Killarney P-10 State School provides a co-educational education from Prep to Year 10 for around 200 students from Killarney as well as the surrounding rural area. A small number of students are drawn from adjacent areas in New South Wales.
Our curriculum has a central focus for high levels of literacy and numeracy. The development of high level skills in reading comprehension across all subject areas is an encompassing goal for our school.
Our charter is to provide real life and challenging learning experiences that encompass the syllabus areas of English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Science, Languages Other Than English (Japanese), Study of Society and the Environment, Technology, and The Arts. The curriculum areas of Physical Education and Japanese are serviced by specialist teachers with the primary classes often accessing the specialist skills of our secondary teachers.
Year 8 provides an opportunity for students to trial a wide range of subjects on offer in Years 9 and 10. In Years 9 and 10, students have access to core and elective subjects. Work Education is studied from Year 8 to Year 10 with students in Year 10 being provided access to a broad range of career opportunities including School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships. Our school is registered as a training organisation to provide a certificate course in Hospitality.
Students have access to computers in their classrooms, as pods of computers placed strategically around the school, as pods of laptops borrowed from the Pathways to Learning Centre and in the purpose built computer room. Additionally students have access to a wide range of technological devices including digital cameras, scanners and projectors. These technological devices are used to provide learning tools that make our school’s curriculum accessible, meaningful and real life.
In addition to this formal curriculum our students have access to an extensive range of extra-curricula activities including:
interschool sport program with schools in Warwick and Allora (including the Broncos Coca Cola Cup)
Zone and District Sporting Teams
National Competitions in Mathematics, Science and English
sports coaching during lunch hours and before school
highly acclaimed instrumental music program and band
School Choir which performs at local, district and regional events
leadership program instilling in our students positive virtues, assisting them in becoming successful leaders and achievers while building towards their futures
tours, camps and excursions to link learning to real life outside the school
Active After Schools Community Program
School Musical every second year.
School climate
The social climate of our school is especially important to us. Central to our school’s operation is the Pathways to Peace Program. This involves all students from Prep to Year 10 belonging to vertical pathways groups that meet regularly to model, learn and develop social skills for life.
The Peace Code underpins the organisation of the supportive school environment at Killarney State School.
The Peace Code is:
Our focus is to recognise and support students in developing these positive behaviours. The process for positive recognition includes students (with the support of the staff that teach them) identifying examples of their own positive behaviours based on the Peace Code. In doing so, students work through a bronze, silver and gold application process. When students progress to each level they are publically recognised and invited to be involved in a series of celebration activities that are financially supported by the Parents and Citizens Association.
The aim of Pathways to Peace is to create a process that will:
empower participants
allow opportunities for change and development
acknowledge difference
work towards the well-being of participants and a positive future
foster the development of caring, responsive, reciprocal relationships
build upon a preventative philosophy
create safe, non-violent environments in which to learn, work and play
prevent violence, crime and other anti-social behaviours in communities both in the short-term and the long-term
Our school is committed to creating a safe and peaceful environment. This environment:
is supportive
models appropriate behaviours
avoids contradictions and hypocrisy
allows opportunities for individuals to 'find help'
supports victims to 'be brave'
supports perpetrators to 'turn things around'
Important features that enhance and contribute to our school climate include:
- Work Placements
- School Chaplaincy Program
- Student Council
- Vertical Pathways
- Shine Program
- Boys Talk/Girls Talk
- Interschool Sport
- Enrichment and Extension Programs
- School Choir
- Instrumental Music
- School Musical
- Leadership Program