Spinifex State College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spinifex State College | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public, day and boarding |
| Motto | Sharing Knowledge, Creating Our Future |
| Established | 2003 |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Colors | Navy, gold, white |
| Website | spinifexsc |
Spinifex State College is a public, co-educational, day and boarding school located in Mount Isa, Queensland. It first opened in 2003.
Prior to 2003, Mount Isa was serviced by two state secondary schools. Mount Isa State High School and Kalkadoon State High School had served the community well.
Following community consultation it was determined that to continue to provide the best possible education to students in Mount Isa that it was timely to merge the two schools. At the same time it was decided to open a residential campus to provide opportunities to students from outlying communities who do not have a secondary school.
Spinifex State College officially opened in 2003. It is a three-campus co-educational school, with a Junior, Senior and Residential (boarding) campus. Spinifex State College offers and educational program for years 7–12.
The Campuses
Junior Campus
The Junior Campus provides education for students in years 7–9. The school is based on a ‘school within a school’ concept with a Deputy and Head of department assigned to, and managing each year level. In addition to this there is also a Pathways Program that caters for students who are not achieving success in the mainstream program. Some of the pathway students attend at the junior campus, some attend a class at the senior campus and others attend a class based at Mount Isa Special School. The Junior campus is equipped with tennis courts and basketball courts. The junior campus is at 6–16 Fifth Avenue in Parkside (20°44′05″S 139°29′14″E / 20.7348°S 139.4871°E), the former site of Mount Isa State High School.[1][2][3][4]
Senior Campus
The Senior campus provides from years 10 to 12. Students select a course of study from a wide variety of offerings including Queensland Studies Authority subject, Authority Registered subjects and also TAFE courses.
Spinifex College has a Special Education Unit at the junior campus and a Special Education Class at the senior campus.
The senior campus is at 137–179 Abel Smith Parade in Pioneer (20°43′22″S 139°30′38″E / 20.7229°S 139.5106°E).[1][3] The senior campus shares the site with the Mount Isa School of the Air, the Mount Isa campus of TAFE Queensland, and the Mount Isa Special School.[3] It is the site of the former Kalkadoon State High School.[5][4]
Residential Campus
The Residential campus is the first state-run boarding facility in Queensland for students attending a state school. This campus has the capacity to board and provide educational support to 57 students.
Industry Links
Since opening in 2003 the college has worked closely with local industry partners. In 2004, in partnership with Xstrata, Mount Isa Mines a Bursary program was introduced for year 11 students. Selected students attend Xstrata one day a week in Year 11 and during school holidays. This is then progressed into a SAT once students have identified their area of preference. In 2007 a new “Skills for the Future” program was offered for Year 9 students to give them an opportunity to attend the Xstrata Skills Centre and experience trade skills.
Close links with Mount Isa TAFE have enabled a number of TAFE courses to be embedded into the school timetable.
Spinifex College is also a Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy hub school. The Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) provides students with clear pathways into one of the state's largest, dynamic and economically important sectors
