Spinifex State College
Encyclopedia
Spinifex State College is an 8-12 high school, located in Mount Isa, in north west Queensland
, Australia
. It first opened in 2003.
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 – Mount Isa opened in 2003. It is a three-campus co-educational school, with a Junior, Senior and Residential campus. Spinifex State College offers and educational program for years 8-12.
Spinifex College has a Special Education Unit at the junior campus and a Special Education Class at the senior campus.
for students attending a state school. This campus has the capacity to board and provide educational support to 57 students.
, Mount Isa Mines
we introduced a Bursary program for year 11 students. Selected students attend Xstrata one day a week in year 11 and during their 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 TAFE have enabled TAFE coursed 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
team, the Taipans, to Singapore to compete in the international competition and placed first within the competition.
The Spinifex Sapphires and the Spinifex Strikers represent the College in the local netball competitions. Friendly games are also conducted against Good Shepard Catholic College and Cloncurry State School.
, that formed in 2005 and the following year they took 4th place at Eisteddfod. The jazz band reformed at the beginning of 2007 to form the Mount Isa Stage Band, which is open to all the community members to join.
, and tries his luck with the hottest chick around. Two years later, the school musical was postponed a year, to 2008, in order to accommodate for the new music teacher and the new drama teacher. The school musical for 2008 was called Disco Inferno, a 70's comedy. It premiered on the 18th and 19 July at the Civic Centre. 2010 saw the production of the world famous musical "Grease", again performed at the Mount Isa Civic Center to a positive audience reception.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It first opened in 2003.
History
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 – Mount Isa opened in 2003. It is a three-campus co-educational school, with a Junior, Senior and Residential campus. Spinifex State College offers and educational program for years 8-12.
Junior Campus
The Junior Campus provides education for students in years 8-10. 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 senior campus and others attend a class based at Mount Isa Special School.Senior Campus
The senior campus provides for years 11 and 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.
Residential Campus
The Residential campus is the first state-run boarding facility in QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
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 XstrataXstrata
Xstrata plc is a global mining company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is a major producer of coal , copper, nickel, primary vanadium and zinc and the world's largest producer of ferrochrome...
, Mount Isa Mines
Mount Isa Mines
The Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia are part of the Xstrata mining company.-History:In 1923 the orebody containing lead, zinc and silver was discovered by the miner John Campbell Miles. The company Mount Isa Mines was founded 1924 but full scale...
we introduced a Bursary program for year 11 students. Selected students attend Xstrata one day a week in year 11 and during their 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 TAFE have enabled TAFE coursed 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
Sporting
Spinifex College sent away a Touch FootballTouch football
Touch football may refer to:* Touch football , a variant of American football where players touch, rather than tackle, their opponents* Touch rugby, games derived from rugby football in which players touch, rather than tackle, their opponents...
team, the Taipans, to Singapore to compete in the international competition and placed first within the competition.
The Spinifex Sapphires and the Spinifex Strikers represent the College in the local netball competitions. Friendly games are also conducted against Good Shepard Catholic College and Cloncurry State School.
Music
Spinifex College has a combined campus concert band, The students in this band range from intermediate to experienced levels. The band placed 2nd at the local Eisteddfod in 2005, placed 3rd in 2006, and 3rd in 2007. In 2005, the band received a Silver Award in May for FanFare - a prestigious band competition held throughout the state. The school also had a jazz bandJazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
, that formed in 2005 and the following year they took 4th place at Eisteddfod. The jazz band reformed at the beginning of 2007 to form the Mount Isa Stage Band, which is open to all the community members to join.
Drama
Every two years the school produces a musical. In 2003 they performed the hit musical Back to the 80s. 2005 saw the school perform another hit musical, again a comedy, Smithy. The story of Smithy follows a troublesome youth who joins the school play, Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, and tries his luck with the hottest chick around. Two years later, the school musical was postponed a year, to 2008, in order to accommodate for the new music teacher and the new drama teacher. The school musical for 2008 was called Disco Inferno, a 70's comedy. It premiered on the 18th and 19 July at the Civic Centre. 2010 saw the production of the world famous musical "Grease", again performed at the Mount Isa Civic Center to a positive audience reception.
Other
- Internation Youth Physics Tournament [IYPT] - year 12
- Gifted and Talented Programs – including a program for year 7 students in the areas of Maths, Science, The Arts and English
- Magnetic IslandMagnetic IslandMagnetic Island is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry...
Leadership and Personal Development camp – year 11 - Year 12 Leadership Camp – Captains and School Council Members – years 9-12
- Senior Tutorial Classes – yrs 11-12
- School-Based Apprenticeships/Traineeships yrs 10-12 – 35 students in 2007
- Structured Industry Placements – yrs 10-12 – over 300 placements
- Instrumental Music Program – yrs 8-12
- Debating – yrs 8-12
- North West Sports – yrs 8-12
- James Cook UniversityJames Cook UniversityJames Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...
Trip – year 12 - Yr 7-8 Transition Days
- Tools4Change – community sponsored transition program – year 7
- Xstrata Bursaries – yr 11-12
- Siemens Science Summer School – yrs 10-12
- QMEA – Outback @ Isa excursions, Senior Engineering Camp