level and about 150 students.
Independent Schools Queensland executive director David Robertson said the independent schooling sector had experienced modest growth in recent years and expected to remain “relatively stable” in 2018.
A number of independent schools are adding extra classes next year, including Radiant Life College, Endeavour Christian College and Cairns Adventist College.
More growth is expected in the state sector next year.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education and Training said Cairns West State School, Cairns School of Distance Education and Mareeba State School would receive new classrooms to cater for growing enrolment numbers in coming years.
“Under the department’s infrastructure management framework, new infrastructure investments including additional classrooms are determined by population projections and enrolment forecasts provided by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office,” the spokeswoman said.
“When enrolment growth is expected to exceed the current capacity of a local school network, the department works with schools and regions to deliver additional classrooms to meet local in-catchment demand.” GORDONVALE State High School, Julatten State School P&C Association and James Cook University have taken a share in $142,185 worth of Advance Queensland Engaging Science Grants.
More than $8000 went to Gordonvale State High for the indigenous Girls in STEM project, which aims to promote science, technology, engineering and maths to students.
Julatten students will benefit from $10,000 for an afterschool program for 70 students focusing on local ecology.
James Cook University will receive almost $9000 for a Deadly Science Getaway project to ignite passion for science among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from remote communities.
The Advance Queensland Engaging Science Grants are designed to support scientists, researchers, science communicators, journalists, teachers and community groups to deliver science engagement and communication projects, events and activities that increase the profile of science in Queensland.
Info at advance.qld.gov.au